Life in a Small Scottish Village is Not as Boring as You Probably Imagine It to Be
When you think of a small village in the middle of nowhere in Scotland, you will probably imagine a pretty boring place with a handful of inhabitants and not an awful lot to do. While the inhabitants part is true, the boring bit could not be further from the truth. Below we will take a look at how Scottish villagers keep themselves entertained.
Daily Cycles and Walks
When you are lucky enough to live in some of the most beautiful and scenic spots in the country, you would be foolish to stay at home and not take advantage of it. The inhabitants of Scottish villages get to go on daily walks and cycles that us city dwellers can only really dream of. Can you imagine how nice it must be to be able to walk out of your front door, walk a few minutes down the road and be in beautiful and pristine countryside? Not only will there be fantastic views that you will never get bored of, but just think of the lovely fresh air that the inhabitants of these villages get to breathe in each and every day. Meanwhile, us city folk get to breathe in car fumes and God knows what else whenever we decide to go for a walk or a cycle.
Plenty of Fishing to Do
Many of Scotland’s small villages have been built near rivers, lakes, or the sea. When you live near water, whether it is fresh water or salt water, you have plenty of fishing opportunities. Not only can you fish for entertainment, but you can fish for the sole purpose of feeding your family. Those who live in villages scattered around Scotland can go out and catch delicious fish for free, while those of us who live in the cities have to pay top prices if we want to eat fish. If you visit a coastal Scottish village, then you will undoubtedly see a lot of creels, which are basically iron cages that are used to catch delicious crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters.
Hunting
Eating fish all year round would end up getting pretty boring, but many villages in Scotland are surrounded by some tasty game animals. The villagers can acquire a hunting license and go hunting for deer, quail, pheasants, grouse and rabbits to name but a few animals. The meat from these animals is extremely tasty and can be used to make some delicious dishes. If you are ever visiting a quaint Scottish village and there is a restaurant or café, then we highly recommend that you try any dishes that include the aforementioned animals. It will be some of the best food that you have ever tasted.
Go to the Pub
One thing that you will notice when you visit a number of small villages around Scotland is that they will always have at least one pub. Everyone knows how much us Scots love our alcohol, so this is something that should not come as too much of a surprise. When the men of the village want a little break from their wives, you will be able to find them having a few pints down the local pub. The pubs will often provide entertainment too such as pub quizzes karaoke night, and traditional Scottish music. Once again, if you are ever in a small Scottish village somewhere, then we recommend that you spend the night in the pub, as it will be a highly entertaining experience. We guarantee that you will get to meet some very interesting folk indeed.
What to Do When the Weather is Bad?
There is one thing that we all know about Scottish weather and that is that it can get pretty gnarly at times. Furthermore, once the weather turns, it can stay pretty gnarly for a long period of time. So, what can villagers do when they are cooped up inside because the weather outside is frightening?
Well, they can watch TV like us city dwellers of course, but TV, as we all know, can get really boring at times. You can flick through 50 different channels and still not find something that piques your interest. However, they also, believe it or not, have access to the Internet. Therefore, they can take the time to register with some amazing bookmakers and pass the time inside by playing slot games or popular table games such as poker, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, craps, and keno. When you are playing great online casino games, you will never feel too fed up about having to stay inside.
I once visited the lovely village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire and got speaking to a local who was 80 years old and had spent all of his life in the village. In fact, believe it or not, but he had never once stepped foot out of Scotland. He had wanted to join the army, but he could not due to his flat feet. I remember I asked him, out of curiosity, what it was that he did for a living and he told me that he had been very fortunate in that regard.
As it turns out, he was an avid online casino player and he once won a hefty sum of money while playing a slot game. He told me that he was in his 30s at the time and that they were having a pretty bad winter. They were cooped up for weeks upon weeks and he was getting bored beyond belief. He remembered that a friend of his had once told him about the entertainment value of online casinos, so he decided to join up with one (the name of the one that he joined currently escapes me). He had been playing every now and then for a couple of weeks but had not really had much luck. However, one stormy evening he hit the jackpot and raked in a few million pounds, meaning that he never had to worry about money ever again.
