Scotland's Best 2018

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150 Must-visit destinations OVER LAND & WATER Memorable tours and cruises

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Formidable fortresses and priceless palaces TARTAN, TWEED, WHISKY AND MORE... Where to buy the very best

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IRELAND’S BEST

Forth House, 28 Rutland Square, Edinburgh, EH1 2BW, UK

WHO'S WHO EDITORIAL Editor & publishing manager Christopher Coates Editorial manager Sam Coyne Contibuting editor Roddy Martine DESIGN Creative director Paul Beevis Art editor Tim A’Court Designer Mandy Farnell PRODUCTION Production manager Anthony Denny FINANCE Finance director Tony Nutbrown Finance assistant Louise McDonald

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EDITOR'S WORD It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Scotland’s Best, the annual publication that celebrates this most exceptional nation. Scotland’s Best is brought to you by the team that produce the bi-monthly Scotland Magazine, which over the past 16 years has ventured in search of the country’s most breathtaking scenery, intriguing history, spectacular castles, exciting visitor attractions and prominent personalities. On the following pages, I have distilled the journalistic insight of more than 100 issues into a guide that I hope will inspire you to set off on your own adventure around Scotland.

Together we will take a whistle-stop tour of Scotland’s regions: Angus, Moray & Aberdeenshire; Argyll & Lomond; the Borders; Dumfries & Galloway; Edinburgh & The Lothians; Fife, Kinross & Clackmannanshire; Glasgow & Clyde; Inverness & The Highlands; the Islands; and Perthshire & Stirlingshire. These short guides aim to give you a taste of what these expansive areas have to offer and share some insight into their role in Scotland's history.

We have compiled profiles on some of Scotland’s very best visitor attractions, castles, historic houses, tours and cruises, distilleries, shops, Outlander locations, and places to stay that will help you plan your next vacation, weekend away or day out with the family.

Of course, this guide can hold only so much information.

If you enjoy the following pages and find them useful (which I’m sure you shall), I highly recommend that you seek out a copy of Scotland Magazine. Every issue delivers deeper insight into the nation's history, shares tales of great Scots of the past and today, and explores the very best places to visit, eat, and stay.

So, until a copy of Scotland Magazine — or the next edition of Scotland’s Best — finds its way into your hands, I bid you farewell. May your own journey around Scotland be everything you hoped for and more.

CHRISTOPHER COATES EDITOR editor@scotlandmag.com www.scotlandmag.com

SCOTLAND'S BEST

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ORKNEY I14 SLA N DS

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H OY

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Edinburgh

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L O T H11I A N

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Dumfries

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ISLE OF 4 M UL L

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VISITOR ATTRACTIONS

OUTLANDER LOCATIONS

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Blair Drummond Safari & Adventure Park Callanish Standing Stones & Visitor Centre Glenfinnan Monument & Viaduct The Kelpies at The Helix House for an Art Lover Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum Knockando Woolmill National Mining Museum New Lanark World Heritage Site Riverside Museum Rosslyn Chapel Caorunn Gin Distillery RRS Discovery Skara Brae Prehistoric Village Scottish Dolphin Centre

CASTLES & HISTORIC HOUSES 1.

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Eilean Donan Castle Abbotsford House Palace of Holyroodhouse Duart Castle Stirling Castle Hopetoun House Drum Castle Dumfries House Traquair House Scone Palace Edinburgh Castle Falkland Palace Duff House Mount Stuart Cockenzie House Braemar Castle Castle of Mey Dunvegan Castle Armadale Castle Castle Menzies

Aberdour Castle Blackness Castle Doune Castle Falkland Hopetoun House The Highland Folk Museum The Preston Mill

Caledonian Discovery Red Moon Cruises Hebridean Island Cruises The Majestic Line Celtic Journeys CIE Tours International Celtic Dream Tours Rowan Tree Travel

SHOPS 1.

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Dunmore Scotland Harris Tweed Hebrides Whisky Shop Dufftown Kinloch Anderson The House of Bruar

SHETLAND ISLANDS

NORTH SEA

Lerwick

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Craigmhor Lodge & Courtyard The Townhead Hotel The Dunstane Houses Hampton by Hilton Glasgow Central Buccleuch Arms Village The Hotel Club Inverlochy Castle Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel Greywalls East Haugh House Hotel Trump Turnberry Ingliston Country Club Douneside House Trump Turnberry The Raeburn Auchrannie Resort Kylesku Scalloway Hotel Kildrummy Inn Toravaig House Hotel Trump Turnberry Crowne Plaza Glasgow The Tontine Windlestraw Fraser Suites Glasgow Tongue Hotel The Carrick at Cameron House Old Town Chambers The George Hotel Balbirnie House

TOURS & CRUISES 1.

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NORWEGIAN SEA

DISTILLERIES 1.

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Aberfeldy Distillery Strathisla Distillery Glenfiddich Distillery Glenfarclas Distillery Benromach Distillery Edradour Distillery Annandale Distillery Kingsbarns Distillery Glen Moray Distillery Highland Park Distillery

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

XXXX HOUSE

CONTENTS REGIONAL GUIDES 6

The Borders

12

Dumfries & Galloway

18

Edinburgh & The Lothians

24

Glasgow & Clyde

30

Fife, Kinross & Clackmannanshire

36

Argyll & Lomond

42

Angus, Moray & Aberdeenshire

48

Perthshire & Stirlingshire

54

Inverness & The Highlands

60

The Islands

SCOTLAND'S BEST 66

15 Best Visitor Attractions

76

20 Best Castles & Historic Houses

86

8 Best Tours & Cruises

90

10 Best Distilleries

94

5 Best Shops

98

7 Best Outlander Locations

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31 Best Places To Stay

THE BORDERS

Home of reivers, monks and poets The Scottish Borders officially begin as and when you enter Scotland at Coldstream on the A698 in Berwickshire, or travel across the moors from Carter Bar on the A68. However, it is the River Tweed, snaking 97 miles from the Tweedsmuir Hills through Drumelzier and journeying west to spill into the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed, which, for the final 20 miles of its length, creates the natural Anglo-Scottish border.

Along its banks, from a source high in the hills of Tweeddale, lie the principal towns of the central Scottish borders: Broughton, Peebles, Galashiels, Melrose, Kelso, Jedburgh, Hawick, Selkirk and St Boswells. Between the 13th and 17th Centuries, English armies invaded Scotland nine times, and Scotland reciprocated three times. Cross-border skirmishes and cattle reiving were an everyday occurrence. It was an unpredictable life, but one that took place among glorious scenery.

In the early centuries of the second millennium, great abbeys were built at Melrose, Dryburgh, Kelso and Jedburgh to house Augustinian, Cistercian and Tironensian canons and monks. Their primary purpose was to operate as instruments of observation, governance and protection in an age in which the pre-Reformation church paid homage to Rome, but allied itself to the patronage of the Scottish monarchy.

Under that same patronage, influential Borders families presided over vast swathes of land – the Douglas, Kerr, Armstrong, Elliot, Pringle, Scott and Home, to name a few. Many of their descendants still live in the region, all of them sharing the indelible imprint of Scotland's unsettled past.

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Entrenched in lush, undulating hills that appear to roll into the horizon, the Tweed Valley remains dramatically unspoiled and breathtakingly beautiful throughout the seasons. From Broughton, the B7016 forks west towards Biggar in Lanarkshire as the A701 heads north to join the A721 and A72 travelling east towards Peebles. Broughton, on the Biggar Water as it flows into the River Tweed, is a picturesque, small village where the writer John Buchan lived. Until 2012, the Biggar Museum Trust ran a small museum dedicated to his memory, but this has relocated to the High Street in Peebles.

There are six listed buildings in the vicinity.

Of particular note is Broughton Place, an elegant private house built for the Elliott Family

by Sir Basil Spence in 1938. Five miles away are the beautiful gardens of Dawyck. The gardens here were originally planted by the Veitch family in the 17th Century. The Balfour family bought the estate in 1897 and, in 1978, the gardens were gifted to the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.

From Blyth Bridge, the A72 follows the path of the River Tweed through Lyne to pass beneath Neidpath Castle, which is perched loftily above the flow of water as it enters Peebles. Dating from the 12th Century, the original keep was erected for Sir Gilbert Fraser, whose grandson Sir Simon was executed alongside William Wallace in 1307.

Neidpath Castle was inherited by the 6th earl of Wemyss and his descendants maintain it to this day. Only open to the public by prior arrangement with Wemyss Estates, the interiors are well preserved and have become a popular backdrop for weddings.

REGIONAL FOCUS The Borders

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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The slogan ‘Peebles for Pleasure’ was attached to the market town that played an important role in the Scottish wool industry during the 19th and early 20th Centuries.

It was also popular as a health spa, but the imposing Peebles Hydro is the only remaining establishment from that era.

Following the A72 southeast, parallel to the River Tweed, the road bypasses Cardrona and approaches Innerleithen, past the picturesque ruins of Horsburgh Castle – the pile that was famously sketched by JMW Turner on his 1834 tour of Scotland. At Glentress, off the A72, is a 7stanes mountain biking centre that boasts award-winning trails into the wilderness landscape. From Peebles, there is also the B7062, a back road that leads to Traquair, passing Kailzie Gardens, which is home to an Osprey Watch Centre.

Traquair House is acknowledged as being the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland.

Built in the style of a fortified mansion, it was once a Royal hunting lodge occupied

by Scottish kings and passed to the earls of Traquair. Visited by Bonnie Prince Charlie

in 1745, the magnificent Bear Gate of the entrance drive – known as The Steekit Yetts – was closed on his departure. It is said that the gates are not to be re-opened until a Stuart once more sits on the throne of Scotland.

The small town of Innerleithen on the A72 has an Iron-Age hill fort, on top of Caerlee Hill, and aerial images indicate the long-ago existence of a Roman marching camp. The village claims to have been created by St Ronan, a pilgrim monk, who arrived in a coracle on the River Tweed circa AD737. Innerleithen prospered during the Industrial Revolution and at one time was home to five important wool mills.

Similarly, Walkerburn, the next village on the A72, also had a strong weaving industry.

On a hill above the settlement can be seen the ruins of 16th Century Elibank Castle.

Clovenfords, on the A72, and the Clovenfords Hotel, formerly known as the Whytebank Inn, was a regular haunt of Sir Walter Scott when he was appointed sheriff-depute of Selkirk in 1799. The poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy also stayed here.

PREVIOUS PAGES: FLOORS CASTLE ABOVE: THE EILDON HILLS, SEEN FROM SCOTT'S VIEW LEFT: SMAILHOLM TOWER BELOW: PEEBLES

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REGIONAL FOCUS The Borders

As you enter Selkirkshire from the west, the small town of Galashiels, having prospered through the wool industry in the Victorian era and into the 20th Century, has today become the location of the Heriot-Watt University School of Textiles and Design. Since 2015, 'Gala', as it is known locally, has been the official capital of the region. On the northwest edge of the town there are the remains of an Iron Age hill fort at Torwoodlee.

Situated on the south bank of the River Tweed, Abbotsford House is the 19th Century home built for the author Sir Walter Scott.

It is open to the public. In September 2015, the Borders Railway passenger train services were reinstated, having been closed since 1969. Today, you can travel by train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank in under one hour.

The nearby town of Melrose was historically situated in Roxburghshire. Melrose Abbey was founded for the Cistercian order by David I in the early 12th Century and it is here that the heart of Scotland's hero King Robert I is buried. The Melrose Festival takes place in the town each year in June, accompanied by the immensely popular Borders Book Festival.

South of Galashiels, on the A7, is the Royal Burgh of Selkirk, which overlooks the Yarrow Valley. Situated on the Ettrick Water, a tributary of the River Tweed, local folk here are known as ‘Souters’ after the number of shoemakers who once lived locally.

The market town of Kelso is also worth a visit. Its main visitor attraction is the ruined Kelso Abbey, founded by Alexander I in the 12th Century to accommodate a community

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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© MAGSELLEN, DREAMSTIME | © ATGIMAGES, DREAMSTIME

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of Tironensian monks. Henry, earl of Huntingdon, son of David I, was interred in the abbey in 1152.

North of Kelso, off the A6089, is Mellerstain House, which was built in the 18th Century by the iconic architects William and Robert Adam for George Baillie and his wife lady Grisel, daughter of Patrick Hume, earl of Marchmont. Their descendants became earls of Haddington and continue to live there, although they have opened Mellerstain and its grounds to the public.

Dominating the attractive town of Kelso, Floors Castle is the ancestral home of the dukes of Roxburghe. Some 400 yards from the present castle, James II of Scotland was killed here by an exploding cannon in 1460 while laying siege to Roxburgh Castle, which was held at the time by the English. In retaliation, James' widow, Mary of Guelders, razed the fortification to the ground.

In 1814, Dryburgh was the first Scottish town to erect a monument in honour of Scotland's Guardian, William Wallace. It stands within the grounds of Bemersyde House. Dryburgh is also celebrated for its picturesque ruined abbey, which was built for Premonstratensian canons from Alnwick Abbey in 1159 but largely destroyed by English soldiers in 1322. Dryburgh Abbey was restored, but then burned again by Richard II of England in 1385 and thereafter it somehow survived, to some extent, until finally being ravaged in 1544. The writer Sir Walter Scott and Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (aka 'The Butcher of the Somme') are both buried in the cemetery.

Around one mile from Newton St Boswells, on the A68, is St Boswells. It is named after a medieval Abbot of Melrose and situated on St Cuthbert's Way, a long-distance footpath linking Melrose Abbey to the Holy Isle at Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland. Fair Day, held annually on 18 July, commemorates an age when gypsies would gather here.

From St Boswells, the A68 travels south to Jedburgh. Jedburgh sits on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, and 10 miles from the border with England. Its most prominent feature is the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey, founded as a church in the 9th Century, becoming an abbey for Augustinian monks in 1147.

David I built a castle at Jedburgh in 1147, but it was captured so often by English invaders that it was subsequently demolished in 1408.

However, Jedburgh Castle Jail, built on the site and restored in 1964, serves as a museum and features displays of local history.

The Mary Queen of Scots Visitor Centre in Queen Street is housed in a 16th Century tower house, where she is alleged to have stayed overnight in 1566.

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY A tranquil corner

In 1886, the Gretna Estate was purchased by Hugh Mackie and, three generations later, his great grandson Alasdair Houston presides over the various enterprises that make a stop-over here such an enjoyable experience.

Situated in an enclosure just below the First House in Scotland, for example, is the Hands Across the Border 'Auld Acquaintance' cairn, which consists of over 130,000 stones imported from across the United Kingdom.

Agricultural settlements in what was then considered to be the western stretch of the 'Debatable Land' between England and Scotland remained largely unchanged for centuries. Then, in 1915, the UK Ministry of Munitions arrived to establish a munitions factory which, at its peak, employed 30,000 workers. Today, their story is told at the town of Gretna's innovative Devil's Porridge Museum.

However, the adjacent Gretna Green is perhaps best known for the 5,000 marriages it hosts in a year. It all began in 1754, when Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act was passed in England to stop those under the age of 21 from marrying without parental consent.

Under Scots law it was permitted for girls of 12 and for boys of 14 to marry, regardless of their youth. Moreover, they did not require a religious ceremony, which seems surprising in this predominantly Protestant country. Instead, couples could be legally betrothed and joined in union under a ‘declaration’.

All that came to an end in 1940 when marriage by declaration was made illegal in Scotland and, by 1977, English law had also changed to allow couples over 18 to marry

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SCOTLAND’S BEST

without parental consent. Nevertheless, marriage at 16 remained in Scotland and by then the romance of ‘running away to Gretna Green’ was a part of British folklore.

From Gretna Green, the A75 travels west into the market town of Dumfries, close to where the River Nith meets the Solway Firth.

East of Gretna, the A7 heads in a northerly direction through Canonbie, with the Clan Armstrong Centre at Gilnockie Tower, to the former textile town of Langholm, known as the ‘Muckle Toun’. In centuries past, it was the stronghold of the formidable Borders family of Armstrong and birthplace in 1757 of the civil engineer Thomas Telford.

Meanwhile, directly north of Gretna Green, the A74 races past the pretty village of Ecclefechan, renowned as the birthplace of the Victorian essayist and philosopher Thomas Carlisle, then surges onwards past Lockerbie towards Beattock, Elvanfoot and Abingdon.

North of Beattock, on the A701, is the early spa town of Moffat. Once a major centre for the Scottish wool trade, it is still the home of the mouthwatering Moffat toffee. Between Dumfries and Moffat are the ruins of Loch Maben Castle, which was built by Edward I of England in the 13th Century, after which it was destroyed and rebuilt in the reign of James IV then abandoned in the 17th Century.

Nearby is Drumlanrig Castle, built in the 17th Century on the site of an earlier Douglas castle for the 1st duke of Queensberry, whose ducal title and lands would eventually pass through cousin marriages into the Scotts of Buccleuch family.

REGIONAL FOCUS Dumfries & Galloway

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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PREVIOUS PAGE: CASTLE KENNEDY THIS PAGE: SWEETHEART ABBEY FACING PAGE: DUNSKEY CASTLE

Nonetheless, with 120 rooms, 17 turrets and four towers, Drumlanrig remains one of Scotland's most spectacular country residences.

In addition to its sumptuous furnishings, it accommodates part of the fabulous Buccleuch Art Collection and visitor features include an adventure playground for children, mountain biking, and Land Rover tours of the estate.

Coal and lead mining were integral to the local economy, notably at Leadhills, which sits just on the edge of South Lanarkshire.

Less than a mile away, at the head of the Mennock Pass and nestling into the Lowther Hills, is Wanlockhead, which is Scotland's highest village. Here, the Museum of Lead Mining features a genuine lead mine that is open to the public as a tourist attraction.

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SCOTLAND’S BEST

Travel back along the A76 to the south and you come to the handsome town of Dumfries, which was confirmed as a Royal Burgh by David I in the 13th Century. Although nowadays a bustling modern centre of commerce and industry, its past history is inescapable. It was here at the Kirk of the Greyfriars, demolished during the Reformation and subsequently rebuilt, that Robert the Bruce allegedly stabbed his cousin, the Red Comyn, in a dispute over the Scottish crown in 1306.

In 1791, the 33-year-old poet Robert Burns, having failed to earn a decent living as a farmer at Ellisland, on the Hollywood Road at Auldgirth, brought his family to Dumfries.

Here he worked as an excise man, in control of the Solway coast. To start off with, the family

occupied an apartment in Bank Street before moving to a larger house in what is today known as Burns Street.

Although the name of Scotland's National Bard is largely associated with his childhood home in Ayrshire, Dumfries today boasts a Burns Museum that contains a wealth of memorabilia and a gleaming mausoleum in St Michael's Kirkyard, where he is buried.

From the town centre, the A75 to the east crosses to Annan where the townsfolk in July traditionally Ride the Marches. The Historic Resources Centre and Museum in Bank Street deserves a visit. Be sure to book a tour of the recently revived Annandale Distillery.

To the south of Dumfries, on either side of the mouth of the Nith, is the northern shore

REGIONAL FOCUS Dumfries & Galloway of the Solway Firth. Just 11 miles south and off the B725, as it follows the eastern banks of the Nith, is the famous Caerlaverock Castle.

Seven miles to the south of Dumfries, at New Abbey on the A710, are the melancholy ruins of Sweetheart Abbey, which was built in the 13th Century by the widowed Lady Devorgilla. A great heiress and wife of John Balliol, she founded the splendid college at Oxford University. It was their son who became Scotland's ‘Puppet King’ under Edward I of England, but eventually buckled under pressure and fled into exile in France.

Heading southwest from Dumfries, the A75 takes travellers to Castle Douglas and into the region of Galloway. While in the region, be sure to take time to explore the breathtakingly beautiful 250 square miles of Galloway Forest Park, which incorporates the 2,765-foot tall Merrick, the highest hill in southern Scotland. It is designated as a Dark Sky Park and is perfect for stargazing.

Halfway between Dumfries and Castle Douglas, Crocketford is also known as Nine Mile Bar and was once a meeting of drove roads. Kirkpatrick Durham is the next village

heading west, and was once a prosperous hand-loom weaving centre.

The planned town of Castle Douglas is beside Carlingwark Loch, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and was created in the late 18th Century by the entrepreneurial Sir William Douglas.

To the north, at Glenlochar, are the remains of two Roman forts, the first dating from Agricola's invasion and the second from the Antonine period. To the west, situated on an island in the River Dee, are the ruins of Threave Castle, which was the seat of the formidable Black Douglas earls of Douglas.

Today, the surrounding 64 acres make up Threave Gardens, home to the Practical School of Horticulture, and it is maintained

by Historic Environment Scotland.

After the Jacobite Rising of 1745, General Wade instigated a military road through Galloway, passing through Carlingwark. On the approach to Kircubright is the village of Ringford. The settlement is situated on the Tarff Water, which enters the River Dee near Tongland on the tidal stretch of the river. Tongland Abbey was built here by Premonstratensian monks in the Middle Ages.

At the mouth of the River Dee is Kirkcudbright, capital of the old Stewartry (a term applied to Crown property administered by a steward instead of a sheriff). Overlooking Kirkcudbright Harbour is the ruin of MacLellan's Castle. The fortification was built in the 16th Century by a former provost of the town, Sir Thomas MacLellan of Bombie.

The Stewartry Museum in St Mary's Street was founded in 1879 and features a large number of prehistoric rock carvings and artefacts of local interest.

John Paul Jones, founder of the American navy, was born in the village of Kirkbean and there is a memorial to him in the church by sculptor George Henry Paulin. During the 18th and early 19th Centuries, Kirkbean was the departure point for thousands of Scots sailing to America and Australia.

On the Water of Fleet, close to where it enters Fleet Bay, an inlet of Wigtown Bay, is the appropriately named Gatehouse of Fleet.

Created in the late 18th Century as a centre for cotton manufacturing, the town was laid out by the entrepreneur James Murray, for whom the gracious Cally House, now a hotel, was built in 1763 to designs by the famous architect Robert Mylne.

Newton Stewart sits on the River Cree and most of the town is situated to the west of the river. Sometimes called the ‘Gateway to the Galloway Hills', it was created in the mid-17th Century by William Stewart, the youngest son of the 2nd Earl of Galloway. In the 18th

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Cocktails

Canchánchara

Daiquiri

Treacle

A predecessor to both the mojito and the daiquiri, this one has a story intrinsically linked into Cuban history. It is said to have been drunk by revolutionaries fighting against the Spanish at the end of the 1800s. They were unlikely to be drinking it on ice, but we’ll let you off if you fancy it.

Another Cuban creation – this one supposedly originating from the small village of Daiqurí, 14 miles east of Santiago de Cuba where American soldiers landed during the Spanish–American war. America also plays its part in the story, with a mining engineer Jennings Cox coming up with the recipe for a Daiquiri. His recipe called for ‘The juice of six lemons; six teaspoons of sugar; six Bacardi cups – Carta Blanca; two small cups of mineral water; plenty of crushed ice.’ Writer Ernest Hemingway enjoyed a Daiquiri and El Floridita in Havana’s old town serves them just the way he liked them.

A Dick Bradsell creation regarded by many as the ‘Rum Old Fashioned.’ It’s pretty punchy, but with enough sweetness to cut through. A sipper.

Ingredients • 50ml rum (its link to Cuba means that it would almost be rude to use a rum from anywhere else. Perhaps try Añejo 7 Anos from Havana Club) • 3tsp of runny honey (from a supermarket or mix 10ml warm water with 10ml of honey to make your own honey water) • 10ml of lime juice (some recipes use lemon; if so, switch from a lime wedge to a lemon) • 1 lime wedge Method In a lowball glass, stir together rum and lime juice. Add the honey or honey water and fill the glass with ice. Stir again, before garnishing with the lime wedge.

Ingredients There’s much debate about the perfect ratio, but this should be enjoyed for its simplicity.

• 60ml white rum (Bacardi Carta Blanca should be used if wanting to be authentic) • 15ml lime juice • 7.5ml sugar syrup

Ingredients • 50ml rum (dark will do a little better in this one, with a number of recipes recommending a navy strength to bring the alcohol forward) • 3 dashes Angostura bitters • 15ml apple juice • 7.5ml sugar syrup Method Mix together half the rum, sugar syrup and bitters with a couple of ice cubes in an Old Fashioned glass. Stick in the rest of the rum and stir again, before floating the apple juice.

Method Chill a martini glass by with ice. In a shaker, add lime and sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Put ice and the rum into the shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds to chill the mix.

Empty the martini glass of ice, before straining the mix into it. (There’s debate about whether to strain or not, but play around to suit yourself.)

Garnish with lime twist if you’re feeling fancy.

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To Scotland's capital and beyond Scotland’s capital sits proudly and defiantly on the southern shore of the Firth Forth, making it both strategic and, despite the haars (those seasonal sea mists that envelop the streets in a diaphanous cloak of secrecy), it is sheltered from the unpredictable weather of the North Sea. Over 1000 years ago, the region's volcanic outcrops – North Berwick Law, Traprain Law, Arthur's Seat and Salibury Craggs and Edinburgh Rock, provided defensive outlooks against coastal invaders – the Vikings from the north, and the Saxon English from the south. In the Middle Ages, coastal settlements along the Firth of Forth – Leith, Portobello, Musselburgh, Prestonpans, Port Seton, Aberlady, North Berwick, and Dunbar – became profitable trading ports with the Low Countries of mainland Europe.

The name Lothian is traditionally associated with King Loth, whose ancient kingdom was appropriated by the Angles in the seventh century. In 1018, Lothian was annexed by the Kingdom of Scotland and in the centuries thereafter it became a continual battleground between the English and the Scots, before, during, and after the Scottish Wars of Independence.

Every August, Scotland's capital city becomes an epicentre of world culture.

There is the Official International Festival; the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; the Edinburgh Art Festival; the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival; the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the Edinburgh Mela Festival, not to mention the Royal Edinburgh Military

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Tattoo, and a Festival of Politics centred on the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood.

August is the month when this most glorious of medieval cities, dubbed ‘The Athens of the North’, springs to life. For four frantic weeks spilling into September, Edinburgh becomes a genuinely cosmopolitan and international destination. Of course, that is not to say there is little on offer the rest of the year.

Far from it!

For a start, there is the city itself, with its awesome skyline of castle, church spires and volcanic outcrops; seven hills in total creating a series of levels as the Old Town at its centre drops down into the lower New Town, with the castle looming over the populated coastline of the Firth of Forth. On sunny days, residents and visitors alike are dazzled by glimpses into the distance – south onto the green and undulating Pentland Hills and north across the Port of Leith to the Kingdom of Fife and beyond.

Edinburgh enjoys the split personality of Old Town and New Town, the former a warren of medieval cobbled streets snuggling onto a spine of volcanic rock which travels east from the castle esplanade into Holyrood Park, with its palace, ruined abbey, and the Scottish Parliament buildings.

The New Town, so-called because it largely dates from the 18th Century, lies below and between this and the Firth of Forth. This breathtaking area is made up of splendid Georgian and Victorian squares and terraces thrown up over the period known as the Scottish Enlightenment.

REGIONAL FOCUS Edinburgh & The Lothians

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PREVIOUS PAGE: EDINBURGH FROM CALTON HILL THIS PAGE: A VIEW OF EDINBURGH FACING PAGE: DALHOUSIE CASTLE, MIDLOTHIAN

At the foot of the Royal Mile is the Queen's Gallery, which displays treasures from Royal residences, and you have the choice of taking a tour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Her Majesty the Queen's Scottish residence, or the futuristic (and controversial) Scottish Parliament building opposite.

Alternately, you might just prefer to set off into the open spaces of Holyrood Park and climb Arthur's Seat, the central hilltop, which provides glorious vistas over the city and surrounding countryside.

On Chambers Street, parallel to the Royal Mile, stands the National Museum of Scotland, an amazing interconnecting exhibition space shared between the merger of the Museum of Scotland, with its collections of Scottish

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antiquities, culture and history, and the Royal Museum, its collections covering science and technology, natural history and world cultures.

Across from the corner of Chambers Street and George IV Bridge, look out for the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, the loyal little Skye Terrier made famous in a Walt Disney film. But please don't rub his nose 'for luck', this modern practice is damaging the much-loved sculpture!

From the Greyfriars Kirk, a one-time haunt of the grave-robbers Burke and Hare, there are daily ghost tours and on the High Street, among the tartan gift shops, is the entrance to The Real Mary King's Close, a warren of underground streets that were closed up in the 18th Century and remain preserved for visitors to explore today.

Edinburgh boasts a remarkable collection of international art accommodated in three splendid public galleries: the National Gallery of Scotland, at the foot of The Mound; the refurbished Scottish National Portrait Gallery, in Queen Street; and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art on Belford Road.

A unique opportunity for enjoying the skyscape of the city can be found at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Inverleith, with its rhododendron walks, glasshouses, Chinese garden and recently modernised restaurant complex. Another very special visitor attraction is the decommissioned Royal Yacht Britannia, anchored at the Ocean Terminal of the Port of Leith. Launched at John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank in 1953, the Royal Yacht proudly

REGIONAL FOCUS Edinburgh & The Lothians served the Royal Family and the United Kingdom for 44 years. During that time it carried The Queen and members of the Royal Family on 968 official voyages, from the remotest regions of the South Seas to the deepest divides of Antarctica.

However, no visit to Scotland's capital is complete without a foray into the surrounding countryside. Towards South Queensferry and the magnificent Firth of Forth road and rail bridges can be found Dalmeny House, home of the earls of Rosebery, and the magnificent Hopetoun House, ancestral home of the marquesses of Linlithgow. Further to the west is the House of the Binns, once home of the Royalist general Tam Dalyell and still occupied by his descendant.

On Edinburgh's western approaches are the satellite towns of Livingston, Linlithgow and Bathgate, with their complex mix of small industries. During the Industrial Revolution these districts flourished on the wealth of coal and shale mining, industries that have since dramatically declined.

At Wilkieston, in the grounds of Bonnington House, is Jupiter Artland, a spectacular and whimsical garden incorporating Charles Jencks' 'Life Mounds' and a creation by Jim Lambie. Both delight and astonish.

At Linlithgow, the ruins of its eponymous palace date from the 15th Century. Linlithgow Palace was a principal residence of the Royal

Stewart dynasty and birthplace of both James V and Mary, Queen of Scots, but it abandoned after James VI moved his court to England.

The palace was largely destroyed in 1746 by the Duke of Cumberland's army as it marched north to confront the retreating Prince Charles Edward Stuart at the Battle of Culloden. Nevertheless, the palace remains a tranquil beauty spot.

Midlothian has a fine array of built heritage and here you will find the largely 15th Century Crichton Castle, which was built as the residence of the Crichtons and later home to the earls of Bothwell, an influential family among whom James, the 4th earl, married Mary Queen of Scots in 1567.

Another family residence, the wonderful William Adam country house at Arniston, by Gorebridge, has been home of the Dundas family for over 400 years and boasts works by Scottish artists such as Sir Henry Raeburn and Alexander Nasmyth, along with fascinating period furniture.

Newbattle Abbey is one of Midlothian’s hidden treasures. Originally the site of a medieval Cistercian Abbey and founded in 1140 by the monks of Melrose Abbey, who created Newbotil (meaning ‘new dwelling’), the building’s monastic life ended at the time of the Reformation in 1560.

Elsewhere, the elegant architecture of Dalkeith Palace dominates the Dalkeith

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Country Park, owned by the duke of Buccleuch.

Old Penicuik House, damaged in a devastating fire in 1899, is a stunning focal point in Penicuik Estate. The house was built between 1761 and 1769, although the connection between the Clerk family and the Penicuik Estate stretches back even further, to 1654.

Churches, too, play their part in showing Midlothian’s heritage. Next to Crichton Castle is the picturesque Crichton Collegiate Church, founded by Sir William Crichton, Chancellor of Scotland, in 1440 and dedicated in 1449.

From the same period, but different to any other church, is the renowned Rosslyn Chapel in the village of Roslin. Still family-owned, Rosslyn Chapel was built as a family chapel for Sir William St Clair, who lived in nearby Roslin Castle, next to the River North Esk. The name ‘Rosslyn’ is derived from ‘ross’, meaning a 'rocky promontory' and ‘lynn’, which means 'waterfall'.

East Lothian has the best of everything – rich farmland ranging from the fertile arable yielding soil of the coastal plain to the sheep-filled slopes and grouse moors of the inland Lammermuirs, picturesque coastal and inland towns detailed with buildings of historic interest, and large stretches of sandy beaches that hug little fishing villages and harbours. East Lothian’s small towns – Tranent, East Linton, Morham, Gifford,

REGIONAL FOCUS Edinburgh & The Lothians

Humbie, Garvald, Port Seton, Aberlady, Dirleton, Gullane, North Berwick and Dunbar – abound in history. For example, at Prestonpans, in 1745, troops of the British Government were decimated in under five minutes by the Highland army of 'Bonnie' Prince Charles Edward Stuart.

At Athelstaneford is the Flag Heritage Centre, which celebrates the origins of the Scottish Saltire. The flag was adopted after the lucky omen of a white cross appeared against a blue sky before a battle between Scots and Northumbrians in the 9th Century.

John Mair, the 16th Century philosopher whose teachings radicalised Europe, was born at Glenhornie in 1467; John Muir, the Victorian naturalist and father of environmental movement, spent his first 11 years in Dunbar; and the writer Robert Louis Stevenson spent childhood days holidaying with his cousins at North Berwick, where the coastline features in several of his novels.

Offshore from North Berwick is the Bass Rock, home to 8,000 gannets that can be viewed on webcams from the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick. Opposite the Bass Rock is the ruin of Tantallon Castle, built in the mid-14th Century for the first earl of Douglas and which, until it fell into disuse, was considered to be Scotland’s most impregnable fortress.

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GLASGOW & CLYDE

More than just an industrial powerhouse For those of us who live in Scotland, Glasgow has always remained true to itself – gallous, cheery, brash, opinionated, and welcoming.

It’s a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-faith mix of decent, down-to- earth, no-nonsense individuals who are proud of their lives on the banks of the River Clyde. As Scotland's largest urban conurbation, it is sometimes hard to imagine that as recently as three to four centuries ago, Glasgow hardly existed.

Mushrooming from a medieval bishopric and 15th Century university town, its existence as a small, rural, religious and academic settlement was dramatically transformed into a major seaport in the 18th and 19th Centuries by the transatlantic tobacco and cotton trades. At the same time, Highland and Irish immigration swelled its workforce to become a third of Scotland's total population.

With the Industrial Revolution came trade, chemicals, engineering and ship building, and you only have to stroll along the city centre’s Sauchiehall Street into Buchanann Street or George Square to become aware of the wealth of period architecture this created, alongside a vibrant sense of achievement. That is part of the fun of a visit to Glasgow: observing the striking contrasts between the present and the past; the sense of being in a city that is constantly unravelling and evolving.

Towering over the Merchant City is the Necropolis, a sprawling city of the dead that was inaugurated in 1833. Within its slopes, under serried ranks of obelisks and monuments, lie the remains of two centuries of Glasgow's great, good and Godly. On the lower ground

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sits Glasgow Cathedral, otherwise called the High Kirk of Glasgow, a supreme example of elegant Gothic architecture dating from the 12th Century – long before the Reformation swept away its doctrinal affiliations to the Church of Rome.

Contemporar y Glasgow, however, has distanced itself from its hard core, commercially driven Victorian past. Today, the Merchant City – its oldest quarter – hums with eclectic bars, award-winning restaurants, designer shops, and art galleries, many of them housed in the former mansions of the trading elite. The splendid Mitchell Library, for example, was the gift of a tobacco lord.

George Square, laid out in 1871, boasts the superlative City Chambers, the headquarters of the city council. With its splendid marble interiors, it covers an area of 6000 square yards and used up 10 million bricks in its construction. The Victorian fathers of the city were determined to publicise their newfound wealth and achievements.

What’s more, throughout the city there are the treasures of that affluence to be found – at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Hunterian Museum, the People's Palace and Winter Gardens, the Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel, and at the Burrell Collection in Pollok Country Park.

Glasgow boasts over ninety parks and green spaces, the most notable perhaps being at Kelvingrove and Glasgow Botanic Gardens, in the West End, with its spectacular wrought iron framed glasshouse, the Kibble Palace.

REGIONAL FOCUS Glasgow & Clyde

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Two favoured sons stand out from the architecture that they left behind them: firstly, Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, notable for the Caledonia Road and St Vincent Free churches, and the Piper's Tryst, the College of Piping's hotel in McPhater Street. Secondly, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who is commemorated by his enchanting Willow tearooms, the 1901 House of an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park, and the Glasgow College of Art, which was recently damaged by a fire but mercifully saved.

Cultural life is to be enjoyed in abundance, at the Theatre Royal, King's, Pavilion, Tron, Tramway, and Citizen's theatres, not to mention the Royal Concert Hall. Designated a UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow hosts over 130 concerts per week in such venues, taking in King Tut's Wah Wah Hut and the Scottish Exhibition & Concert Centre on the River Clyde.

Glasgow straddles the waterway from whence came its good fortune. Today there are 21 crossings, including the Clyde Tunnel, and the regeneration work that has taken place from Broomielaw to Finnieston over the past two decades is nothing if not awesomely impressive.

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Journeying over the Kingston Bridge on the M8 towards Glasgow Airport, the cityscape unfolds as a shimmering futuristic panorama, dominated by the irregular, pewter coloured, 3,000-seat Clyde Auditorium designed by Sir Norman Foster, widely known for its appearance as ‘The Armadillo’.

But Glasgow would not have existed without the River Clyde, which was dredged and deepened over the last two centuries to accommodate its shipping needs and the bounty that flowed into it from the far corners of the world. Between 1860 and 1870, over 800,000 tons of iron ships were built at Clydebank, Finnieston, Govan, Kelvinhaugh and Scotstoun. In 1969, the QE2 was launched from John Brown's Shipyard on Clydebank.

Now almost all of those great Clyde-built enterprises are a distant memory.

If there is one thing that Glasgwegians are good at, it is adapting to change. While its reputation as one of the world's greatest shipping waterways is realistically a thing of the past, the River Clyde continues to be the focal point of the burgeoning City of Glasgow,

REGIONAL FOCUS Glasgow & Clyde

not to disregard the many small towns and villages that sit along its length.

With its source deep in the Lowther Hills of Dumfries, it should not be overlooked that the river travels a distance of 176km to merge with the Firth of Clyde, just beyond the west coast sea ports of Gourock, Greenock and Dunbarton.

Large swathes of Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire owe much of their prosperity and survival to their proximity to the River Clyde.

Its influence on the central belt of Scotland has been immensely important. Following its course from the meeting of the Daer and Potrail Waters, west of Moffat, it reaches the spectacular Falls of Clyde in South Lanarkshire.

This great beauty spot was discovered in the late 18th Century by David Dale, an Ayrshireborn cloth merchant, who instantly recognised the power of the waterfalls. It had long been his dream to create a model village and, by harnessing the waters to the spinning frame technology recently developed by the English inventor Richard Arkwright, he set up the New Lanark Mills and created jobs for 2,500

employees. It was a revolutionary and benign concept of employment, inspiring generations to follow.

Today, the Lanarkshire cotton industry has also passed into history, but New Lanark, including the mill buildings, has been lovingly restored. Meanwhile, the surrounding landscape, which includes the Falls of Clyde (Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn, Dundaff Linn and Stonebyres Linn), has been designated a World Heritage Site that encompasses a nature reserve managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

Much of the workforce of Lanarkshire, traditionally employed in coal mining, benefited significantly from steel production.

The centre of this was at the Ravenscraig plant near Motherwell, that operated one of the longest continuous casting, hot rolling production assemblies in the world. Its closure in 1992 signalled the end of large-scale steel production in Scotland.

Chatelherault Country Park, occupies the grounds of a former hunting lodge belonging to the powerful Hamilton family, Scotland's premier dukes, and takes its name from one

of the Hamilton's French titles. The lodge, which today serves as a visitor centre and restaurant, was designed by William Adam and completed in 1734. It is run by South Lanarkshire Council.

At Bothwell Brig, on 22 June 1679, a conclusive battle took place between Government soldiers and militant Presbyterian Covenanters, signalling a temporary conclusion of their cause.

Today, the adjoining Strathclyde Country Park also occupies lands once owned by the Hamilton family, but was handed over to the nation in lieu of death duties. Centred on an artificial loch, created in 1975, there are amenities for coarse angling, woodland walks, water sports, a camping and caravanning site, and a theme park featuring roller coasters and other diversions.

Hamilton Palace, the largest and grandest of private houses ever to be built in Scotland, fell victim to subsidence brought about by underground mining activities and was totally demolished in the early 20th Century. North of where it stood, however, is the remarkable

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Hamilton Mausoleum. At 37 metres high, it was begun by the architect David Hamilton in 1842 and completed by David Bryce and Alexander Ritchie in 1858, ten years after the death of the 10th duke of Hamilton.

From 1862, until his death 11 years later, the missionary and explorer David Livingstone owned a house in Burbank Road in Hamilton.

His life and achievements are celebrated in the house in which he was born, now run by the National Trust for Scotland as The David Livingston Centre. In 2005, a railway link to the park was established to provide two trains per hour from Hamilton to Glasgow.

At Bothwell, the river winds past Bothwell Castle, built in the 13th Century for Walter de Moravia (or Moray) and intermittently

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garrisoned by both English and Scots armies.

It was later passed on to the Douglases and the Homes. South of the river, the hopes of Mary Queen of Scots regaining her Scottish throne were terminated at the Battle of Langside, which was fought within the boundaries of Glasgow in 1568.

Industrial developments aside, it is not so surprising to find that the Clyde Valley is often known locally as the ‘Garden of Scotland'.

Despite its reputation for being an industrial heartland, fruit orchards, woodland and farmland have long been an important feature of the countryside hidden from the busy M8.

The Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve, for example, is made up of six locations, incorporating Cartland Crags,

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Chatelrehault, Gleghorn Glen, Falls of Clyde, Mauldslie Woods, and Lower Nethan Gorge.

Five of these sites are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest, deriving from the abundance of native flora and fauna. Until the 1960s, the area south-west of Glasgow was a centre for tomato cultivation. Hundreds of growers made Scotland self-sufficient in tomatoes until rising energy costs and the removal of European trade barriers made it uneconomic. Happily, the trend is in the process of being reversed.

As an area rich in historical interest, ancient and modern, the Clyde Valley, and the mighty City of Glasgow have a great deal to be proud of.

Heading south from Glasgow, the A77 leads to Kilmarnock, the A76 thereafter heading off to Cumnock and into the Galloway hills. At Cumnock stands Dumfries House, a splendid Palladian country house built for William Dalrymple, 5th earl of Dumfries. Kilmarnock, which the River Irvine runs through, is the largest town in the region of Ayrshire and here the traditional industries were engineering and textiles.

Troon has a busy port with freight and passenger ferry services to Larne in Northern Ireland. The Troon Yacht Haven marina is one of the Firth of Clyde’s leading sailing centres.

There are also six quality golf courses and the Royal Troon championship links last hosted The Open Championship in 2016.

Ayr has enjoyed Royal Burgh status since 1205 and is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire. It was here, in 1315, that Robert the Bruce held his first Parliament of Scotland, following his great victory the year before at Bannockburn. The north side of Ayr Harbour still operates as a commercial port, and the celebrated Ayr Racecourse hosts both National Hunt and flat racing. On the outskirts of the town is the fishing village of Dunure with its ruined castle, which, prior to the building of Culzean, was the stronghold of the Kennedy family.

South Ayrshire is a golfer’s paradise, and The Open was played at Prestwick Old Course between 1860 and 1972. The town has a milelong esplanade alongside Prestwick Bay with expansive views across the water towards Arran, with the shores of Kintyre beyond.

The name that is so inextricably linked with this corner of Scotland is that of Robert Burns, whose mother Agnes Broun was born and brought up on a farm in the hill country above Kirkoswald. Burns himself was born at Alloway, two miles south of Ayr. The house that his father built has been transformed into the Burns Cottage Museum and forms part of the Burns Heritage Trail. Heading south, the road arrives at Maybole, which

REGIONAL FOCUS Glasgow & Clyde is centred on its ancient castle – the oldest inhabited house in the town.

This is very much Kennedy country, with Culzean Castle, the family’s cliff-top fortress, at its heart. Culzean’s oval staircase and the saloon with windows 150 feet above the Firth of Clyde are numbered among the finest achievements of the Scottish architect Robert Adam. Today, Culzean Castle is considered to be the jewel in the crown of the portfolio of the National Trust for Scotland. Paying guests are allowed to stay in the Eisenhower Apartment, named so as, after the Second World War, this area was opened up to America’s 34th President in grateful recognition of his role as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe.

In October 2016, the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA (NTSUSA) successfully met a fundraising challenge, announced in July 2016, by raising $45,000

for the restoration of Culzean Castle’s walled garden. This amount, which was secured two months before the challenge deadline of December 2016, was matched dollar-fordollar by former NTSUSA treasurer Kennedy Richardson, whose ancestors built Culzean.

The funds allowed the National Trust for Scotland to move forward with its plans to restore the landscape.

In fact, Culzean Castle & Country Park had been a previous beneficiary of American generosity, with projects including the restoration of the Camellia House supported

by NTSUSA. Further, the property’s Adventure Cove Playpark, designed for families visiting the site, was underwritten by an American donor. Thus, the foundation has secured this most important historic site, arguably Ayrshire’s most important landmark, for future generations to enjoy.

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FIFE, KINROSS & CLACKMANNANSHIRE The Kingdom and the wee counties

According to the Victorian Chronicles of William Forbes Skene, Fife’s famous title of ‘Kingdom’ has its origins in it having long ago been a Pictish realm. A more recent attribution of the regal distinction is that Dunfermline, being strategically situated on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth, was for 400 years the principal seat of Scotland's monarchy.

The settlement at Dunfermline, originally home to Neolithic settlers, sprang up around the great abbey building raised in the year 1128 by David I. The graveyard there contains the tombs of the Scottish kings and queens who once occupied the adjacent, now ruined, palace. Much of this history is associated with the marriage here of Malcolm III to the saintly Anglo-Hungarian Princess Margaret Atheling circa 1068.

It was at nearby Kinghorn, on a stormy night in 1286, that King Alexander III, having crossed over the Forth to meet up with his second wife Yolande de Dreux, fell from his horse and was killed. This ignited a Royal succession crisis that would last until 1292.

Alas, all trace of his castle had disappeared by the end of the 1700s, but there is a memorial on the road to Burntisland.

Fife's largest settlement, Kirkcaldy, is tucked into a sheltered east coast bay and was originally a trading port servicing the Low Countries of mainland Europe. Known as the ‘Lang Toun’ because of its mile-long main street, the town prospered through its salt panning, coal mining and nail manufacturing activities, and more recently the production of linen and linoleum, which grew into a global industry. It was also

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the birthplace of the economist Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations.

Alongside the most northerly stretch of the Firth of Forth, beyond Kirkcaldy, lies a string of small seaports and fishing villages collectively referred to as the East Neuk of Fife: Elie, Lundin Links, Colinsburgh, St Monans, Lower and Upper Largo, Pittenweem, Anstruther, Cellardyke, Crail and Kingsbarns.

With their narrow streets, picturesque pan-tiled dwellings and harbours, all of these hamlets provide first-rate holiday accommodation and it is said that over the summer months the population of the coastal community trebles. The Anstruther Lifeboat Gala and Crail Festival, both in July, and Pittenweem Arts Festival in August are popular visitor attractions.

At Anstruther, an opportunity to visit the 14th Century Kellie Castle, managed by the National Trust for Scotland, should not be passed over. Once lived in by the youngest daughter of Robert the Bruce, it was saved from demolition in the 1950s by the sculptor Hew Lorimer. On the High Street at Ceres there is the Fife Folk Museum, a celebration of local life.

Christianity arrived in Fife as early as the 4th Century when certain body parts belonging to Saint Andrew, who was martyred at Patras, were brought ashore by a fugitive Greek monk called Saint Rule. Other relics followed in the 7th Century and by the 9th Century the spot where Saint Rule landed had grown into a flourishing Culdee religious community named St Andrews.

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The burgh rapidly emerged as the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, with routes of pilgrimage threading through the coastal and inland landscape, north from the Firth of Forth and south from the Firth of Tay. All of this ended with the Reformation, which is when the vast and imposing St Andrews Cathedral was dismantled.

In addition to all of this, St Andrews is globally acknowledged as the home of golf.

This is principally because the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, founded here in 1754, exercises legislative authority over the game worldwide – except in the United States and Mexico.

Secondly, it is because the famous links, acquired by the town in 1894, has become the most frequent venue for the renowned Open Championships, the oldest of the game's four major trials of skill.

To exit Fife from St Andrews, the road travels north to Wormit and Newport-on-Tay, before connecting with the Tay Road Bridge which opened in 1966. To the west from St Andrews, the A91 swings towards the market town of Cupar and onwards to Auchtermuchty and Strathmiglo to connect with the M90 motorway near Milnathort.

A major visitor attraction at Cupar is the Scottish Deer Centre, which accommodates 14 species of deer from around the world, Fife's resident wolf pack, plus a number of otters and wildcats.

Finally, on the outskirts of Newburgh are the remains of Lindores Abbey, which was founded in the late 12th Century by David, earl of Huntingdon. It is today recognised as the spiritual home of Scotch whisky. The first written record of ‘aqua vitae’ is noted in the Exchequer as an order relating to Friar John Cor, a Tironensian monk domiciled at the abbey. In late 2017, a new distillery was opened on the site in honour of this historic link. Lindores Abbey Distillery is open to the public and is one of six active whisky distilleries in the region, alongside Kingsbarns, Inchdairnie, Daftmill, Cameronbridge and Eden Mill.

Moving further west, we come to an area that’s caught between Stirlingshire and Perthshire to the west and north respectively, and Fife to the east. Here one will find the old counties of Kinross and Clackmannanshire.

At one point in the 19th Century, three independent railway companies — the Fife & Kinross Railway, the Kinross-shire Railway and the Devon Valley Railway — had terminals in Kinross. However, the town’s considerable expansion came during the 20th Century and is the result of the arrival of the M90 Motorway that joins Edinburgh with Perth.

Situated overlooking the triangular fresh

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OPENING PAGES: CASTLEHILL RESERVOIR, GLEN DEVON ABOVE: CRAIL, IN FIFE'S EAST NEUK BELOW: KINROSS HOUSE, LOCH LEVEN

water Loch Leven, a walking and cycling pathway called the Loch Leven Heritage Trail provides easy access from the RSPB Vane Farm Nature Reserve and encircles the water in its entirety. It was in the Douglas stronghold of Loch Leven Castle, situated on an island in Loch Leven, that Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned during 1567 and it is here that she was forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in favour of her infant son James. From a window in the castle, Mary was helped to escape in a boat by the son of her captor.

Since that time the water level of the loch has dropped considerably and the island is therefore considerably larger than it was in Mary’s time. The castle can be visited by a ferry operated by Historic Environment Scotland.

Kinross House, the 1686 masterpiece of the architect Sir William Bruce, is privately owned but available for exclusive-use events.

REGIONAL FOCUS Fife, Kinross & Clackmannanshire

On a visit in 1706, the writer Daniel Defoe described it as ‘the most beautiful and regular piece of architecture in Scotland’.

Continuing further west, Clackmannanshire (at just 14 miles long and eight miles wide) is, amusingly, the smallest county in Scotland with the longest name. On account of this, it is affectionately referred to as the 'Wee County'.

Once celebrated for the mines, weaving mills, distilleries and breweries powered by the Hillfoot burns, today’s Clackmannanshire concentrates on service industries and tourism.

With the Ochil Hills in the north and the lowland plain of Strathdevon, south of the Hillfoot Villages of the Ochil Fault, there is so much more to this central area of Scotland than might be suspected.

The Crook of Devon, so named as it sits on a sudden angle in the river, is situated where Clackmannanshire meets Perthshire

and Kinross, and was notable in the 17th Century for the persecution of local witches, many of whom met their fate with burning or being strangled in the Lamblaires field.

On the A91 are the quaintly named villages Pool of Muckhart and the Yetts o’ Muckhart, with Rumbling Bridge and the Rumbling Bridge Gorge of the River Devon in Kinrossshire approximately 300 metres to the south of the Muckhart Golf Course.

Dollar sits on the A91 road from Stirling to St Andrews and owes its prominence to the nearby location of Dollar Glen and Castle Campbell. Dollar is today also largely a residential dormitory town for Glasgow and Edinburgh, and it is twinned with La Ville-aux-Dames in France’s Loire Valley. The area is popular for hill walking and mountain biking, and there is a golf course with squash, bowling and tennis clubs nearby.

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ABOVE: ST ANDREWS IN SPRING BELOW: CASTLE CAMPBELL, DOLLAR

Tillicoultry stands on the southern slope of the Ochil Hills. Called ‘Tilly’ by locals, it is listed as one of the Hillfoots villages, with the River Devon to the south. For over two centuries, the textile industry flourished in Tillicoultry, with water from the Ochils employed in the washing and dying of wool. Steam power arrived in the early 19th Century and by 1870 there were 12 mills employing over 2,000 people. With the arrival of a rail connection in 1851, coal and textiles remained the largest employers in the area until the 1950s.

Alva developed as a textile manufacturing centre in the 19th Century and it is home to some impressive historic mills, such as the Strude Mill and Glentana Mill. To the east of Alva Glen is the beautiful Silver Glen, where silver was successfully mined in the 18th Century. Ore extracted here helped to fund the 1745 Jacobite Rising, while Cobalt from the same shafts was used by Scottish porcelain manufacturers.

To the south, Alloa is on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth as it funnels into the River Forth, which then continues towards Stirling. The lands of Alloa were granted to Sir Robert Erskine by David II in 1368 and passed to his descendants, the earls of Mar. In the early 18th Century, the 6th Earl of Mar pioneered water supplies from the

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Gartmore Dam and expanded the harbour before becoming embroiled in the 1715 Jacobite Rising. As a result, he was forced into exile and his lands were forfeit. His brother, nevertheless, was allowed to buy back the estate and, in the century that followed, a glass-works, the Kilncraigs Mill (later to become Paton & Baldwins Ltd), the Carsebridge Distillery, and the Alloa Brewery Company were created.

During the 19th Century, rival shipping companies merged to form the Stirling, Alloa and Kincardine Steamboat Company, and the Alloa Swing Bridge across the River Forth, which connected the hamlet of Throsk to Alloa, was opened in 1885. This became part of the Alloa Railway until 1968, but was demolished in 1971. Reliant upon trade between Glasgow and the Low Countries of mainland Europe, the port sadly closed in 1970.

A few miles away, to the east, is the region’s namesake settlement of Clackmannan. The town itself takes its name from an ancient stone connected to the pre-Christian figure Manau or Mannan, and this object can be found beside the Tolbooth and Mercat Cross at the top of the town’s Main Street. Throughout its history, the town was closely associated with the Bruce relatives of King Robert I, who acquired the tower house on King’s Seat Hill from their relative David II.

ARGYLL & LOMOND Best of the west

The vast landscape of Argyll is home to some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife and impressive historic sites. Within its boundaries are a number of islands, but these we will cover separately. The journey west is usually made by one of two primary approaches, a ‘northern’ or a ‘southern’ route, both of which initially take in portions of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.

The ‘northern’ route is ideal for those travelling from Edinburgh via Stirling and follows the A84 to the popular holiday town of Callander, on the outskirts of the National Park, before heading north alongside Loch Lubnaig (where there is a campsite and café) and joining the A85 at Lochearnhead, on the western banks of Loch Earn. It is of note that Lochearnhead once marked the frontier between Pictland and Dalriada, the ancient kingdom of the incoming Scots from Ireland.

From there, the road takes in Glen Ogle, which has a picturesque viaduct, before swinging west to Crianlarich.

To the northwest, the village of Tyndrum is an important transport staging post, where many will stop at the famous Green Welly Stop, which includes a gift shop, whisky shop, outwear store, restaurant, and motor services.

It is here that the road splits and, if so desired, an extended route to Oban may be achieved by heading north to Bridge of Orchy, then inching into Lochaber and through arguably Scotland’s most famous natural landmark – Glen Coe. This geographically dramatic glen was the site of an infamous massacre in 1692 and today is a popular site for outdoor

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pursuits. From there the road continues west to North Ballachulish, before swinging south toward Connel and eventually Oban.

Nearby is the romantic 14th-Century Castle Stalker (from the Gaelic ‘Stalcaire’, meaning Hunter or Falconer), which sits alone on a tidal islet in Loch Laich. This romantic fourstorey tower house began as a small fortress for the Clan Macdougall Lords of Lorne, before being acquired by the Stewarts and embellished when they took over the lordship in the following century. As it is privately owned, Castle Stalker is not generally open to the public but a limited number of tours take place each year.

The more direct ‘northern’ route takes the A85 west from Tyndrum to the village of Dalmally, which was once part of the vast Campbell of Breadalbane estates. From there, the A85 runs along the top shore of Loch Awe and passes the ruins of Kilchurn Castle, the 15th Century headquarters of the Campbells of Glenorchy. This branch of the family eventually rose through the generations to become the earls of Breadalbane.

Taynuilt, at the western entrance to the Pass of Brander, is where the River Nant flows into Loch Etive at Airds Bay. In the 13th Century, a small hill here accommodated the seat of the bishop of Argyll.

Not far away is the Bonawe Iron Furnace, constructed in 1753, which once employed 600 charcoal burners and in 1781 manufactured 42,000 canon balls. It now features a visitor centre that gives insight into this fascinating site of historic industry.

REGIONAL FOCUS Argyll & Lomond

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The A85 continues southwest from Connel, passing the turn-off for the Isle of Eriska (a luxury resort on a private island) and the imposing 13th Century Dunstaffnage Castle, which is one of Scotland’s oldest stone castles, before heading south to Oban.

The alternative ‘southern’ route is best accessed from Glasgow and takes the A82 from Dumbarton, heading north along the western bank of Loch Lomond, before turning west at Arrochar, which is found at the northernmost tip of Loch Long. Visitors departing from

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Glasgow who wish to take the ‘northern’ route outlined above may alternatively press on to Crianlarich. From Arrochar the A83 passes under the shadow of Beinn Ime and Beinn an Lochain, where one may find the beauty spot known as the ‘Rest and Be Thankful’.

The site is 803 feet above sea level and divides Glen Kinglas and Glen Croe, making it an ideal photo opportunity.

As the road continues it follows the banks of the northern tip of Loch Fyne past the famous Loch Fyne Oysters Restaurant, tables

at which should be booked in advance. Nearby is also the respected Fyne Ales brewery, which has both a shop and brewery tap (tours are available by appointment). Turning south, the A83 leads to Inveraray, which is well known for its eponymous castle that is the ancestral home of the Duke of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell. It is open to the public for tours from April to October.

From Inveraray, the road follows the western bank of Loch Fyne southward to Lochgilphead, which is found at the head of a short loch called Loch Gilp, itself an offshoot of Loch Fyne. Much like Inveraray, Lochgilphead was a planned town built in the late 18th Century, following the creation of the road from Inveraray to Campbeltown, which is the primary settlement at the southern tip of Argyll, on the Kintyre Peninsula. Lochgilphead developed significantly following the opening of the Crinan Canal, which acts as a short cut across the Kintyre peninsula to the West Coast of Scotland and the open ocean.

Heading south down the Kintyre Peninsula, we reach Tarbert, which is built on an inlet of Loch Fyne and extends over the isthmus

REGIONAL FOCUS Argyll & Lomond linking Knapdale to Kintyre. In the late 11th Century, Magnus Barefoot, King of Norway, had his longship carried across the isthmus to confirm his possession of the Western Isles.

On the hill above the village, on the southern shore of East Loch Tarbert, are the remains of Tarbert Castle, fortified by Robert the Bruce in the 14th Century and rebuilt by James IV in 1494.

Further south is Kennacraig, on West Loch Tarbert, from where the Caledonain MacBrayne ferries sail to Port Ellen and Port Askaig on Islay, while the coastal A84 continues south, providing spectacular views out to sea.

At Tayinloan there is a ferry service to the picturesque small island of Gigha, where the gardens of Achamore House are a blaze of verdant colour.

At Glenbarr Abbey there is the Clan MacAlister Visitor Centre and Museum.

The road then sweeps onwards to bi-pass the popular Machrihanish golf club and Campbeltown Airport, before swinging east to reach Campbeltown.

The town of Campbeltown once boasted 28 Scotch whisky distilleries but only three remain – Springbank, Glengyle and Glen

Scotia, all impressive. The town annually hosts the Mull of Kintyre Music Festival.

Back at Lochgilphead we turn north and soon reach Kilmartin Glen, which is home to an award-winning museum and the Kilmartin Parish Church, which features a series of remarkable carvings and interpretations of the historic monuments of the area.

Continuing north, on the final stretch to Oban are turn-offs for the purpose-built sailing port and holiday resort of Craobh Haven, the beautiful National Trust for Scotland gardens of Arduaine, and the quaint, sheltered anchorage

by Kilmelford, on Loch Melfort. At Kilninver is the turn off that leads to the small ferry terminals that take passengers to the Slate Isle of Easdale, from Ellenabeich, and the larger Luing, from Cuan Ferry. Both are picturesque hideaways, rich in history, and are well worth visiting if you have the time.

Finally, two miles south of Oban is the turnoff for the ferry to the small island of Kerrera, which is four miles long and located across the Sound of Kerrera in the Firth of Lorne. The island is divided into small communities north and south, and its main historical attraction is the ruin of Gylen Castle, where Alexander

PREVIOUS PAGES: CONNEL BRIDGE CROSSES LOCH ETIVE AT CONNEL THIS PAGE: TARBERT, ON THE KINTYRE PENINSULA FACING PAGE FROM TOP: LOCH LOMOND; INVERARAY, ON LOCH FYNE

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II of Scotland died in 1249. There is a tea garden and bunkhouse by the castle, open Easter until October.

At last we reach the town of Oban, capital of the ancient district of Lorne. The town came into its own with the arrival of the railway in 1880 and, to some extent, with the tourism that followed. As the gateway to the islands of the Inner Hebrides and a terminal for steamboats and ferries, hotels and boarding houses sprang up along the waterfront. However, it is arguable that the Oban we see today grew up around the Scotch whisky distillery founded in 1794 by brothers John and Hugh Stevenson. This distillery, which is open for tours and tastings of its single malt, is very active today and is now part of the Diageo portfolio.

To the north, overlooking the main entrance to the bay, is Dunollie Castle, the ruins of which date from the ancient kingdom of Dalriada. In the 13th Century, the fortification was reinstated

by Duncan MacDougall, a great grandson of the warrior-king Somerled. Powerful for generations, the MacDougall's sided with their kinsfolk the Comyns against the royal ambitions of Robert the Bruce. Following Bruce's victory at the Battle of the Pass of Brander, circa 1308, the MacDougall lands of Lorne were forfeit and handed over to Clan Campbell. Thereafter, Dunollie Castle

ABOVE: MCCAIG'S FOLLY, OBAN BELOW: CRARAE GARDENS, INVERARAY

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changed hands, but was to be recovered by the MacDougalls in 1661. It was abandoned in 1746 in favour of Dunollie House, which sits downhill from the castle ruins.

Battery Hill on the southern side of the town provides the classic sea viewpoint where McCaig's Folly can be visited. Modelled on the Colosseum in Rome, with a public garden inside, the folly overlooks the town with views over to Kerrera in the horseshoe bay and the Isle of Mull beyond. John Stuart McCaig was chairman of the North of Scotland Bank and, in order to create local employment during

the winter months, decided that the town hillside needed a focal point. Acting as his own architect, he originally intended for statues of members of his family to be placed within the 600-foot arena, but died in 1902 before he could complete the project.

The traditional Oban Games and Argyllshire Gathering, one of the largest of its kind in Scotland, takes place annually at Mossfield Park on the fourth Thursday in August. It is customary for all of the neighbouring clansfolk to attend, commencing with a march of Campbell chieftains led by the Duke of Argyll.

ANGUS, MORAY & ABERDEENSHIRE

From the RRS Discovery to Cullen Skink From the City of Perth, the A90 runs alongside the northern banks of the River Tay towards Dundee and into the Region of Angus, which is historic Forfarshire. This is rich farmland and seasonal berry picking country. Like the extended fingers of a hand, Glen Isla, Glen Prosen, Glen Clova, Glen Lethnot, and Glen Esk make up the southern foothills of the Grampians. Glen Isla is the most westerly of these glens and the only one where the road exits to the north through the Grampian hills to Braemar and Deeside.

Glen Prosen, a gentle wilderness, lies next to Glen Clova, a glen of spectacular vistas, with the scenery becoming more dramatic as it travels towards Glen Doll. Close by is Cortachy Castle, the seat of the Ogilvies of Airlie since 1625 and it remains the home to the earl of Airlie. Next there are Glen Lethnot and the 15-mile-long Glen Esk, comprising spectacular countryside.

Not far away, the market town of Forfar dates back to the Roman occupation of Battledykes, three miles to the north. During the Wars of Independence, the castle here was held by the English, and thereafter dismantled by Robert the Bruce. Forfar was once the home of a successful textile industry.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was born Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, the youngest daughter of the 14th earl and Countess of Strathmore & Kinghorne, whose ancestral home, nearby Glamis Castle, is still occupied by their descendants. Glamis Castle, a turreted red-sandstone building that dates from the 17th Century, is open to the public and, although

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it is often cited as the most haunted house in Scotland, its interiors have a welcoming and gentle atmosphere.

The nearby town of Kirriemuir is perhaps best known as the birthplace of the playwright Sir James Barrie. A statue of his character Peter Pan stands in the town square and the cottage where he was born is now a museum.

Kirriemuir has a long history of being both a religious retreat and a centre for witchcraft, extending back into the 16th Century.

The City of Dundee, which sits at the mouth of the River Tay, promotes itself with the motto ‘One City, Many Discoveries’. The phrase takes inspiration from the city’s key attraction, the RRS Discovery, Robert Falcon Scott's Dundee-built Antarctic exploration vessel which is anchored on the waterfront.

But that key visitor attraction status is probably about to change for, in 2018, the magnificent waterfront Victoria & Albert Museum of Design is scheduled for completion. Designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, this extraordinary complex has been conceived as a world centre for design excellence and a catalyst for creative projects.

All of this creativity is part of a 30 year, £1 billion master plan to regenerate the waterfront. The city is Scotland's fourth largest and has come a long way since the 13th Century, when its status was that of a small seaport.

Although it was thereafter renowned for its primary exports of ‘Jute, Jam and Journalism’, the Dundee of the 21st Century has harnessed a booming digital entertainment industry and seeded two universities.

REGIONAL FOCUS Angus, Moray & Aberdeenshire

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North of Dundee, the A90 continues its path towards the Granite City of Aberdeen through Forfar and Brechin, while the River Tay coastal road, the A92, travels on to Broughty Ferry, Carnoustie, Arbroath and Montrose.

The small seaside town of Carnoustie is synonymous with the golf that has been played on the Barry Links since the 16th Century. A 10-hole course was laid out in 1850 and, 17 years later, was improved by Thomas Mitchell Morris – otherwise known as Old Tom Morris.

Since 1931, Carnoustie Golf Links has been one of the chosen venues of the rotating Open Championship in Britain. Along with the Old Course at St Andrews and Kingsbarns, it is one of the three host courses of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Arbroath Abbey was founded by William the Lion in 1178, and it was dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket. King William was buried here in 1214, but the abbey is more famous for hosting a meeting of the Scottish Parliament in 1320 and the subsequent proclamation sent to Pope John XXII known as the Declaration of Arbroath. This details the various services which their 'lord and sovereign' Robert the Bruce had rendered to Scotland and the resolute decision that all Scots should be free from the domination of England. In more recent times, Arbroath was to prosper as a centre for the North Sea fishing industry, celebrated for its Arbroath Smokie, a form of smoked haddock.

In 1715, James Francis Stuart, known as The Old Pretender, landed in Montrose to add his weight to the second Jacobite Uprising, but rapidly retreated to France. The town was later held for his son Bonnie Prince Charlie and, in 1746, the largest naval battle of that conflict was fought in Montrose Harbour.

Travelling north by car on the A92 from Dundee, and officially entering Aberdeenshire above Montrose, the coastal road is profoundly dramatic. At Stonehaven, the conspicuous ruins of Dunottar Castle, ancient stronghold of Clan Keith, hover dramatically over the North Sea. Situated within the Cairngorm National Park is the Balmoral Estate, which remains the holiday home of the British Royal Family.

It is partly located within the Deeside and Lochnagar National Scenic Area, a glorious area of dark wooded forests and inspirational mountain slopes. The gardens of Balmoral were first opened to the general public in 1931 and are now open daily between April and the end of July, after which the Queen arrives for her annual holiday. The interiors of Balmoral are private, but visitors to the region will not be bereft of grand houses and fortifications to explore as Aberdeenshire is a

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land of such castles. Drum, Crathes, Craigievar, Castle Fraser and Fyvie – to name only a few – are enduring symbols of the families of the region, the Irvines, Burnetts, Forbes, Setons, Sempills, and, of course, the Gordons.

Generally better preserved than their southern counterparts, these clan keeps, fortresses and tower houses survive not simply as a reminder of the wealth and privilege enjoyed by the landed lairds who built and occupied them, but of a time when survival depended upon force of arms. Braemar Castle, which dates from 1628, passed from the Erskine earls of Mar to the Farquharsons of Invercauld. It is currently owned by the Braemar Community who acquired it in 2007.

Another popular feature to be enjoyed by visitors and locals alike is the annual Braemar Gathering, a traditional Highland games that takes place on the first Saturday in September.

The City of Aberdeen, which hugs the northeast coast of the Grampian region, is the third largest metropolis in Scotland and an independently minded, economically thriving hub of culture and business fuelled

by its harbour, international trade, and the oil industry of the North Sea. The city's two universities, The University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495, and The Robert Gordon University, awarded its status in 1992, make Aberdeen the educational centre of the North East. Aberdeen's seaport is the largest in the region and Aberdeen Heliport is one of the busiest commercial helicopter bases in the world.

From the mid 18th Century, the international demand for granite quarried at Rubislaw became Aberdeen's leading industry. Both London Bridge and Waterloo Bridge were constructed of it and its impressive solidity and grandeur can be witnessed in the buildings in the centre of Aberdeen itself. Over the centuries, shipbuilding developed alongside a fishing industry and Aberdeen became famous for its sharp-bowed ‘clipper’ ships, which were designed for the China Seas and for the transportation of emigrants to Australia.

In the latter part of 20th Century, the discovery of substantial oil deposits lying deep in the cold waters of the North Sea completely

REGIONAL FOCUS Angus, Moray & Aberdeenshire

PREVIOUS PAGES: NEW SLAINS CASTLE, CRUDEN BAY ABOVE: LANDSCAPE AROUND THE CAIRNGORMS LEFT: ARBROATH HARBOUR

regenerated the city and brought enormous prosperity to the region.

But Aberdeen is not all about business and commerce. There is a busy night life, excellent restaurants and a colourful throughput of theatre and culture. The Aberdeen Art Gallery, for example, houses a superb collection of Impressionist paintings, Victorian, Scottish and 20th Century British pictures, as well as collections of silver and glass. The Aberdeen Maritime Museum, at Shiprow, tells the story of the city's links with the sea.

Other visitor attractions include Provost Ross's House, The Gordon Highlanders Museum, and The King's Museum. The city also hosts annual festivals such as the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, the world's largest arts festival for young performers; the Aberdeen Jazz Festival; and the University of Aberdeen's May Festival. For golfers there is the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, founded in 1780.

To the west and south, the wide-banked rivers of Don and Dee flow swiftly to the sea.

The Don passes through Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore and Dyce, to Inverurie.

The latter originates from the Grampian Mountains and forest of Balmoral.

Heading north along the coast, travellers will find the towns of Peterhead, sometimes referred to as The Blue Toon (supposedly from the blue stockings traditionally worn by local fishermen), and Fraserburgh which juts boldly into the North Sea. On the southern side of Peterhead is Sandford Bay, a popular, albeit chilly, destination for wind surfers. Here can also be found the Bullers of Buchan, a vast rock cauldron into which seawater spills through a narrow archway creating a boiling effect with the incoming tide.

Created by Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth, who dissipated his fortune in the process, Fraserburgh was intended as a university town until its founder's funding collapsed. Today, it remains the largest shellfish port in Europe.

The Fraserburgh Heritage Centre in Quarry Road is well worth a visit. On its outskirts is Cairnbulg Castle, seat of Sir Alexander's

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descendant Lady Saltoun, the present-day Chief of Clan Fraser. In the vicinity is the Macduff Distillery, built in 1962, and now owned by John Dewar & Sons.

Northeast of Aberdeen, at Tarves, is Haddo House, built in the 1739s by William Adam for William Gordon, second Earl of Aberdeen.

Also nearby is the Glen Garioch Distillery at Old Meldrum, owned by drinks conglomorate Beam Suntory.

To the west of Aberdeen City, the Strathdon and Glenbuchat area consists of quiet roads, and forest trails, and there is easy access to moorland for walkers seeking to explore the eastern Cairngorms, following old drovers’ trails and smugglers’ routes. The Lecht Ski Centre is nearby, and the Lonach Highland Games in Strathdon is one of the oldest traditional gatherings in Scotland. The ruins of Kildrummy Castle, a 13th Century stronghold

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of the earls of Mar, and the picturesque Corgarff Castle are open to the public and are well worth adding to your itinerary.

The River Don, north of the city, rises in the Grampians and travels through the small towns and villages of Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore and Dyce, which is the location for Aberdeen Airport.

Donside also embraces the towns of Huntly, Keith and Rothiemay. The former was originally known as Strathbogie and was the ancestral seat of Clan Gordon. A popular attraction in August is the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games and the March of the Lonach Highlanders.

From Huntly, the A96 and A920 take travellers to Keith (home of the Strathisla and Strathmill distilleries) and Dufftown (home of Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and four other working distilleries) respectively. This area,

© CREATIVEHEARTS, DREAMSTIME | © ISABEL POULIN, DREAMSTIME | © DUN LIU, DREAMTIME

LEFT: GLAMIS CASTLE RIGHT: OLD DEE BRIDGE, DEESIDE

known as Speyside, represents the beating heart of Scotland’s whisky industry as the region is home to more than 50 distilleries.

Elgin, south of the River Lossie, is the administrative centre for Moray and first appears in a Charter from David I in 1151, becoming a royal Burgh in 1130. Dominican and Franciscan monks established communities here and Elgin Cathedral was established in 1224. Abandoned after the Scottish Reformation of 1560, it fell into disrepair. In the 21st Century, Elgin has become home to some of Scotland's most iconic brand names, notably the cashmere retailers Johnstons of Elgin and the family run Scotch whisky retailers and bottlers Gordon & MacPhail.

Travelling up from Elgin to the northeast Moray Firth Coast, the BA941 leads to Lossiemouth, known locally as the ‘Jewel of the Moray Firth’. Originally Elgin's port, it was once an important fishing town and, in 1866, was the birthplace of James Ramsay MacDonald, Britain's first Labour Prime Minister. In more recent years it has been the base of RAF Lossiemouth, one of the main operating bases of the Royal Air Force.

Back on the A96, the road travels eastwards into Banffshire towards the North Sea coastal fishing towns of Buckie, Cullen and Portsoy.

Cullen, of course, is celebrated worldwide for its traditional soup Cullen Skink. Cullen House, the former mansion house of the earls of Seafield, has been converted into residential apartments.

To the south, from Elgin, the A68 runs to Fochabers and the Baxters Highland Village, a popular retail park centred on the celebrated Baxters soup company. The Fochabers Folk Museum, which opened in 1984, houses a collection of gigs and carriages, and an exhibition celebrating RAF Dallachy, the nearby World War II fighting station.

PERTHSHIRE & STIRLINGSHIRE The heart of Scotland

For centuries, the city of Perth served as a frontier town between the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands and was a flourishing marketplace for the cattle drovers of the north, south, east, and west of Scotland. Overlooked

by Kinnoull Hill, at Perth the River Tay is divided by Moncreiffe Island before passing under the Friarton bridge at West Kinfauns, on the city’s eastern limits.

With open and historic green spaces known as the North and South Inches, modern Perth provides a compelling holiday location in addition to accommodating a lively local community. Its one-way traffic system can be daunting at first, but there are attractive shops, restaurants and bars to discover.

The Perth Museum & Art Gallery houses collections of fine and applied art, and natural history. In a former waterworks is housed the Fergusson Gallery, which showcases a collection of the works of JD Fergusson (18741961), the renowned Scottish colourist.

The Royal Scottish Geographical Society has transformed Fair Maid's House, known for featuring in Sir Walter Scott's novel The Fair Maid of Perth (1828), into an education centre. Visitors to the house can learn about cartography and geographical sciences.

Enthusiasts of military history will want to visit Balhousie Castle, on Hay Street, as it houses the regimental museum of the Black Watch, a regiment that was famously raised by the British Government in 1739 to police the Highlands. Horticulturists will favour the Branklyn Garden on Dundee Road, managed by the National Trust for Scotland.

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On the northern side of the River Tay is the Gothic-style Scone Palace, begun around 1803 and situated in close proximity to Moot Hill and Scone Chapel, which occupies the remains of Scone Abbey. A replica of the Stone of Destiny, the legendary stone used over the centuries for coronations of Scottish kings, is on display here.

From Perth, the A9 travels west into the Ochil Hills through Aberuthven to Auchterarder, which features a 1.5 mile long High Street and the prestigious Gleneagles Hotel Resort, with its three legendary golf courses. The Gleneagles Hotel is, in fact, not in Gleneagles, fiefdom of the Haldane family, but in Strathearn. It took its name from the Victorian railway station.

Also in Strathearn is Dunning where, legend has it, the 8th Century Saint Serf killed a dragon. The village was burned during the 1715 Jacobite Rising. The austere St Serf's Church, which dates from around AD1200, contains a Pictish monument from around AD800 that is known as the Dupplin Cross.

Back in Perth, leaving the city centre via a bridge across the Tay there is the option of joining the A85 and then the A90, or the A93 travelling north to Blairgowrie and Rattray. The latter passes the world's largest beech hedge, which can be found on the Marquis of Lansdowne's Meiklour estate; the former journeys east to Inchture, Invergowrie, and Dundee.

Just past Blairgowrie and Rattray, which straddle the Ericht River, from the road can be seen Craighall Castle, the dramatically situated ancestral fortress of the Rattray Clan.

REGIONAL FOCUS Perthshire & Stirlingshire

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Meanwhile, the A9 heads north, alongside the banks of the River Tay. One may stop off at the charming small towns of Stanley, Murthly and, the larger, Dunkeld. In close proximity is the little village of Birnam, which was beloved as a holiday escape by the children's writer Beatrix Potter. Dominating the town of Dunkeld is Dunkeld Cathedral, which allegedly once contained the relics of St Columba, and there is a castle museum housed within the grounds.

Nearby is the Hermitage, which is accessed on the western side of the A9 and maintained by the National Trust for Scotland. Created by successive dukes of Atholl as a tribute to the mythical blind poet Ossian, this landscaped woodland park contains Ossian’s cave and a hall of mirrors.

At Ballinluig, the A827 leads to Aberfeldy, an attractive and busy market town that features the Dewar's Aberfeldy Distillery, which is open to the public. The Birks of Aberfeldy, celebrated by the poet Robert Burns, consists of a gorge that is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and provides an enjoyable, scenic walk. From Aberfeldy, the B846 crosses

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to the north bank of the River Tay and swings past Castle Menzies, the hereditary home of Clan Menzies, which is open to the public.

In the 19th Century, the picturesque town of Pitlochry became a popular holiday resort.

In 1947, a dam was built here as part of the Tummel Hydro Electric Power Scheme and since then a fish ladder and plant hunters' garden have been introduced. Both are popular visitor attractions. The innovative Pitlochry Festival Theatre was opened in 1851

by John Stewart and the current building built at Port-na-Craig opened its doors in 1981. On its doorstep are Ben Vrackie and Schiehallion, the latter's summit is claimed to be at the very centre of Scotland.

There are also two distilleries to be found here: Blair Atholl, owned by the global drinks corporation Diageo, and the picturesque, independently owned Edradour, which is one of Scotland's smallest distilleries. Both are open to the public. On the slopes of the Grampian Mountains can be seen the Murray stronghold of Blair Castle. Built in the 13th Century, it was the last castle in Britain to come under siege.

PREVIOUS PAGES: TAYMOUTH CASTLE, KENMORE ABOVE: LOCH LUBHAIR, STIRLINGSHIRE BELOW: DRUMMOND CASTLE, CRIEFF FACING PAGE: BLAIR DRUMMOND HOUSE, STIRLING

REGIONAL FOCUS Perthshire & Stirlingshire For those choosing to motor west on the A85 from Perth, the road leads through Methven to Crieff, Comrie and Loch Earn. Crieff is the principle town of Strathearn and has been a popular holiday resort since the Victorian era. Situated in 900 acres, Crieff Hydro is one of Scotland's most celebrated health spas and dates from 1868. Just outside the town is the Glenturret Distillery, which houses the Famous Grouse Experience.

Next stop is Comrie, which lies astride a geological fault line. But don't panic, tremors are very unlikely. Nevertheless, the ‘Shaky Toun', as it is sometimes known, boasts an Earthquake House that contains records from 1597. Loch Earn and Lochearnhead village are superb destinations for angling and water sports enthusiasts and mark the point where Perthshire spills into Stirlingshire.

It was the location on the River Forth, inland from its confluence with the North Sea, and sheltering under the foothills of the Scottish Highlands, that gave Stirling such a strategic advantage in Scotland's history. Central and far enough north of the border with England to feel safe, there was the added advantage of access in all directions that enabled the control of family and clan rivalries of north, south, east and west. Not without reason was Stirling, with its sturdy fortress on a rock,

described as ‘the brooch which clasps the Highlands and Lowlands together'. With its medieval old town and castle rock sited against a backdrop of the Ochil Hills, 21st Century Stirling readily embraces the best of the old and new with a fine array of hotels, restaurants and its Thistles Shopping Centre, which has over 80 stores and big name retail brands.

Stirling Castle's golden age came about during the reigns of James IV and James V. Virtually all of the existing buildings we see today were built between 1488 and 1513 – the grander works such as the Royal Palace and the King's Presence Chamber, now so splendidly restored, were personally supervised by the two enlightened monarchs. Although both reigns ended badly, Scotland was undergoing a transformation in terms of education and taste.

On the approach to Stirling Castle are several unique buildings, all accessible to the public.

Argyll's Lodgings is a town residence built circa 1600 for Sir William Alexander, founder of Nova Scotia who, shortly before his death, was created Viscount Canada. The house was later acquired by the earls of Argyll, and it is where Charles II stayed the night before

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being crowned King of Scots at Scone in 1651. Just short of a century later, the Duke of Cumberland took up residence here on his way north to confront the Jacobite Army at the Battle of Culloden. At the summit of Broad Street is Mar's Wark, commissioned around 1569 by John Erskine, earl of Mar, who became regent of Scotland during the minority of James IV. It was later damaged by canon fire and allowed to fall into ruin.

Unfortunately, those in search of the original wooden bridge, from which William Wallace and Andrew Moray repelled the English in 1297, are in for a disappointment. Today's Stirling Bridge was completed around the year 1500. Stirling's New Bridge, which opened in 1833, was designed by the engineer Robert Stevenson, grandfather of the author Robert Louis Stevenson.

Overlooking the town on Abbey Craig, the hill from which William Wallace watched the English army assemble on the south side of Stirling Bridge, is the impressive 220-foothigh Wallace Monument, erected by public subscription in 1869. Two miles south of the town on the Glasgow Road is the Bannockburn Heritage Centre that features exhibitions and Charles d'Orville Pilkington Jackson's magnificent bronze statue of King Robert the Bruce seated on his war horse.

Established by the Scottish Government in 2002, the woodland glen known as the Trossachs was absorbed into the 720-squaremile Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Sandwiched between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde, the scenery is woven together by a succession of rivers, canals and lochs to create a landscape of sometimes astonishing and unparalleled beauty.

West of Stirling is Gargunnock House, the centrepiece of 2,000 acres of park and moorland. Situated on the old military road between the Gargunnock Hills and the Fintry hills is the village of Kippen. Such was the climate in 1859 that a vineyard opened here, and one of its vines grew to become the largest in the world, spreading across three greenhouses.

Before Doune, on the A84, the B826 forks left to Thornhill and Flanders Moss, the largest surviving area of wilderness bog in Scotland.

A Site of Special Scientific Interest, it was designated a conservation area in 2005. From here, the A84 continues across to Callander, but turn left and the A81 leads to Port of Menteith, which is the only settlement of any size on the Lake of Menteith.

Over the summer months, a ferry makes regular trips to the island of Inchmahome, site of the historic Augustinian priory visited

by Robert the Bruce and where the four-year-

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ABOVE: THE REGION IS KNOWN FOR ITS WOODLAND BELOW: THE CRANNOG ON LOCH TAY, BY KENMORE

old Mary, Queen of Scots was sent for safety during the period known as the Rough Wooing.

Returning once again to the A84 past Blair Drummond, the small town of Doune is surrounded by the River Teith and Ardock Burn. The medieval stronghold of Doune Castle has become an epic location for films such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail (occupied by the taunting French) and TV shows such as Game of Thrones (to depict Winterfell) and Outlander (standing in for Castle Leoch).

Doune Castle was occupied by the Duke of Albany, Queen Mary of Guelders, Queen Margaret of Denmark, and Margaret Tudor.

Mary, Queen of Scots, King James VI, and Bonnie Prince Charlie also regularly visited.

Nearby, on the banks of the River Teith at Doune, is the Deanston Distillery that began life as a cotton mill in 1785. Formally transformed into a distillery in 1967, it recently featured in the Ken Loach film The Angel's Share.

From Doune, the A84 continues north to Callander and Kilmahog, heading north through Laggan into west Perthshire. The town of Callander, also on the River Teith, has an attractive and welcoming centre. In 1645, a battle was fought at Callander between the Campbells of Argyll and the Men of Atholl, partly made up of McGregors and McNabs who were supporting the 1st Marquis of Montrose. The former St Kessog's Church has been adapted into The Clanranald Trust for Scotland, which supports Scottish culture and education.

To the north are the Callander Crags, a visible section of the Highland Boundary Fault, with the heights of Ben Ledi to the west. At the junction of the Trossachs and Lochearnhead roads lies the hamlet of Kilmahog, a popular tourist destination renowned for its Trossachs Woollen Mill, Kilmahog Woollen Mill, and Scottish Real Ale Shop. Remains of a first

REGIONAL FOCUS Perthshire & Stirlingshire century Roman rampart, from the campaigns of Agricola, can be seen east of the village.

Looking south from Stirling, we enter canal country. Specifically, the town of Falkirk is located at the junction of the Forth & Clyde and the Union canals, which led to its growth as a trading hub during the industrial revolution.

However, the area’s history stretches back much further and visitors have the chance to view well-preserved portions of the Antonine Wall. The lesser known of the two Roman walls (the other being Hadrian’s), this turf wall and ditch stretches for 37 miles (60km) from Old Kilpatrick on the River Clyde to Bo’ness on the Forth. Built around AD142, the wall was manned by thousands of soldiers across a great number of forts — the remains of many survive today. A great place to view the wall is near Watling Lodge in Falkirk.

The region is also home to The Helix, a greenspace connecting 16 communities in the Falkirk area that’s home to a play area, lagoon, café, and the 100ft (30m) tall Kelpies — huge equine sculptures that stand guard over both the park and the Forth & Clyde Canal. Sticking with the transport theme, nearby one can also find the Falkirk Wheel, a 115 foot (35m) tall rotating boat lift that has welcomed more than 5.5 million visitors since it opened in 2002, and also the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway.

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INVERNESS & THE HIGHLANDS

From bustling city to wild hinterland The Highlands of Scotland are generally defined as the territory lying north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, an ancient geological aberration that bisects mainland Scotland from Dunbartonshire on the southwest coast to Stonehaven on the northeast coast. It embraces a vast area of glens, lochs and mountain ranges, the content of a million picture postcards and historical romances.

Traditionally, therefore, the ‘Highlands’ begin above the Campsie Fells and the Ochils, which stretch from north of the Firth of Clyde to north of the Firth of Tay, but it is perhaps easier in this instance to leave Perthshire, Stirlingshire and Argyll out of the equation. That was certainly the decision taken when organising the modern Highland Council area, which encompasses Caithness, Sutherland, Ross-shire, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch, Strathspey, Lochaber, and Skye – although we will cover the famous 'misty isle' separately.

Exploring the Highlands of today, you are never far from the visitor attractions paying tribute to the devastating Clearances, historic clan strongholds or a long-ago battlefield. The tartan-clad romance of the past is everywhere, yet the region's cities and towns are as modern, prosperous and forward looking as anywhere in the United Kingdom. From Ballachulish, Fort William and Ullapool on the west coast, to Inverness, Dingwall, Cromarty, Golspie, Dornoch, Helmsdale, Wick and Thurso on the east, local communities enjoy an enviable quality of life.

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It is the A9 road that for motorists links Perth to Inverness and the far north. From the Perth bypass, the road sweeps past Dunkeld, Pitlochry, Blair Atholl, and through the Pass of Drumochter.

Beside the distillery at Dalwhinnie, the A889 turns west to meet the A86 to travel past Loch Laggan to Spean Bridge. Here, before travelling west, the road connects with the A82 and the Great Glen, skirting Loch Linnhe and the Caledonian Canal, where the eight locks of Neptune’s Staircase raise the canal by over 19 metres. From Fort Augustus, the route takes travellers up the western bank of Loch Ness to Invermoriston and eventually to Drumnadrochit, Castle Urquhart, and eventually Inverness.

However, the southern route takes the traveller to Fort William, the largest town in the Western Highlands. Starting life as just a few houses huddled next to a military outpost on Loch Linnhe, the fort was called Fort William after William of Orange. Together with Fort Augustus and Fort George, Fort William was the lowest outpost of a chain of Government defences intended to suppress the clans during the 17th Century. The remains of the fort are often missed by visitors, but can be found a few yards from the main road passing along the shores of the loch. Today, Fort William is a major base for tourism – particular of the 'outdoorsy' kind. Ben Nevis, or 'the Ben' as it is fondly known locally, dominates the skyline from the town, rising 4,406 feet (1,344 metres) from the shores of Loch Linnhe.

REGIONAL FOCUS Inverness & The Highlands

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From there, the route continues south to Ballachulish and the famous Glencoe.

However, heading west the A830 runs through Glenfinnan – famous for its monument, which commemorates those lost in the Jacobite Rising, and its viaduct, which featured in the Harry Potter films. Further on is Lochailort, Arisaig and Morar, the latter of which is known for its spectacular white sandy beaches. The road ends at the to the ferry terminal at Mallaig, a settlement that was created in the 1840s by the 12th Lord Lovat, 21st MacShimidh of Clan Fraser and former owner of the North Morar Estate.

Another route, if heading north from Spean Bridge, takes the turn-off at Invergarry. It’s worth noting that just after Spean Bridge stands the strikingly poignant Commando Memorial, dedicated to the original men of the British Commando Forces raised during the Second World War. Until the 19th Century, Invergarry Castle was the seat of the MacDonnells of Glengarry. In the 1960s, Invergarry House became the award-winning and delightfully traditional Glengarry Castle Hotel. Continuing west past Loch Gary, the road continues north then west along Loch Cluanie, through Glen Shiel to Invershiel, around the north shore of Loch Duich, past Eilean Donan Castle, and along the northern shore of Loch Alsh to Kyle of Lochalsh and the Skye Bridge.

Eilean Donan Castle, which is situated on a small tidal island at Dornie, will no doubt be familiar, as the edifice is one of Scotland's most iconic fortresses. Founded in the 13th Century, it was held by Clan Mackenzie along with their allies Clan Macrae. Damaged during the Jacobite Risings of the 18th Century, the ruins were restored between 1919 and 1932

by Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap.

Sharing the initial approach through Glen Shiel, an alternative route to Skye is via the MV Glenachulish, a picturesque six-car turntable ferry that operates from Glenelg to Kylerhea from Easter until October. This involves following 10 miles of the Old Military Road from the A87 at Shiel Bridge over the Mam Ratagan pass to Glenelg, but is well worth the effort if you have the time and enthusiasm.

This route takes in the best views of the Five Sisters of Kintail, a spectacular mountain range with three full Munros (mountains over 3000 feet high) and two subsidiary Munros.

However, if the capital of the Highlands is your goal, sticking to the A9 is undoubtedly the quickest route. A settlement was established here on the Moray Firth by the Picts as early as the 6th Century, and Inverness is still considered to be the administrative centre of the Highlands. Straddling the River Ness as it flows from Loch Ness into the Beauly Firth,

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Inverness city centre is a popular destination that houses a first-rate museum and gallery, varied retailers and docks for cruises on Loch Ness – perfect for those in search of the elusive Nessie. The red sandstone Inverness Castle is relatively modern, dating from 1836, and today houses Inverness Sheriff Court.

From Inverness, tourists can journey east to the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, to Brodie Castle at Forres, and to Cawdor Castle at Nairn. Continuing east will take travellers into the region of Moray, home to the heart of Scotland’s important Speyside whisky region.

Heading west, however, the A862 runs along the coastline of the Beauly Firth to Beauly and Muir of Ord, which annually hosts one of Scotland's largest agricultural shows. At Belladrum, there is the annual two-day Tartan Heart Festival in early August, which attracts thousands of music enthusiasts.

North from Inverness, across the Kessock Bridge and the Black Isle, the road travels the length of the Cromarty Firth, past Invergordon and Tain to Bonar Bridge. In 1900, a priceless collection of early Bronze-Age jewellery known as the Migdale Hoard was discovered here by workmen blasting a granite knoll. It can now be seen on display in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

This route north takes in a pleasant coastline and has a distinctly mild climate. The ‘Black Isle’, 20 miles long and eight miles wide, was anciently known as ‘Ardmeanach’ meaning ‘the height between’. Records show that it was

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REGIONAL FOCUS Inverness & The Highlands

once covered by black peat, but the name may also derive from the ‘Black Danes’ – Viking invaders of long ago. Cromarty, a delightful Georgian town on the north of the Black Isle remains untouched by the passage of time.

There were two previous towns here, but the third town prospered when George Ross, a local entrepreneur, built the sandstone pier and opened flax, flour and hemp factories, along with a brewery.

Across the Cromarty Bridge, the A9 travels into Easter Ross, generally considered to be the stretch of land encompassing the iconic Ben Wyvis, which in Gaelic language translates as ‘hill of terror’. From its summit on a clear day it is possible to see half of the Highlands, coast to coast from the North Sea to the Atlantic. Clan Munro emerged in the 12th Century holding the lands of Ferindonald that stretched from the Alness Water to Dingwall, dependant upon

their ‘furnishing a snowball if required to do so, at Midsummer’ to the earldom of Ross.

Since the north-west corries of Ben Wyvis are rarely free from snow, this was not considered to be an unreasonable demand.

The name of the market town of Dingwall is derived from the Norse ‘thing vollr’, meaning ‘place of the parliament’, and it was from here that the Vikings ruled the North in the 11th Century.

The Victorian Spa town of Strathpeffer was built below Ben Wyvis and is where the Earl of Cromartie, Chief of Clan Mackenzie, has his headquarters at Castle Leod. Strathpeffer gained its Victorian spa status following the discovery of ‘health invigorating’ sulphurous springs that became very popular with visitors.

North of the Black Isle is the Tarbat Peninsula, where a string of seaboard villages can be found: Balintore, Hilton of Cadboll

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on the Outer Hebridean island of Lewis. To the north, the Torridon peaks of Wester Ross are by any standards impressive – Suilven, Stac Polly, Liathach and Beinn Aligin and An Teallach, above Dundonnel Moor.

To the south of Ullapool, Loch Maree is framed to the west by the peaks of Beinn Eighe and to the east by Slioch and is named after Saint Maelrubha, a Celtic missionary who is said to have lived on one of the loch's islands.

From Achnasheen (The Field of Storms), the A832 climbs past Loch a'Chroisg and down through Glen Docherty to Kinlochewe. The name seems odd, being at the head of Loch Maree, but possibly suggests that at one time Loch Maree and Loch Ewe were thought of as being one and the same. Loch Ewe's most famous beauty spot is the garden at Inverewe, created by the horticulturalist and botanist Osgood Mackenzie between 1864 and 1922.

Inland and to the southeast for a distance of over 20 miles lies the Great Wilderness,

a loch-punctuated landscape incorporating some of the most ragged and spectacularly remote mountains in the United Kingdom.

Only a few bothies remain here for the use of determined walkers and fishermen.

Back on the east coast, we cross the Dornoch firth and enter Sutherland, which is capped

by Caithness. The two regions occupy the top section of Scotland and essentially the region has four coasts extending from Lochinver to Cape Wrath on the Atlantic, from Golspie to Wick on the North Sea, from Durness to John O'Groats on the Pentland Firth and from Lybster to Bonar Bridge on the Dornoch Firth.

Although the interior land to the north and west is wild, mountainous, and largely uninhabited, this is a mild and gentle coastline with wonderful sandy beaches to be enjoyed.

The imposing Dornoch cathedral was built in 1239 and at nearby Skibo Castle the Scottishborn industrialist and steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie created his ‘earthly paradise', which

© DAVID WATMOUGH, DREAMSTIME | © DAVID WATMOUGH, DREAMSTIME

and Shandwick. Portmahomack, meaning ‘haven of Saint Colmac’, is situated on the Dornoch Firth and has a harbour designed

by Thomas Telford.

Inland is Tain, Scotland's oldest Royal Burgh, which was commemorated by a Rose Garden being opened in 1966 by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. In 1066, Tain was confirmed as a sanctuary by Malcolm III, allowing resident merchants and traders exemption from paying certain taxes. Just north of Tain is the famous Glenmorangie Distillery.

Returning once more to Strathpeffer and setting off to travel on the A835 into Wester Ross along Loch Broom, visitors will find that the scenery becomes increasingly dramatic.

This is the North West Highlands of Scotland at its very best. The North Atlantic Drift passes Ullapool on the shores of Loch Broom and brings a moderate temperature. Ullapool was founded as a herring port in 1788 and from the harbour a ferry service sails to Stornoway

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ABOVE: DUNROBIN CASTLE, GOLSPIE BELOW: LOCH DUICH

is today run as a prestigious private club. The town is also home to the world famous Royal Dornoch Golf Club.

Nearby stands Carbisdale Castle, which dominates the surrounding landscape. Built between 1905 and 1917 by the estranged Dowager Duchess of Sutherland, it has 365 windows. The positioning of her Scottish home, which became known as the ‘Castle of Spite’, was a deliberate snub to her stepson, the fourth duke of Sutherland. The castle's square clock tower features only three clocks, the side facing Sutherland being blank.

The Sutherland family rose to wealth and political prominence in the middle ages but the fairytale Dunrobin Castle, with its 189 rooms, at Golspie was largely the creation of the Victorian architect Sir Charles Burry, who was also involved in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster.

Like so many locations on this coastline, Wick began its existence as a Viking settlement, its name taken from the Norse name for ‘Bay’, and south of the town can be seen the ruins of the Castle of Old Wick, with the ruins of other Clan Sinclair strongholds such as Castle Sinclair Girnigoe. During the 1800s, Wick developed as a major herring port. It is also the home of the Pulteney Distillery (producer of Old Pulteney single malt), which is open to the public. A visit to the nearby Wick Heritage Centre is also recommended.

With great excitement, the traveller finally arrives at John O'Groats, the tip of mainland Britain, where a seasonal passenger ferry sails to Orkney. John O'Groats took its name from a Dutchman, Jan de Groot, who held the original ferry franchise and built the first houses here. Two miles to the east is Duncansby Head and the celebrated lighthouse.To the west is Thurso, which takes its name from the Old Norse ‘Thorsa', meaning ‘Bull's River’. It has served for centuries as a gateway seaport.

East of the town and overlooking the Pentland Firth is the Castle of Mey, saved from dereliction in 1952 by widowed Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Formerly known as Barrogill Castle, this was yet another Clan Sinclair stronghold that had been abandoned.

Once restored, it provided a treasured summer retreat for its Royal owner, who created a beautiful sheltered garden in a windswept landscape. West of Thurso is Scrabster, one of two ferry ports on the north coast that service Orkney.

Further west, the road sweeps around magnificent Loch Eriboll, meaning ‘the Farm on the Beach’ in Norse, before heading towards the bridge over the Kyle of Tongue to the village of Tongue, overlooked from the south by Ben Loyal. Here visitors will find the charming Tongue Hotel, a former Victorian shooting lodge. At Durness, a path leads to the voluminous Smoo Cave, an astonishing chamber formed by the action of the sea, and Balnakeil House, built as the summer palace of the Bishops of Caithness.

From nearby Keodale, a small seasonal ferry crosses the Kyle of Durness to Cape Wrath, where the most westerly tip of northern mainland Scotland meets the full force of the Atlantic Ocean. Turning to the south, the A838 reaches the fishing port of Kinlochbervie, Scourie and Edrachillis Bay, with the remote and lovely Sandwood Bay offering a delightful four mile walk.

From Tarbet there is a ferry to the nature reserve of Handa Island. Close by are the hamlets Foincle, Fanagmore, Laxford Bridge and Achfary. At Kylesku, a curving road bridge crosses the estuaries of two lochs and during the summer months visitors can enjoy boat trips to Eas-Coul-Aulin, Britain's highest waterfall.

Inland and on the coast, before the A894 and A837 roads arrive at the fishing terminal of Lochinver, the scenery is Scotland at its glorious best, with white sands and clear blue water to the west. The mountains of Suilven, Quinag and Ben Stack dominate the horizons. From Inverkirkaig the road runs to the Coigach Peninsula with its superb sea views of the Summer Isles, for which it is well worth the journey.

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SCOTLAND’S ISLANDS More than worth the journey

For lovers of island hopping, Scotland can provide almost unending opportunity. It would be impossible to list each individual landmass on these pages, but hopefully this selection will inspire a journey from the mainland to one of Scotland’s enchanting island jewels.

THE HEBRIDES Forming a bracelet of magical, gemlike anchorages, each island of the Hebrides hold their own incomparable enchantment.

There are no fitting words to fully describe the appeal of the Scottish Hebrides, with their sea bird circled harbours, gneiss mountains, dark interior landscapes, and spectacular beaches of pure white sand.

Skye is the main island of the Inner Hebrides.

To the south lie the Small Isles – Canna, Sanday, Rùm, Eigg and Muck. Further south, off the coast of Argyll, are Lismore, Coll, Tiree, Mull, Iona and Staffa, the Treshnish Isles, Kerrera, Seil, Easdale, Luing, Shuna, Torsay, Colonsay, Oronsay, Jura, Islay and Gigha.

The Outer Hebrides, known by some as the Long Island, is comprised of a 130-mile chain from Lewis, in the far north, to Barra, in the south. In between, Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Eriskay are linked in this chain by the threads of a series of ferry crossings and causeways. The Hebrides in total numbers around five hundred islands, of which around one fifth are inhabited.

Mentioned by the Roman astronomer, geographer and writer Claudius Ptolemy in the 5th Century AD, the existence of the Hebrides had been referred to marginally earlier by his fellow countryman, Gaius Pliny.

Although he had certainly never visited them,

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he had heard reports from seafarers and it was from this that he gave them the name of The Hebudes, from which the modern name originates.

In the 6th Century came the Norse invaders, who brought northern idolatry and a taste for plunder. More Vikings arrived in the centuries that followed. About the year 1095, Godfrad Crovan, King of Dublin, Man and the Hebrides, died on Islay. Eight years later his son Olaf the Red of Norway succeeded him, and Olaf’s daughter Raghildis married Somerled, an Ulster-Scots prince, who founded the mighty dynasty of the Macdonald Lords of the Isles.

Repeated efforts were made over the centuries by the mainland-based Scottish kings to displace the Norsemen.

In 1263, Haakon IV of Norway sailed with a great fleet to enforce his territorial rule by invading Scotland but was driven back at Largs on the Ayrshire coast. Three years later, a peace between Norway and Scotland was concluded with the Norwegian king renouncing his claim to the Hebrides and other islands – with the exception of Orkney and Shetland, which remained politically and culturally distinct until becoming part of Scotland in 1468.

For much of history, the governance of these territories was dominated by the great Clan Donald, controlling their kingdom from the island of Islay. Nowadays, a visit to Islay, with its eight operational Scotch whisky distilleries (more are planned), is an adventure in itself.

However, a brief diversion should be made to the ruins of Finlaggan, close to Ballygrant, where the Lordship of the Isles held sway until it was dismantled by the Scottish crown in 1493.

REGIONAL FOCUS The Islands

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Above Islay is Jura, celebrated for its association with George Orwell, who wrote his masterpiece Nineteen Eighty Four while living in a farmhouse cottage at Barnhill.

Jura is also home to its homonymous distillery, which was revived in the 1960s and has been operational ever since. Between Jura’s most northerly point and the little island of Scarba lies Corryvreckan, a mighty whirlpool, whose roaring sound can sometimes be heard on the wind from as far as 20 miles (32km) away.

North across the Firth of Lorne, offshore from Oban and beyond Kerrera, is the Isle of Mull, where the ferry from Oban enters the Sound of Mull, under the watch of the formidable Duart Castle. This striking sentinel dates from the 13th Century and is today the home of Sir Lachlan Maclean of Duart, 28th chief of Clan Maclean. A short distance from here is Craignure, first port-of-call on the ferry’s tour of the island, and close by is a memorial to major general Lachlan Macquarrie, the last governor of New South Wales who is acclaimed by many as the founder of modern Australia.

In the north, the picturesque, multi-coloured town of Tobermory was the site of the sinking of a Spanish galleon in 1588.

Off the western toe of Mull lies Iona, the holy island where the Christian missionary St Columba founded his abbey in AD563. Early Scottish kings were laid to rest here including Macbeth and his adversary Duncan I. In 1936, a Church of Scotland minister founded the Iona Community. The sanctuary, with the restored abbey at its heart, remains a renowned retreat for prayer and worship to this day.

Skye is sometimes known as the ‘Misty Isle’.

Of its mountains, the Cuillins in the southwest are the most renowned and inhospitable. Two powerful clans have dominated the territory for centuries: Clan Donald, whose visitor centre can be found at Armadale Castle, in the south

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and Clan Macleod in the west. It was to the island’s capital, Portree, that the fugitive Prince Charles Edward Stuart escaped from South Uist disguised as ‘Betty Burke’, the servant of Flora Macdonald, in 1746. Clan Macleod's elegant stronghold is Dunvegan Castle, which sits in the north of the island and is today home of Hugh MacLeod of MacLeod, the 30th chief of Clan Macleod.

From the small town of Uig on the Trotternish Peninsula, Caledonian Macbrayne ferries come and go between Lochmaddy on North Uist and Tarbert on Harris. Tarbert is the gateway to the diverging landscapes of two very distinct islands linked by a causeway: Harris, with its striking hills and spectacular white sand beaches, and Lewis, an unrelenting terrain of peat bogs, mountain slopes and treeless moors that are swept by Atlantic winds.

A visit to the standing stones of Callanish, which date to before 2500BC, is highly recommended. Sundays remain a religious day on both islands and the majority of the population observes strict compliance to the Free Church’s traditional values. The inhabitants of Stornoway, the island's capital, represent around a third of the entire Western Isles population and the port town is the headquarters of the Western Isles Council.

The economy of Harris and Lewis, as with the majority of Hebridean islands, mostly relies on a mix of fishing and farming, with more recent influences such as tourism, the oil industry, wind farms and commerce brought about by the digital revolution and communications. Recently, The Isle of Harris Distillery was opened at Tarbert and this has led to a further boost in both tourism and employment. It is open to the public.

Although the industry has consistently suffered at the hands of local politics and worldwide competition, the staple craft of

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REGIONAL FOCUS The Islands weaving Harris Tweed is making a steady comeback. This extraordinarily enduring fabric with its subtle colours has won worldwide renown. As a brand name, Harris Tweed can only originate from Harris and Lewis, the Uists and Barra, and only genuine Harris Tweed that has been inspected and approved by the Harris Tweed Authority can carry the Harris Tweed ‘Orb’ logo.

ARRAN Arran, the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, is reached by ferry from Ardrossan, which is half way down the Ayrshire coast and close to Kilwinning, or from Clonaig in Kintyre.

Between the 8th and 11th Centuries, Arran was ruled by Norsemen and was only absorbed by the Scottish Crown in the 13th Century.

The Ardrossan ferry lands at Brodick, which in the Norse language means ‘Broad Bay’, and a major visitor attraction here is Brodick Castle, a former seat of the dukes of Hamilton that passed through marriage to the dukes of Montrose. The castle and gardens are now in the portfolio of the National Trust for Scotland.

Arran is often spoken of as ‘Scotland in miniature’, since there are definable Highland and Lowland areas, divided by a boundary fault. As a result, its scenic hills, parks and gardens provide opportunities for walking, climbing, hiking, biking, bird watching, riding, fishing and pony trekking.

The largest village on the island is Lamlash.

Island businesses include the Arran Distillery, which opened in 1995 at Lochranza, the Arran Brewery at Cladach, and Arran Aromatics, which produces a range of highquality soaps and other toiletries. There is also a local cheese company. Such is the success of the distillery that a second will soon be erected in island's south, at Lagg.

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BUTE One can catch the short ferry from Colintraive to Rhubodach on the Isle of Bute, whence a brief drive will take you to the island’s capital of Rothesay. One of the main attractions is very visible – Rothesay Castle. A late 12thCentury stronghold that was extended in the 16th Century, this was a favourite residence of the Stewart Kings of Scotland and, after their deposition, of the Earls and Marquises of Bute. The fortification was also occupied by the Vikings on their way to the Battle of Largs in 1263. It is open to the public.

The main attraction on Bute, however, has to be Mount Stuart. You may not be a devotee of Victorian Gothic Revivalist architecture, but the sheer scale of the opulence and extravagance of this building is overwhelming. The house and its 300 acres of landscaped garden is a must–see. The reconstruction of Mount Stuart was the work of the 3rd Marquis of Bute, a man whose classical learning was overshadowed for his contemporaries by his much-disapprovedof conversion to Catholicism.

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ORKNEY & SHETLAND There is a world of difference between mainland Scotland and its Northern Isles, the archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland, located across the Pentland Firth. These windswept islands were occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic people long before the arrival of the Picts, who were in turn supplanted by Norsemen in the 9th Century. Hungry for land and greedy for conquest, for centuries these Norsemen in their galleys ravaged the coastlines of Britain, Ireland and beyond.

Interrelating with their conquests on the northern Scottish coastline, the Hebrides, and expeditions into the North Atlantic, these Vikings governed Orkney and Shetland for over half a millennium. But, like all great colonial forces, they eventually over-extended themselves. In 1472, King Christian I of Norway failed to pay the dowry of James III of Scotland's bride, Princess Margaret of Denmark, and the Northern Isles were seceded to the Scottish crown as recompense. That itself was over half a millennia ago, but it still goes without saying

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that the people of Orkney and Shetland are strikingly different from those that you tend to find elsewhere in Scotland. Enterprising and generous with their hospitality, conscientious and creative, they have a decidedly more Scandinavian outlook on everyday life.

Only 15 of Shetland's 100 islands are nowadays populated. From Unst, the most northern, to Sumburgh, on the south of Mainland, you are never more than three miles from the sea. Yell, Bressay and Nost, Unst and Fetlar, Whalsay and Old Skerries, Scalloway and Foula, the place names found here conjure up romantic feelings of a very different side of Scotland. One third of the islands' population, however, are located in Lerwick, which in Old Norse translates as ‘Bay of Clay’. This settlement on the Bressay Sound is a natural harbour and prospered with the discovery of North Sea Oil in the 1970s.

Orkney, to the south of Shetland, is made up of 70 islands, 17 of which are inhabited.

Kirkwall, on Mainland (the principal island), is the capital and it remains one of the bestpreserved medieval towns in Scotland. It is dominated by the red sandstone bulk of St Magnus Cathedral, which was founded in 1137 in memory of Saint Magnus, Earl of Orkney (1108-1117) by Ronald, another Earl of Orkney, who was later also beatified by the church.

Following their defeat in WWI, 74 ships of the German High Seas Fleet were scuttled in Orkney's Scapa Flow. In 1939, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak was sunk in Scapa Flow following a devastating U-Boat attack. In response, Winston Churchill, as first lord of the Admiralty, ordered the construction of several permanent barriers to prevent any further attacks. Today, this series of causeways, known as the Churchill Barriers, links Mainland Orkney to the islands of South Ronaldsay, Lamb Holm, and Glims Holm. Another physical survivor from that era is the highly decorated Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm, built by the Italian POWs who also built the causeway barriers.

No visit to Orkney's Mainland, however, would be complete without a trip to Skara Brae, the large Neolithic settlement on the Bay of Skaill, and the neighbouring Maes Howe, a Neolithic chambered tomb.

Further, the Ring of Brodger and Stones of Stenness, which bookend the Ness of Brodgar archaeological dig site, are lasting monuments to the communities that lived here long ago.

It is only when exploring such places that we become genuinely aware of the fleeting nature of mortality and the extraordinary challenges that were endured by our long ago ancestors.

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GREAT DAYS OUT A run down of 15 of our favourite Scottish visitor attractions

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15 BEST Visitor Attractions

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BLAIR DRUMMOND SAFARI & ADVENTURE PARK

The Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park, 5.9 miles from Stirling on the A84, is spread over 120 acres and features drivethrough reserves, a boat safari, amusements, children’s play areas, and a petting zoo. The estate, which once belonged to the Scottish Enlightenment thinker and judge Lord Kames, was purchased in 1915 by Sir John Kay, a wealthy Glasow-based tea merchant and was inherited by his nephew, father of the current owner. The house, which dates from 1715, remained a family home until 1977 when it was sold to the Camphill Movement, a charity that cares for people with special needs. Blair

Drummond Safari Park was opened in 1970 with the help of Jimmy Chipperfield. Visitors are invited to drive through areas in their own cars or as passengers on a Safari bus to view free roaming animals. There is an African Reserve, a Lion Reserve, a Barbary Macaque Reserve, and an Asian Reserve. The park also features Lemur Land, Chimp Island, African elephants, bird of prey displays, and a Pets’ Farm.

Blair Drummond, Stirling FK9 4UR +44 (0) 1786 841456 www.blairdrummond.com @BlairDrummondSP

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CALLANISH STANDING STONES & VISITOR CENTRE

The magnificent Standing Stones of Callanish (or Calanais, in the Gaelic language) are located on the Outer Hebridean island of Lewis and are among the great wonders of the world. Erected close to the sea shore in the Neolithic era, they were a focus for ritual activity in the Bronze Age. The Callanish Stones comprise a stone circle of 13 standing stones with a monolith near the centre. Two long rows of stones running almost parallel to each other from the stone circle to the north-northeast form an avenue. To the west-southwest, south and east-northeast there are shorted avenues.

Mystery surrounds their origins, and how and why so many exceedingly large stones (they have an average height of three metres) of Lewisian gneiss were transported to this location. Theories range from their being a lunar observatory to their being petrified giants frozen for refusing to convert to Christianity.

The Visitor Centre features an interactive 'Story of the Stones' exhibition, café and gift shop.

Calanais, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9DY +44 (0) 1851 621 422 www.callanishvisitorcentre.co.uk @CalanaisCentre

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GLENFINNAN MONUMENT & VIADUCT

This spectacular 21-arch railway viaduct on the West Highland line carries trains to Glenfinnan Station across a span of 1,000 feet and 100 feet above the ground. Throughout the summer months, the Jacobite steam train runs from here to Fort William and Mallaig, and there are regular trains the remainder of the year. The construction of the mass concrete viaduct was undertaken by Robert McAlpine & Sons, at a cost of £18,904, and was complete enough to carry materials by October 1898. The railway line opened in April 1901. The viaduct has had a resurgence of interest since appearing

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THE KELPIES AT THE HELIX

The Helix is an outdoor recreational park found between Falkirk and Grangemouth.

Covering over 350 hectares of green space it offers fun for visitors of all ages. The Helix has been around since 2003, borne from an idea to create a local space that connects and engages with its local communities. Today it includes more than 27 kilometres of shared-access pathways between 16 local communities and a kilometre of new canal. However, the Helix is perhaps most famous for The Kelpies – two 30-metre tall equine sculptures. The Kelpies name refers to the mythological transforming beasts that are said to possess the strength and endurance of 100 horses, a quality that is analogous with the transformational change of Scotland’s landscapes, the endurance of the country’s inland waterways and the strength of its communities. Visitors may get up close to the Kelpies and even go inside to appreciate the complexity of the engineering that created these marvellous pieces of art.

The Helix, Falkirk, FK2 7ZT +44 (0) 1324 590 600 www.thehelix.co.uk @HelixFalkirk

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in two Harry Potter films. The Jacobite steam train stops at the village of Glenfinnan, where there is the West Highland Railway Museum.

Nearby is the Glenfinnan Monument, built in 1815, which honours all those who lost their lives in support of the Jacobite cause.

It was here that, less than a year before the battle of Culloden, Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his father’s standard. A modern visitor centre tells the story of the ill-fated uprising.

Glenfinnann, Lochaber, PH37 4LT www.nts.org.uk @N_T_S

15 BEST Visitor Attractions

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HOUSE FOR AN ART LOVER

In 1901, Glasgow’s most celebrated architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh entered a competition, sponsored by the German design magazine Zeitschrift Fur Innendekoration, to design an Art Lovers’ House. Mackintosh and his wife Margaret MacDonald worked on it together but, although the result was praised, it was disqualified for being late in submission. However, the drawings were retained and in 1989, Graham Roxburgh, the consulting engineer responsible for restoring the Mackintosh interiors at Craigie Hall, suggested that it be built. Co-opting a team headed up by professor Andy MacMillan, head of architecture at Glasgow School of Art, the building was virtually completed in 1990. However, owing to technical delays, it was only opened to the public in 1996. Today, the House for an Art Lover is popular as a wedding venue and home to the stylish Art Lover’s Café, Gallery and Shop.

Bellahouston Park, 10 Dumbreck Road, Glasgow, G41 5BW +44(0) 1413 534 770 www.houseforanartlover.co.uk @HouseArtLover

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KELVINGROVE ART GALLERY & MUSEUM

Financed from the proceeds of the 1888 International Exhibition held in Kelvingrove Park, the gallery was designed by Sir John W. Simpson and EJ Milner Allan, and opened in 1901 for the Glasgow International Exhibition as the Palace of Fine Arts. The art collections in this refurbished building are extensive and wide-ranging, with 22 themed galleries displaying over 8,000 objects. Works on display include those by Salvador Dali, Old

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KNOCKANDO WOOLMILL

Masters including Rembrandt, and French impressionists such as Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh. There is a Spitfire plane hanging from the ceiling in the West Court and a fine collection of arms and armour. This is a gallery that shouldn't be missed.

Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8AG +44 (0) 1412 769 599. www.glasgowmuseums.com @KelvingroveArt

Knockando Woolmill is a Category A listed group of buildings in the Spey Valley. The Woolmill itself contains original textile machinery acquired over the centuries. It has always been at the heart of the local community and is listed as the ‘Wauk Mill’ in parish records from 1784. Since then, it has maintained its traditions of spinning and weaving through generations of families. The woolmill grew gradually as the mechanisation of textile production developed elsewhere in the UK. This is not a large industrial mill of the Scottish Borders but 18th and 19th Century farm diversification. When times were good, the Woolmill tenant would've bought a new piece of machinery and extended the mill building just enough to keep the weather off the machine. Being a thrifty farmer, he reused doors and windows from elsewhere. This process has left us with the tiny, ramshackle building, stuffed full of historic machinery and redolent of the labours of previous generations, that survives today. Spinning and weaving went hand in hand with agriculture at Knockando.

There would be little work carried out during sowing or harvest time, but, after shearing, local farmers would have brought in their fleeces to be processed and taken them away as blankets and tweed cloth. The Woolmill is now open to the public and continues to sustain its manufacturing traditions.

The Woolmill, Knockando, Moray, AB38 7RP +44 (0) 1340 810 345 www.knockandowoolmill.org.uk @knockandomill

15 BEST Visitor Attractions

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NATIONAL MINING MUSEUM

Opened in 1984, the intention was to preserve the physical surface remains of Lady Victoria Colliery, which was sunk by the Lothian Coal Company in 1890 and came into production in 1894. Today, this five-star attraction, situated eight miles south of Edinburgh, tells the story of coal through insightful exhibitions and guided tours of the pithead, recreating the lives of miners and their families. The museum collection includes over 60,000 tools, safety equipment, lamps, models, clothing, trophies, and geological specimens. There is a programme of special events and the Old Pier House, with its high Victorian arched windows, is a popular venue.

Victoria Colliery, Dalkeith, EH22 4QN +44 (0) 1316 637 519 www.nationalminingmuseum.com @NatMiningMuseum

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NEW LANARK WORLD HERITAGE SITE

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the River Clyde, close to the town of Lanark. The site was founded in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills with housing for the mill workers. The mills were built in partnership with Richard Arkwright, an English inventor and entrepreneur, to take advantage of the proximity to the Falls of Clyde. New Lanark rapidly became a successful business as well as an early example of planned settlement, an important milestone in urban planning.

The New Lanark mills operated until 1968 and the New Lanark Conservation Trust was

founded in 1974 to prevent the demolition of the village. By 2006 the majority of buildings had been restored. Today, the New Lanark Visitor Centre tells the story of the mill and allows visitors to travel back in time.

Attractions include a roof garden, Robert Owen’s School for Children, the millworkers’ houses of the 1820s and 1930s, Robert Owen’s House, and working textile machinery.

New Lanark Road, Lanark, ML11 9DB +44 (0) 1555 661 345 www.newlanark.org @newlanarkwhs

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RIVERSIDE MUSEUM

The multi-award-winning Riverside Museum is home to over 3,000 objects that detail Glasgow’s rich past from its days as maritime powerhouse to a glimpse into daily Glasgow life in the early to mid 20th Century. Amongst the objects on display are everything from skateboards to locomotives, paintings to prams, velocipedes to voiturettes, vintage cars to a stormtrooper. Located on the site of the former Inglis Shipyard, the building sits on the north bank of the River Clyde beside where it merges with the River Kelvin. The building itself was designed by Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) and is certainly striking to behold.

The nature of the site enables the tall ship Glenlee, itself a significant visitor attraction, to berth alongside the museum. Of the many hundreds of ships built in Glasgow’s shipyards, the Glenlee is one of only five Clyde-built ships still afloat in the world today and she is the only one of her kind in the UK. The tall ship is an independent museum committed to the preservation of the maritime history of the area.

100 Pointhouse Place, Glasgow, G3 8RS +44 (0) 1412 872 720 www.glasgowlife.org.uk @riversidemuseum

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ROSSLYN CHAPEL

The Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew was founded by the wealthy Sir William St Clair, of the Scots-Norman Sinclair family, on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Catholic Collegiate Church in the mid-15th Century. It was originally intended that it should form part of a great cathedral but, with the death of Sir William in 1484, the work was discontinued.

Prior to that, masons from all over Europe created carvings of exquisite beauty over a 40-year period. Rosslyn Chapel was closed for public worship following the Scottish Reformation in 1560 and the interiors were allowed to deteriorate. However, following a visit from Queen Victoria, the chapel was re-opened for public worship in 1861 under the Scottish Episcopal Church. Over the centuries a number of myths evolved regarding hidden treasure and these culminated with the publication of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. To cater for the escalating visitor numbers, a superb purpose-built visitor centre, incorporating a café, was erected in 2011.

Chapel Loan, Roslin, EH25 9PU +44 (0) 131 440 2159 www.rosslynchapel.com @Rosslynchapel

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CAORUNN GIN DISTILLERY

Although Speyside is undoubtedly the beating heart of Scotland’s whisky industry, there are also a number of popular gins being produced in the area. Caorunn stands out for many reasons, not least because but it is produced on the site of the Balmenach single malt distillery near Grantown-on-Spey! However, this popular London Dry gin isn’t made using the distillery’s copper pot stills but instead has its own production area that utilises a very unusual piece of equipment: a Copper Berry Chamber. Originally built in the 1920s, Caorunn’s Copper Berry Chamber is the only remaining operational example of its kind and was once used for extracting botanical oils for use in perfume, by way of vapour infusion. The chamber’s copper frame holds four perforated copper trays upon which around 20kg of botanicals are spread for the production of each batch, which sees 1000 litres of wheat neutral spirit heated in an adjacent vaporiser (nicknamed ‘Little Rocket’) and piped into the chamber. The alcohol vapour

rises through the chamber and is slowly infused with fragrant character over the course of four hours and two cycles to yield around 945 litres of gin spirit. Caorunn Gin is crafted under the watchful eye of Gin Master Simon Buley, who first began developing this unique spirit in 2009 by foraging for suitable ingredients in the area surrounding the distillery. In addition to six traditional gin botanicals, Simon settled on using five Celtic botanicals (Rowan Berry, Heather, Coul Blush Apple, Dandelion and Bog Myrtle) that he continues to handpick from the hills surrounding the distillery to this day. Visitors who fancy seeing the process for themselves are in luck as tours of the distillery are available, though booking is essential.

Tours run Mon-Fri at 11am and 2pm and conclude with a tasting session.

Balmenach Distillery, Cromdale, Grantown-onSpey, PH26 3PF + 44 (0)1479 874 933 www.caorunngin.com @CaorunnGin

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RRS DISCOVERY

At the start of the 20th Century, Antarctica was still an uncharted wilderness. Exploration was a daunting task, involving a long voyage through remote and tempestuous seas just to reach the continent. The 1901 British National Antarctic Expedition was the vision of Sir Clements Markham, President of the Royal Geographical Society. By 1900 Markham had raised the necessary funds, now all he needed was a ship, and a man to lead the expedition.

As a major whaling centre, Dundee’s shipyards had long experience of constructing ships robust enough to travel through the Arctic pack ice. It was this expertise that Markham harnessed to build RRS Discovery, the first vessel to be constructed specifically for scientific research. As leader of the expedition, Markham chose the young naval officer Lieutenant Robert Falcon Scott. The rest, as they say, is history. Today visitors may discover the fate of the expedition and tour the Discovery itself — an experience that’s not to be missed.

Riverside Drive, Dundee, DD1 4XA +44 (0) 1382 309 060 www.rrsdiscovery.com @DiscoveryDundee

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15 BEST Visitor Attractions

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SKARA BRAE PREHISTORIC VILLAGE

Long before Stonehenge or even the Egyptian pyramids were built, Skara Brae was a thriving village. Visitors to the site step back 5,000 years in time to explore the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe. First uncovered by a storm in 1850, Skara Brae remains a place of discovery today and is now part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. The site is remarkable because of its age and even more so for the quality of its preservation. Its structures survive in impressive condition – as does, incredibly,

the furniture in the village houses. Visitors are encouraged to explore the nine surviving Neolithic homes; to step inside a complete replica house to get a fuller picture of village life; see artefacts including gaming dice, tools and jewellery on display in the visitor centre; and take in the stunning local landscape, birdlife and wildflowers.

Sandwick, Orkney, KW16 3LR +44 (0) 1856 841 815 www.historicenvironment.scot @HistEnvScot

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SCOTTISH DOLPHIN CENTRE

The Scottish Dolphin Centre is run by Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), the leading charity dedicated to the protection of whales and dolphins. Their vision is a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free. The WDC’s mission is to amaze people with the wonder of whales and dolphins and inspire global action to protect them, while the Scottish Dolphin Centre specifically works to ensure better protection for the whales and dolphins found around the coast of Scotland.

Visit the centre for the chance to see the amazing bottlenose dolphins of the Moray Firth, spot a seal or osprey, and discover Spey Bay’s fishing heritage. Visitors may enjoy a ‘Dry Dive’ AV experience that explores the bay’s underwater wildlife, an interactive exhibition, and a variety of wildlife-spotting tours, some of which include beautiful walks along the tumultuous River Spey.

Spey Bay, Fochabers, IV32 7PJ +44 (0) 1343 820 339 www.dolphincentre.whales.org @Dolphinsighting

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FROM FORMIDABLE FORTRESS TO PRICELESS PALACE Our 20 favourite Scottish castles and historic houses to visit

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20 BEST Castles & Historic Houses

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EILEAN DONAN CASTLE

In all probability taking its name from bishop Donan, an Irish missionary saint of the 6th Century, the earliest part of the castle that we see today dates from the 13th Century.

Perched on a rocky islet in the confluence of three great lochs – Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long – the location could not have been more strategic. In time, Eilean Donan passed to the Mackenzies of Kintail.

These Mackenzies were descendants of the Royal House of Dalriada, connected with both Clan Matheson and Clan Anrias, and they would become the all-powerful earls of Seaforth and Cromartie. However, after being destroyed during the Jacobite Risings, Eilean Donan was abandoned until, in 1912, it was purchased by a wealthy Macrae clansman, Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap.

Although reconstruction followed the extant plan, changes were made that mean the castle one can see today is not an exact recreation of the original fortress. It is, nevertheless, incredibly beautiful and makes for quite the first impression when seen from the road.

Rugged and romantic, it is the stuff of legends.

Dornie, Kyle of Lochalsh, IV40 8DX +44 (0) 1599 555 202 www.eileandonancastle.com @1EileanDonan

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ABBOTSFORD HOUSE

The author Sir Walter Scott had a long affiliation with the Scottish Borders. He lived for a time on his grandparents’ farm, at Smailholm, and in 1799 he was appointed sheriff deputy of the County of Selkirk. After 1805, however, his writing and poetry brought him international fame and in 1811, using the money he had accumulated, he bought the farm known as Cartleyhole, near Melrose. Through the subsequent purchase of adjacent properties, he extended the estate to 1,400 acres and then made plans to build a lavish mansion house overlooking the River Tweed. On its completion, Scott named it Abbotsford, after the nearby

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ford of the river that had once been used by the monks who inhabited Melrose Abbey, which is close by. Contemporary architects Walter Atkinson, William Stark, Daniel Terry and Edward Blore each had an input in the ongoing creation of the house, and, after Scott’s death in 1832, the house was later much enlarged by William Burn. It was opened to the public by his family in 1833, five months after his death, and has remained so ever since.

Melrose, Roxburghshire, TD6 9BQ +44 (0) 1896 752 043 www.scottsabbotsford.co.uk @AbbotsfordScott

PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE

The Stewart kings favoured Holyroodhouse as a Royal residence, its close proximity to Edinburgh’s Flodden Wall and the gates of the city being of strategic importance. King James II was born here in 1430 and extensions to the domestic accommodation were well underway by the time of his marriage in 1449. Between 1529 and 1532, King James V built the tower-like residence that stands at the northwestern corner. The range on the west, which completed the palace, came later. However, it was King Charles

II who truly established Holyroodhouse as Scotland’s Royal Residence. On his authority, major reconstruction work was undertaken

by Sir William Bruce. However, it was under King George V that the palace once again became a regularly used Royal family home.

Subsequently, a large area of the palace was opened to the public.

Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8DX +44 (0) 3031 237 306 www.royalcollection.org.uk @RCT

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DUART CASTLE

The fortress looms, dark and formidable, a sentinel guarding the waterways between the Hebridean island of Mull, mainland Scotland, and the neck of the Firth of Lorne. The location for Duart Castle was well chosen.

Strategically sited on a high crag at the end of an island peninsula, Dubh Ard in Gaelic, meaning ‘black point', it guards the entrances of both Loch Linnhe and Loch Etive. Times were tough in days gone by and Duart Castle, with its walls varying between three to seven metres in thickness, saw more than its fair share of bloodshed as confrontation between the two great Highland clans (the Macleans, who occupied Duart, and the Campbells) went on for many generations. Do not expect to see great treasures or fine furniture here; that’s not what such a place is about. Instead, you will find yourself at the very heart of Hebridean history, surrounded by an atmosphere that could never be replicated anywhere else.

Isle of Mull, PA64 6AP +44 (0) 1680 812 309 www.duartcastle.com @DuartCastle

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STIRLING CASTLE

Flanked on three sides by steep cliffs, Stirling Castle occupies an uncompromising and dramatic site close to the source of the River Forth in central Scotland and serves as the sentinel watch tower standing between the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands.

Not much is known about its earliest existence, but the oldest credible documents record that Alexander I built a chapel here in 1110. On 24 June 1314 , its occupants were forced to become spectators at the most significant altercation in Scotland’s history – the Battle of Bannockburn. Thereafter, it was during the reigns of the early Stewart kings that the surviving parts of the castle that we see today were built. James III was born at Stirling Castle in 1460 but it was his son and grandson who deserve the credit for the embellishment and transformation of its interiors into their present glorious state.

After a 35-year restoration programme, it is now a visitor attraction.

Castle Esplanade, Stirling, FK8 1EJ,UK. +44 (0) 1786 450 000 www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk @stirlingcastle

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HOPETOUN HOUSE

As arguably the most spectacular William Adam mansion in Scotland, Hopetoun House has set the pace for Scottish stately homes since it first opened to the public more than 45 years ago. Located near Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, it is within view of the great rail and road bridges of the Firth of Forth and commands striking views of Fife.

It was that great Scottish architect Sir William Bruce who was commissioned in 1699 to work on the house, with enlargements made after 1721 by William Adam – his two sons, Robert and John, were charged with decorating the interior. Today, visitors often gasp aloud as they approach up the front drive and see the stately mansion silhouetted against the skyline with its two wings outstretched like welcoming arms. At the end of the tour, if weather permits, a visit to the roof platform reward visitors with breathtaking views.

South Queensferry, Edinburgh, EH30 9SL +44 (0) 131 331 2451 www.hopetoun.co.uk @HopetounHouse

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DRUM CASTLE

Situated 10 miles from the City of Aberdeen, in the North West of Scotland, is the solid and enduring Drum Castle, which was previously occupied for six and a half centuries by 24 generations of the Irvine Family. Standing on a ridge overlooking the River Dee, the castle’s appearance runs the full gamut of Scottish architectural style from fortified medieval tower to Jacobean mansion and Victorian country house. It genuinely looks like a different house from every angle! As with most of Scotland’s oldest families, the fortunes of the Irvines came about in the early 14th Century through the rise of Robert the Bruce and the fall of the House of Comyn, from whom the Royal Forest of Oaks and the 13th Century Tower of Drum were confiscated.

As the centuries passed and needs changed, Drum Castle evolved. It now resonates with the fads and innovations of generations of a great Scottish family. Also not to be missed is the 300 acres of delightful grounds.

Drumoak, Aberdeenshire, AB31 5EY +44 (0) 1330 700 334 www.nts.org.uk @DrumCastleNTS

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DUMFRIES HOUSE

Dumfries House was designed and built between 1754 and 1759 by the architects Robert, John and James Adam for the 5th earl of Dumfries. Sadly, when it came up for sale in 2008, it looked as if its contents would have to be sold separately. What made this especially controversial was that these contents comprised the finest collection of 18th-Century furniture to be found in the UK. Nonetheless, Dumfries House’s owner, the 7th Marquess of Bute, was adamant. The property had to be disposed of. Immediately, the National Trust for Scotland began a fund-raising exercise but its initial valuation was rejected as inadequate.

Then, just as the contents were on the point of being sold at auction, the Prince of Wales and the Scottish Government stepped in with £45million to purchase and safeguard the property and its contents for the nation. It has since been opened to the public.

Cumnock, Ayrshire, KA18 2NJ. +44 (0) 1290 425 959 www.dumfries-house.org.uk @Dumfries1754

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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SCONE PALACE

The name of Scone resonates in Scotland’s history, associated as it is with the Stone of Destiny upon which monarchs in Scotland and England have been crowned for more than 1000 years. Indeed, it was to Scone that the stone was brought in the 9th Century by King Kenneth McAlpin, who had conquered the Pictish nation. As early as the 6th Century there were holy men living on Scone’s Moot Hill and there is evidence that before AD843 the area had a history of being a Royal residence. In the early 12th Century, an ancient group of monks known as the Culdees founded a monestary on the site, which later became an Augustinian priory. However, it was sacked and burned in 1559 after John Knox preached a sermon in nearby Perth. In 1803, William Atkinson was commissioned by the 3rd Earl of Mansfield to design and build the Gothic palace that can be seen today, which incorporates parts of the old palace and other buildings from the 16th Century and earlier.

Perth, PH2 6BD +44 (0) 1738 552 300 www.scone-palace.co.uk @SconePalace

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TRAQUAIR HOUSE

The lands of Traquair were once part of a royal hunting forest and, over the centuries, Traquair House has played host to 27 kings on sporting excursions. Although no written confirmation exists, it can be assumed that a house of sorts existed long before King Alexander I stayed here in 1107 and granted Traquair a Royal Charter. In 1599, Sir William Stuart created the main house as we see it today. A number of 17th Century additions are still evident in the main house. Traquair’s front door has an elaborate wrought-iron knocker, dated to 1705, which incorporates the reverse monograms of the 4th Earl and his wife, lady Mary Maxwell. At the foot of the main stair is a carved oak door dating from 1630 and brought here from Terregles House in Dumfriesshire. The design incorporates two animals locked in combat: the Scottish unicorn and the English lion.

Traquair, Innerleithen, EH44 6PW +44 (0) 1896 830 323 www.traquair.co.uk @traquairhouse

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20 BEST Castles & Historic Houses

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EDINBURGH CASTLE

From its dominant position on the summit of a volcanic plug, Edinburgh Castle has witnessed all of the pivotal events of Scotland’s history over a thousand years. In fact, recent excavations have unearthed evidence of an Iron-Age fort. Within the castle is the Scottish United Services Museum, which houses six themed galleries featuring different aspects of Scottish military history. Next door to the Queen Anne Barracks is the Scottish National War Memorial, dedicated in 1927 by the architect Sir Robert Lorimer. Located in the main square is the 13th Century Palace in which Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth to the future James VI. The Crown Room on the first floor houses the Honours of Scotland. The Scottish Crown is one of the oldest in Europe, said to date from the reign of Robert I, but with arches belonging to an older crown. Without Edinburgh Castle's grand silhouette the skyline of the capital just wouldn’t be the same.

Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NG +44 (0) 1316 688 831 www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk @edinburghcastle

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FALKLAND PALACE

In 1451, James II conducted a significant extension and renovation of Falkland Castle, as it was then known, and eight years later he gifted it to his queen, Mary of Guelders.

Seven years later, the town was made a Royal Burgh and the castle was given palace status.

Subsequently, James III spent much of his childhood here, but it was his son, James IV, who improved the facilities and built the south range. Up to that point the style was very much rudimentary Gothic, but then along came James V. Having recently returned from a visit to the French Court in 1537, he had seen just how successfully Italian Renaissance style could be blended with French castellated Gothic. His architect, Sir James Hamilton of Finnart, was ordered to employ only craftsmen that were French or French trained. The result was the exquisite Renaissance ornament on the courtyard facade of the south range.

Falkland, Cupar, Fife, KY15 7BU +44 (0) 1337 857 397 www.nts.org.uk @Falkland_Palace

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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DUFF HOUSE

Duff House is surely one of the most strikingly elegant examples of the Scottish architect William Adam’s iconic creations. Situated on the River Deveron, which rises in the Cabrach Mountains, it stands close to the Royal Burgh of Banff. During the past century it has functioned as a palm court hotel, sanatorium and prisonerof-war camp, but after extensive renovation it was eventually opened as visitor attraction and art gallery. There were problems from the very start of its existence. William Duff, for whom it was built, did not anticipate that the eventual cost would rise to the then astounding sum of £70,000. This led to a protracted dispute with his architect that, latterly, is said to have brought on Adam’s untimely demise at the age of 59. After a thorough restoration, it was opened to the public in 1995 as a country house and art gallery. Today, it contains various works of art, including paintings by Sir Henry Raeburn, Alan Ramsay and El Greco.

Banff, Aberdeenshire, AB45 3SX +44 (0) 1261 818 181 www.historicenvironment.scot @HistEnvScot

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MOUNT STUART

It was during the lifetime of the 2nd earl of Bute that the original house of Mount Stuart was built, but unfortunately it was largely destroyed a century and a half later by fire.

Thus, it was under the direction of the 3rd marquess of Bute and his architect, Sir Rowand Anderson, that the Gothic palace we see today was conceived. From the moment you enter, be prepared to be impressed. The marble hall is lined with rare Italian marble and soars to a height of some 80 feet. On the vaulted ceiling there are themes from astrology and zodiacshaped windows. In the dining room there are friezes depicting squirrels and bird life.

In the Horoscope Room, the exact position of the stars and planets at the moment of the birth of the 3rd marquess, on 12 September 1847, are depicted. It is quirks like these that make Mount Stuart a true testament to the passions and flamboyance of the Stuarts, and make it one of Scotland’s ‘must visit’ houses.

Isle of Bute, PA20 9LR +44 (0) 1700 503 877 www.mountstuart.com @mountstuart

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20 BEST Castles & Historic Houses

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COCKENZIE HOUSE

Cockenzie House was built in the 17th Century for George Seton, salt master and baillie of Tranent. In 1777, John Cadell seized on the opportunity to buy not only Cockenzie House, but also Cockenzie Harbour and the barony of Tranent. The Cadells were to own and occupy this substantial Jacobean mansion for the following 200 years. Early in the 20th Century, Cockenzie House was leased to the author and explorer Sir Everard Ferdinand Im Thurn, an eminent plant hunter. Sir Everard died at Cockenzie House in 1932 and, in 1959, on the death of Marion Cadell, the last of the direct Cadell line, Cockenzie House was sold. After housing various other occupants, it was later transformed into a college for overseas students, then a nursing home. More recently, a voluntary association was formed and today one will find exhibitions, conferences, theatre, and community events taking place at Cockenzie.

Cockenzie, Port Seton, EH32 0HY +44 (0) 1875 819 456 www.cockenziehouseandgardens.co.uk @cockenziehouse

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BRAEMAR CASTLE

The story of Braemar Castle is one of strength and turbulence. Yet, despite the onslaught of clan feuds and rebellion, this bulky fortified house, which can be seen from the road in the Aberdeenshire town of Braemar, only eight miles from the Royal Family’s holiday home of Balmoral, has survived relatively unspoiled.

The imposing edifice of Braemar Castle was begun in 1628 by John Erskine, second earl of Mar (in the title’s second creation). Situated on a strategic route through the Grampian mountains (now the A93), it enabled Mar, an on-and-off favourite of James VI of Scotland and momentarily Regent of Scotland, to deflect the insurgencies of the neighbouring clans, the Farquharsons, the Forbeses, and the Gordons.

The building itself is a five storey L-Plan castle with a star-shaped curtain wall of six sharpangled salients, and with three-storey angle turrets. Opened to the public, it is currently leased and run by Braemar Community Ltd. Braemar, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5XR +44 (0) 1339 741 219 www.braemarcastle.co.uk @Braemarscastle

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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CASTLE OF MEY

Although the Castle of Mey on Scotland’s northern coast will forever be associated with Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, its provenance reaches far back into the past.

Built between 1566 and 1572, it was erected as a stronghold for George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness, as just one of a string of castles he held to protect his interests. Six miles from John O’Groats and nine miles from the town of Thurso, the castle occupies a prime strategic position overlooking the Pentland Firth and offers distant glimpses of the Orkney Islands.

As one might expect, there are numerous gun slits throughout the ground floor, several in the angles of the tower and more at firstfloor level. The round, arched entrance to the courtyard on the north aspect remains unaltered but the castle itself was extended in the 18th Century and again in 1819, when architect William Burn (1789-1870) added the porch and baronial features.

Thurso, Caithness, KW14 8XH +44 (0) 1847 851 473 www.castleofmey.org.uk @thecastleofmey

Foremost among Skye's visitor attractions is Dunvegan Castle, the ancient stronghold of the Chiefs of Clan Macleod, once one of the most influential families of Scotland’s western seaboard. Although the Macleods of Dunvegan have possessed their castle for over 800 years, the fortress we see today bears little resemblance to the original fortification.

A ‘romantic’ restoration was carried out by the 25th Chief between 1840 and 1850, to plans by Robert Brown of Edinburgh and at a cost of

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£8,000. Nowadays, as you approach Dunvegan Castle on foot along the landscaped pathway, it is hard to imagine just how formidable this place must have seemed in days of long ago.

From the seaward side, however, it is easier to picture heavily armed longboats gliding back and forth on plundering raids.

Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, IV55 8WF +44 (0) 1470 521 206 www.dunvegancastle.com @Dunvegan_Castle

© SCOTPHOTO | © PAUL BUTCHARD | © JULIANE JACOBS

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DUNVEGAN CASTLE

20 BEST Castles & Historic Houses

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ARMADALE CASTLE

As is so often the case, there was originally a true fortress at Armadale but it was burnt down, in revenge for the Clan Donald's early support of the Jacobite cause at the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689. In 1815, Gillespie Graham was commissioned to design a castle, built onto an existing mansion house, facing southeast across the Sound of Sleat.

Unfortunately a terribly fire gutted the central section, which led the 4th Baron Macdonald to commission the architect David Bryce to extend Armadale Castle in 1850. In 1984, Armadale's Category A listed stables were converted by the Boys Jarvis Partnership into a visitor centre — it is now a café. In 2002, the Museum of the Isles was opened and in the former west end there is a new formal garden created by Lauries of Dundee. With the west section demolished, the Category C listed castle remains partially derelict but survives as a romantic testimony to past glories.

Sleat, Isle of Skye, IV45 8RS +44 (0) 1471 844 305 www.clandonald.com @ClanDonaldSkye

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CASTLE MENZIES

While driving along the picturesque road from Aberfeldy towards Loch Tay, one cannot fail to notice Castle Menzies. It stands defiantly against a backdrop of dark hills, close to the village of Weem, as a striking symbol of a oncepowerful Highland clan. The ‘Place of Weem’, as it was originally called, was first built near Aberfeldy in 1488 to replace Comrie Castle, which had hitherto been the seat of the clan.

But those were turbulent, dangerous times and the Place of Weem was burned down

in 1502. Its replacement forms the oldest part of the much extended building we see today, but when exactly this was completed is unknown. Today, Castle Menzies serves as the headquarters of an enthusiastic worldwide clan society and welcomes visitors from across the globe.

Aberfeldy, Perthshire, PH15 2JD +44 (0) 1887 820 982 www.castlemenzies.org @MenziesClanSoc

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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OVER LAND & WATER Our pick of the very best tours and cruises

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CALEDONIAN DISCOVERY

Founded in 1996 by Martin Balcombe, this holiday offers some wonderful 4 or 7-day soft activity holidays, while cruising the Caledonian Canal — including the iconic Loch Ness.

From one of their barges, Fingal or Ros Crana, guests are able to explore different parts of the beautiful Great Glen, between Inverness and Fort William, each day. There are lots of activities to choose from. Guests may walk the towpaths or surrounding countryside, cycle the local routes and forest trails, or paddle the canal and lochs by canoe. If prefered, they can simply stay aboard and watch the scenery

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RED MOON CRUISES

Many thousands of visitors tour Skye every year but few get the opportunity to appreciate its grandeur, beauty and remote places from the most vivid of vantage points: the surrounding sea. But that’s exactly what Red Moon Cruises can offer! Up to four guests may join Scott and Mary aboard the Red Moon and enjoy a private cruise of Skye’s most remote and intimate coves. Take in stunning vistas and explore historic landscapes from the comfort of this ‘nautically themed luxury country cottage’, before enjoying delightful meals on board. What's more, wildlife enthusiasts will be overjoyed. Whether it’s dolphins playing in Red Moon’s bow wave, the arrowing wake of an otter crossing a sea loch, seals basking on the shore, red deer on the hills, or a golden eagle soaring overhead — anything is possible. Aboard Red Moon, guests can take in the ancestral homelands of families such as McDonald, MacLeod, Mackinnon and Mackenzie, McAskill, MacCrimmon, MacArthur, MacLennan, MacRae, Beaton, Martin, MacInnes and more.

Cruises from US$1730 / £1300 for two people and two nights. www.redmooncruises.co.uk

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drift by as the accommodation moves forward along the scenic canal. Each barge provides six comfortable en-suite cabins, a lounge area and a large dining area where the resident chef, who caters for all dietary requirements, serves delicious meals made using only the freshest and finest of ingredients. Cruising with Caledonian Discovery offers a wonderful opportunity to discover the Great Glen and enjoy the peace and adventure on offer.

Cruises with Caledonian Discovery start from US$685 / £515 per person. www.caledonian-discovery.co.uk

8 BEST Tours & Cruises

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HEBRIDEAN ISLAND CRUISES

The delectably small and exclusive Hebridean Princess, purpose-built for Scotland’s Western Isles and launched by Hebridean Island Cruises as a cruise ship in 1989, sails mainly from her home port of Oban. Perfectly complementing the wildly beautiful Scottish scenery through which she cruises, Hebridean Princess offers the unrivalled comfort and refined service of a floating country house, with a maximum of 50 guests, in the tradition of the halcyon days of cruising. The welcome on board is always warm with the congenial atmosphere of a country house party, where old friends meet

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up, new acquaintances are quickly made and the unaccompanied need never feel alone.

At the same time, guests are free to enjoy the luxury of their own private space whenever they choose. The epitome of good taste, an understated elegance pervades the whole ship.

The crew-to-guest ratio, which is almost oneto-one, ensures exceptionally high standards and a five-star experience from start to finish.

There is no other experience like it.

Cabins from $10,133 / £8020 per person (10 Days / 9 Nights). www.hebridean.co.uk

THE MAJESTIC LINE

The Majestic Line is a family-run company, now in its 13th year of operation, which pioneered luxury small-ship cruising on the west coast of Scotland. Three-night, six-night and 10-night itineraries provide inspirational voyages aboard three miniature cruise vessels.

Their cruising areas include the isles of Mull, Skye and the Southern Hebrides, the Outer Hebrides and St Kilda – as well as inland to the heart of Scotland, via the Caledonian Canal. The Majestic Line’s vessels are designed to encourage an informal and relaxing atmosphere, with an indoor deck saloon where guests gather and everyone dines together.

Three outdoor decks are perfect for alfresco drinks and canapés, soaking up the scenery and wildlife watching. The size of the vessels allows inshore access to secluded anchorages that are not available to larger boats and cruise itineraries are flexible, providing a personal adventure for guests. The on-board chefs are free to choose their own menus, which feature the finest Scottish produce. But be warned: these cruises often book out a year in advance, so be sure to secure yours promptly!

From US$1283/£990 per person (three nights). www.themajesticline.co.uk

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5

CELTIC JOURNEYS

Judy Lowstuter’s career in the travel industry began in 1993 and her deep passion for Scotland led to her completion of VisitScotland’s ScotsMaster accreditation in 2003. Fuelled by her love for the country and emboldened by this accolade, she launched Celtic Journeys in 2004 and hasn’t looked back since. The Celtic Journeys team have a firm belief that to truly experience Scotland one has to meet the people, learn the history, hear the traditional music, taste the whisky, walk among the timeless archaeological monuments and experience the ever-changing scenery.

Celtic Journeys was also, famously, one of the first companies to offer tours based on Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels and 2018 marks the 15th year of these most popular itineraries. Also worth noting is that a very special Hogmanay tour is offered, which allows guests to ring in the New Year with the warmth and enchantment of a truly unique Highland Celebration.

Tours from US$3,595 / £2845 per person (seven nights) based on double occupancy.

Single supplement of US$900 / £712 applies. www.celticjourneys.us

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CIE TOURS INTERNATIONAL

CIE Tours International have been helping visitors explore their must-visit destinations for an incredible 84 years. During this time, CIE has provided travellers with the highest quality holidays to Scotland, England and Ireland and has built up an enviable reputation for security and reliability with satisfied clients throughout the world. CIE deliver excellent holidays with state-of-the-art luxury coaches; prompt and pleasant customer service; the best hotels; and carefully chosen visits and entertainment. Their coach tours are fully inclusive with no optional extras to purchase and guests pay one price — after a deposit is paid, the final price is guaranteed. For those who prefer to travel independently, CIE offer self-drive and luxury chauffeur-drive programs with a wide range of popular hotel and B&B accommodation available, which can be booked in advance.

Tours start from US$1120 / £840 per person (five days) and can take in locations in Scotland, England and Ireland. www.cietours.com

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8 BEST Tours & Cruises

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CELTIC DREAM TOURS

Scotland is known for its amazing scenery and as guests travel around this stunning country with Celtic Dream Tours they will see beautiful mountains, stunning glens, heathercovered moors, and quaint villages with many historical castles and other sites. And there's more. Although people don't usually think of Scotland as having fabulous beaches, the truth is that many have sand as golden as the Caribbean – they're just not nearly as warm! Celtic Dream Tours introduce their guests to some of these pleasant surprises as they explore the most spectacular coastal scenery, picturesque fishing villages and hidden hideaways that abound in this beautiful country. All of the company's scheduled tours are limited to just 16 people, ensuring close attention for all guests, but custom group trips can be arranged with a personalised itinerary to suit any group size.

Tours from US$3395 / £2550 per person (12 nights) based on double occupancy. Please note that a single supplement applies. www.celticdreamtours.com

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ROWAN TREE TRAVEL

Rowan Tree Travel provides small group escorted tours for individuals who share a curious mind and a love of travel. Each tour provides insight into the local traditions at the heart of their destination's community; whether that’s traditional knitting patterns, mythology, or a local brewery giving new life to an old recipe. Although Knitting Tours are their largest offering, each year they also offer a tour that focuses on the myths and legends of the destinations, including a night of storytelling or performances by local folk musicians. Rowan Tree Travel help their guests to discover the treasure trove of stories and sagas behind each castle, scenic spot, and ancient site – stories that might be passed over if visiting alone. Local guides are brought in on key days to help bring the local tales to life.

In addition to scheduled departures, Rowan Tree Travel also offers bespoke group tours.

From US$3200/£2533 per person (based on seven nights). www.rowantreetravel.com

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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THE SPIRIT OF SCOTLAND Scotland is home to a great number of distilleries that are open to the public. Here are some of our favourites

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ABERFELDY DISTILLERY

Aberfeldy Distillery was founded in 1896 by the Scotch whisky empire John Dewar & Sons, during the great distillery-building boom of the late 19th Century. The distillery’s water source is the Pitilie Burn, which runs alongside the site and is famously rich in mineral deposits – including gold, supposedly! Nevertheless, it’s liquid gold that Aberfeldy Distillery’s founders were after and its heather honey style of whisky is still in demand to this day, not least for use in the company's popular blended Scotch whiskies. In fact, although John Dewar & Sons remains one of the world’s largest whisky companies, the vast majority of their sales are of blends such as Dewar’s White Label and only about one per cent of Aberfeldy Distillery’s production is bottled as single malt. That’s not to say that the single malt isn’t good, quite the opposite is true.

Its survival over the years is undoubtedly a testament to the quality of

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the product produced there, which is hardly surprising as Sir Thomas ‘Tommy’ Dewar, son of the founder John Dewar Senior, was a known stickler for standards and once remarked that ‘nothing deflates so fast as a punctured reputation’. Today, the distillery is open to the public and features a state-of-the-art visitor centre, which includes the use of iPads in its heritage exhibition that are programmed to recognise ‘trigger points’ and offer up additional information, imagery, sound, and video when held over them. Of course, after the tours visitors are welcome to enjoy a dram or two of the distillery’s delicious liquid!

Aberfeldy, Perthshire, PH15 2EB +44 (0) 1887 822 010 www.aberfeldy.com @DewarsAberfeldy

10 BEST Distilleries

GLENFARCLAS DISTILLERY

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Strathisla Distillery was established by George Taylor and Alexander Milne in 1786, initially using the name Milltown. In 1825 it officially became known as Milton, though the name Strathisla was briefly adopted during 1878-80.

In 1950 the distillery was purchased by the Seagram Company’s newly-acquired Chivas Brothers subsidiary and the name reverted to Strathisla. In 1965 the number of stills was doubled to four and 2001 saw the distillery,

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STRATHISLA DISTILLERY along with Seagram’s other spirits assets, purchased by Pernod Ricard. Today, Strathisla is promoted as the ‘Home of Chivas Regal', and the visitor experience includes a guided tour of the idiosyncratic distillery, followed by a tutored tasting.

Seafield Avenue, Keith, AB55 5BS +44 (0) 1542 783 044 www.chivas.com @StrathislaVC

GLENFARCLAS DISTILLERY

John Grant was born in 1805 and purchased Glenfarclas Distillery for £511.19s.0d on 8 June 1865. To this day, Glenfarclas is one of only a few distilleries in Scotland to remain family owned and managed. Now in the hands of the fifth and sixth generation of the family, the Grants remain committed to the vision of creating the best quality single malt Scotch whisky, in the traditional Speyside style. In 1973, Glenfarclas was one of the first distilleries in Scotland to open a dedicated visitor centre.

They still pride themselves on the warmth of their welcome. You can take a tour of the distillery with one of the knowledgeable guides and discover not only the magic of malt whisky production, but the unique history of the Grant family too. After the tour, relax with a dram in the splendour of the Ship’s Room.

Ballindalloch, Speyside, AB37 9BD +44 (0) 1807 500257 www.glenfarclas.com @glenfarclas

GLENFIDDICH DISTILLERY

For 20 years William Grant nurtured a dream to make the ‘best dram in the valley’. With the help of his family, he finally achieved that vision. In the summer of 1886, with his seven sons and two daughters by his side, William set out to fulfil a lifelong ambition. Together they began building his distillery by hand, stone by stone. After a single year of work it was ready and William named it Glenfiddich, Gaelic for 'Valley of the Deer'. In 1969, Glenfiddich became the very first distillery to open a visitor centre in Scotland. Distillery tours begin with a short film recounting five generations of family ownership, which is followed by an on-foot tour of the distillery that explains how the whiskies are created by craftsmen with generations of understanding. The tour includes a visit to the still house, where you can see how stillmen capture the sweetest part of the distillate from the unusually sized copper stills. The special conclusion to the visit is a tutored nosing and tasting of four of their world-renowned single malts.

Dufftown, Moray, AB55 4DH + 44 (0) 1340 820 373 www.glenfiddich.com @GlenfiddichSMW

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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BENROMACH DISTILLERY

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BENROMACH DISTILLERY

Benromach Distillery was founded back in 1898 and began producing spirit in 1900, drawing water from a spring in the Romach Hills. Nestled in the town of Forres, on the Moray coast, for decades Benromach quietly went about its business producing whisky that was mainly used in blends. Sadly, like many distilleries, it was closed down during the 1980s. Thankfully, Benromach proved to be a real Speyside survivor and in the 1990s the family-owned, independent Scotch whisky bottler Gordon & Macphail, which is based in nearby Elgin, purchased the distillery. After a thorough refurbishment in the 1990s it was reopened. Today, Benromach is famous for its commitment to quality and tradition. Its three distillers use time-honoured skills (there are no electronic sensors or automated systems) to craft single malt spirit in the classic, pre1960s style of Speyside whisky.

Invererne Road, Forres, Moray, IV36 3EB +44 (0) 1309 675 968 www.benromach.com @Benromach

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EDRADOUR DISTILLERY

Edradour began life as a farm distillery in the late 1830s, although at least one of its founders was distilling legally in the area for about five years before that. Of course, it is likely that illicit distillation was being carried out in the surrounding secluded glens from a much earlier date. Edradour was under American ownership for much of the 20th Century, before being sold to the Pernod Ricard subsidiary Campbell Distillers in 1982. This transfer was followed by the introduction of a visitor centre at the site, with the distillery’s spirit being predominantly used in the company’s blends. In 2002, Edradour was purchased by the independent bottling company Signatory and has undergone significant investment that has transformed it into one of Perthshire’s leading tourist attractions. Today, Edradour remains one of Scotland’s most traditional, picturesque and popular independent distilleries.

Pitlochry, Perthshire, PH16 5JP +44 (0) 1796 472 095 www.edradour.com @edradourmalt

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ANNANDALE DISTILLERY

Annandale distillery was originally founded in 1830 and produced single malt whisky for nearly a century. Later on in its life, the site was owned by the distilling giant John Walker & Sons, which eventually decided to focus on its other sites and closed the distillery in 1921. What remained of Annandale Distillery deteriorated over the following decades and for a time the buildings were used to house livestock, before being abandoned entirely.

Things weren’t looking good until, in 2007, the site was purchased by David Thomson and Teresa Church. After founding the Annandale Distillery Company, the pair set about restoring the site and installed distilling equipment at an overall cost of around £10.5 million. The reborn distillery began production of spirit in 2014 and released its first single malts, Man o' Swords and Man o' Words, in June 2018. Tours offer insight into distilling past and present.

Northfield, Annan, Dumfriesshire, DG12 5LL +44 (0) 1461 207 817 www.annandaledistillery.com @AnnandaleDstlry

10 BEST Distilleries

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KINGSBARNS DISTILLERY

GLEN MORAY DISTILLERY

Glen Moray single malt has been distilled on the banks of the River Lossie since 1897.

In over a century of distilling at Glen Moray, much has changed. However, the ingredients, processes and the skills of those responsible for producing this high quality single malt whisky remain constant. A small, friendly and informal distillery, Glen Moray can be found in the heart of Elgin, the historic capital of Speyside. Since the first drops of spirit ran from its copper pot stills on the 13 September 1897, just five men have had the honor of holding the title master distiller'.

The know-how and craftsmanship built over years of experience has been passed through generations to ensure every drop has the same quality as the last. The area around Elgin is known as the Laich of Moray and Glen Moray is a partner member of the world famous Malt Whisky Trail. Along with a very good coffee shop, visitors are encouraged to take part in the tastings which range from £5 through to £20. Distillery tours are available and there is also a 'bottle your own’ experience.

Bruecland Road, Elgin, IV30 1YE +44 (0) 1343 550 900 www.glenmoray.com @GlenMorayDist

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HIGHLAND PARK DISTILLERY

Highland Park distillery has its roots in illicit distillation on the site in the late 18th Century

by Magnus Eunson, an infamous priest turned smuggler who supposedly ran rings around the authorities for many years. The official founding date of the distillery, as attested to by the wrought-iron gates that welcome visitors to the site, is 1798 — although this date is a couple of decades before its first official license to legally distil was granted. Highland Park is famous for its consistency and has been valued as a base spirit in quality blends since the turn of the 20th Century. Today, it continues to produce a distinct style of whisky that for the most part utilises full sherry-cask maturation and always includes barley smoked using local peat, from the nearby Hobbister moor, in its mash. The distillery itself is one of Scotland’s most characterful, on account of its historic buildings, and the hospitality afforded to visitors is of such a high standard that it was named Visitor Attraction of the Year 2017 at Whisky Magazine’s Global Icons of Whisky awards.

Holm Road, Kirkwall, KW15 1SU +44 (0) 1856 874 619 www.highlandparkwhisky.com @HighlandPark

While working as a golf caddie at neighbouring Kingsbarns Golf Links, it was Douglas Clement's vision that first inspired the idea for a distillery at Kingsbarns. His determined belief in the project and an unfettered passion for single malt whisky has been instrumental in bringing the dream to life. But Douglas needed a partner to make his whisky dream a reality, which is why the Wemyss family joined the project. The Wemyss family have a long-standing passion for malt whisky and connections with the industry dating back to the turn of the 19th Century. The story of Kingsbarns began with the conversion of a historic farm steading into a distillery. For more than three years the Kingsbarns team worked closely with architects, engineers, designers, and leading whisky specialists as their vision slowly took shape.

Today, Kingsbarns offers a superb distillery visitor experience and fine single malt.

Kingsbarns, Fife, KY16 8QE +44 (0) 1333 451 300 www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com @KingsbarnsDist

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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RETAIL THERAPY

In search of the very best Scottish products?

We’ve found five shops that will deliver the goods

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DUNMORE SCOTLAND

Saddened by the news of the closure of yet another textile mill in the Scottish Borders, Diane Ness was inspired to do something to support the textile industry in Scotland.

She decided to set up a company that would combine her love of handbags with the longcelebrated history of Scottish textiles and manufacturing. Five years on, that idea borne of frustration is now Dunmore Scotland, a thriving luxury goods business that celebrates all that is great about Scottish style. Every piece in the Dunmore Scotland collections is inspired by, designed, and made in Scotland.

Working with small Scottish companies, Diane and the Dunmore team have created a range of elegant Scottish pieces that celebrate the rich textile heritage of Scotland. Classic Harris Tweed tones fit happily alongside brighter modern colours and an ever-changing range of tartans to create a collection of handbags, satchels and accessories with a Scottish twist.

What's more, Dunmore use only authentic Harris Tweed bought directly from weavers and their tartans are sourced from established companies within Scotland.

Cairn Muir, Medwyn Road, West Linton, Peebleshire, EH46 7HA +44 (0) 1968 660 078 www.dunmorescotland.com @DunmoreScotland

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5 BEST Shops

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HARRIS TWEED HEBRIDES

For more than 100 years, the skills used to create Harris Tweed have been passed down through the generations. Today, it is at the cutting edge of fashion and design.

Founded in late 2007, Harris Tweed Hebrides has revitalised the Harris Tweed industry by working with prominent fashion houses, to create new designs, and with customers, to develop new applications for this traditional fabric. Harris Tweed is handwoven in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland from pure virgin wool and is the fabric of choice wherever quality and provenance are valued. Governed by the 1993 Harris Tweed Act, which safeguards the fabric, it can be recognised by its distinctive Orb trademark stamp. Harris Tweed Hebrides have a retail outlet in Stornoway that showcases a variety of their Harris Tweed fabrics. This includes a selection of menswear, ladieswear and accessories. The mill is not currently open for tours, but visitors can see a short film at the shop that shows the various mill processes.

25 North Beach, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2XQ +44 (0) 1851 700 046 www.harristweedhebrides.com @harristweedheb

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WHISKY SHOP DUFFTOWN

The Whisky Shop Dufftown is located in a town some call the ‘malt whisky capital of the world’. With over 600 whiskies on its shelves, the shop is a must-visit destination.

Owner Mike Lord says: ‘Such an array of whisky can be quite bewildering, so we are here to help whether you are totally new to whisky or consider yourself an expert.’ The shop has an international reputation and brings people from around the world to Dufftown.

Shop manager Vicky Keough comments: ‘We like to talk to people about what they like and dislike so we can help them find their next favourite whisky. We can even let you try before you buy to ensure you make the right choice.’ Those that can't make it to Dufftown can always visit the shop online and browse the full range. The Whisky Shop Dufftown run whisky events during the two festivals held in the area each year. Each year, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival (www.spiritofspeyside. com) is in May and The Whisky Shop Dufftown Autumn Festival is held in September.

1 Fife Street, Dufftown, Moray, AB55 4AL +44 (0) 1340 821 097 www.whiskyshopdufftown.com @WhiskyDufftown

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KINLOCH ANDERSON

For almost a century and a half, the familyowned firm of Kinloch Anderson, bespoke tailors, Royal Warrant Holders, kilt makers and purveyors of tartan and Highland dress, has resolutely remained true to its principal values – those of excellence and quality. It all began in the mid-19th Century with a successful tailoring business run by William Anderson and his two sons. By 1903, they had been invited to supply the Royal Family of King Edward VIII. When visiting the company's headquarters, workroom and shop in Edinburgh's Port of Leith, one is instantly aware that the products being retailed are the best of the best. Visitors will also discover that Kinloch Anderson not only sells traditional tartan, Highland dress and modern Scottish clothing but also retails its own highly individual collections of stylish shirts, ties, gifts and accessories. Understated and unashamedly classy, Kinloch Anderson's garments always stand out from the crowd.

4 Dock Street, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6EY +44 (0) 131 555 1390 www.kinlochanderson.com @KinlochAnderson

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THE HOUSE OF BRUAR

Known as the ‘Harrods of the North’, the House of Bruar showcases the very best in luxury Scottish country clothing, fresh produce, fine art and homewares at its 11acre site just off the A9, north of Pitlochry.

The company is a unique retail destination that encompasses expansive ladieswear and menswear halls; a food hall complete with restaurant, delicatessen and award-winning butchery; a rural art gallery featuring works from some of the UK’s finest wildlife artists; and a fishing department staffed by knowledgeable angling experts. Since its opening 22 years ago the store has gone from strength to strength, with an additional 30 extensions to its grand Victorian sporting lodge-style main building over the years. The company now welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors every year, from passing tourists picking up toffee to country sports fans preparing for the shooting or fishing season.

By Blair Atholl, Perthshire, PH18 5TW +44 (0) 1796 483 236 www.houseofbruar.com @TheHouseOfBruar

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OUTLANDER COUNTRY Love the TV adaption of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels? Many locations used for filming are open to the public. Here are some of our favourites

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ABERDOUR CASTLE

In the village of Aberdour, Fife, one can find an edifice that will look particularly familiar to those who remember the final episode of Outlander season one. It was at Aberdour Castle that the pivotal scenes at the abbey were filmed — this was the haven to which Jamie is taken by Claire and Murtagh to recover from his ordeal at the hands of 'Black Jack' Randall, while detained at Wentworth Prison. In truth, the structure is no abbey and instead started life in the 12th Century as a hall-house, built by the Mortimer family, which became a tower house overlooking the Dour Burn by the 1400s. The remains of the original structure, which can be found hidden away in the complex, arguably represent the oldest example of a standing stone castle in Scotland. Its cubed ashlar masonry walls bear a striking resemblance to those found at the nearby St Fillan’s church and evidence suggests that it could have been built around 1150. If correct, this would allow Aberdour Castle to seize the title of ‘Scotland’s oldest castle’ from Castle Sween in Argyll. Over

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the years, the building saw a succession of extensions that enlarged it eastward into what is now known as the central (16th Century) and east (17th Century) ranges.

This final development transformed the castle from a defensive structure into a domestic one. Unfortunately, the castle was seriously damaged by two fires, one in 1688 and another in 1715. Not long after the second, in 1725, the castle was abandoned as a permanent residence and by 1845 it has been noted that stone from the collapsed tower house ruins was being regularly pilfered for building work by locals. The east range continued to be used as a barracks and schoolroom until 1924, when it was brought under the formal civic protection of the Historic Buildings & Monuments Directorate. Today, it is managed by Historic Environment Scotland and is open to the public.

Aberdour, Fife, KY3 0SL +44 (0) 1383 860 519 www.historicenvironment.scot @HistEnvScot

7 BEST Outlander Locations

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BLACKNESS CASTLE

The grim courtyard of Blackness Castle in West Lothian served as the backdrop for the scenes of Jamie’s flogging, while he was incarcerated at Fort William, at the hands of the evil ‘Black Jack’ Randall. The real castle used by the film crew is located by the Forth, not Loch Linnhe, and had its beginning in 1440 as the private residence of Sir George Crichton. However, he didn’t manage to hold onto his castle for long. It was annexed in 1453 by James II and has been under Royal control ever since. In 1537, James V began a significant redevelopment of the fortifications at Blackness. His aim?

To convert the 15th-Century castle into an impregnable artillery fort that could seriously hamper the progression of unwanted vessels sailing the Firth of Forth. Of particular note, the vulnerable landward (southern) walls were bulked up until they were over five metres thick, and reinforced tops allowed canon to be placed atop them. Henry VIII’s Protestant England was the reason for the upgrades – relations had been worsening for some time. The work was completed in 1543, just in the nick of time as the period known as the ‘Rough Wooing’ was about to begin.

Famously, Blackness Castle is known as ‘the ship that never sailed’, on account of its unusual shape that, at least from the seaward

side, is somewhat evocative of a great stone ship that has run aground. The castle was severely damaged by the heavy canon fire of Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army in 1650, following a siege that saw brutal bombardment from both land and sea. The occupants really stood no chance as, by that point, artillery technology had advanced to the point that the once-mighty fortifications at Blackness had been rendered largely obsolete. The site was restored to its former glory in 1660, but as time went on the importance of its role dwindled. Shortly after its restoration, it was used again as a prison, then – after the passing of the Act of Union – it became a garrison of the British army. It entered use as a prison once again between 1759 and 1815, when it was used as a transit camp for over 40,000 prisoners of war that were taken during the conflicts with France and Spain.

By 1870 Blackness had taken on yet another new role, this time as the central ammunition depot for Scotland. After WWI, the army departed for good, the site was designated as a national monument and subsequently opened to the public.

Blackness, West Lothian, EH49 7NH +44 (0) 1506 834 807 www.historicenvironment.scot @HistEnvScot

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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DOUNE CASTLE

Arguably one of Scotland’s most iconic fortifications, this towering edifice was already well acquainted with filmmakers, long before the Outlander crew arrived, as it had already featured heavily in the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Fast forward to today and the property is once again in the public eye following its use as a stand in for the fictional Castle Leoch, the seat of Gabaldon’s version of Clan Mackenzie. In reality, the clan’s seat is at Castle Leod near Strathpeffer in Easter Ross, but it seems the author was unaware of this prior to the publication of the novels. First seen at the end of episode one, Castle Leoch features in the early parts of the Outlander series and many tense scenes take place there in episode two, when the protagonist Claire is suspected of being an English spy. The real castle can be found just outside Doune, a small village that sits near to the borders of both Perthshire and the Trossachs. Evidence suggests that a fortification of some kind occupied this strategic position, overlooking the River Teith, long before the creation of the castle that exists today and the remains of a Roman fort nearby attest to the location’s tactical value. The Doune Castle that survives

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is largely the doing of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, who held the title of Guardian of the Kingdom from 1388 to 1420 and is known as the ‘uncrowned king’. Stewart was the illegitimate (and later legitimised) third son of Robert II, and took on the mantle of power following the debilitating injury of his eldest brother John, Earl of Carrick.

The castle itself was clearly built to impress and, along with its obvious fortifications, its cathedral-like great hall was well suited for entertaining a great number of prominent guests over the years. However, something of a mystery is the castle’s rather haphazard construction, evidenced by its missing ranges to the south and west, which has led some to speculate that there was once much more to Doune Castle than remains today. Indeed, architectural elements suggest that either these two ranges were planned and never constructed, or perhaps that they were demolished. Nevertheless, the castle remains an imposing sight to behold today.

Castle Hill, Doune, FK16 6EA +44 (0) 1786 841 742 www.historicenvironment.scot @HistEnvScot

7 BEST Outlander Locations

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FALKLAND

First seen in Outlander episode one, but appearing again many times after that, the picturesque village of Falkland has stood in for the series’ version of 1940s Inverness. Fans of Outlander will recognise many features of the village’s main square, such as The Covenanter Hotel, which was Mrs Baird’s Guesthouse; Fayre Earth, which – although considerably more colourful today – was transformed into Farrell’s Hardware and Furniture Store; and the central Bruce Fountain, beside which viewers first glimpsed Jamie’s ghost. The village itself was declared a Royal Burgh by James II in 1458, which allowed it to elect

officers for justice, hold weekly markets and also an annual fair. In 1500, James IV built the now famous Falkland Palace, which replaced an earlier castle that had belonged to the MacDuffs, and ruins of the original building can still be seen in the Palace gardens. Of particular note is the Royal Tennis Court that was built in 1542 and is one of the oldest surviving examples in the world – a club still plays there today. During the 19th Century, Onesiphorus Tyndall Bruce inherited the estate, which included Falkland village and the responsibility of Keeper of the Palace, and in 1826 he commissioned the building of the Parish Church, the Bruce Fountain and the grand House of Falkland. A bronze statue of the Laird can be seen today in the churchyard. A stroll through the village will reveal a variety of historic features among the cottages and narrow streets, including marriage lintels above many entrances. Their carvings bear two sets of initials and a date that records either a marriage, the date the house was built, or the day the owners moved in. During your visit, a quick word with any of the friendly and enthusiastic locals will tell you that further Outlander filming has taken place in the village recently, so expect to see more of Falkland on screen very soon.

Falkland, KY13 7BU www.welcometofife.com @welcometofife

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HOPETOUN HOUSE

The spectacular Hopetoun House in West Lothian served as the residence of Outlander’s fictional Duke of Sandringham. Played in the series by Simon Callow (who you may recognise from Four Weddings and A Funeral), the Duke is described as an individual who is, ‘as opulent and flamboyant as they come... like many men of power during this time, he has his hands in a few different cookie jars’. In reality, Hopetoun is the ancestral home of the Hope family, who have lived there for over 300 years. The present Earl of Hopetoun currently inhabits the house, while the head of the family – the 4th Marquess of Linlithgow – lives elsewhere on the estate.

The great Scottish architect Sir William Bruce was commissioned in 1699 to work on the house by the widow of Sir John Hope (1650–1682), who had purchased the lands of Abercorn for that very purpose, before his premature death in the shipwreck of the ‘Gloucester’. His widow, Lady Margaret Hamilton, finalised the initial building arrangements to commemorate the marriage of their son Charles Hope, who was created the 1st Earl of Hopetoun – at the tender age of 22 – in 1703. The year 1721 saw the inception of a significant series of modifications and enhancements which continued until 1767 but the programme outlived the first Earl (1681–1742) and was completed under the supervision of his son John, the 2nd Earl (1704–1781). Managed by famed architect William Adam until his death in 1748, these developments included the facade, with its awe-inspiring colonnades, both pavilions and the grand State Apartments. In the time since, few alterations have been made at Hopetoun, although noteworthy examples are those made by the 4th Earl (1765–1823) that included the creation of the Large and Small Libraries and the State Dining Room’s decoration by James Gillespie Graham. On account of this two-phase development, Hopetoun offers visitors an opportunity to see for themselves how tastes in architecture and design evolved from the more sober ‘country house’ style and overall appearance of the Bruce original into the grandeur of Adam’s more palatial vision.

South Queensferry, EH30 9SL +44 (0) 1313 312 451 www.hopetoun.co.uk @HopetounHouse

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7 BEST Outlander Locations

© CREATIVEHEARTS, DREAMSTIME | © STEFANO VALERI, DREAMSTIME

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THE HIGHLAND FOLK MUSEUM

In episode five of season one (‘Rent’), Outlander’s protagonist, Claire, having joined the men of Clan MacKenzie, is taken along on a rent-collecting trip in the Highlands. The group visits many impoverished villages, constructed in the traditional style of the 1700s, which look particularly convincing on screen. In many countries, film-makers would’ve been faced with the daunting task of either building such a set from scratch or relying on computer generated effects to create the historic environment. Thankfully, neither was required as Scotland has its very own, painstakingly recreated, 18th-Century township at the Highland Folk Museum near Newtonmore in Inverness-shire. Founded in 1935 by Dr Isobel F. Grant, a pioneer in British folk life studies and author of the seminal text Highland Folk Ways (1961), in just under a decade the collection had outgrown its original home, a church on the Isle of Iona, and relocated to a new site in Kingussie. This new museum, which was named Am Fasgadh (Gaelic for 'the shelter'), included a recreated late 19th-Century blackhouse, livestock, crops and activities. The Highland Folk Museum subsequently relocated once again, in 1996, to a significantly larger location in nearby Newtonmore and ever since has existed as

a piece of ‘living history’ that is enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year. The township itself, named Baile Gean, which means 'the Township of Goodwill', is based on a real settlement that once existed not far away at Easter Raitts, high up the Spey valley near the hamlet of Lynchat. After featuring in Outlander, the township has become very popular with fans of the series and, as a result, the museum now holds an annual ‘Outlander Day’ each June. This includes

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additional costumed interpreters on site (including a redcoat going door to door in search of Jacobites); cooking in the houses; weaving; an exhibition by the herbalist who advised on the TV series; additional animals; a working pole lathe, talks, and a display of ‘waulking the cloth’.

Kingussie Road, Newtonmore, PH20 1AY +44 (0) 1540 673 551 www.highlifehighland.com @highlandfolk

THE PRESTON MILL

For our final Outlander location, we’re visiting a truly special and really quite unusual place that offers visitors a glimpse of working life in Scotland’s past: Preston Mill. It was the setting of a somewhat tense, but also rather humorous, scene in the season one episode ‘Lallybroch’, when Jamie was nearly caught by redcoats while repairing the water wheel of his estate’s mill. Despite dating from the 17th Century, Preston Mill operated on a commercial basis until 1959, when it became a full-time visitor attraction. Nevertheless, due to its unusual appearance, the mill has in fact been popular with travellers and, particularly, artists since the late 19th Century. As a result, it has been the subject of a number of noteworthy paintings depicting Scottish rural life. The site has three main structures: the miller’s house, the kiln, and

the mill proper. At least four separate stages of building have been identified, which helps to explain its somewhat ramshackle and disorganised appearance. Despite this, the late 19th-Century mechanism running the mill is carefully thought out and, powered by water drawn from the River Tyne, is able to separate and process the husks and shelled oats in order to produce both oatmeal and flour. Of particular note is the kiln building that sports a roof shaped a little like a wizard’s battered hat. Of particular note is the unusual vane that sits atop the cowl, which is shaped like a outstretched arm, and is known locally as the ‘long arm of friendship.’

Preston Mill, East Linton, EH40 3DS +44 (0) 1620 860 426 www.nts.org.uk @N_T_S

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A HOME FROM HOME Each year, The Scottish Hotel Awards name the country’s top hotels across a number of categories. Chosen by an expert industry panel, these establishments are undoubtedly the very best places to stay in Scotland

1. CRAIGMHOR LODGE & COURTYARD B&B OF THE YEAR Personally run by the owners, Calum and Jane MacLellan ensure guests enjoy homey comfort in luxurious, contemporary bedrooms with king-size beds, bathrobes, coffee machines, fridges, TV/DVDs, and some with balconies or patios. Expect a gourmet breakfast: fresh fruit, yoghurts, cereals, home-baking, classic and speciality hot dishes. Packed lunches and supper hampers are available too. Whether visiting Pitlochry for its theatre, castles, distilleries, hills, rivers or lochs, a stay at Craigmhor Lodge & Courtyard will be a delight.

27 West Moulin Road, Pitlochry, Perthshire, PH16 5EF www.craigmhorlodge.co.uk @Craigmhor

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31 BEST Places To Stay

THE TOWNHEAD HOTEL

HAMPTON BY HILTON GLASGOW CENTRAL

THE DUNSTANE HOUSES

2. THE TOWNHEAD HOTEL BAR DINING HOTEL OF THE YEAR Winner of the Channel 4 TV programme Four in a Bed, you can be assured of a warm welcome and good value at this traditional coaching inn. The bar stocks an extensive range of drinks and specialises in gin; there’s a beer garden and summer BBQ too. Visitors can look forward to home-cooked pub favourites (steak pie, fish & chips, pheasant terrine, rhubarb crumble), with changes possible to cater for dietary requirements. Owner Stephen and his staff offer a high standard of hospitality, genuine friendly service, and truly great bar dining in relaxed surroundings.

Townhead St, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, DG11 2AG www.townheadhotel.co.uk @TheeTownhead

3. THE DUNSTANE HOUSES BOUTIQUE HOTEL OF THE YEAR The Dunstane Houses truly are unique, chic and boutique. The hotel comprises two grand Victorian mansions in a quiet West End neighbourhood that blend classic architecture and contemporary, yet sympathetic, interior design. Beautiful bedrooms embrace a bold sense of modern pared-down luxury and public areas are a delight to behold. The spirit of Orkney is the theme of the all-day dining lounge, with the Ba’Bar serving fine Scottish food, whisky and gin. The Dunstane Houses really are a breath of fresh islands air in the heart of Scotland's capital.

4 West Coates, Edinburgh, EH12 5JQ www.thedunstane.com @DunstaneHouses

4. HAMPTON BY HILTON GLASGOW CENTRAL BRAND HOTEL OF THE YEAR This city centre address is within walking distance of the Merchant City, Buchanan Street shopping district, and train stations.

Spacious modern bedrooms are geared to business travellers: comfortable Hampton™ beds, work stations, and free WiFi. There's also a lobby bar for drinks and light meals, and 24/7 snack hub. Enjoy a complimentary breakfast or grab an ‘On the Run’ meal to go. Relax and work in the excellent Fitness Club and Business Centre, but don’t forget it’s a great base for a city leisure break too.

140 West Campbell Street , Glasgow, G2 4TZ www.glasgowcentral.hamptonbyhilton.com @HamptonByHilton

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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5. BUCCLEUCH ARMS BREAKFAST OF THE YEAR Billy and Rachael Hamilton hold a ‘field to fork’ ethos to ensure fresh, seasonal and local produce in the buzzing Bar and Blue Coo Bistro. This warm, welcoming inn serves hearty food morning, noon and night. Start the day with a scrumptious Scottish breakfast: porridge, traditional fry up, kippers, eggs Benedict, Bloody Mary, Bucks Fizz. There are also light bites and bacon rolls served until noon. Appetites sated, guests may then spend the day touring the Border country, which is renowned for its fishing, biking, hiking, horse-riding, history and literary heritage.

St. Boswells, Roxburghshire, TD6 0EW www.buccleucharms.com @BuccleuchArms

8. WALDORF ASTORIA EDINBURGH - THE CALEDONIAN CITY HOTEL OF THE YEAR The grand, sandstone Caledonian opened in 1903 as a railway hotel and exists today as the five-star Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh. Its Art Deco heritage is preserved in the stunning Peacock Alley and ‘Belle Epoque’ Pompadour restaurant. All 241 bedrooms and suites are elegantly cool and calm, while the gorgeous Guerlain Spa, cocktail bars and two restaurants

by Galvin ensure that this is a world class, hotel for leisure and business travellers alike.

Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2AB www.waldorfastoriaedinburgh.com @WAEdinburgh

6. VILLAGE THE HOTEL CLUB BUSINESS HOTEL OF THE YEAR Just a short walk from Glasgow’s entertainment and business hub (SSE Hydro, SEC and Clyde Auditorium) and with easy access to the city centre, M8 and Glasgow Airport, this hotel was purposely designed for today’s world travellers. Business guests have everything they need in the 130 smart standard and club bedrooms, with Starbucks, sports TV Bar, bistro, and two boardrooms with flexible meeting space checking all the other necessary boxes.

Guests can keep fit while on the move in the state-of-the-art health club or wind down in the ESPA Spa. Glasgow Pacific Drive, Glasgow, G51 1DB www.village-hotels.co.uk/hotels/glasgow @Village_Hotels

9. GOLDEN JUBILEE CONFERENCE HOTEL CONFERENCE HOTEL OF THE YEAR On the River Clyde, the hotel is just 20 minutes from Glasgow city centre and the airport.

Bedrooms offer Smart TVs, USB ports, and free WiFi. This world class conference centre includes a 174-seat auditorium, 15 meeting rooms, spacious break-out areas and lush gardens to deliver a ‘health and well-being’ ethos for all events. Leisure facilities include pool, steam room, sauna, and gym. Eat and drink at the BB Bar & Grill or private catering is available if so desired.

Beardmore Street, Clydebank, G81 4SA www.goldenjubileehotel.com @GJCHotel

WALDORF ASTORIA EDINBURGH - THE CALEDONIAN

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7. INVERLOCHY CASTLE CASTLE HOTEL OF THE YEAR Inverlochy never fails to impress. The Great Hall, with its magnificent ceiling fresco, chandeliers and fine furnishings, is simply awesome and sets the tone for the whole experience. Aristocratic heritage pervades this grand Victorian, Baronial castle, which boasts glorious gardens, a trout loch, and mountain views. Wining and dining is a gourmet event: think Le Gavroche with a taste of Scotland.

Country pursuits, log fires, billiards, afternoon tea, cocktails, and whisky galore await. An escape to Inverlochy promises a relaxing, romantic, experience.

Torlundy, Fort William, Inverness-shire, PH33 6SN www.inverlochy.co.uk @ICMI_UK

10. GREYWALLS COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL OF THE YEAR Overlooking Muirfield Golf Course, this Arts and Crafts Country House and garden were designed in 1901 by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. First opened as a hotel in 1948, its decorative, architectural heritage has been beautifully preserved with homely charm.

Enjoy a stroll in the garden and champagne in the library before dinner in the Chez Roux Restaurant. With refined, relaxed hospitality, Greywalls has a magical sense of timelessness for romantic weekends, golf trips to Muirfield, weddings and special house parties.

Duncur Road, Gullane, East Lothian, EH31 2EG www.greywalls.co.uk @Greywalls_Hotel GOLDEN JUBILEE CONFERENCE HOTEL

31 BEST Places To Stay

BUCCLEUCH ARMS

GREYWALLS

VILLAGE THE HOTEL CLUB

INVERLOCHY CASTLE

SCOTLAND’S BEST

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TRUMP TURNBERRY - A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT INGLISTON COUNTRY CLUB

EAST HAUGH HOUSE HOTEL

11. EAST HAUGH HOUSE HOTEL COUNTRY SPORTS HOTEL OF THE YEAR Perthshire is a region where country sports are actively pursued. This stone-turreted house was built in the 17th Century and is run by Chef-Patron Neil McGown and family. The team can expertly organise salmon fishing breaks, red deer stalking, grouse shooting and more on the surrounding Atholl estates. The Fisherman Bar and Two Sisters Restaurant offer seasonal highlights alongside superb seafood and game. Twelve bedrooms and a private self-catering lodge offer charming accommodation for couples, families, and sporting parties — dogs are welcome too.

East Haugh, Pitlochry, Perthshire, PH16 5TE www.easthaugh.co.uk @EastHaughHouse

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12. TRUMP TURNBERRY - A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT EVENTS HOTEL OF THE YEAR The grand refurbishment of the resort has created a prime destination for weddings, gala dinners and corporate events. The grand Ballroom (The Donald J Trump Suite) boasts spectacular Swarovski crystal chandeliers and is a glamorous venue in which to accommodate up to 600 guests for a wedding or banquet, all the while overlooking the Championship links and Ailsa Craig. A choice of smartly designed function suites cater perfectly for private parties, corporate meetings and conferences.

Maidens Road, Ayrshire, KA26 9LT www.trumphotels.com/turnberry @TrumpTurnberry

13. INGLISTON COUNTRY CLUB FAMILY HOTEL OF THE YEAR A purpose-built leisure resort just ten minutes from Glasgow Airport, Ingliston is officially the best Equestrian venue in the UK, with state-of-the-art facilities for horses and ponies.

Children can learn to ride at the Academy and join the Pony Club, while events include the British Showjumping Competition. Families will appreciate the two or three bedroom lodges and the Palomino Italian Restaurant.

With city attractions and the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park just a short drive away, this is a great base for the whole family to relax or enjoy a sporting break.

Ingliston Estate, Bishopton, Renfrewshire, PA7 5PA www.ingliston.com @Ingliston

31 BEST Places To Stay

14. DOUNESIDE HOUSE FINE DINING HOTEL OF THE YEAR This charming historic mansion offers luxury bedrooms and holiday cottages on the 17-acre MacRobert estate. In the elegant restaurant, Head Chef David Butters presents an exemplary dinner that celebrates Aberdeenshire produce.

A six-course Taster Menu with paired wines or Table d’hote might include venison, smoked salmon, wild sea bass, artisan cheese, and chocolate delice. This sumptuous dining experience can be enjoyed in the most refined of surroundings, with a health club and lovely gardens offering delightful postprandial pursuits.

Tarland, Aberdeenshire, AB34 4UL www.dounesidehouse.co.uk @Douneside

15. TRUMP TURNBERRY - A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT GOLF HOTEL OF THE YEAR A classic favourite of golfers, the iconic Ailsa Championship course was recently re-designed by renowned architect Martin Ebert as part of the resort's refurbishment. The enhanced course offers a world-class golfing challenge, a new half-way house and more pleasing views of the wild, natural coastline and lighthouse. Trump Turnberry is now an international-level resort with first-class hospitality and one of Europe’s very best golf courses. It truly is a golfer’s dream.

Maidens Road, Ayrshire, KA26 9LT www.trumphotels.com/turnberry @TrumpTurnberry

16. THE RAEBURN HOTEL BAR OF THE YEAR Located in the ‘village’ of Stockbridge, the historic Raeburn House has been transformed into a modern Boutique hotel with ten super-smart bedrooms. The bar is a lively neighbourhood pub (dogs welcome), with outdoor terrace, beer garden and BBQ. Expert mixologists will shake you up a classic Martini, Old Fashioned or Sidecar as well as Raeburn house cocktails. There’s a superb list of wines, whisky, gin, Scottish craft ales, and global beers. Feeling hungry? Quality food is also on the menu. The Raeburn is friendly, fun and fabulous.

112 Raeburn Pl, Stockbridge, Edinburgh, EH4 1HG www.theraeburn.com @TheRaeburn

THE RAEBURN

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17. AUCHRANNIE RESORT HOTEL LODGES OF THE YEAR The Isle of Arran is arguably the best place for a sporting, hiking, biking or relaxing holiday.

Auchrannie offers five-star lodges with 2–3 en suite bedrooms that can be booked for a weekend or week. Ideal for families or friends, they are comfortably furnished with soft tweed fabrics and all the necessary self catering, home-from-home facilities. Alternatively, guests may dine out around the bars and restaurants of the resort. New this year are 12 Eco Pod Lodges that sleep two people, offering environmentally friendly luxury glamping with private patios.

Auchrannie Road, Brodick, Isle of Arran, KA27 8BZ www.auchrannie.co.uk @Auchrannie

KYLESKU

18. KYLESKU INFORMAL DINING HOTEL OF THE YEAR The split-level Bar & Restaurant has large picture windows for magnificent views of the surrounding loch, mountains and wildlife. The menu is exceptional in choice and seasonality, with fish landed on the slipway outside the kitchen door — this is true 'crate to plate'.

Expect oysters, squat lobster in garlic butter, scallops, calamari, crab, haddock and chips, or venison. All ingredients are fresh, local, and sustainable. This contemporary inn buzzes with happy drinkers and diners. But remember, as the hotel is on the NC500 route, spaces are limited so reservations are essential!

Kylesku, Sutherland, IV27 4HW www.kyleskuhotel.co.uk @KyleskuHotel

19. SCALLOWAY HOTEL INFORMAL FINE DINING HOTEL OF THE YEAR Overlooking the castle and harbour, this charming family owned hotel has a lively bar, 2 AA rosette restaurant, and 23 bedrooms furnished in Shetland tweed and sheepskin.

After gaining wide experience at Michelin starred hotels in Scotland, Head Chef George Fraser presents a superb à la carte menu based on the freshest seasonal island produce: lobster, scallops, monkfish, lamb, venison, and cheese. Afterwards, relax in the bar that has an impressive choice of single malt whiskies, 27 gins, local ales and great wine list.

Main Street, Scalloway, Shetland, ZE1 OTR www.scallowayhotel.com @ScallowayHotel

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20. KILDRUMMY INN INN OF THE YEAR For lovers of Scottish heritage and country sports, this Victorian coaching inn on Royal Deeside is perfect for touring castles and whisky distilleries or fishing on the River Don. Welcomed by hosts Nigel Hake and David Littlewood (Masterchef of Great Britain), guests may relax in the quaint, cosy bar and enjoy modern Scottish cuisine showcasing Aberdeenshire meat, game and seafood. Four contemporary bedrooms and a caravan/ camping site in the grounds suit all types of holidaymakers.

Kildrummy, Alford, Aberdeenshire, AB33 8QS www.kildrummyinn.co.uk @DGLittlewood

SCALLOWAY HOTEL KILDRUMMY INN

31 BEST Places To Stay

21. TORAVAIG HOUSE HOTEL ISLAND HOTEL OF THE YEAR This small hotel has nine bedrooms, each stylishly furnished in colourful soft tweed. Relax in the velvet-clad lounge or outside on the garden patio. Head Chef Miles Craven presents an inventive menu: locally sourced venison, shellfish, foraged mushrooms, farmhouse cheese, and Talisker whisky-soaked berries offer a true taste of Skye. The peaceful Sleat peninsula is the perfect base from which to explore the island whether for a sporting, romantic or foodie break. What’s more, Skye’s newest malt whisky distillery, Torabhaig, is just next door.

Sleat, Isle of Skye, IV44 8RE www.toravaig.com @Toravaig TORAVAIG HOUSE HOTEL

22. TRUMP TURNBERRY - A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT LUXURY HOTEL OF THE YEAR First opened in 1906, this legendary Edwardian hotel, overlooking the famous Championship Links and Ailsa Craig, has been re-imagined for the 21st Century world traveller. A £200 million investment has created elegantly decorated suites and lodges, classically designed bars and restaurants, grand function rooms, an ESPA spa, and leisure club, while the Ailsa Golf course is second to none. With attentive, personal service, this is now a true luxury resort for leisure, sport and business guests.

Maidens Road, Ayrshire, KA26 9LT www.trumphotels.com/turnberry @TrumpTurnberry

23. CROWNE PLAZA GLASGOW MOST ACCESSIBLE HOTEL OF THE YEAR As a major conference and leisure hotel, the facilities for guests with additional support needs are exceptional and include suitable parking spaces, ramps around public areas and lifts to all floors. Wheelchair accessible rooms are fully compliant to ADA standards: spaciously designed with hoist rail above the beds, low-fitted heating and lighting controls, roll-in shower with transfer seat, safety handrails, emergency cords and buttons in bed and bathrooms. Closed caption TV, Braille signs and emergency alerts for hearing and vision-impaired guests are also in evidence.

3 Congress Road, Finniston, Glasgow, G3 8QT www.ihg.com @CPGlasgow

TRUMP TURNBERRY - A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT

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THE TONTINE

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24. THE TONTINE PET FRIENDLY HOTEL OF THE YEAR The Borders is an outdoor playground for all ages. Owners Gordon and Kate, along with their friendly team, offer a warm, inclusive welcome to all guests and non-residents.

Riverside lodge bedrooms are dog friendly, with dog blankets and water bowls. Guests with dogs can relax, eat and drink in the bar, bistro and garden, while scenic dog-walking trails in the Tweed Valley are just around the corner. The Tontine offers log fires, good food and drink, and a buzzing ambience like a country inn. It’s the perfect retreat for the whole family, whether on two legs or four.

High Street, Peebles, Peeblesshire, EH45 8AJ www.tontinehotel.com @TheTontineHotel

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25. WINDLESTRAW ROMANTIC HOTEL OF THE YEAR This beautiful Arts and Crafts house was built in 1906 as a wedding present for the Italian future wife of the Scottish cashmere mill owner John King Ballantyne. What could be more romantic than this delightful love story? Stay in one of six fabulous bedrooms, perhaps enjoying a soak in an Edwardian bathtub.

Owners John and Sylvia create a house party ambience; guests gather for an aperitif before a superlative dinner with fine wines. The classic design and décor of Windlesraw is the ideal venue for both romantic trips and small to medium sized weddings.

Galashiels Road, Walkerburn. EH43 6AA www.windlestraw.co.uk @Windlestraw1

26. FRASER SUITES GLASGOW SERVICED APARTMENTS OF THE YEAR The Merchant City is the cultural district of the city with bars, theatres, designer shops, art galleries and nightlife in abundance. Fraser Suites’ one or two-bedroom apartments have lounges and kitchenettes with all the neccessary kit. Eat in or out; there's a choice of bars and restaurants nearby, some offering Fraser Suites resident discounts. The offering includes a continental breakfast, fitness centre and complimentary shuttle service. Ideal for business travellers, couples, and groups, these apartments are perfect for a short break or long term visit to Glasgow.

1-19 Albion Street, Glasgow, G1 1LH www.glasgow.frasershospitality.com @FraserSuitesGla

31 BEST Places To Stay

27 . TONGUE HOTEL SMALL COUNTRY HOTEL OF THE YEAR Lorraine and David Cook have been the welcoming hosts of this former hunting lodge for ten years and have built up the Tongue Hotel as a key stop for guests in the area for hiking, fishing or driving the North Coast 500. Traditional bedrooms, spectacular views, a cosy lounge, and buzzing bar complete this small country retreat, while the Brass Tap pub is a great place to meet the locals. Gastropub meals are available, as are formal dinner menus emphasising Highland produce. The hotel’s tag line ‘Worth the Journey’ is undeniably true.

Tongue, Sutherland, IV27 4XD www.tonguehotel.co.uk @TheTongueHotel TONGUE HOTEL THE CARRICK AT CAMERON HOUSE

28. THE CARRICK AT CAMERON HOUSE SPA OF THE YEAR The motto of The Carrick (‘Simply unique and uniquely simple’) has held true since the resort was created along the peaceful shoreline of Loch Lomond. The Carrick Spa is an indulgent oasis to soothe mind, body and soul. Guests can enjoy ESPA and Carita treatments, thermal suites, Rasul mud chamber, a rooftop infinity pool overlooking forests and mountains, VIP couple’s room and the spa café. Tailor-made spa days or residential breaks in a lochside lodge are popular. This truly is a place of serenity and wellbeing.

Loch Lomond, Dunbartonshire, G83 8QZ www.cameronhouse.co.uk @CameronHouseLL

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29. OLD TOWN CHAMBERS STYLE HOTEL OF THE YEAR Hidden down a cobbled alleyway off Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, these five-star apartments preserve the architecture of historic townhouses with artistic design, chic Italian furniture and soft Scottish wool fabrics. The result is serious ‘wow factor’. All boast smart TVs, free WiFi, and well-equipped contemporary kitchens. One, two and threebedroom suites, and penthouses with balconies are available. This is an undeniably stylish place to stay in the capital and is just a stone’s throw from the best galleries, bars and restaurants.

Roxburgh's Court, Off 323 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1LW www.lateralcity.com @LateralCity

30. THE GEORGE HOTEL TOWN HOTEL OF THE YEAR These two houses were built in 1770 by the 3rd Duke of Argyll in the first planned new town in Scotland: Inveraray. The hotel was established in 1860 by the Clark family and is now owned by the 7th generation. Boasting original flagstone floors, log fires, and timber beams, the heritage of this fine structure has been beautifully preserved. Locals and visitors mingle in the bar that serves real ales, 100 malt whiskies, and fine wines. Dine on beef, lamb, and treats from Loch Fyne. With live music and lively banter, The George is the beating heart of this historic town.

1 Main Street E, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8TT www.thegeorgehotel.co.uk @TheGeorgeInver BALBIRNIE HOUSE

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31. BALBIRNIE HOUSE WEDDING HOTELOF THE YEAR Surrounded by manicured gardens, this Grade A listed Georgian mansion was built in 1777 and has at its heart a team that specialises in planning personal, bespoke weddings with superlative hospitality. Our ‘Wedding Hotel of the Year’ ten times since 2005, Balbirnie House has also been highlighted as ‘Europe’s Best Destination Wedding Retreat’. Stylishly designed suites are dressed in soft shades of Tiffany blue, pearl and silver. The ornate ballroom, Orangery and long gallery create a beautiful, romantic, ‘Downton Abbey’ setting for the perfect wedding.

Balbirnie Park, Markinch, Fife, KY7 6NE www.balbirnie.co.uk @BalbirnieHouse

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