Scotland

The highlands prove to be the real Scotland to countless individuals living in other countries. The scenery is breathtaking and the mountains are iconic and towering. The Highlands offer incredibly old pine forests along with wide stretches of shimmery, dark lochs.

Inverness is the capital of the area, as well as the only significant urban center found here. It is a practical starting point from which to explore parts of the Highlands that are farther afield. To the south is found the Great Glen and Glen Coe with its gorgeous stretches, to the north is the wind beaten Cape Wrath featuring high cliffs and bays filled with sand, and to the west is the Ardnamurchan peninsula that is both peaceful and remote and contains the road to the isles of Mallaig and Skye. This island Skye proves to be among the most beloved holiday making sites in all of Scotland, with its strange rock formations in the Trotternish peninsula, as well as the rough heights of the Cuillins.

The Highlands are always seen as an intensely mountainous area, but they also boast miles long stretches of coastline and mysterious islands that can all be explored. Private beaches covered in sand, fronted by beautiful turquoise water abound. One of Europes last remaining wildernesses is found here in Sutherland. The Flow Country of Caithness features incredibly flat lands. In these wildernesses are found eagles, otters, deer, whales, and dolphins. Those who prefer an active outdoors vacation can avail themselves of world class mountain climbing and biking off road. Lochaber is sometimes known as the Outdoor Capital for the United Kingdom.

Those who enjoy a slower paced form of sightseeing will not be disappointed in the Highlands either. Here are found numerous remote castles, historical sites, and unique towns. There is a particular culture and language to the region as well.