scottish bagpipes piping

We’re in the home stretch! Our tribute to itineraries and destinations inspired by the 12 Days of Christmas brings us to Day Eleven!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…eleven pipers piping.

Now, I’m a little bit confused, because every time I see the 12 Days of Christmas song illustrated, the 11 Pipers Piping are always depicted as piccolo players. Or maybe flutes. Occasionally a recorder. But when I think of “pipers piping,” my mind immediately goes to bagpipes.

And not because I enjoy bagpipes. Personally, I find the sound of a bagpipe to be loud and grating. Kinda like those calling birds in Brazil that we profiled on Day 4. No, sir-ee. I dislike bagpipes. When I encounter a police funeral in New York City, I find myself running for several blocks to escape the piercing drone of the ubiquitous bagpipes.

But, I’ll accept that other people might feel differently. And, frankly, I would gladly endure exposure to bagpipes if it meant that I could go on a trip through the Scottish Highlands.

I think most people associate bagpipes with Scotland and maybe Ireland. But it seems that these windbags actually originated in Spain. Not surprising, considering that the Celtic roots run deep in Galicia. But the association with Scotland was apparently cemented in the 1500s, when the French noted that the bagpipe had replaced the trumpet on Scottish battlefields.

Makes total sense. Those bagpipes are super loud, after all.

Putting bagpipes aside, there are so many reasons to visit Scotland. We actually listed Scotland on our Places to Visit in 2020 list. Of course, we didn’t make it there (or much of anywhere) in 2020. So, we’re actually looking at pulling together a small group to travel to Scotland in the summer of 2021. If you’re interested in joining a small group with really fun people on an authentic, culturally-immersive Scotland trip this summer, drop us a line. We’d love to tell you more. And, of course, we can also arrange Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales itineraries across-the-board — whether it’s a self-drive itinerary, a package group, fully independent, with a private driver, or even a private multi-generational group. If you want to go, we want to send you!