Stone circle 'Ring Of Brodgar' at sunrise.

Justin Foulkes

The Highlands & Islands

The wild landscapes of Scotland's Highlands and islands offer the ultimate escape – one of the last corners of Europe where you can discover genuine solitude.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Viking settlement at Skara Brae, Orkney islands, Scotland, Uk

    Skara Brae

    Orkney

    Predating Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza, extraordinary Skara Brae is one of the world's most evocative prehistoric sites, and northern Europe’s best…

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    Maeshowe

    Orkney

    Constructed about 5000 years ago, Maeshowe is an extraordinary place, a Stone Age tomb built from enormous sandstone blocks, some of which weighed many…

  • Highland Wildlife Park

    Highland Wildlife Park

    The Cairngorms

    This place features a drive-through safari park as well as animal enclosures offering the chance to view rarely seen native wildlife, such as wildcats,…

  • Herma Ness is the northernmost headland of Unst. It is a National Nature Reserve.

    Hermaness National Nature Reserve

    Shetland

    At marvellous Hermaness headland, a 4.5-mile round walk takes you to cliffs where gannets, fulmars and guillemots nest, and numerous puffins frolic. You…

  • Hay's Dock is the last remaining area of original dock on the Lerwick waterfront and a category B listed building. It now houses the Shetland Museum. Lerwick is the main port and city of the Shetland Islands.

    Shetland Museum

    Lerwick

    This museum houses an impressive collection of 5000 years’ worth of culture, people and their interaction with this ancient landscape. Comprehensive but…

  • In geography and geology, a cliff is a vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually formed by rock that is resistant to erosion and weathering. Sedimentary rocks most likely to form cliffs include sandstone, limestone, chalk, and dolomite. Igneous rocks such as granite and basalt also often form cliffs.

    Isle of Noss

    Shetland

    Little Noss, 1.5 miles wide, lies just east of Bressay. High seacliffs harbour over 100,000 pairs of breeding seabirds, while inland heath supports…

  • Turquoise waters of Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris.

    Luskentyre

    Outer Hebrides

    Luskentyre is one of the biggest and most beautiful beaches in Scotland, famed for its acres of low-tide white sands and turquoise waters. A minor road…

  • Finlaggan

    Finlaggan

    Islay

    Three miles from Port Askaig, tumbledown ruins of houses and a chapel on an islet in a shallow loch mark what remains of the stronghold of the Lords of…

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Articles

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A road snakes up to the viewpoint of Bealach na Bà from the inlet of Loch Kishorn.

History

I would drive 500 miles: road-tripping the Scottish Highlands

Sep 10, 2020 • 10 min read

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