For me, the chief attractions of Scotland lie in its West Coast. The combination of mysterious mountains and indented coastline are intoxicating. Thus, many of the highlights are to be found in the ancient mountains and beaches of the Northwest. Moving south, you will discover different charms - the buzz of the city, proud castles and the stunning Berwickshire coastline that in no way feels inferior to the drama of the Highlands.
Sutherland
The landscapes of the far North have a feel of remoteness and space, with sparse habitation and heather-strewn moorland, as well as iconic sandy beaches and broken cliffs. |
| Sandwood Bay |
Assynt is a unique place Britain with some of its oldest rocks and a rich geologic footprint.The mountains may not be the highest but they are amongst the most dramatic, rising above the fingers of sea lochs.
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| Near the Bone Caves |
Fisherfield Wilderness
Fisherfield was once a forest but has long been denuded of trees. It is a wild, rocky place, far from the nearest road, and crowned by the majestic An Teallach, one of the finest mountains in Scotland.
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| An Teallach |
Beinn Eighe and Liathach rise above the sea like great wedges. Sharp ridges and big cliffs mark them out as kings of the region.
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| The Triple Buttresses on Beinn Eighe |
Rough bounds of Knoydart
The land to the South of Glen Shiel and to the North of Glenfinnan is corrugated landscape of rock and water, known for its roughness and innaccessability.
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| Loch and Lagan Aintheach, Knoydart |
Lochaber - Long Lochs and Big Mountains
Native woodland lines the banks of Loch Arkaig and Loch Leven, bringing beauty to an otherwise harsh mountain landscape. Ben Nevis is the biggest and the badest, experienced at its best via a route on the North Face.
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| Ben Nevis North Face |
Kingdoms of Scotland - Castles, Coast and City Life
The walking may be less dramatic, but there is much to see once the mountains have been left behind. The route passes the castles of Stirling and Edinburgh, and the tower of the Wallace Monument in its beautiful park. The Fife Coastal Way passes the historic village of Culross, before the spacious crossing of the Forth Bridge. There is much to see in the Scottish Capital, crowned by a dormant volcano and with its own beach at Portobello.
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| Forth Rail Bridge |
Berwickshire Coast
One of the best kept 'secrets' of the British Isles, the coastal path reaches a climax in St. Abb's Head where colonies of birds throng the cliffs in the season. En route, a diversion can be made to Fast Castle, a spectacularly situated ruin at the very edge of the cliffs.
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| St. Abb's Head |