Golfing in Scotland

Host to 16 Open Championships and home to the world’s oldest golf club, Muirfield oozes history – second only to St Andrew’s in golf lore. There’s no trickery, apart from the bumpy fairways – the greens are perfectly sized.

Setting foot on the Old Course means walking in the footsteps of every great golfer who has graced the game over the last centuries. Truly special, its famous tee shots, infamous bunkers, huge greens and crazy fairways make up the greatest walk in golf.

Wild, isolated and spellbindingly beautiful, Royal Dornoch is the third oldest in the world, with turtleback greens creating some real challenges.

This regular host of the Scottish Open is a cracking modern links in north-eastern Scotland, with widescreen views over the Moray Firth and beyond.

Nicknamed ‘car-nasty’, this championship course is a proper test; of length, accuracy, strategy and a whole heap of patience. Play well here and you can comfortably call yourself in experienced and talented golfer.

A modern masterpiece sat on the southern tip of the Isle of Jura, there’s a run of holes that hug the cliff tops, and the challenging course and stunning surroundings make this one of the best golfing experiences in Europe.

The most scenic of the courses on the Open rota, the Ailsa sits on a craggy headland with stunning views over Ailsa Crag, the Mull of Kintyre and the Isle of Arran.

Magnificent mountain scenery slashed by silvery lochs and peppered with brooding castles: all laden with rich Scottish heritage, history and tradition. Drive the NC500 road trip, or ride on the spectacular West Highland Line.

Capital treats abound, from mighty castles and royal palaces to gourmet restaurants and arguably the world’s best performing arts festival.