Scotland

A country in the north of the UK that draws travelers with its Highland lochs, castles, whisky and the two great cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Scotland lies in the north of the island of Great Britain, with Edinburgh as its capital. Edinburgh's Old and New Towns are a World Heritage Site, and the city hosts its arts festival every August, while Glasgow excels in Victorian architecture, museums and music. The Highlands in the north offer magnificent scenery, including Loch Ness, Glen Coe, Ben Nevis and the Isle of Skye, and St Andrews is hailed as the home of golf. Whisky distilleries across the country are also a popular attraction. From May to September the days are long and the weather is relatively settled. Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, along with the rail lines from London, are the main gateways.

Destinations

• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Inverness & Loch Ness
• Glencoe & Fort William
• Isle of Skye
• St Andrews
• Ullapool & Assynt
• Aberdeen
• Isle of Arran
• Shetland
• Orkney Islands (Kirkwall)
• Lewis and Harris
• Uists and Barra
• Pitlochry & Aberfeldy
• Isle of Mull
• Scottish Borders
• Islay
• Cairngorms & Aviemore
• Isle of Harris
• Royal Deeside
• Durness & Scotland's North Coast

Itineraries

• Classic Highlands and Isle of Skye Loop – Depart from Edinburgh and loop clockwise through the Highlands via Glencoe, the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness, and Pitlochry.
• Eastern Scotland: Fife to the Cairngorms – Travel from the fishing villages of Fife to Dunnottar Castle, then cross Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms, returning vi…
• Outer Hebrides: Barra to Lewis 7-Day Island Hop – Island-hop from south to north along the Hebridean Way, from Barra's beach airport to the Calanais Standing Stones.
• London to the Highlands: 10-Day Rail Journey – Take the train north from London to York and Edinburgh, ride the West Highland Line to Skye, and finish in Inverness.
• North Coast 500 Anticlockwise Loop – Drive the NC500 anticlockwise from Inverness, taking in Bealach na Bà, Assynt, the north coast, and east coast castles.
• Shetland and Orkney: Northern Isles – Take the overnight ferry from Aberdeen north to Shetland, then head south to Orkney to explore brochs, seabirds, and Ne…
• Arran and Islay Whisky Island Hopping – Loop from Glasgow using two island ferries to see Arran's standing stones and castles, and Islay's peaty distilleries.
• Isle of Mull, Iona, and Staffa – Cross from Oban to drive around Mull, visiting the colorful harbor of Tobermory, spotting sea eagles, visiting Iona Abb…
• Great Britain Classic Loop: England & Scotland – A classic British road trip from London, looping through Bath, the Lake District, Edinburgh, and York.