Photo: Getty Images. Retrieved from bbc.com
It’s the size of Belgium, they tell you, though the similarities stop around there. Much of the region has sparse population and is designated ‘less favoured area’ for the quality of its agricultural land.
However, it’s more favoured for its tourism appeal, in an industry given booster rockets by the power of Instagram. It has many of Scotland’s most important food and drink successes, and many more of its answers to the climate emergency.
The Highlands and Islands economy has long been seen as a drain of people and talent, or an expensive drain on funds. But that has changed, and the region is on the cusp of changing much faster, as a renewable powerhouse for the UK and beyond, and even as a launchpad for space.
That potential was reflected in the next five-year strategy for Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), published this week.
It’s not long after the first anniversary of my move from Glasgow to the Black Isle, so it has had me reflecting on what I’ve learned since that flit.