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Best experiences:

West Highland Line

Fort William, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
View of the arched aquaduct with steam train crossing over it

One of the world’s greatest scenic railway journeys – 165 miles (5 hours) through Scottish mountains, moors and lochs from Glasgow, Fort William and finally Mallaig.

Adult price: £15

Best for ages 6+

Duration: 4-5 hours

Loch Ness [hiking & cycling]

Drumnadrochit, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Blue sign of Loch Ness, with the Loch behind

The deepest and most famous loch in Scotland, said to hide a famous monster in its murky depths. Also home to the South Loch Ness Trail and the 360-degree Loch Ness walking and cycling trails.

Best for ages 4+

Duration: -

Eilean Donan Castle

Dornie , Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
View of the castle and bridge over the surrounding water

The most photographed castle in Scotland – and arguably its most beautiful – perched on an island where three lochs meet.

Adult price: £10

Best for ages 13+

Loch Lomond

Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Loch Lomond

Scotland’s largest loch stretches for 24 watery miles of jaw-dropping scenic splendour. It’s also home to Ben Lomond, the country’s most popular Munro.

Best for ages 6+

Isle of Skye [hiking & cycling]

Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Stunning view of the rust brown landscape with a group of sharp rocks sticking up in the air

A wildly romantic history, gourmet restaurants and jaw-dropping landscapes with superb hiking and biking, Skye has it all – and a handy bridge to the mainland.

Best for ages 13+

Jacobite Steam Train

Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Jacobite Steam Train

One of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys – an 84-mile round trip from Fort William to the little fishing village of Mallaig along the west coast of Scotland.

Adult price: £90

Best for ages 4+

Duration: 6 hours

Malt Whisky Trail

Speyside, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Two drams of whisky with ice on a wooden barrel - ready for tatings

The world’s only malt whisky trail – eight world-class distilleries and a cooperage, all open for tours and tastings.

Min age 18

Best for ages 18+

Climb Ben Nevis

Fort William, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Snow-capped Ben Nevis mountain seen from Fort William. A lake and shipwreck in foreground

The highest mountain in Britain, ‘The Ben’ is a challenging but rewarding Munro ‘to bag’.

Best for ages 13+

Duration: Full day

Scottish Highlands’ best food & drink

Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Scottish Highlands’ best food & drink

Lucy’s summary of typical foods, ingredients and flavours to try in the Scottish Highlands – and some of the best ‘foodie’ experiences,

Best for ages 13+

Duration: -

Blair Castle

Pitlochry, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
External view of the lovely white castle set into green hills

A picture-perfect, white-turreted medieval castle with beautiful landscaped gardens, rich in Scottish history and legend – it was the ancestral home of Clan Murray.

Adult price: £15

Best for ages 10+

Stirling Castle

Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Stirling Castle

One of Scotland’s most dramatic and history-laden fortresses, hunkered into a volcanic crag. A real castle wow factor.

Adult price: £17

Best for ages 8+

Bagging Munros

Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
A rocky cairn at the peak, with panoramic views behind it

Bagging a Munro is a traditional Scottish activity. Named after Sir Hugh Munro who first catalogued the country’s 282 peaks over 3,000ft, in a nutshell, it means summiting a mountain.

Best for ages 13+

Duration: 2+ hours

Culloden Battlefield

Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Close up of the stone engraved sign

An atmospheric, historic battlefield with a state-of-the-art visitor centre that brings the bloody events of 1745 to life.

Adult price: £11

Best for ages 13+

Highland Safaris [hiking]

Aberfeldy , Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
A beautiful red stag deer close up in front of a snow capped mountain

Spot red deer and golden eagles, and learn Highland history, on these excellent safaris.

Adult price: £48

Best for ages 6+

Duration: 2-3 hours

Highland Games (at Braemer)

Braemar , Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Close up of a participant in Tartan kilt holding a caber at the Highland Games

Fantastic spectacle of age-old Scottish traditions, the games feature athletic events, Highland dancing and pipe bands.

Best for ages 4+

Duration: 1 day

When: 1st weekend Sept

Frequency: annually

Castle of Mey

Mey, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Castle of Mey

Turreted 16th-century castle with a beautiful rose garden – the former summer retreat of the Queen Mother.

Adult price: £3

Best for ages 13+

Cawdor Castle & Gardens

Cawdor, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Cawdor Castle & Gardens

A place of pilgrimage for Shakespeare scholars (Macbeth was the Thane of Cawdor), this ancient fortress complete with drawbridge, turrets and towers dates back to the 14th century and is furnished with rare Flemish tapestries, oil paintings and fine antiques. The walled gardens peppered with contemporary sculptures are also a highlight.

Adult price: £14

Best for ages 8+

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Glencoe

Ballachulish , Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Glencoe mountains rising up from the battlefield

A magnificent brooding glen that was the scene of Scotland’s bloodiest historic massacres – the slaying of the unarmed MacDonald Clan.

Adult price: £6

Best for ages 13+

Urquhart Castle

Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Ruined castle in the foreground, the loch stretches away behind

This former medieval fortress, on the shore of the loch, once was the home of Scotland’s Grant Clan. Built in the 13th century, it was subsequently destroyed by the English in 1692 following the crushing of the Jacobite Rebellion at Culloden. You can watch a film of its history in the visitor centre.

Adult price: £10

Best for ages 13+

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Golfing in Scotland

Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

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Bucket List Experience
Golfing in Scotland

Scotland is known as the birthplace of golf and is renowned for exceptional golf courses, rich tradition and unsurpassed golfing history.

Adult price: £285

Best for ages 13+

Duration: -

Cairngorm Reindeer Herd

Aviemore, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Close up of a reindeer on the mountain, with tour group walking in the distance behind

A charmingly old-fashioned Highland wildlife experience – trek to see wild reindeer roaming the mountains of the Cairngorms.

Adult price: £19

Best for ages 4+

Duration: 2 hours

Fort George

Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Fort George

This 18th-century coastal fortress, still a working barracks, overlook the Moray Firth built after the Battle of Culloden to house the British army. You can wander around the complex, dipping into the regimental museum, checking out the historical tableaux depicting soldiers’ lives and climbing up onto the canon-peppered battlements.

Adult price: £10

Best for ages 13+

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The Fairy Pools [Walking]

Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Lovely small waterfall with mountains behind on a sunny day

This famous pool, fed by the River Brittle that cascades in via a series of enchanting waterfalls, is a popular destination for walkers and wild swimmers (prepared to brave the cold). It’s a 2.5km, 40-minute return walk from the nearest car park through Glenbrittle Glen. You can also walk to it from Dunvegan Castle.

Best for ages 6+

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Three Chimneys

Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Three Chimneys

Foodies have been making a pilgrimage to this legendary restaurant, founded by Scottish food heroes, Shirley and Eddie Spear, for over three decades for its famous eight-course tasting menu. There are comfy bedrooms if you want to stay.

Adult price: £50

Best for ages 13+

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Old Man of Storr

Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Tourists climbing Old Man of Storr rock formation at Isle of Skye, Scotland

A short drive north of Portree on the Trotternish Peninsula is the 720m-high ‘Storr’, a large rocky outcrop that dominates the landscape. On the Storr’s steeper eastern slope you’ll find the famous ‘Old Man’ of Storr – a 50m high rock ‘tooth’. Great for a drive-by, or stopping for a walk.

Best for ages 6+

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Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls

Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Aerial view of the dramatic coastline cliffs with a large waterfall pouring into the sea

Another geological highlight of the Trotternish Peninsula is Kilt Rock, an impressive 90m cliff constructed of odd-unusual basalt blocks. Close by is the plunging Mealt Waterfall, fed by Mealt Loch. See them from the same observation point, 17km north of Portree and just south of the village of Staffin.

Best for ages 4+

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Royal Lochnagar Distillery

Ballater, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Royal Lochnagar Distillery

Queen Victoria’s favourite tipple was said to be Scotch whisky and claret. Nudging up to Balmoral, her beloved holiday home in Royal Deeside, this picturesque stone distillery, in the shadow of the majestic Munro, Lochnagar, was founded in 1826.

Min age 18

Best for ages 18+

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Dunrobin Castle

Golspie, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Dunrobin Castle

A fabulous fairytale castle, designed to resemble a fancy French chateau, with ornate formal gardens, modelled on those at Versailles. It’s the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Sutherland.

Adult price: £14

Best for ages 8+

Falls of Foyers

Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Aerial view of a large waterfall

Hike up to the 165-feet high Falls of Foyers to see a famous optical illusion. Stare at the water then flick your eyes sideways to see the rock wall move upwards. The waterfall feeds into Loch Ness.

Best for ages 13+

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Scottish Game Fair

Scone, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Close up on a row of the ends of bagpipes

Traditional game fair with gundog displays, sheep-racing and pipe bands in the grounds of Scone Palace.

Best for ages 10+

Duration: 3 days

When: End of June

Frequency: annually

Dufftown Whisky & Heritage Centre

Dufftown, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Whisky Museum in Dufftown. The museum houses a selection of distillery memorabilia. Exterior view with doors and windows.

A gem of a museum, offering a fascinating insight the history of whisky, how it was and is manufactured, who made it, sold it – and even smuggled it. It houses all kinds of memorabilia and whisky-making equipment. It’s also a great place for the latest tips on distilleries and where to get the best drams in Speyside.

Best for ages 18+

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Dunvegan Castle

Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Dunvegan Castle exterior - A beautiful castle of golden stone set into the hills

This 13th-century castle – restored in the 19th century – was the traditional seat of Clan Macleod, one of the Highland’s most celebrated clans. It’s filled with Highlands clan history – portraits, weapons, and assorted clan memorabilia and heirlooms.

Adult price: £15

Best for ages 4+

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Arbikie Distillery

Montrose, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Arbikie Distillery

A true grain-to-glass distillery on a 2,000-acre independent family estate on the Angus coast. They grow all the ingredients on their farm for their award-winning spirits including the first climate-positive gin made from peas, potato vodka and Scotland’s first rye whisky in 200 years. They’ve also recently launched a striking new state-of-the-art visitor experience and tasting room.

Min age 18

Best for ages 18+

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Lost Loch Distillery

Aboyne, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Lost Loch Distillery

This chic craft distillery in Royal Deeside is Scotland’s first absinthe producer: local botanicals-loaded Murmichan is named after a wicked fairy. They offer micro tours, tastings and absinthe-making workshops. They also produce gin, of course, and haroosh – a moreish hand-crafted whisky, brambleberry and honey concoction.

Min age 18

Best for ages 18+

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Dunnet Bay Distillery

Dunnet, Thurso, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Dunnet Bay Distillery

This small artisan distillery produces award-winning Rock Rose seasonal gins and vodka made from Holy Grass (once laid on church floors to scent the air). The copper still is named Elizabeth in honour of the late Queen Mother who summered at the Castle of Mey nearby – and famously liked a G&T.

Best for ages 18+

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Cooking classes at Ballintaggart Farm

Pitlochry, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Cooking classes at Ballintaggart Farm

This foodie bolt-hole offers field-to-fork cookery classes in Highland Perthshire themed around ‘seasonal suppers’, ‘pickling, preserving and fermenting’ and ‘fire and foraging’. You can stay over in one of 12 luxury bedrooms, or book into the Grandtully Hotel, their sleek sister property nearby.

Adult price: £25

Best for ages 13+

Duration: 5 hours

When: Selected dates

Frequency: Selected dates

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John O’Groats

John o' Groats, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

John O’Groats

Famously ‘the end of the road’ and touted as the most northerly point on the UK mainland (although that’s actually Dunnet Head nearby), this once tacky tourist spot has now been spruced up. There are wildlife-watching boat trips from the little harbour and spectacular clifftop walks.

Best for ages 13+

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Castle Tioram

Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Aerial drone shot of Castle Tioram, it is a ruined castle that sits on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is located west of Acharacle, approximately 80 k

Pronounced ‘cheerum’ this atmospheric, 13th-century ruined fortress on a tidal island in Loch Moidart in Lochaber on the west coast has been uninhabited for around two centuries. Closed to visitors due to the dangers of crumbling masonry you can still wander across the sandy causeway to marvel at its ancient exterior.

Best for ages 6+

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Kinloch Lodge

Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Exterior of front of Kinloch Lodge

This family-run, manor house hotel offers a combination of stylish comfort and warm hospitality from owner Isabel. If you don’t stay, then go for the outstanding gourmet food – using fresh local ingredients and traditional Highland recipes. There’s a whisky bar with over 120 different bottles.

Best for ages 13+

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Loch Bay Restaurant

Isle of Skye , Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

Loch Bay Restaurant

Skye punches above its weight in terms of foodie enclaves and chef Michael Smith’s Scottish seafood restaurant in the village of Stein on the Waternish peninsula – is one of the Michelin-starred highlights.

Best for ages 13+

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The Oyster Shed

Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

The Oyster Shed

This little shack up a bumpy track near Talisker Distillery is the place to go for freshly shucked oysters straight from the oyster farm in tidal Loch Harport. It’s rough and ready with a lean-to and picnic tables and a sea-loch-view to die for.

Best for ages 13+

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The Barn

Aviemore, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)

The Barn

On the edge of Aviemore in the Cairngorms the rustic-chic Rothiemurchus Estate farm shop, cafe and deli sells beef and venison from their farm along with a range of local artisan produce – such as Inshriach gin.

Best for ages 13+

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