Related to the question whether someone should travel to Scotland this summer the answer is a resounding yes. First, and probably most important is the disease strikes animals with hooves. Humans do not fall into the category. 'Hoof and mouth' will not seriously harm humans.

I would be less than honest if I did not point out that there are some inconveniences related to travel during the next few months because of the measures that are being taken to stop the spread of the disease. Due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak affecting livestock in the area, there are restrictions on access to the countryside, public footpaths and rights of way in some areas. The UK government has issued the following advice to people planning to visit the countryside:

Obey all 'Keep Out' and 'Road Closed' signs.
Do not go on closed footpaths or bridleways.
Do not go near cows, pigs, sheep, goats, or deer.
Do not handle or feed them or leave waste food around.
Don't go on farmland, or open country, or walk dogs even on a lead, unless you are sure the land isn't used by cows, pigs, sheep, goats, or deer.
Most of the popular tourist areas will not be affected at all. The Scottish Tourist Board has updates available at their website. Edinburgh, Glasgow, and many of the beautiful cities can be wandered at your leisure. You can see the spectacular coast and Highlands from cars or tourist buses.

People have asked if you can get sick from eating the meat in Scotland because of the disease. The controls are so tight right now on movement of meat that it probably is the healthiest time in a long time to consume meat.

Finally and this is the most important point. This disease is an economic tragedy of huge portions for the farmers of Scotland. Many farms may go out of business. Scotland is dependent on agricultural income for a big percentage of its economic resources. So the entire country is suffering economically and if the tourists don't come the country will be afflicted even more from lost revenue. There is no reason why a person should not visit Scotland except a little inconvenience. All of the good reasons for visiting are still there plus the added incentive of helping a country struggling for its economic well being.

A horrible thought is that this might be the last time you get to see some of the small farms of Scotland. I for one am hoping that does not happen but it is possible depending on how long before the disease is stopped and how resilient the farmers are.

Sharma

You can find more articles in the archive under Island Miniatures/Lighthouse Letters.

I have two books which are directly related to this column. The Last Lighthouse tells how we bought our lighthouse and in Scottish Lighthouses our lighthouse is featured in the 31 lighthouses presented. You can order autographed copies by clicking on the name of the book.

Other books you might be interested in ordering and having me sign are my book for children, Moonbeam Cow, and "Scotland - The Complete Guide and Road Atlas", a beautiful book for which I did the text.