The Highlands

The north of Scotland is seldom visited but definitely worth a visit (despite the distances involved and the difficulty of getting there). The northern region is comprised of three areas: Caithness on the extreme north east, Sutherland south of Caithness and Ross and Cromarty just to the north of Inverness.

Travel in the north of Scotland is a bit tricky with single-track roads being the norm (where you have to pull over to let any on-coming traffic pass) – It is worth it to see the spectacular scenery and experience true Scottish hospitality. While there is local transport and even the occasion train really a car is the best bet.

Most of the larger towns have Scottish Tourist Board offices where the staff are able (for a small fee) to book local (or national) accommodation. I found this the simplest method as sometimes I did not know far enough in advance where I would be from day to day so ended up using the tourist offices to book “on the fly”.

Ben Nevis is the tallest peak in Scotland with the reputation of claiming many a visitor that attempts the easily accessible path. In the winter there is skiing but in the summer lower parts of the mountain are accessible via the ski lift from the lower car park (with a mountain bike path down the side of the mountain).

I wanted to include a picture of Urquhart Castle (now run by the National Trust of Scotland). Home of the Chisholm clan (of which I am a member). Be aware that this is a REAL tourist location with massive amounts of them all about. Urquhart is just south of Inverness on the Loch and is definitely worth a visit and really spectacular when seen from either the water or the surrounding roads.

For further information, please see:

• Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board