| REGIONS
The Highlands are world-renowned for their majestic
scenery; the area offers a wide variety of contrasting
landscapes, including rolling hills and vast sweeps
of moor land, as well as dramatic sea cliffs and soaring
mountain ranges. Many of the superb white-sandy beaches
are so uncrowded you might easily find one to yourself.
Although the silent hills and empty glens have a fascination
of their own, do not take this to equate with remoteness.
There are well-honed communications by road, rail and
air which ensure that the Highlands are easily accessible.
Inverness
Inverness is the natural 'Capital of the Highlands'
due to its geographical location, its proximity to the
River Ness and the fact that the roads through the glens
all converge on the town. Inverness is now by-passed
but is still a natural centre from which to explore
this amazing unspoilt part of Scotland, with roads to
the north and west leading out like tentacles into the
wilds of the Highlands.
If you are planning an adventure out of the town caution
is always advised - it will be further than you think;
don't be deceived by the map. If the emptiness, remoteness
and breathtaking beauty all become a little too much
then the trip back to Inverness can be made in a few
hours. Back to the bustle of streets, shopping in familiar
stores, traffic lights - all the signs of civilisation.
Inverness offers you access to one of the biggest playgrounds
in the world. A holiday in Inverness and Loch Ness is
something truly unique. It's a feeling. An experience.
It's a sense of adventure. It's peace. It's contentment.
Unspoilt, unhurried and unbelievable, but not forgotten.
It's Scotland at its very best.
Ross-shire, Caithness and Sutherland
A trip round the coastline of the three northern counties
offers many diverse attractions. Leaving the Highland
capital of Inverness, drop in on Cromarty on the Black
lsle (really a peninsula) where the Court Room of bygone
days has been re-created and the fascinating story unfolds
of this picturesque Scottish burgh.
Just to the west lies Strathpeffer, once a famous Victorian
spa resort, and further north, into Sutherland, is the
attractive old burgh of Dornoch with its lovely cathedral
and a links golf course which is rated as one of the
top twelve courses in the world.
Clinging to the eastern seaboard, you come upon Dunrobin
Castle, once the seat of the Duke of Sutherland, and
famed for its scenic coastal gardens. A few miles further
on, at Heimsdale, is the innovative Timespan Heritage
Centre which gives a delightful insight into times past.
Whereas Sutherland is a contrasting county of hills
and glens, Caithness is much flatter and, indeed, bleaker.
The county town of Wick was once a flourishing fishing
port which is now adapting its economic base and there
is a modern factory producing the exquisite Caithness
Glass product.
Many visitors continue north amid impressive seascapes
to the intriguing village of John o' Groats, with its
unusual eight-sided house, and then head west to Thurso,
Scotland's most northerly mainland town which burgeoned
when the nuclear industry became established at nearby
Dounreay in the late 1950's.
The adventurous single track road west takes you along
the north coast of Sutherland with a series of delightful
little villages like Armadale, Bettyhill and Tongue,
to the north-west tip of the county at Durness, noted
for Smoo cave, cut into the limestone rock by the surging
seas. Just a few miles away is the lighthouse at Cape
Wrath on the very top of Scotland. The main road then
diverts to the western seaboard. En route are the spectacular
bird cliffs of Handa Island, a nature reserve, and Britain's
highest waterfall at Eas Coul Aulin.
Between the bustling fishing port of Lochinver and
the delightful prosperous village of Ullapool in Wester
Ross there are a choice of routes. The fast main road
allows stunning views of the Inverpolly National Nature
Reserve with its resident population of golden eagles.
Continuing southwards brings one to the magnificent
Inverewe Gardens which are cared for by the National
Trust for Scotland. This botanical treasure has plants
from all over the temperate regions of the world, enabled
to flourish by the gentle climate induced by the warming
influence of the Gulf Stream.
Gairloch, with its Heritage Museum, offers a range
of accommodation and eating establishments, and can
act as a pivotal point for visiting the beauty of Loch
Maree, the Beinn Eighe National Reserve and the spectacular
mountainous vistas of Glen Torridon. All are little
more than an hour away from Inverness.
The West Highlands including The Great Glen
From Granton-on-Spey, along the River Spey, are numerous
attractions, including the inventive Landmark Visitor
Centre at Carrbridge, the Strathspey Railway, offering
a return to the days of steam, and allowing superb views
of the magnificent Cairngorm Mountains, and the Loch
Garten Nature Reserve, where the nesting ospreys can
be studied from a special observation hide.
The modern resort of Aviemore, the hub of a flourishing
winter sports industry, is congenial and lively and
offers a comprehensive choice of accommodation. There
are organised trips to see at close hand the reindeer
which thrive on the soaring tops of the Cairngorm Mountain.
In nearby Newtonmore is the clan MacPherson Museum.
At this juncture you can make your way to the West
Highlands on the main road running via Loch Laggan to
Spean Bridge on the Great Glen, but, alternatively,
from Inverness, you can explore the entirety of the
Great Glen. This coast-to-coast valley was formed in
ancient geological times and holds the main lnverness-Fort
William road as well as a coterie of sparkling lochs
which combine to form the Caledonian Canal.
In Drumnadrochit, on the west of Loch Ness, are two
exhibitions exploring the theme of the fabled Loch Ness
Monster, and nearby is the entrancing Urquhart Castle
and a spectacular waterfall at Foyers.
Fort William
Fort William is the southern gateway to the Great Glen
and a major tourist centre. Don't miss the West Highland
Museum which features memorabilia associated with Prince
Charles Edward Stuart. Towering over the town is Britain's
highest mountain - Ben Nevis (4406ft, 1343m.) - and
a drive or walk into Glen Nevis is a must, with its
rugged landscapes utilised as atmospheric locations
for Hollywood movies including 'Highlander', with Sean
Connery, and 'Braveheart', starring Mel Gibson, and
'Rob Roy'.
Fort William is also a natural location to use as a
base and take advantage of the scenic routes that spoke
from this centre. One scenic route, sometimes termed
'The Road to the Isles', runs west to Mallaig. En route,
at Corpach, the Treasures of the Earth visitor attraction
features gems and minerals garnered from around the
world.
At Mallaig, a picturesque road and rail terminus, there
is Mallaig Marine World, with its aquarium and exhibition
on the sea and fishing heritage of the west coast port.
Mallaig is accessible by rail with the steam-hauled
services evoking much nostalgia in sound, smell and
sight of this once great form of transport.
The coastal route meanders over the Ballachulish Bridge
and the Connel Bridge on its way to Oban, the gateway
to the Islands of West Scotland. At Ballachulish stands
the portals to Glen Coe, which has gone down in history
as the 'Glen of Weeping' after the infamous clan massacre
in which the Macdonalds were slaughtered by the Campbells
in 1692.
As well as being the Hebridean island gateway, Oban,
which teems with night life, has many attractions including
the Highland Theatre, McCraig's Tower, Oban Distillery,
Oban Experience and Oban Glass. Beyond Oban and Lochgilphead
can be found a concentration of prehistoric sites around
Kilmartin and not far away is the hill fort of Dunadd,
the ancient Scottish capital, with the Crinan Canal
beyond.
The town of Inveraray is within easy reach. It is the
ancestral home of the Dukes of Argyll. The Impressive
Inveraray Castle is the headquarters of the Clan Campbell.
On the road to Loch Fyne is Auchindrain Farming Museum
and the splendid Crarae Gardens. Round the head of Loch
Fyne and southwards is Cowal, with superb views of the
Kyle of Bute at its south end. Access to the south of
Scotland is also easy via the ferry at Dunoon.
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