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The Highlands of Scotland region covers the northern two-thirds of the country and holds much of the mainland’s most spectacular scenery. The signature combination of mountains, glens, lochs and rivers, surrounded on three sides by a magnificently pitted and rugged coastline, guarantees wonderful moody views.
You may be surprised at how remote much of the Scotland Highlands still is. The vast peat bogs in the north are among the most extensive and unspoilt wilderness areas in Europe, while a handful of the isolated crofting villages on the west coast can still be reached only by boat.
The only major city, Inverness, is best used as a springboard for your Scotland highlands tour to the more remote areas. South of Inverness, the Strathspey region, with a string of villages lying along the River Spey, is dominated by the dramatic Cairngorm mountains, an area brimming with attractive scenery and opportunities for outdoor activity.
The Monadhliath mountains lie between Strathspey and Loch Ness, the largest and most famous of the necklace of lochs which make up the Great Glen. This ancient geological fault line cuts southwest across the Highlands region from Inverness to the town of Fort William.
From Fort William, located beneath Scotland’s highest peak, Ben Nevis, it’s possible to branch out to some fine scenery. The beautiful expanses of Glen Coe are conveniently accessible from here, as well as the appealing west coast, notably the remote and tranquil Ardnamurchan peninsula, the “Road to the Isles” to Mallaig, and the lochs and glens that lead to Kyle of Lochalsh on the most direct route to Skye.
Between Kyle of Lochalsh and Ullapool, the main settlement in the northwest, lies Wester Ross, home to quintessentially west-coast scenes of sparkling sea lochs, rocky headlands and sandy beaches set against some of Scotland’s most dramatic mountains, with Skye and the Western Isles on the horizon.
The little-visited north coast stretching from wind-lashed Cape Wrath at the very northwest tip of the mainland to John O’Groats in the east is even more rugged. Its sheer cliffs and sand-filled bays bearing the brunt of frequently fierce Atlantic storms. The main settlement on this coast is Thurso, jumping-off point for the main ferry service to Orkney.
On the fertile east coast, stretching north from Inverness to the old herring port of Wick, green fields and woodland run down to the sweeping sandy beaches of the Black Isle and the Cromarty and Dornoch firths. This region is rich with historical sites, including the Sutherland Monument by Golspie, Dornoch’s fourteenth-century sandstone cathedral, and a number of places linked to the Clearances, a poignantly remembered chapter in the Highland story.
The Great British Road Trip
Get ready to explore Britain on this unique self-drive road trip. Choose the car of your liking before you hit the road: from the Cotswolds and its picturesque villages over the Beatle's favorite hang-out in Liverpool to Scotland's capital Edinburgh: this trip includes many highlights to be explored
customize ⤍Festive Feelings around Christmas in Scotland
Experience the magic of Christmas in the heart of the Scottish Highlands! Lovely Christmas Markets and winter festivals await visitors during the winter months, but this itinerary can also be turned into a summer festival hop!
customize ⤍Scotland's Wildest Natural Scenery
Want to lose yourself in Scotland's wildest natural scenery? This itinerary is a breath of fresh air and perfect to explore the most enchanting landscapes of the Highlands. It will allow you to get to know the wildest landscapes of Scotland, its fast-paced history and its amazing traditions.
customize ⤍A true 'Outlander' Adventure
Calling all Outlander lovers…you are in luck! Who would like to follow in the footsteps of the nurse Claire Beauchamp on her trip to Scotland in 1743? We have designed the perfect itinerary to experience the most charming corners that feature in the series.
customize ⤍Magical 8-Day Family Adventure in Scotland and England : From Harry Potter to Loch Ness!
Searching for an unforgettable family adventure? Scotland is the perfect destination! With a perfect balance of nature, adventure, and Scottish culture. This 8-day trip offers a delightful mix of activities that everyone in the family will enjoy. Get ready to create life long lasting memories!
customize ⤍Highland Tour: Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and Edinburgh
Discover the beautiful region of Perthshire, the famous Loch Ness and Inverness – the capital of the Highlands. Get a chance to admire Europe’s oldest mountain, stroll along sandy beaches on the Scottish West Coast, and visit the mysterious Isle of Skye.
customize ⤍Walking around vintage England and picturesque Scotland
Visit two traditional capitals, London and Edinburgh, and enjoy a trek through the Loch Lomond national park. This trip will let you discover peaceful Scottish islands by foot, with several days of detailed walking tours included in the trip.
customize ⤍Harry Potter and The Alnwick Castle
You are one step away from joining a magical adventure! If you are fans of the wonderful world of the little magician apprentice, Harry Potter then the time has come to discover the very scenes where the Harry Potter universe was filmed. Do not forget to bring your wand. We await you on platform 9¾!
customize ⤍The area around the Black Isle and the Tain was a Pictish heartland, and has yielded many important finds. Further north, from around the ninth century AD onwards the Norse influence was more keenly felt than in any other part of mainland Britain, and dozens of Scandinavian-sounding names recall the era when this was a Viking kingdom.
The fishing heritage is a recurring theme along this coast, though there are only a handful of working boats scattered around the harbours today; the area remains one of the country’s poorest, reliant on relatively thin pickings from sheep farming, fishing and tourism. The one stretch of the east coast that’s always been relatively rich, however, is the Black Isle just over the Kessock Bridge heading north out of Inverness, whose main village, Cromarty, is the region’s undisputed highlight.
Beyond the golfing resort of Dornoch, the ersatz-Loire chateau Dunrobin Castle is the main tourist attraction, a monument as much to the iniquities of the Clearances as to the eccentricities of Victorian taste. Wick, the largest town in these parts, has an interesting past entwined with the fishing industry, but is otherwise uninspiring.
The museum, housed in the old Courthouse on Church Street, tells the history of the town using audiovisuals and animated figures. Dolphin- and other wildlife-spotting trips are offered locally by EcoVentures, who travel out through the Sutors to the Moray Firth in a powerful RIB.
Durness is a good jumping-off point for nearby Balnakiel beach, one of the area’s most beautiful sandy strands, and for rugged Cape Wrath, the windswept promontory at Scotland’s northwest tip. Thurso, the largest town on the north coast, is really only visited by those en route to Orkney. More enticing are the huge seabird colonies clustered in clefts and on remote stacks at Dunnet Head and Duncansby Head, to the east of Thurso.
Lying within easy reach of Inverness, the popular stretch of the coast between Kyle of Lochalsh and Ullapool features the region’s more obvious highlights: the awesome mountainscape of Torridon, Gairloch’s sandy beaches, the famous botanic gardens at Inverewe, and Ullapool itself, a picturesque and bustling fishing town from where ferries leave for the Outer Hebrides. However, press on further north, or south, and you’ll get a truer sense of the isolation that makes the west coast so special. Traversed by few roads, the remote northwest corner of Scotland is wild and bleak, receiving the full force of the North Atlantic’s frequently ferocious weather. The scattered settlements of the far southwest, meanwhile, tend to be more sheltered, but they are separated by some of the most extensive wilderness areas in Britain – lonely peninsulas with evocative Gaelic names like Ardnamurchan, Knoydart and Glenelg.
For those confident to go it alone, one of many possible routes takes you behind Liathach and down the pass, Coire Dubh, to the main road in Glen Torridon. This is a great, straightforward, full-day walk, covering thirteen miles and taking in superb landscapes. Another rewarding walk, even in rough weather, is the seven-mile hike up the coast from Lower Diabaig, ten miles northwest of Torridon village, to Redpoint. On a clear day, the views across to Raasay and Applecross from this gentle path are superlative, but you’ll have to return along the same trail, or else make your way back via Loch Maree on the A832.
The Harry Potter Steam Train on the Glenfinnan viaduct - shutterstock
The second leg of the journey, from Fort William to Mallaig, is arguably even more spectacular, and from June to mid-October one of the scheduled services is pulled by the Jacobite Steam Train. Shortly after leaving Fort William the railway crosses the Caledonian Canal beside Neptune’s Staircase by way of a swing bridge at Benavie, before travelling along the shores of Locheil and crossing the magnificent 21-arch viaduct at Glenfinnan, where the steam train, in its “Hogwarts Express” livery, was filmed for the Harry Potter movies. At Glenfinnan station there’s a small museum dedicated to the history of the West Highland line, as well as two old railway carriages that have been converted into a restaurant and a bunkhouse . Not long afterwards the line reaches the coast, where there are unforgettable views of the Small Isles and Skye as it runs past the famous silver sands of Morar and up to Mallaig, where there are connections to the ferry that crosses to Armadale on Skye.
If you’re planning on travelling the West Highland line, and in particular linking it to other train journeys (such as the similarly attractive route between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh), it’s worth considering one of ScotRail’s multiday Highland Rover tickets.
written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 30.05.2021
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