I’m thinking of taking a holiday in Scotland, but frankly, I have no idea what I’d be doing there (nor have I ever been on holiday somewhere else tbh, so I’d love to do some planning beforehand). I really want to enjoy the nature and landscapes there and I’m sure there must be a few not so tourist-y gems I could plan on visiting.
If you like hiking, Walk Highlands is a stellar resource. Pick a region, sort by difficulty, get a step-by-step guide with photos and a map. Don’t push your limits unless you’re very experienced; our hills aren’t big, but the weather can turn fast and in some regions (especially Skye, which is popular with tourists) the ground can be treacherous.
Edinburgh is a great city with a lot of history and fantastic architecture. Glasgow is the better base for trips into the Highlands and has more modern artistic stuff going on. If you’re looking at Skye, you may want to consider Lewis & Harris instead, as it’s a similar experience with far fewer people.
If you’re near the Fife area, the boat trip out to the Isle of May is a great day out. Short ride from Anstruther to an island that is a seabird reserve these days, puffins and cormorants everywhere. Also get a fish & chips in Anstruther on the way back, it’s some of the best going.
Depending on when you’re going, the crannog centre by Loch Tay is worth a trip. They’re currently rebuilding after a fire destroyed the original. It was/will be a reconstruction of a type of iron age home built over the water of the loch. If you’re going up that way already, also stop by Iain Burnett’s and get a chocolate tasting flight; he sells chocolate to the likes of the royals and I can believe it with how it tastes. The whole Loch Tay area has some fantastic hill climbs too. I did Ben Lawers last autumn, had a lovely day out.
This is awesome input, thank you! I’m very inexperienced at hiking, but Walk Highlands looks great to search for easier paths and still get to enjoy it. I’ll definitely have to up on my hiking gear
Time to start practicing then! Try to get out on a couple of grade 3’s in your area before you head over.
Will definitely do! Wanted to get some better gear and do some hiking for a while, great that I now actually have a reason to do it hahah