If we could "see oursels as ithers see us…" well thanks to the wonders of the interwebs we can! Clearly there's nothing more life-affirming than checking out how utterly misunderstood – or sometimes too well understood – some of our loveliest places have been. With some choices quotes from one-star reviews, combined with some of my most popular landscapes, a new wee series is born!
Ben Lomond is one of the closest Munros to the Central Belt and a lovely day of hillwalking. Oddly enough, it also "feels never ending and constantly ascending." I want to go there now!
Not everyone sees the beauty of Scotland in the same way. There's even some who think the lovely bits are a little, well, crap. Take Ardnamurchan. Apparently even though it has lovely views, it has nothing else.
On the Kincardineshire coast, Dunnottar Castle is a wonderful gem, even though it somehow is little more than a ruin. Um, well, aye. That's quality one-star reviewing right there!
Rain in Glen Coe is, amazingly, news to some. So sad. I love the majesty of Glen Coe in any weather. Mind, if it was the size of the Grand Canyon, that really would be something.
A lot of folk have been taken in by the hipster hype lavished on Leith. And then they come to visit…
Lay all the laurels you like on the mysterious and ancient sites of Orkney, there is no question that the Ring of Brodgar is impressive… for stones.
Are you a history buff? Then visit Edinburgh Castle. Everyone else might want to give it a body swerve, though.
Aww, the poor not-so-wee Bass Rock. Its lighthouse is nothing special and the rock? Well, it's barren. Who knew?!
To be honest, I think this review of the world-famous, heritage-listed Forth Bridge is quite wrong. You can get to and from Fife. Honestly.
…and finally, I think we can all agree that there absolutely are too many bogs in Scotland. Well done to this visitor to Skye's wondrous Quiraing for writing what we all think.
Let's face it, if there's one thing Scotland does well, it's to celebrate its crapness. So I think we all need to congratulate all the visitors who noticed!
I hope you've enjoyed this brief tour of Scotland's one-star reviewed locations. If you have, you can find these designs available as posters, cards, magnets and more.