14 most beautiful places in Scotland for a UK break

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1. The Argyll peninsulas

It’s all too tempting to go roaring past them for the rugged north, but the peninsulas that be-ribbon Scotland’s west coast south of Oban are delightful tessellations of water and land, in a sheltered microclimate thanks to the protection of the islands of Islay and Jura offshore. There’s Seil, with its Bridge over the Atlantic (actually a thin tidal stream) and its short ferry crossing to Luing. And there’s Craignish, with its comfortable sanctuaries for weather-beaten yachtsmen in Ardfern and Croabh Haven. Heading south again, there’s the Crinan Canal, and ultimately the dangling Mull of Kintyre, celebrated in Paul McCartney’s famous song, from where you can glimpse Ireland on a sunny day.

2. Isle of Skye

Portree in the Isle of Skye (Getty Images)

It’s the archetype of mystical and romantic Scotland — eagles overhead, deer in the glens, lochs that look like fallen slices of sky, and the Cuillin mountains rising into the mist. Skye’s clan legends and crofting culture have long attracted visitors, but until the opening of the bridge that linked it to the mainland, its hospitality was spartan. These days the island has new distilleries, great gastronomy and hotel accommodation, and that has encouraged a steady flow of film directors who come to use the drama of the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr as locations.

3. The Borders

The River Tweed in Keslo (Getty Images)

The border between England and Scotland has long been heavily contested, which is perhaps why the towns that lie just to its north — the likes of Melrose, Hawick, Kelso and Coldstream — have been such a force in Scottish rugby, and in the Scottish military, over the years. This is a place of handsome Georgian and Victorian town centres, of striking abbey ruins (at Melrose), and of rolling hills that nurture famous salmon rivers (the Tweed). It is also the location of grand country mansions such as Abbotsford, the home of author Sir Walter Scott.

4. Lewis and Harris, Outer Hebrides

Each of the Outer Hebrides have their own natural beauty. Barra is rugged, with its airstrip making use of a tidal beach. The Uists are low lying and waterlogged, lined on the west with springy wildflower-rich machair. But it is Lewis and Harris, officially two separate islands but actually the same lump of land, which have the big-ticket attractions. On Harris it’s the west coast’s Caribbean-style white sand beaches such as Luskentyre, plus the architect-designed homes. On Lewis, the standing stones at Callanish draw the visitors — as does Stornoway, the metropolis of the Outer Hebrides.

5. Mainland, Orkney Isles

The archipelago that lies offshore from John O’Groats is quite unlike the Scottish Highlands. Orcadian accents are far gentler, reflecting Scandinavian origins, and the land is smoother and more fertile, well suited for grazing. Most remarkable on Mainland, the biggest of the islands, are the Neolithic era tombs and excavated villages, which had to be well built to withstand the weather. Also long-lasting is the tradition of the Ba game, a rugby-related mass scrum that rampages through the main town of Kirkwall every winter.

6. Knoydart, Highlands

Regularly cited as the most remote part of mainland British Isles, Knoydart is a mountainous peninsula on the west coast of Scotland, opposite the Isle of Skye, with whales and dolphins offshore and eagles overhead. A handful of small settlements are distributed along its single shoreline road, with the main community (and famous pub the Old Forge) gathered around the village of Inverie, on a sheltered bay in Loch Nevis where regular ferries connect it to the port of Mallaig. Not so long ago, Knoydart was in decline, but a community buyout of the estate has triggered a local resurgence.

7. Islay and Colonsay, Southern Hebrides

Port Ellen, Islay (Alamy)

Not as well-trodden as their northern relatives Skye and Mull, the southerly Hebrides are gentler, quieter landscapes, well worth an island-hopping odyssey. Colonsay, reached by ferry from Oban, is a land of farms and immaculate beaches, particularly up at Kiloran. Meanwhile Islay, which is ferry-connected to Colonsay and to the mainland at the Mull of Kintyre, is whisky heaven, with no fewer than eight distilleries, including the likes of Bowmore, Ardbeg and Laphroaig, all producing distinctive and peaty single malts.

8. Ben Nevis and the Caledonian Canal, Highlands

The highest mountain in the United Kingdom, at 4,413ft, Ben Nevis looms over Fort William, a hub for all manner of adventures. The Ben is an arduous but straightforward enough hike for the fit and the well prepared, but anyone less so would be better advised to take the cable car up adjacent Aonach Mor, primarily intended for summer hiking and mountain biking. Fort William is also the start of the Caledonian Canal, which links Loch Lochy to Loch Ness all the way to Inverness, splitting Scotland in half.

9. Great train journeys, Highlands

A steam train passes the Glenfinnan viaduct (Alamy)

The sleeper train from London, a time machine where you fall asleep among black cabs and wake up among red deer in the Highlands, is regularly nominated as one of the world’s best train journeys. It crosses the bleak wilderness of Rannoch Moor before descending into Fort William and from here the Mallaig line sets off along a chain of lochs and a spectacular series of glens, crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter films, and finally flirting with a beach-lined coast. Steam locomotives work this route in summer.

10. The Cairngorms, Highlands and Aberdeenshire

Cairngorms National Park (Alamy)

Ben Nevis may be the highest of Scotland’s mountains, but the wildest are in the Cairngorms National Park, which cover a massive 1,748 square miles. Among the tops, a series of plateaux create a bleak, boulder-strewn semi tundra, littered with rocky outcrops and rich in wild species such as ptarmigan and golden eagle, as well as the UK’s only herd of reindeer. Aviemore is the adventure hub for the range, but also in the national park is Braemar, famous for hosting the annual Highland Games.

11. Big Tree Country, Perthshire

The Dukes of Atholl, who some 200 years ago owned most of the land between Perth and Inverness, planted 25 million trees here, including larch, Douglas fir, maple, western hemlock and redwood, which is why this region has been designated “Big Tree Country”. Key resorts are Victorian Pitlochry and genteel Dunkeld, on the banks of the silvery Tay. Seek out the remnant of Birnam Wood, as mentioned in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, on the Tay’s bank. The Queen’s View, high above Loch Tummel, is particularly fabulous in autumn when the colours turn.

12. The Neuk of Fife, Fife

The Neuk (“corner”) of Fife is an intimate place of fishing villages such as Crail and Pittenweem, whose red-roofed cottages cluster together along the harbour wall. Colourful boats bob in the bay, and Pittenweem still has a morning fish market, mostly for lobster and crab. Further round the Neuk, the scene changes at St Andrews. This handsome town is dominated by two institutions, the Royal and Ancient, one of the most historic golf clubs in the world, and the university, which attracts students from the top echelons of society, including royalty.

13. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, Argyll/Stirling

This hugely accessible national park just north of Glasgow has a bit of everything. Scenic Loch Lomond is a place of boat cruises and watersports, with the long-distance West Highland Way setting off along its eastern shore. There are more cruises over in neighbouring Loch Katrine, where the Sir Walter Scott trails its ribbons of steam. In between the lochs, the hills and glens are cloaked in oak and fir, particularly around the adventure centre of Aberfoyle. And finally, several mountains over 3,000ft rise silently out of the northern part of the park, a foretaste of the wilderness beyond.

14. Edinburgh, Lothian

A dramatic set of hills, the seat of government, a famous castle, a major annual festival and a long literary tradition — it’s hard to know where to begin with the Scottish capital. Experience the views from Edinburgh Castle, which hosts its Royal Military Tattoo every August; take a ghost tour through the dank alleys and staircases of the lugubrious Old Town; and see the elegant New Town, which — despite the name — is mostly from the late 18th century.

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