The perfect holiday in Scotland

Maybe the Romans had a point. One look at the wild terrain and tribes of Scotland was enough for Hadrian’s legions to call in the wall builders. The northern clans are more civilized these days, but the land that shaped them is as dramatic and diverse as ever.

In the north, there are dark mountains that glower beneath storm clouds and dare you to set foot on them. Minutes later, sunshine is blazing on the flower-filled grasslands and turquoise seas of the Western Isles. To the east a squall lashes picturesque fishing villages, and in the south the Tweed flows quietly through pastoral landscapes beloved by poets.

Paradoxically, our volatile weather is a blessing in disguise. It’s fine for red deer, otters and golden eagles, but not for holiday resort developers. As a result, the true spirit of Caledonia can still be found in lonely highlands where a couple of long-distance hikers constitute a crowd, and in tranquil glens that have changed little since English redcoats were scouring them for Bonnie Prince Charlie.

A sense of freedom pervades land cherished by hill walkers, mountaineers, cyclists, fishermen, weekend sailors and sea kayakers. And after their exertions they can look forward to fine cuisine or hearty fare from hill, moor and sea loch.

Scotland is fiercely proud of a cultural heritage embracing kilts and highland war pipes, but it has more to offer than sublime whiskies and the tartan tomfoolery of Brigadoon fantasies.

Two weeks are barely enough to sample the best of it, but I have put together an itinerary exploring some lesser-known hideaways along with main attractions that may whet appetites to ‘haste ye back’ and discover more. Even Romans are welcome now.

It’s the ‘forgotten corner’ of Scotland, a rural patchwork of hills, forests and seascapes on the doorstep of England, largely ignored by tourists flooding north to the highlands and islands. Turn left at Carlisle for a gentle introduction to Scotland in a quiet land of market towns, coastal villages and splendid walking trails through deep forests teeming with red deer, kite and osprey. Wigtown is officially Scotland’s National Book Town with an annual literary festival, Castle Douglas is renowned as Food Town with over 50 traditional and independent shops, and the countryside is littered with haunting ruins of castles and abbeys fought over by Scots and English armies for centuries. Galloway Forest Park is the UK’s only Dark Sky Park with over 7,000 stars visible from the park’s visitor centres. 

Begin in Dumfries, where Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns spent the last years of his life and is celebrated in a fine museum in an 18th-century watermill on the banks of the River Nith. Then tuck into fine fair with a choice of 300 whiskies in the Globe Inn, where he lived and entertained his friends with poetry and songs. Stay at the Cairndale Hotel (doubles from around £115). 

A discovery down a dead-end road

Next day head west to the hamlet of Kippford on a river estuary in the Solway Firth, a tranquil haven for small yachts, dog walkers, and people who discover the village unexpectedly down a dead-end road. A picturesque row of granite white-washed houses, a café and a couple of good pubs, it is a place to relax and muse on life far from the madding crowds. A lovely wooded footpath meandering to the neighbouring village of Rockcliffe (round trip two hours) distils the essence of peaceful coastal scenery – and the pleasure of having it pretty much to yourself. The Anchor is a traditional family hotel with rooms overlooking the water serving food all day (doubles from £120).

It lies only a couple of hours from Glasgow, but it is a land apart of haunting beauty that canny Scots have kept pretty much to themselves as an adventure playground.

They call it ‘Argyll’s Secret Coast’, a peninsula of lonely hills, sea lochs and crags where golden eagles fly, far from traditional heather and whisky trails to the highlands. Its proper name is Cowal, bounded by Loch Fyne and the picturesque Kyles of Bute, a great escape for walkers, cyclists, sailors, and visitors happy to wander around enjoying the scenery, fine seafood and a lively arts and music scene. 

Take a Western Ferry from Gourock to Sandbank and head north on the A815 for fairyland in Puck’s Glen, an enchanting narrow gorge with a Victorian walkway that can be combined with Benmore Gardens (and tearoom) a mile on. Otter Ferry, a quiet village on the shores of Loch Fyne, has lovely coastal walks and a fine seafood restaurant. En route look out for the ruins of 15th-century Lachlan Castle, a good spot for a picnic in a small bay. Step further back in time in Kilfinnan village which has a well preserved church dating from the 13th century and impressive carved stones over the graves of clan chiefs thought to date from the sixth century.

Arts and crafts flourish in the pretty village of Tighnabruaich, overlooking the Kyles of Bute, in a gallery exhibiting painting, jewellery, textiles, glass, ceramics and prints. The Five West Coffee shop has great views of the Kyles from its garden patio, and in the neighbouring village of Kames its hotel is an old drovers inn where cattle and sheep herders stopped on their long journeys to Stirling Market. Stay in Portavadie Marina, which has a range of luxury accommodation and a superb spa and infinity pool.

White sands and a peaceful sanctuary

From Portavadie a short ferry ride to the old fishing port of Tarbert drops you on the A816, a coastal route snaking north for a couple of hours to Oban, gateway to the Inner Hebrides. The most colourful waterfront in Scotland is another short ferry ride away, a brightly painted array of houses around a harbour familiar to television viewers as Balamory. The setting for the children’s programme is more widely known as Tobermory, capital of the Isle of Mull, where the bar of the Mishnish Hotel is a legend in its lifetime for lively folk music sessions. It is a land apart, a haven for white-tailed sea eagles, hill walkers, and visitors who yearn for paths less travelled. There are wildlife tours, water sports, a narrow-gauge railway to a baronial castle, and a beach of golden sand and crystal clear water at Calgary.

An imposing mountain road leads to the south-west tip of Mull, and the pedestrian ferry to Iona. This is a jewel in the Hebridean crown, a sanctuary of peace infused with the spirituality of centuries of religious devotion since St Columba introduced Christianity from Ireland in 563 A.D. Its Abbey is a place for quiet reflection amid burial grounds of Scottish, Irish and Norwegian kings, and sitting by its shores of translucent blue water on a calm summer’s day is balm to the soul.

In spring and summer the little island is carpeted with bluebells and periwinkle, and the air is sweet with birdsong. A footpath meanders by an ancient nunnery to a hidden cove of white sand and shingle as idyllic as any in the Mediterranean. Another leads across farmland to Camus Cul an Taibh, the ‘Bay at the Back of the Ocean’, a shining beach on the deserted west coast studded with secluded coves, an ideal spot for a picnic. Your only company is likely to be fulmars, shags and kittiwakes flocking to the distinctive cries of corncrakes.

Stay at the Western Isles Hotel, a grand Victorian pile high above Tobermory harbour, with a panoramic conservatory.

Quintessential highlands

The most westerly point of the British mainland lies at the end of a single-track road winding through sun-dappled woodlands and pretty villages to a historic lighthouse museum. The Ardnamurchan peninsula, meaning ‘headland of the great seas’, hugging the northern shore of Loch Sunart, is a quintessential highland backwater a ferry ride from Tobermory (to Kilchoan). The museum is on a whale- and dolphin-spotting trail and its meadows are an ideal picnic spot. Along the road you will find a distillery at Glenmore, an RSPB natural trail at Glenborrodale and a natural history centre at Glenbeg, and in summer the community centre at Kilchoan hosts produce and craft markets. Peace and solitude are even more profound three miles north on the shell-sand beach of Sanna Bay in a National Scenic Area, where the early summer machair is bright with wild iris. This is the domain of red deer, otter, mink, sea eagles, porpoise and seals.

Stay in Laga Lodge, a three-bedroom boatman’s cottage on the shores of the loch.

The coastal road north of Ardnamurchan is a twisting roller coaster through spectacular vistas of highlands and islands leading to the fishing port of Mallaig. From here it’s over the sea to Skye into the mists of time – often literally. Its Old Norse name of ‘Cloud Island’ is well earned. When mists and low clouds swirl around the ramparts of Dunvegan and Armadale castles, it is easy to imagine the venerable seats of the clans MacLeod and Donald resounding to the clash of arms.

The big attraction of Skye is some of the finest walking and climbing routes in Scotland, from easy, low-level trails around its fragmented coast to the world class two-day ‘Skye scrapers’ traverse of the Black Cuillins, amid breathtaking scenery that is the essence of what makes Scotland special, in sunshine or rain. When the weather closes in there are lots of castles, arts and crafts galleries and crofting museums to discover, and cosy pubs and independent shops in the pretty harbour town of Portree. Stay at Skeabost House Hotel, a former Victorian hunting lodge 10 minutes from Portree.

A fairy-tale village

Few tourists who flock over the Skye Bridge in search of wild grandeur are aware that a few miles away lies a National Trust for Scotland heritage village that could lay fair claim to the most romantic scenery in Britain. Plockton (pop. 378) is a fairy-tale straggle of stone cottages around a tiny harbour with gorgeous views of Loch Carron and the Applecross hills, boasting palm trees thanks to the Gulf stream, summer boat trips for fishing and seal spotting, and a college of traditional (i.e. Celtic) music whose graduates fiddle and whistle their stuff weekly in a local inn. Last time my wife and I were there we were adopted by a fisherman’s collie who accompanied us, with his owner’s consent, on a woodland walk. It’s that kind of place. Stay in the Plockton Hotel, a former 19th-century chandlery converted into an award-winning pub and hotel.

A legendary lake

Heading east don’t miss Eilean Donan Castle on the shores of Loch Duich, arguably the most romantic castle in Scotland with an exhibition of Jacobite relics. No tour of the highlands would be complete without a visit to Loch Ness, legendary home of our elusive monster Nessie. The refurbished Loch Ness Centre at Drumnadrochit recounts all the myths, folk tales and stories of sightings that have swirled around the creature for decades. It also operates cruises on the research vessel Deepscan which searches the depths of the loch with world-class sonar equipment. In the absence of monsters, enjoy the dramatic scenery of the loch that has more water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined.

Explore the surrounding glens on guided walks and hike up the mountains with Mountain Tours Scotland or try a paddle with Kayak Loch Ness. Stay at the Loch Ness Lodge Hotel, the former home of an 18th century tea planter, at Drumnadrochit, or the Loch Ness Clansman.

Quaint harbours and a nuclear secret

The shoals of herring are long gone, but picturesque fishing villages of stone houses with red pantile roofs evoke the days when fleets of wooden ships sailed from the East Neuk (corner) of Fife between Crail and Elie. There are fewer boats now, but with local fishing and creel boats landing their catches daily, fresh crab and lobster are on the menu of pubs and restaurants clustered among quaint harbours and lanes of Crail, Pittenweem and St Monans. They are linked by a coastal path that is a bracing ramble between farmland and the sea, with regular bus services for returns. In summer festivals celebrate East Neuk’s art, music, food and heritage, notably the Pittenweem Arts Festival in August.

The scents of tar and timber linger with seafaring memories in an excellent Scottish Fisheries Museum in the largest town of Anstruther, whose collection includes The Reaper, a 100-year-old herring drifter. For wildlife and lighthouse devotees there are boat trips from Anstruther to the Isle of May, a National Nature Reserve at the entrance to the Firth of Forth and home to a large grey seal colony, over 200,000 nesting seabirds, three lighthouses and over 40,000 pairs of puffins.

A few miles east of Crail, a farmhouse conceals the entrance to Scotland’s best-kept secret. Beneath it lies a nuclear command centre built by the RAF at the height of the Cold War in 1953, where government and military commanders would have run the country had nuclear war broken out with the USSR. The labyrinth contains a nuclear operations room, an RAF control centre, two cinemas and a café. For fresh seafood try The Shed at the Harbour in Crail, The Dory Bistro and Art Gallery in Pittenweem, and the East Pier Smokehouse in St Monans. Stay at The Ship Inn in Elie or The Waterfront in Anstruther.

What better place to bid farewell to Scotland than its historic, quirky capital, the ‘Athens of the North’, a natural wonder with extinct volcanos in the middle of it. One of them provides a dramatic perch for Edinburgh Castle, whose battlements offer unparalleled views over the River Forth to Fife. Its treasures include the Honours of Scotland, the oldest crown jewels in the UK, the Stone of Destiny, an ancient symbol of the Scottish monarchy, and Mons Meg, the famous 15th-century gun. The other big hill is Arthur’s Seat, a wilderness of rock and grass rising 250 metres (822 feet) from Holyrood Park; popular for hillwalking, a network of footpaths makes it relatively easy to climb.

The heart of the Old Town with its medieval streets and alleys is the Royal Mile, running from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King’s official residence in Scotland. Its State Apartments include the Throne Room and Mary Queen of Scots Chambers where she resided after her return from France in 1561. The city boasts three free, world class art galleries. The Scottish National Gallery has a collection of masterpieces by Raphael, Rembrandt, Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery features painting, photography, sculptures and film, and the Scottish National Modern Art Gallery highlights Surrealism and Dada with works by Picasso, Matisse, Vuillard and Dix. The Old Town is riddled with fine pubs and restaurants including Maison Bleu Bistro on Victoria Street with French, North African and traditional Scottish cuisine.

The hot place in town is Leith, a buzzing port district where seafood bistros and traditional pubs dot the shore and local producers stage weekend markets. The Shore Bar and Restaurant has live jazz and Hemingways Restaurant is renowned for cocktails and tapas. The Royal Yacht Britannia, the former ocean-going royal residence, showcases elaborate state apartments and an onboard Rolls-Royce. A 13-mile riverside Water of Leith Walkway offers a peaceful link with the city centre. And for high octane entertainment there is always the midsummer madness of the international and fringe arts festivals. Stay in The Inn on the Mile or The Scotsman Hotel.

When to go

It is best to avoid the crowds of high summer and the school holidays. Late spring and early autumn are usually quieter and cheaper with decent weather.

Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services have been disrupted by breakdowns and given high demand in summer it is important to book crossings as early as possible – likewise hotels and restaurants in high season. All ferries mentioned above permit cars. 

For those who prefer organised tours, Scottish Tours has a selection of one-to-five-day tours, that can be combined, starting in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London.

Rainwear, warm jumpers, midge repellent and thermos flasks for picnics. Good maps to trace your journeys and bathers for wild swimming enthusiasts. Sun cream for the optimistic.

Holiday reading

Crowdie and Cream by Finlay J. Macdonald, a charming memoir of Hebridean childhood in the hard years of the Depression. His story continues in Crotal and White. John Buchan’s timeless classic spy thriller The 39 Steps, set in 1913 and featuring a fast-paced manhunt through Scotland by road and rail.

Look out for Highland Games staged throughout the highlands and islands from late spring to early autumn. Great fun with pipe bands, highland dancing, caber tossing and beer tents.

Check newspapers and ask locals about traditional music gigs in pubs and village halls, and ceilidh dancing to fiddle-led bands.

Scots are generally helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask about pubs, restaurants, local excursions and walking trails.

Check the weather before planning hill walks, it can change quickly.

Leave the camper van at home, they are not popular on narrow highlands and islands roads or in the most popular tourist spots.

Select an icon, then follow the link to find more information about that destination, including our pick of the best things to see and do and where to eat, drink and stay – all the details you’ll need for a brilliant day out.