The Lang Scots Mile

A couple of facts for you to start with.

Scots Mile 1984 yards (1814 metres)
English Mile 1760 (1609 metres)

So the old Scots mile was longer than the English mile. I'd always wondered what these fascinating feet were all about. The smaller measures were variable years ago too, hence why the mile was different.

The Union of Parliament in 1701 started the introduction of the standard English measure in Scotland. South Ayrshire Council decided to create this measured Scots mile as a way of combining the historical Burns link with encouraging healthy exercise! There are however, lots of chippy type places and a couple of hotels where you can fill up with anything you like if you are hungry after your walk. I had a pint of Belhaven Best ;-)

If a Scotsman tells you he has six inches in his pocket, you can always hope he is talking in old measurements, when it comes to the length of chocolate bars of course!