'Highland' surcharge: anyone live in rural England/Lake or Peak District

Then it's only racist against Highlanders! If you aren't a member of a Highland clan I don't see how you can prove racism. 

The bottom line is,  the delivery firms know that people living in these areas can only get lots of thing via mail order/inernet so they have you over a barrel if they all charge the surcharge, you have to pay it or do without. But lots of companies don't charge it, so I would stick wwith those.

It's not on the mainland!  Just like the Western Isles, the Hebrides, Bute, Shetland, Orkney, Anglessey.

So they charge more to get goods there because:  well, have you seen how much transport costs to those areas?

That's the same argument used to charge more to people in the Highlands. The fact is some parts of the Highlands are remote and hard to  deliver to. They should do it by individual address though, not a blanket surcharge.

Yes, but the Scots aren't a different race from the English. It's not a racist act, it's a scam from the delivery companies. Like Shahbanou said, they know the majority of people will just suck it up and pay it.  

Delivery charges here are a huge PITA!  That is, if you can even find a company that will deliver to you at all.  Over the years, I've lost count of the number of times I've found something online that I've wanted, and I'd have even been willing to pay extra, but they would not budge one inch on the "we don't deliver to NI".  I get that NI isn't part of the mainland, but it's not like it's hard to get here.  Personally, I think the delivery charges should be the same across the UK, period. 

Wow! This whole thread is an eye-opener to me. Royal Mail actually charges people in the Highlands for the privilege of delivering their mail?!?!? So not only do you pay the 'normal' shipping charges, but RM adds on their own to? I've never heard of such a thing being done by USPS. It seems very, very deceptive.

No, the Royal Mail doesn't charge extra.  It might take a little longer to get places like the islands (although even that is mainly due to weather), but they don't charge more for it.

Private couriers do charge more.  Some won't even deliver to certain areas.