10 Best Things to Do in the Scottish Highlands
What is the Scottish Highlands Most Famous For?
The Scottish Highlands offers majestic scenery and blissful seclusion amid enigmatic lochs and mountains. This stunning northern part of Scotland reached a global audience through the Harry Potter films and the Outlander TV series. From hunting for the Loch Ness Monster and scaling mountains to relaxing on one of the region’s tropical-style beaches, every inch of the Scottish Highlands promises adventure and mystery.
No matter whether you’re more at home in the big city or love to head off the beaten track, the Highlands has treats in store. This collection of the best things to do in the Scottish Highlands will help you make the most of your trip.
What are the best things to do in the Scottish Highlands?
1. Loch Ness
An epic quest to find Nessie
Categoría: Historia, Foto, De aventura, Exótico
Loch Ness is a stunningly beautiful freshwater lake that’s known the world over as the reputed home of the famous, dinosaur-like Loch Ness Monster, more affectionately known as Nessie.
Stretching for almost 37 km (23 miles) and reaching depths of over 650 ft, Loch Ness sits south of Inverness in the heart of the Highlands and features high on the itinerary of most visitors to Scotland. It’s possible to walk or cycle all the way around Loch Ness in a few days, or simply head out on a boat tour for some Nessie-hunting. Make sure you also check out the nearby Lock Ness Centre, a great little museum dedicated to the history and mythology of this special place.
Ubicación: Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness, Inverness-shire IV63 6TU, UK
Loch Ness
2. Glenfinnan Viaduct
A journey on the Hogwarts Express
Categoría: Familias, Foto, De aventura
Travelling across the Scottish Highlands by train is an excellent way to take in the region’s abundance of unmissable views. The scenic West Highland Railway Line connects Glasgow with the town of Fort William and the ports of Oban and Mallaig. The scenery is worth the ride alone, and you’ll catch plenty of glimpses that just can’t be had other than by train thanks to a total lack of roads.
The route also passes some of the most low-key and isolated train stations in the UK, and Harry Potter fans will be thrilled with the chance to pass over the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, just as the Hogwarts Express has so many times.
Ubicación: Queen Street Station, North Hanover Street, Glasgow G1 2AF, UK
Glenfinnan Viaduct
3. Eilean Donan Castle
No man is an island but this castle is
Categoría: Historia, Foto
While not everyone knows it by name, Eilean Donan Castle is quite simply an iconic representation of Scotland. The framing of this privately owned 13th-century castle takes the term ‘picturesque’ to extremes, set on its own small island, surrounded by lochs and mountains, and even with views of the Isle of Skye.
The Eilean Donan Castle, the name of which translates as the Island of Donnán, after a Celtic saint, has had a rich history since being founded as a small monastic community. It was ultimately destroyed during the 18th century’s Jacobite uprisings, and what you see today is actually a 1930s reconstruction of the ruins.
Ubicación: Dornie, Kyle of Lochalsh IV40 8DX, UK
Horarios: Hours vary by season
Eilean Donan Castle
4. Inverness
Shopping and architecture in the Highlands’ capital
Categoría: Parejas, Familias, Ir de compras, Historia, Foto
It’s not all wilderness in the Scottish Highlands. The region’s historic capital city of Inverness is as worthy of a visit as any of its other attractions. Highlights for culture lovers include Inverness Cathedral, which dates to the 19th century and is the UK’s first cathedral built after the English Reformation, and Inverness Castle with its lush gardens to explore. There’s also the more modern Inverness Museum and Art Gallery.
The expansive indoor-outdoor Inverness Botanic Gardens are also well worth a look, while the Victorian Market’s 19th-century shopping arcade is a great choice for picking up gifts and souvenirs. Just outside of the city, you’ll also find a great range of hiking trails taking you through stunning landscapes.
Ubicación: Inverness, UK
Inverness
5. Ben Nevis
The roof of Scotland
Categoría: Foto, De aventura
Ben Nevis is where it’s at when it comes to serious British mountain climbing. It is, after all, the tallest peak to be found anywhere in the UK. This monster of a mountain soars 4,412 ft above sea level and was originally a massive volcano that erupted and collapsed in on itself millions of years ago. It forms part of the Three Peaks Challenge, which involves climbing Nevis plus England’s Scafell Pike and Wales’ Snowdon, all within 24 hours.
Ben Nevis’ 2 main tracks are suited to walkers and climbers with different levels of experience. The mountain is part of the Grampian range and was first climbed in 1771. These days, some 125,000 people still make the ascent each year.
Ubicación: Glen Nevis, Fort William PH33 6ST, UK
Ben Nevis
6. Strone Hill Waterfall
A naturally rejuvenating rest stop
Categoría: Foto, Económico, De aventura
These picturesque waterfalls are part of the River Lochy and can be accessed by way of Strone Hill, a spot that has long served as a resting stop for weary travellers. It would be easy to pass right by the falls, but you’d be missing out.
Strone Hill sits between the River Lochy and the road that runs from the village of Tyndrum to the port of Oban. We recommend following the short Waterfall Woods Trail, one of 2 alongside the An Darach Ruadh Trail, which delivers you to an unforgettable viewpoint from which to gaze at the falls in all their might. This area truly has a blissful tranquillity to it which will capture your heart.
Ubicación: Dalmally PA33 1BB, UK
Strone Hill Waterfall
7. Isle of Skye
One big, sparsely populated, eye-catching island
Categoría: Familias, Foto, De aventura
Rugged, fantasy-like landscapes are the order of the day on the Isle of Skye. It’s the Inner Hebrides archipelago’s biggest island despite only having a population of around 13,000. Skye sits off the northwest coast of Scotland but is linked to it by the dramatic Skye bridge over Loch Alsh to Eilean Bàn. Mountains dominate the Isle of Skye’s inland area, but there are also plenty of beautiful lochs as well as enigmatic coastal scenery.
Boat trips from the village of Elgol are a great way to spot wildlife on Loch Coriusk or smaller nearby islands like Raasay and Rona. Back on firm ground, the picturesque town, and de facto capital, of Portree has several boutiques for souvenir shopping.
Ubicación: Portree IV51, UK
Isle of Skye
8. Glencoe
Dramatic landscapes packed with history
Categoría: Familias, Historia, Foto
The small village of Glencoe has a population of less than 400, but that doesn’t stop it and the surrounding valley from pulling in the crowds with its show-stopping landscapes. In fact, many scenes of the James Bond movie Skyfall were filmed here due to the gorgeous scenery.
Head out on the water of triangular-shaped Loch Leven, which sits alongside the Glencoe valley. The castle that once held Mary, Queen of Scots even sits on one of the islands in this loch.
Alternatively, for adventures on dry land, embark on the area’s challenging Lost Valley hiking trail. Back in the village itself, make time for the Glencoe Folk Museum, which sits in an attractive row of white-stone and thatch-roofed cottages.
Ubicación: Glencoe, Ballachulish PH49 4HS, UK
Glencoe
9. Fort William
The end of the line, but just the beginning of the adventure
Set at the edge of Loch Linnhe, Fort William is considered foremost as the drop-off point for adventurers looking to scale the dizzying heights of Ben Nevis. However, there’s undeniably more to see and do than just that. The town is also the terminus of one branch of the scenic West Highland Railway Line, and it’s frequently name-dropped as the UK’s ‘outdoor capital’.
Fort William is a great base for exploring the rest of the Scottish Highlands, with Glen Coe to the south, Ben Nevis to the east and Glenfinnan to the west, but no-one would blame you if all you wanted to do was hunker down in a pub here and sample the finest Scotch whisky.
Ubicación: Fort William PH33 6TQ, UK
Fort William
10. Scottish Highlands’ beaches
You won’t believe you’re still in Scotland
Categoría: Parejas, Familias, Foto, Económico, De aventura
If you washed up on one of the Scottish Highlands’ pristine beaches, you’d be forgiven for believing you were somewhere else, far away. That’s the nature of these windswept but absolutely beautiful stretches of sand, they really are the kind of landscapes you’d usually associate with the Caribbean or parts of Southeast Asia.
Among those especially worth seeking out include the remote but fantastically wide Strathy Bay, the dune-fringed Sinclairs Bay with its gorgeous white sand, Sango Bay with its dramatic rocky outcrops and caves, and the challenging-to-reach but equally rewarding Sandwood Bay.
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