Issue 6
Scotland
SCOTLAND
THE ROOTS I LEFT BEHIND AND WHY I KEEP COMING BACK
By Susie Hollands
I don't talk about this much, but I'm Scottish. Properly Scottish - raised in the Scottish Borders, about fifty kilometres from Edinburgh, in the deepest countryside you can imagine. I spent most of my childhood on the back of a horse, hanging around our family farm, learning the rhythms of rural life that most people only read about in novels.
I left at seventeen to study, then lived in London, Paris, and traveled the world. It's been a long journey from those windswept fields. But here's what I've come to understand after all these years: those roots, those countryside values, that connection to land and weather and seasons - they've carried me further than any sophistication I've acquired since.
And I go back as often as I possibly can.
WHY I'M WRITING ABOUT SCOTLAND NOW
Many of my clients ask about Scotland, especially Americans who discover Scottish ancestry and feel that pull toward something they can't quite name. But beyond heritage tourism, Scotland offers something increasingly rare: genuine wilderness, authentic community, and a quality of life that can't be replicated elsewhere.
Our family still farms there. We raise sheep and cattle, and work arable land. My sister runs a thriving business - she's a farmer's wife, though that phrase doesn't begin to capture what she actually does. The whole family remains involved in the land, and that continuity matters more to me now than it did when I was young and desperate to leave.
I've realized Scotland isn't just where I'm from. It's one of the most compelling destinations I can recommend - not despite its remoteness, but because of it.
EUROPE'S LAST WILDERNESS
Here's how I think of Scotland: it's Europe's last true wilderness. That's not romantic exaggeration - it's geographic reality.
The far north, particularly Sutherland (where part of our family had land generations ago), is wild and windswept in a way that feels genuinely magical. Very few people live up there. The landscape is dramatic, uncompromising, and completely unlike the manicured countryside you find in most of Western Europe.
This appeals to a particular type of person - someone who's done the Riviera, done Tuscany, done all the obvious beautiful places, and is now seeking something rawer, more authentic, more challenging. Scotland delivers that in ways that might surprise you.
If you have a week, you can drive around Scotland and discover an extraordinary amount. The scale is manageable but the variety is remarkable - from Edinburgh's Georgian elegance to Glasgow's industrial energy to the Highland landscapes that look like they belong in another century.
THE CITIES: EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW
Most people in Scotland live in what we call the central belt - Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both cities are amazing in completely different ways, and both are worth your time.
Edinburgh is more genteel, obviously. It has world-class cultural events: the Edinburgh Festival (the theatre festival that draws performers and audiences from around the globe), the Edinburgh Tattoo (which is described as a military parade, but that doesn't do it justice - it's extraordinary, with piping bands and a spectacle that's genuinely moving), the Film Festival. The architecture is stunning. The history is everywhere you look.
Glasgow, on the other hand, has incredible energy. The sports culture is passionate. The music scene is thriving. The design heritage - Glasgow has produced remarkable architects and artists - gives the city a creative confidence that's infectious. It's grittier than Edinburgh, more immediate, and for some people, more appealing because of that authenticity.
Both cities offer excellent real estate opportunities, from period properties to modern new-build developments in city centers. I have connections throughout both cities and can facilitate viewings and introductions.
THE LUXURY EXPERIENCES
If you're considering Scotland seriously - either as a second home destination or simply as a place to experience properly - there are several iconic properties and experiences worth knowing about.
Gleneagles is the obvious starting point: one of Scotland's most famous hotels, offering everything from golf to falconry to Michelin-starred dining. It's luxurious without being stuffy, and it captures a particular vision of Scottish elegance.
The Fife Arms is another gem - a beautifully restored Victorian coaching inn in Braemar, filled with art and antiques, designed by the team behind some of the world's most interesting hotels. It sits in the heart of the Cairngorms, perfect for exploring the Highlands.
For true wilderness experiences, there's Lundies in Sutherland, far up in the north. It's remote, dramatic, and genuinely special - the kind of place that reminds you how small we are against the landscape.
And then there's the Royal Scotsman, the Belmont train that does a grand tour of Scotland. It's expensive - itineraries start at around $28,000 per person - but it includes everything: meals, excursions, the full luxury rail experience. I'm hoping to do it myself one day. It's the sort of once-in-a-lifetime journey that's worth saving for.
THE REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITY
From a property perspective, Scotland has always attracted significant interest, particularly from international buyers seeking something distinctive.
There have been major transactions this year. People buy grouse moors, large estates, even entire castles. At the moment, there's considerable interest from wildlife trusts and conservation organizations doing rewilding projects - buying land to restore it to natural habitat. That's creating some fascinating opportunities for buyers who want to be part of something meaningful.
But you don't need to buy an estate to find something extraordinary. Country houses in the Borders (where I'm from) offer incredible architecture - some designed by Robert Adam, one of Scotland's most famous architects. These are magnificent properties where you genuinely could have your Downton Abbey moment.
There are also modern architect-designed houses with stunning views, contemporary interpretations of living in the landscape that appeal to buyers who want something more minimal and clean-lined.
In Edinburgh, there are new-build developments in the city center - excellent options for those who want a base in the capital without the maintenance headaches of a period property. Same in Glasgow. I have connections throughout Scotland and can advise on locations, organise viewings, and introduce you to the right people on the ground.
THE CULTURAL PIECE
What might surprise you about Scotland is how interesting the food and music scenes have become. This isn't the culinary wasteland of stereotype - there's a genuine renaissance happening, particularly around local ingredients, sustainable sourcing, and creative reinvention of traditional dishes.
The whisky trail through Speyside and Islay is a masterclass in craft and terroir - understanding how land, water, and centuries of tradition create something that can't be replicated anywhere else.
The music culture is exceptional, from traditional Scottish folk to cutting-edge contemporary scenes in Glasgow and Edinburgh. There are festivals throughout the year. The Highland Games are unlike anything else - athletic competitions, dancing, piping, all rooted in centuries of tradition but very much alive today.
And then there's the land itself. The seasons are dramatic. Autumn and spring are particularly beautiful. Even winter has a stark appeal that draws certain people back year after year.
WHY AMERICANS KEEP ASKING ME ABOUT SCOTLAND
Many Americans have Scottish heritage and feel a genuine pull to explore those roots. But beyond ancestry, I think Scotland appeals to a particular sensibility - people who value authenticity over luxury, who want experiences that feel real rather than curated, who appreciate dramatic landscapes and don't mind a bit of wind and rain.
Scotland isn't easy in the way the Mediterranean is easy. The weather is unpredictable. The light can be low. But for those who connect with it, that wildness becomes essential. It offers something you can't find in more comfortable climates: a sense of being genuinely present in the natural world, on land that hasn't been entirely tamed.
A PERSONAL NOTE
I remain deeply connected to Scotland even after all these years away. When I'm there, something settles in me that I don't find elsewhere. It might be the landscape, or the family, or simply the fact that it's where I learned who I was before the world told me who to be.
If you've been curious about Scotland - whether for property, for travel, for understanding a part of yourself you haven't yet explored - I'm happy to help you discover it properly. Not the tourist version, but the real thing: the land, the people, the life that's still lived there with connection to something older and deeper than our modern rushing about.
Feel free to reply to this email if Scotland has been calling you. Sometimes these conversations lead somewhere unexpected.
P.S. The Highland Games season runs through summer. The Edinburgh Festival is in August. If you're planning a visit, timing it around these events adds another layer to the experience. Let me know if you'd like recommendations for where to stay and what to see - I know Scotland in a way I simply don't know anywhere else.
With warmth,
Susie Hollands
Founder, VINGT Paris & Twenty1