63 Percent Scottish: A Scotland Appreciation Podcast

We asked the West Highland Way's Jane McGeary five questions and challenged her to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:

1. What is one place every visitor to Scotland should check out? 
2. What is your favourite uniquely Scottish word or phrase? 
3. Who is one person from Scotland’s past or present that you’d like to have a beer, whisky, Irn Bru or coffee with?
4. What is one popular misconception of Scotland that you’d like to dispel?
5. Is there anything you’d like to know about Canada? 

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

Scotland's highland landscape is iconic. Sparkling lochs, soaring peaks and deep glens that have seen centuries of fascinating history. If you want to really experience the highlands, one great approach is to walk the West Highland Way. About 100 miles long, the Way starts in Glasgow's suburbs and winds its way to Fort William, along the way crossing some of Scotland's most renowned natural landmarks. 

We've asked Jane McGeary from The West Highland Way to tell us all about the Way itself. In this episode we cover:

• The history of the West Highland Way
• The landmarks you might see along the way
• How to prepare to traverse the entire path
• How to support the maintenance of the West Highland Way

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We asked podcaster and professional tour guide Owen Innes five questions and challenged him to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:

1. What is one place every visitor to Scotland should check out? 
2. What is your favourite uniquely Scottish word or phrase? 
3. Who is one person from Scotland’s past or present that you’d like to have a beer, whisky, Irn Bru or coffee with?
4. What is one popular misconception of Scotland that you’d like to dispel?
5. Is there anything you’d like to know about Canada? 

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

Go to Scotland and you're bound to see tour buses on even the narrowest of roads. What kind of person becomes a tour guide? What are the major challenges of the job? Which tours would an experienced guide recommend?

We've asked Owen Innes from the Scottish History Podcast to give us a rundown of his day job. In this episode we cover:

• How he became a tour guide
• A day in the life of a tour guide
• The best tours he gives

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

If you're a listener of 63 Percent Scottish then I have to imagine you have *some* interest in Scotland, Scottish things or the like. If you don't live in Scotland - and most people with Scottish heritage don't! - and even if you don't have Scottish genetic heritage, you may be interested in joining a Scottish Community. 

Scottish Societies and St. Andrew's Societies can be found all over Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and they provide unique opportunities to connect with Scottish culture, as well as connecting with other people who love everything Scotland.

To tell us more about Scottish communities, we're talking to John Sawyer - the President of the St. Andrew's Society of Toronto. We discuss: 

• The relative unimportance of Scottish genetics
• His own entry-point to Scottish culture
• What a St. Andrew's Society is and how he found himself leading one
• The benefits of joining a St. Andrew's Society

Want to join a Scottish community? Here are some groups you could check out:

• St. Andrew's Society of Toronto
• Scottish Society of Ottawa
• St. Andrew's Society of Winnipeg
• St. Andrew's Society of Los Angeles
• Singapore St. Andrew's Society
• St. Andrew's Society of the State of New York
• Chicago Scots
• Clans and Scottish Societies of Canada

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We asked educator, researcher and Instagrammer Océane Lopez five questions and challenged her to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:

1. What is the greatest similarity between Scotland and France?
2. What is the greatest difference between Scotland and France?
3. If you had to have coffee, beer, whisky or wine with one person from Scottish history, who would it be?
4. What is your absolute favourite place in all of Scotland?
5. What is one book about Scottish history that you'd recommend?

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

The simple story of Mary, Queen of Scots, is that she was born royal, killed her husband, was driven from Scotland and died after spending half her life in prison. But, if that story was the whole story, we wouldn't be talking about her - or making glitzy Holywood movies about her - 400+ years later. Why has Mary's story endured? We decided to ask Océane Lopez.

Océane is a teacher and a researchers who has spent considerable time studying Mary, as well as the concepts of religion and gender in Scottish history. She's also a well-known on Instagram for sharing a fun mix of history and books. We cover:

• Mary's biography
• The reasons we remember Mary centuries later
• A few things people might not know about Mary
• Océane's thoughts on the recent film starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie
• A few books about Mary that you might want to check out

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We asked Garry Stevenson, the creative mind behind Being Scottish, five questions and challenged him to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:

1. Which portrayal of Scottish characters is most offensive - Groundskeeper Willie, Fat Bastard or Shrek?
2. Which of Irn Bru, Haggis, Deep Fried Mars Bar and Bagpipes are actually enjoyed by Scottish people?
3. What's the deal with Scottish people and cows?
4. How do you pronounce "Avnosatdoonawday"?
5. What is table and is this something non-Scots should try to consume next time we're in Scotland?

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

How many words do the Scottish have for "drunk?" What exactly is a Kerbie Legend? What other cultural references or in-jokes should non-Scots know? We asked the man, the myth, the legend: Garry Stevenson. 

Garry is the creator behind all of your favourite content on Being Scottish, the social media-based celebration of, well, being Scottish. We cover:

• The origin story for Being Scottish
• His aversion to stereotypes when sharing new content
• The definitions of numerous VERY SCOTTISH WORDS
• Explanations for a few Scottish jokes that most non-Scots wouldn't get.

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We asked Rosalind Erskine, the Food and Drink Editor at The Scotsman, five questions and challenged her to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:

1. How long ago did you last have a haggis?
2. Do you have Robbie Burns' poem "Address to a Haggis" memorized?
3. What drink is the perfect accompaniment to haggis? Whisky, Irn Bru, beer or something else?
4. If haggis wasn't Scotland's national dish, what would be? Deep fried Mars bar?
5. What is one thing that non-Scots might not know about the culinary industry in Scotland?

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.