True enough. A friend of mine was in Thurso a few years ago to give a talk to (I think) the Field Club. She's Canadian, but had lived in Edinburgh for a few years by that time. She loved the scenery on the train up, the views and the architecture, and said the people were really friendly. The next morning she went for an early walk and was unsettled by complete strangers saying hello and talking about the weather. Her husband's from a farming family on the Isle of Man, and it took us both a long time to persuade her that this is what normal folk do outside the cities. To this day I don't think she's convinced.