Aberdeen is not much of a destination, but if you do find yourself here then consider the following options: A walk on its good long beach The Stratosphere science discovery centre Provost Skene’s House, the former city mayor’s residence and the city’s oldest building (1545). The excellent Maritime Musuem which looks step-by-step at the process of ship building and has...

Linked by ferry to Tobermory on Mull, the Ardnamurchen peninsula is a remote and rugged spot with picture-book pretty villages, attractive twisting single-track roads and brilliant white sand beaches. Acharacle, a popular musicians hangout, is a key village and a twenty-minute drive from the Nadurra Visitor Centre (location on the map of this entry), a natural history centre in a...

Calling the isle of Arran “Scotland in miniature” has become something of a cliche, but there’s truth to the observation that craggy upland landscapes and tidy coastal strips lie side by side here. The need to take a ferry (5–9 daily; 50mins) here – most commonly from Ardrossan to the island’s main settlement Brodick – keeps things a little quieter...

Aviemore vies with Fort William as Scotland’s outdoor’s capital. The attractions are similar: here Cairngorm National Park rises all around and walking and mountain biking trails radiate in every direction. There’s good climbing and rafting too. Cairngorm Mountain with its mountain railway is the centerpiece and great for summer sightseeing, while in winter it provides access to reasonable downhill skiing...

You don’t have to head far north into the Highlands to find serious mountains, as Ben Lawers (1214m/3,982ft) proves. It’s Scotland’s tenth highest and overlooks Loch Tay as well as a large swathe of lower mountains to the south. The views are fantastic. A visitor centre provides some interesting insights into local rock art that dates back around 5,000 years....

Ben Nevis is Britain’s highest mountain (1,344m/ 4,409ft), which makes it a fiercely popular challenge. Some 100,000 people attempt it every year. This generally makes it a bit too busy for quiet communing with nature, but it’s a great hike all the same. And it’s doable by anyone who’s fairly fit – at least when conditions are good – but...

Shipping magnate Sir William Burrell (1861–1958) was rich beyond most people’s wildest dreams and far keener on collecting fine art than most too. The result was one of the world’s largest solo collections – around 9,000 items from a truly eclectic range of eras and cultures: from stained glass and medieval tapestries; to Middle Eastern antiquities; to Chinese ceramics; and...

When the glow of the afternoon sun warms the standstone of Caerlaverock Castle, it’s hard to imagine a more impressive fortification. It’s filled moat and imposing gatehouse are particularly fine – and all the more so considering they’re of 13th-century vintage. Edward I laid the castle to siege in 1300, and it was seriously battered again in 1312 (though by...

Not the highest point, but certainly the centrepiece of the Cairngorm mountains is Cairn Gorm Mountain (1245m; 4084 ft). It’s particularly popular thanks to a 1.5mile-long funicular up its flanks. When the snow’s good it’s busy with skiiers and boarders, while in summer it’s a popular, low-effort way of seeing the Highlands from above (on clear days!). The £15 million...

See Britain’s only wild herd of reindeer either solo or on a daily guided walk at 11am. The herd is based around 150 animals, reintroduced into Scotland in the 1960s. Good footwear is advisable for the 20min hike to the herd. If that sounds a bit much or the weather looks threatening, you might content yourself with the few members...

The pretty village of Dunkeld lies among rolling wooded Perthshire hills as they rise to become the Highlands, which made it a stop-off for cattle drovers for generations. The village’s strategic significance also drew military attention in what became the 1689 Battle of Dunkeld. History buff’s will enjoy a free audio tour of the battle: playable and downloadable here. It...

“Neuk” is Scots for corner, and the East Neuk refers to the southeastern corner of the Fife peninsula. It’s a bit off the beaten path, so the string of villages along the coast here tended to retain their traditional feel. Elie and Crail are possibly the quaintest, and popular with artists; Pittenweem and Anstruther have pretty working harbours; with the...

To see some of Skye’s best scenery, with the minimum of effort, a boat trip from the little fishing village Elgol is hard to beat. This is partly because the drive to Elgol is one of the most scenic on the island: it snakes through the Red Cuilllins before dropping steeply to the sea. Every bit as enjoyable though, is...

Fort William is not pretty place despite being a seaside town on the lovely shores of Loch Linnhe, and close to the hulking snow-dappled Ben Nevis (1,344m; 4,409 ft), Scotland’s highest mountain. Much of the town is a mix of ugly concrete traffic islands, underpasses, shopping centres and bland housing. Yet despite the aesthetic challenges the pedestrianized centre has a...

Frequently described as Scotland’s most beautiful glen, Glen Affric is all glassy lochs, craggy mountains, Scots pine and healthy populations of otters, pine martens, wildcats and golden eagle. Towards the eastern end of the glen – about 5km/3miles from the village of Cannich, – lie picnic areas and handful of short and easy hiking trails. One goes to Dog Falls...

Scotland’s mountains are at their most arresting in the valley of Glencoe and few other roads in the country twist through a landscape of such raw drama. Here bleak expanses of moorland and bog are fringed by brooding, heather and snow-dappled peaks. It all looks like “…a burial ground of a race of giants”, at least according to Charles Dickens....

Straddling a lonely mountain pass, Glenshee is a compact but varied ski area that offers more runs than any other in Scotland: 38. It may lack the big-mountain feel of Cairn Gorm, Nevis or Glencoe, but when the snow is good, and it’s not a busy weekend day, skiing here can be a delight. Being able to explore three different...

Over the past decade or so Glentress Forest has put a huge amount of effort into developing its mountain biking potential. It’s the largest and most successful of seven forests in the Borders region to do so, and they market themselves collectively as the 7stains. It’s fair to say that the Glentress selection of mountain bike routes (graded like ski...

Handa is one of Scotland’s most intriguing small islands. For some time it was home to some extraordinarily hardy folk, who elected a queen and ran their own parliament, but all that came to an end in 1847 when the potato crop failed and the island was evacuated. Now only seabirds live here in a thriving colony that includes arctic...

Hermaness Nature Reserve is a great lure for birders searching for sea birds, particularly gannets, razorbills, red-throated divers and puffins. This helps make it a favourite breeding for Great Skuas, who largely survive by pinching food off other birds. An additional attraction at the cliff-edge reserve is the view: from here to you look out at the Muckle Flugga lighthouse:...