The Southern Upland Way: Exploring Landscape and Culture

摘要

This paper considers a research project conducted at the University of Glasgow's Dumfries Campus, between 2004-5. This considered Scotland's longest long-distance walking route: the Southern Upland Way. Here, we consider its methodology and main findings, and then focus specifically on the contents of one of our most useful data sources: walkers' diaries. Our research, ultimately, showed that the 'Way' was perceived, by those who walked it, in three main ways: as a source of 'challenges'; as a resource of 'open spaces' and as a place of genuine 'hospitality'. Furthermore, we consider the way in which the experience of conducting this research contributed to the development of an active research culture on our relatively new campus, founded in 1999, and also point to the concrete impacts our research had on developing tourism on the Southern Upland Way.