这是在内菲桥(Nethy Bridge)社区举办的乡村舞蹈之夜，该社区位于苏格兰高地腹地的滑雪胜地阿维莫尔(Aviemore)东北方向18英里处。刚刚踏进乡村大厅，小提琴和手风琴那轻快悠扬的曲调与Nethy河潺潺作响的水流声交相辉映，萦绕在耳边。继续向里，一名叫Valerie的小姐立即迎上来自我介绍，耐心地等我买酒，随后将我拽进舞蹈“勇敢的士官”(Dashing White Sergeant)的漩涡中。舞会的主持人——一名身着高地服饰的前英军少校，用一口纯正的德语指挥一群来访的背包族迈开舞步，就连当地的青少年也纷纷前来，绕着大厅载歌 载舞。

　　这里一座座崛起的山峰高达4200英尺，登上山顶，极目远眺，冬的雪白，夏的苍绿，秋的绛紫尽收眼底，任何取景设备也无法将其完全囊括其中。战场、堡垒、教堂、城堡点缀着这片多姿多彩的地域，荟萃成丰富的文化资源，触手可及。游客可亲临其境，感受浓厚的文化氛围，有时还可与之共舞。

　　高地2007年(Highland 2007)是跨越整个高地和英国北部岛屿的文化遗产庆典活动，甚至连浸透着浓浓的挪威习俗的设得兰群岛(Shetland)，也颇为看重英国最北方的节日(www.shetlandfolkfestival.com)。高地2007年是对这片土地、它的人民及其语言，以及威士忌酒的再次肯定，其内容丰富多彩，各种演出、庆典和展览活动将一直持续到12月。

　　我站在海拔1886英尺的Cairn Daimh山顶上，来自格兰扁山脉(Grampian Mountains)的西南风狂啸着迎面而来。红褐色的高地牛(Highland Cattle)透过乱蓬蓬的毛发和长长的牛角，慈祥地凝视着层层叠叠且绵延不绝的紫色山脊。25英里外，凯恩戈姆山脉(Cairngorm Mountains)威严地屹立不动，傲视着春天的阳光，毅然地捍卫冬日残留的最后一点积雪。在这个万里晴空的日子里，斯佩塞麦芽威士忌地区(the Speyside Malt Whisky Region)显得格外雄伟壮丽。

　　格伦利物酒厂(Glenlivet Distillery) (www.scotlandwhisky.com)位于山脚下的Minmore村落，我们前往参观的途中，导游Dennis全程作陪。

　　“苏格兰共有90家酿酒厂，其中的42家分布在Speyside地区。”Dennis介绍到，他身旁的金属盖大酒桶里，麦芽在数千加仑泉水中不断发酵。

　　Speyside位于阿伯丁(Aberdeen)和因弗内斯(Inverness)两个城市之间，斯佩河(River Spey)像一条银色丝带蜿蜒而过。

　　“深呼吸 — 准备着进入天堂。” Dennis站在存放格伦利物威士忌酒(Glenlivet)的保税仓库外说。

　　仓库内，65000桶酒井然有序地比邻陈放。在此，威士忌酒至少“沉睡”12年，静静地吸收橡木的香味和色彩， 以及周围大气中的水分，而在彭斯之夜(Burns Night)尽情地释放阿伯丁的浓烈芳香。今年Speyside将有八家酿酒厂接待游客，位于自导的麦芽威士忌道(Malt Whisky Trail)(www.maltwhiskytrail.com)上的Glenlivet便是其中之一，参观结束时，来宾们可在此免费享用一杯“美酒”。而许多平常很少对公众开放的酿酒厂，也将在5月3日至5日举办的斯佩塞德威士忌酒节(Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival)(www.spiritofspeyside.com) 中发挥重要的作用。

　　Speyside早期的农夫和酿酒者通过网状的山路，用马匹搬运他们的产品。而向北航行的水手们则必须沿着苏格兰西部，驾船行驶一段曲折的航程。

　　幸运的是，19世纪初，一条60英里长的水路将高地和北海相连。喀里多尼亚运河(Caledonian Canal)(www.britishwaterways.co.uk/scotland)连接威廉堡(Fort William)附近的科珀赫(Corpach)和因弗内斯附近的Muirtown，堪称世界上最伟大的航运水路之一。此运河的三分之二由洛齐湖(Loch Lochy)、奥克湖(Loch Oich)和尼斯湖(Loch Ness)组成，壮丽的水域是大峡谷(the Great Glen)的杰作，几百万年来，它犹如一把利剑将高地一分为二。而其余的22英里也可谓工程奇迹，譬如，在科珀赫附近，闻名遐迩的Neptune`s Staircase — 一个拥有八个水闸的悬梯，可以在500码的水平距离内将过往的船只抬高70英尺。在这里，英国最高峰尼维斯峰(Ben Nevis)西北侧的悬崖峭壁直耸云端，高达2000英尺。6月16日至23日，沿着从威廉堡到高地“古都”因弗内斯的整条运河，英国水路(British Waterways)将通过歌曲、讲故事和舞蹈的形式，迎来其200周年纪念庆典。

　　追溯至2000年前那动荡不安的岁月，苏格兰最优雅繁华的城市多分布在尼斯河沿岸，风景如画的尼斯河蜿蜒前行，注入拥有500英里海岸线的摩瑞湾(Moray Firth)。7月至9月，因弗内斯将举办 “城市之夏”(`Summer in the City`)户外艺术节，展现高地音乐家、歌唱家、艺术家和青年文艺人才(www.invernessccm.co.uk)的风貌，令高地2007年活动更加丰富多彩。

　　因弗内斯向南5英里，就来到卡洛登(Culloden)。1746年春季的某一天，在这片轻风拂过的石南花沼地上，历史的进程发生了巨大的改变。

　　这场战役由被废黜的英国国王詹姆斯二世(King James II)的支持者发起，他们试图复辟斯图亚特王朝，却不幸地被残酷镇压，从此一蹶不振。“年轻的王位妄求者” 查尔斯·爱德华·斯图亚特(Charles Edward Stuart)眼睁睁地看着他的5000名二世党精兵被8000名政府军击溃。4月16日的纪念日那天，卡洛登战场(Culloden Battlefield)将改为专用。今年晚些时候，苏格兰国民托管组织(the National Trust of Scotland)将在纪念馆和氏族墓地(www.nts.org.uk)之间开放一个新的游客中心。

　　在Nethy Bridge的乡村大厅里，乡村舞蹈与歌曲“友谊天长地久” (Auld Lang Syne)相得益彰。卡洛登的辛酸永驻苏格兰人民的心灵深处，但它促使苏格兰人罗伯特•彭斯(Robert Burns)谱写下这首世界闻名的歌曲，来自世界各地的人们在音乐中手挽手，深情告别美丽的高地。

　　It was country dance night in the community of Nethy Bridge, lying just 18 miles north-east of the ski resort of Aviemore, deep in the Scottish Highlands. From the open doors of the village hall, the glorious lilt of fiddle and accordion became suffused with the babble and hiss of the River Nethy. Inside, a lady called Valerie immediately introduced herself and allowed me just enough time to buy a drink before hauling me into the synchronised swirl of the `Dashing White Sergeant`. The Master of Ceremonies, an ex-British Army major in Highland dress, called out the dance steps in impeccable German to a group of visiting backpackers. Even local teenagers had arrived to swing each other round the hall.

　　The mountain peaks hereabouts rise over 4,200 feet to deliver vistas of winter white, summer green, or autumn purple that no viewfinder can ever properly contain. Within this terrain lie battlefields, fortresses, churches and castles - and a cultural mix that is so richly tangible, travellers can reach out, touch it and sometimes dance with it.

　　Highland 2007 is a celebration of a heritage that spans the Highlands and Islands of northern Britain. Even Shetland, its islands steeped in Norse tradition, weighs in with Britain`s most northerly festival (www.shetlandfolkfestival.com). With performances, commemorations and exhibitions that run until December, Highland 2007 is a re-affirmation of a land, its people and their languages – and their whisky.

　　At the summit of Cairn Daimh, 1,886 feet above sea level, I steadied myself against a south-westerly wind that roared in from the Grampian Mountains. Russet-red Highland Cattle stared benignly through a confusion of horn and hair, against purple slopes that rose by layers into mountainous infinity. At 25 miles away, I could pick out the mighty Cairngorm mountain defying the spring sunshine to retain its last pockets of winter snow. On such a clear day, the Speyside Malt Whisky Region presented itself magnificently.

　　On a tour of the Glenlivet Distillery (www.scotlandwhisky.com) at the foot of the hill, in the hamlet of Minmore, guide Dennis was in full flow.

　　"Of the 90 working distilleries in Scotland, 42 are on Speyside," he said, standing alongside the metal-capped tuns where malted barley bubbled in thousands of gallons of spring water.

　　Speyside lies between the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness, with the River Spey twisting through it like a silver ribbon.

　　"Take deep breaths - and be ready to enter heaven, " said Dennis outside Glenlivet`s bonded warehouse.

　　Inside, 65,000 casks of spirit snuggled against each other. Here, the whisky `sleeps` for at least 12 years, silently absorbing the flavours and colours of the oak, breathing in the ambient moisture - and breathing out the heady aroma of Aberdeen on Burns Night. Forming part of a self-guided Malt Whisky Trail (www.maltwhiskytrail.com) Glenlivet is one of eight Speyside distilleries that receives visitors throughout the year, with tours that culminate with a free dram of `the water of life`. Many more distilleries, not normally open to visitors, feature in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival (www.spiritofspeyside.com) which runs from May 3-5.

　　Speyside`s early farmers and distillers moved their produce on horseback over a network of hill paths. Mariners heading north had to navigate a tortuous route around the west of Scotland.

　　Thankfully, by the early 19th century, a 60-mile waterway linked the Highlands with the North Sea. Reaching from Corpach, near Fort William to Muirtown, near Inverness, the Caledonian Canal (www.britishwaterways.co.uk/scotland) survives as one of the great waterways of the world. Two-thirds of the canal is comprised of Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness, the magnificent bodies of water formed out of the Great Glen that has bisected the Highlands for millions of years. The remaining 22 miles is an engineering marvel. Near Corpach, for example, a ladder of eight locks, known as Neptune`s Staircase, raises vessels by a height of 70 feet over a distance of just 500 yards. Here, the sheer cliffs of the northwest side of Britain`s highest mountain Ben Nevis soar to a giddying 2000 feet. From June 16-23, British Waterways marks the 200-year history with song, storytelling and dance, along the canal`s entire length, from Fort William to the ancient `capital `of the Highlands, Inverness.

　　With a turbulent history that reaches back 2,000 years, this most elegant and bustling of Scottish cities is dominated by the River Ness that sweeps gracefully into the Moray Firth, with its 500 miles of coastline. From July to September, Inverness makes its own contribution to Highland 2007 with `Summer in the City` - an outdoor festival that showcases Highland musicians, singers, artists and young theatrical talent (www.invernessccm.co.uk).

　　Five miles to the south of Inverness lies Culloden. On a spring day in 1746, the course of history was changed forever on this windswept heather moorland.

　　The campaign, by supporters of the deposed English King James II to regain the throne for the Stuart dynasty, was ruthlessly suppressed in the last battle to be fought on British soil. The `Young Pretender`, Charles Edward Stuart, saw his 5,000-strong Jacobite army cut to pieces by 8,000 Government troops. On the anniversary on April 16, Culloden Battlefield will be re-dedicated. Later in the year, the National Trust of Scotland will open a new visitor centre among the memorials and clan graves (www.nts.org.uk).

　　In the village hall in Nethy Bridge, the country dancing drew to a traditional close with the singing of `Auld Lang Syne`. The poignancy of Culloden remains deep in the psyche of Scottish people. But it took a Scotsman, Robert Burns, to write a song that had a roomful of people from all over the world linking arms in a fond Highland farewell.

　　(本文章由英国旅游局提供）