Sir Max Hastings on his love for Scotland

MY LOVE for Scotland has always been partly coloured by knowledge of Scotland’s past.

I always sympathised with the resentment and in some cases anger of many Scots people, that most of the British treat them as a region and not as a nation. My first book as a historian was on Montrose and I worked on a lot of Scottish history. One of the Scots I admire most is Sir Walter Scott, his novels are unfashionable but I still read them avidly, in fact, Red Gauntlet is by my bed.

“The whole coast of Sutherland I have always thought was one, if not the, most beautiful coastline in the UK. I first went up there in 1970, so I have loved it for 41 years now and I still find it almost completely unchanged and unspoilt. Every now and again when I write about it I get angry letters from people saying: ‘You are mad. Here is this wonderful secret corner of Britain that people don’t know about, where you can walk on empty beaches, and so why do you want to tell the world about it?’ Actually because one knows it’s tough making a living in the tourist business, one feels they deserve all the help they can get up there.

“There are wonderful hotels and places. We usually rent houses but recently we stayed at the Tongue Hotel and I think it is a heavenly place to stay. Jolly nice food and people and they really deserve to have success. I usually come up for a week at a time. In the past I used to spend six weeks a year in Scotland but now one gets so busy that I’m not able to spend as much time, but it has always been my idea of Heaven.

“It is a miracle that the Tweed is now, once again, one of the greatest rivers in the world. Fishing on the Tweed, right, is pure magic. It is also one of the most beautiful places in the world, and I also love fishing on the Naver in Sutherland. I have had many, many happy days on the Naver. I don’t regret much about getting older, but when I was staying with friends in Perthshire, whom I stay with every year, near Pitlochry, I climbed one of the mountains – a munro. I was absolutely wrecked for several days afterwards. I thought I really am feeling my age. Thirty years ago, one would go up and not think anything of it and go up and do the same the next day. But, when you are over 60, you do get slower, either that or the mountains get bigger.

Shooting grouse over pointers in the far north is another highlight. I started doing that in 1970, when I was 24, and I thought it was the most magical sport I had ever come across. I still think that and whenever I get the chance to shoot grouse I still do that. It’s not the killing things, but watching the dogs do their bit. At one time or another I’ve done everything in Scotland, but I was never so keen on stalking. I love to see the deer and, of course, I’m passionate supporter of stalking, their numbers have to be controlled, but I don’t know if I want to shoot stags anymore. I sometimes go out if my son is over; I’m delighted to watch him shoot a stag.