The Scottish Highlands and Islands

Since the 19th century the Scottish Highlands have been famed for their wild nature and majestic scenery. Today the region’s biggest draw remains its magnificent landscape. At almost every turn is a vista that will stop you in your tracks, from the bluebell woods, gentle hills and warm autumn colours of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, to the primeval grandeur of Coigach and Assynt, where pillared peaks rear above desolate expanses of gnarled and ancient gneiss. Keep your camera close at hand.

Legend and tradition run deep in the Highlands. Crumbling forts and monastic cells were once home to Gaelic chieftains and Irish saints. Lonely beaches and mountain passes once echoed to the clash of clan battles and empty glens are still haunted by the ghosts of the Clearances.

History is everywhere in the Highlands: in the tumbled stones of abandoned crofts preserved on a hillside like a fossil fragment; in the proud profile of broch and castle silhouetted against a Highland sunset; and in the Gaelic lilt of Hebridean speech and the Nordic twang of Shetland dialect.

Visitors will soon discover that Scotland’s restaurants have shaken off their old reputation for deep-fried food and unsmiling service and can now compete with the best in Europe. A new-found respect for top-quality local produce means that you can feast on amazing meals cooked using only the freshest ingredients.