dangerous land, populated, when populated at all, by scary ass barbarians, descendants of the terrifying picts, tribes so ferocious, so extravagant in their violence and toughness that even the roman legions decided not to mess with them and instead built a wall hoping to just keep them out and away from civilized society. later, hunting estates like this were home to tenant farmers who scratched out a living growing oats and potatoes. owned by landed gentry, by various royals, the highland clans mackenzie, macdonell, and macleoud, to name a few, later by newer money, fabulously wealthy foreigners. today around half the land in scotland is owned by fewer than five hundred people. it's an anachronism --dismaying to some, i grant you, but seductive as well. because who wouldn't do this if they could?