When Queen Victoria first visited the house that would eventually become Balmoral Castle, she wrote of it that "All seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils". This, perhaps, sums up much of the appeal of Scotland for the English traveler. Scotland offered fresh air, green hills, rugged highlands, fast-flowing waters, hunting and fishing - and an environment of romance fostered by the many novels and poems about the land that were so dear to the Victorian's heart. While it was quite possible to travel from London (or elsewhere) to Scotland by train, many tourists chose to take a steamer and journey to Scotland by sea, which surely added to the sense that one was visiting a distant, and almost (but not quite) foreign land.

Description of a Botanical Excursion in the Highlands of Scotland (Godey's, 1860)

Skye (Leisure Hour, 1860)

The Tourist in Scotland (Leisure Hour, 1860)

Around Mull (Atlantic Monthly, 1865)

A Glance at the Island of Lewis, by William Black (Harper's Monthly, 1875B)Scotland

Our Highland Tour (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

A Glance at Glasgow, by Edward Bradbury (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1879)

All About Oban (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1880)

The Arran Islands (Harper's Monthly, 1881A)

Our Caledonian Cruise: A Week in Scotch Waters, by Edward Bradbury (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1881)

The Coolin Hills [Isle of Skye] (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1882)

[Edinburgh] Glints in Auld Reekie (Atlantic Monthly, 1883)

A Burns Pilgrimage (Century Magazine, 1883B)

Edinboro Old Town, by Andrew Lang (Century Magazine, 1884A)

The Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, by George Stronach (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1886)

The Glens of the Ochils (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1886)

A Day on the Hills in Arran (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1888)

Faraway Stornoway, by Edward Bradbury (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1888)

Glasgow and Its Exhibition (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1888)

Down the Cowgate, by Sarah Pitt (Quiver, 1889)

A walk through a poor district in Edinburgh.

The Land of Lorne, by Benjamin Taylor (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1891)

The Literary Landmarks of Edinburgh, by Laurence Hutton (Harper's Monthly, 1891A)

Our Highland Holiday, by Emma Brewer (Girl's Own Paper, 1891)

Brahan Castle, by Julia Marchionness of Tweeddale and Lady Jeune (English Illustrated Magazine, 1892A)

A castle near Perth, Scotland.

[Dysart] An Old Fife Burgh Town, by David S. Meldrum (English Illustrated Magazine, 1892A)

St. Andrews, by Alice MacDonald (Argosy, 1893)

The Royal Highlands (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

A Trip to St. Kilda, by Rev. R.C. McLeod (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

[Shetland] In the Home of the Afterglow (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

On Western Islay, by James Baker (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

Afternoon Service, by Ian MacLaren (St. Nicholas, 1900A)

A stroll through a Highland glen on a Sunday afternoon.

A Girl's Rambles Through Haunted Scotland, by James and Nanette Mason (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

The Black Isle, by Henry Harbour (Windsor Magazine, 1903A)

Neither black or an isle, this is a peninsula near Inverness.

Loch Lomond in Summer and Winter, by James Strang (Windsor Magazine, 1903A)

Scottish Life

Area, Population and Valuation of the Scottish Counties (Illustrated London Almanack, 1876)

Glasgow: A Municipal Study, by Albert Shaw (Century Magazine, 1890A)

The Cheese Industry of the Lowlands, by S.R. Lewison (Windsor Magazine, 1903A)

The dairies and cheddar-makers of Galloway.

• See Folk, Regional & Historic Music for articles on Scottish ballads and folk music.