Highlands & Islands
Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness |
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The Highlands of Scotland is one of the last great wildernesses in Europe and its sweeping glens and towering mountains contain some of the most spectacular scenery on earth.
The city of Inverness at the top of the Great Glen is a good touring base. It is a short drive from Loch Ness where the legendary monster Nessie is said to lurk, close to the classic great hills, particularly around Glen Affric. Further east towards the Moray Firth, there are magnificent beaches and an abundance of wildlife such as dolphins and whales.
The Cairngorms are legendary climbing country, while Britain’s highest peak, Ben Nevis, can be found near Fort William. Scotland’s tranquil Hebridean islands such as Mull, Jura and Islay may be just a short ferry ride away but they can feel like a different world. Jura, with a population of just 190, is the emptiest of all Scotland’s inhabited islands, and it is where George Orwell retreated to write his classic novel ‘1984’.
John O’Groats, the northernmost tip of Britain, which lies between Wick and Thurso, is a popular tourist attraction. Further north, the rugged islands of Orkney and Shetland are home to some of the most important Neolithic sites in Europe such as Skara Brae.