Scottish Highlands - Places to Visit in the UK

History of the Scottish Highlands

Far to the north of the island of Great Britain lie the beautiful and rugged Scottish Highlands. Spreading north from around Pitlochry to the northernmost tip of the country and covering a vast untamed area of over 15,000 square miles of mountains and heather covered moorland; this has got to be one of the most breathtakingly picturesque regions in the United Kingdom.

The Highlands encompass a huge variety of landscapes including the Cairngorm Mountains, Royal Deeside, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom – Ben Nevis and the movingly romantic grandeur of the mountains around Fort William including Glencoe, the scene of the notorious 17th century Glencoe massacre of the MacDonald clan. The Highlands are also home to some of largest and deepest inland lakes (or Lochs) in Great Britain including the famous Loch Ness, home to the mysterious Loch Ness Monster.

For the nature lover, red deer and mighty eagles are to be seen as well as some of the rarest species of flora and fauna left in the wild of the UK. The ‘capital’ of the Highlands is Inverness over to the east at the mouth of the Moray Firth. This boom city is now the fifth largest in Scotland and is also the headquarters of the Scottish Natural Heritage organisation.

Getting around

The whole region of the Highlands is very sparsely populated as a glance at any map will confirm. The road systems however are good and touring the region by car couldn’t be easier and is certainly the best way of exploring the magnificence that is the Highlands. As well as the mainland scenery, one should not forget the islands that are scattered around the coasts. A short ferry trip from the mainland quickly takes you to areas that time seems almost to have forgotten, where the old traditions of hospitality still exist and where small communities carry on life very much in the ways that their ancestors have done for hundreds of years. In the unlikely event that you get tired of sightseeing, there is so much more to do. Where better than the traditional home of golf to play a round or two on some of the finest links courses in the world. Fishing, both sea and freshwater is widely available and you may even be able to cast a fly or two on some of the best salmon runs to be found anywhere. Boat trips, mountain climbing, hiking and cycling, a tour round a whisky distillery or just sitting and watching the world go by – they are all here.

Highland Year of Culture 2007

Scotland is famous the world over for its whisky and you can take a tour of any of the whisky distilleries on the famous whisky trail.
The Battlefield at Culloden was the haunting scene of the massacre of the Clans loyal to Bonny Prince Charlie by the Duke of Cumberland in 1745.
Highland Games meetings are are held in communities all over the Highlands throughout July and August and culminate with the most spectacular, The Braemar Gathering and Highland Games in September in Royal Deeside. They are a celebration of all that is Highland Scottish. Tartans, kilts, bagpipes and traditional sports come together to form a spectacle that is as much a means of keeping a unique culture alive as well as being a memorable occasion for the tourist. Details can be obtained from the local tourist information centres.
2007 has been designated the Highland Year of Culture. This will take the form of a whole year’s programme of events designed to celebrate the region’s history and culture.