The Best Ways to Experience the Scottish Highlands
- Mar 2, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 15
Located in the northernmost reaches of the British Isles, the Scottish Highlands is one of the country’s least populated and most beautiful regions. Surrounded almost entirely by the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea, its cold and temperate climate gives it a distinctly rugged aesthetic featuring wild coastlines, undulating grasslands and heaths, vast lochs, and rocky mountains. From the adventurous to the calm, there are many ways to experience the Scottish Highlands.
In this article, we share some of the best Scottish Highlands experiences to add to your itinerary and the best places to experience them. This inspiration we share in this article could take you from the top of Britain’s tallest mountain to the exclusive vaults of top whiskey distilleries, from the region’s most scenic driving routes to its most spectacular train rides, and much more. Read on to find the experiences of the Scottish Highlands that excite you most.
See the Highlands on scenic hikes
While the typical scenes of a bare undulating landscape sprinkled with Highland cows are frequent, there’s much more to the Highlands than that. To see the best of this beautiful region’s dramatic landscape, put on your hiking boots and wander far and wide. There are dozens of epic trails to choose from, each of which shows you a new side to the Highlands’ ever-surprising landscape.
Whimsical fairy pools, imposing valleys, and staggering rock formations are among the things you’ll find. While some trails are relatively flat and accessible, others promise a challenge. Those feeling strong and brave may even attempt to conquer Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest peak reaching 1,345 m.
Top hikes in Scotland
Ben Nevis Mountain Track: 16 km (challenging)
The Old Man of Storr: 5.5 km (mildly challenging)
The Lost Valley: 6.3 km (mildly challenging)
Fairy Pools Trail: 4.2 km (moderate)
Uncover the unbelievable history of the Highlands' castles
Hogwarts Castle doesn’t technically exist (in the muggle world anyway) but strong yet elegant castles like Hogwarts are a frequent feature of the Highlands landscape making it one of the top ways to experience the Scottish Highlands. While some are hidden within the woodlands of a national park, others stand boldly on hillsides and islands of the Highland Lochs.
As the British Royal summer residence, Balmoral might be the region’s best-known castle to visit. But don’t stop with one, pay a visit to these castles for more picture-postcard scenes and intriguing stories:
Top Highlands castles
Eilean Donan Castle — Dornie, Western Highlands
Urquhart Castle — Loch Ness, Central Highlands
Dunrobin Castle — Golspie, Northern Highlands
Stirling Castle — Stirling, Western Highlands
Try Scotch whiskey straight from the cask
Scotland is one of the world's top whiskey producers thanks to their fondness for peaty flavours that instantly ground the soul. Even if you’re not a whiskey person, there’s something special about tasting it in the very distilleries they are produced. As you do, it becomes more than just a jolting spirit, its raw and earthy taste seems to embody the atmosphere and culture of this remote northern region in a glass, drawing you closer to it.
Top-notch whiskey distillery tours can be found throughout the Highlands from cities like Inverness to the remote wilderness. The best way to experience the Scottish Highlands through whiskey is on a Speyside Distilleries multi-stop tour. It includes:
Top Highlands distilleries
Glen Moray Distillery
Tomatin Distillery
Discover the Highlands’ best lochs
Lochs (lakes fed by the sea) are a defining feature of the Scottish Highlands making it pretty hard to miss them when rambling through the countryside. Not that you’d want to anyway. Most Scottish Highlands lochs are surrounded by steep hills and mountains that afford breathtaking elevated views across the lake and towards the horizon. Located 14 miles south of Inverness, Loch Ness remains the most famous of all thanks to the legend of the Loch Ness monster or ‘Nessy’. However, Loch Ness is just one of many worth visiting on a Scottish Highlands itinerary.
Top Highlands lochs
For the castle: Loch Awe – Argyll and Bute, Western Highlands
For the loch islands: Loch Maree – Wester Ross, Northwest Highlands
For the myths and legends: Loch Ness – Central Highlands
Go on a scenic road trip
A trip to the Scottish Highlands is all about soaking up its exceptionally rugged landscapes and what better way to do so than on a road trip? Pack your adventure essentials and get behind the wheel of a trusty 4x4 for the drive of a lifetime.
This largely uninhabited land is so wild and rugged that it’s ideal for off-roading. Those dirt paths and mountain tracks may just lead to the best viewpoints. That said, there are several well-established driving routes guaranteed to show off those cinematic Highland scenes you’ve dreamt of seeing in person.
Top Highlands routes to take
The Moray Firth Route (80 miles/ 2 hrs) – Northeast Highlands
Highland Tourist Route (116 miles/ 3 hrs) – Central Highlands
North Coast 500 (500 miles/ 14 hrs) – North Highlands
Ferry over to the Highland Islands
There are several archipelagos within the Scottish Highlands including the Orkney Islands and the Hebrides. Whether small or big, many of them are largely uninhabited and sparse islands claimed by nature. Those that are inhabited only feature small coastal communities and farms and yes, that means there are often more Highland cows than people.
Together, they form a large part of the character and culture of the Highlands that can’t be missed. After all, they’re home to some of Scotland’s most dramatic scenery including soaring cliffscapes, fairy pools, and mountains. Exploring the landscape by car or foot is one of the best ways to spend time on the islands but leave time for distillery, castle, and boat tours too.
Top Highlands islands to visit
Isle of Skye – a large but sparsely inhabited island famed for its unbeatable scenery and whiskey.
Isle of Lewis and Harris – a large ancient island famed for its monoliths, the Callanish Standing Stones, much likened to Stonehenge
Isle of Mull – a large rugged island that produces some of the world’s finest wool
Take a Highlands train
The Scottish Highlands have been distinguished as one of the world’s top destinations for train travel and it’s easy to see why. The grand Jacobite Express, a steam train that glides nobly across the Glenfinnan Viaduct is undoubtedly the most notable thanks to the Harry Potter franchise. However, there are several train routes throughout the Highlands, each of which promises an equally magnificent journey.
Of course, the views you’ll see on a Scottish Highlands train journey are among the best in the world but there’s much more to the experience than that. Many of the train routes still have their original steam trains and stations which provide an elevated level of service in a charmingly traditional setting.
Top Highlands train journeys
The West Highland Line (Jacobite Express) – Fort William to Mallaig, Western Highlands
The Far North Line – Inverness to Thurso, Northern Highlands
The Strathspey Steam Railway – Aviemore to Broomhill (Cairngorms Mountains), Central Highlands
Golfing in the birthplace of golf
As the birthplace of golf, Scotland has long been established as one of the premier golfing destinations. With a number of the country’s top links on its roster including Royal Dornoch and Castle Stuart, the Highlands is no exception. Whichever course you choose to play on from Thurso to Fort William, expect exceptional course designs set amongst the Highland’s handsome scenery. Combine that with a luxurious stay at the golf resort’s manor house, castle, or hotel and you’ll never want to golf elsewhere again.
Thanks to its elite status, Scotland attracts the world’s best golfers, most of whom can be found at the more exclusive clubs. However, many equally challenging and exciting Highlands golf courses welcome beginners and enthusiasts too.
Top Highlands golf courses for all abilities
Royal Durnoch Struie Course, Durnoch
Castle Stuart, Inverness
Brora Golf Club (designed by James braid), Brora
Boat of Garten, Aviemore
Stay in luxurious scenic accommodation
No matter what else you do on your Scottish Highland vacation, stay at a luxury remote accommodation to complete your experience. Think Highland castles, Georgian farmhouses, remote cottages, and indulgent hotel resorts tucked within solitary hills or overlooking silvery beaches. Not only can you wake up and fall asleep to views of the dreamy Highland’s landscapes every day, but you can experience how it feels to have such a wild and spacious place on your doorstep.
Create a Highlands Itinerary Full of Exciting Experiences
Now that you know all about the best Scottish Highlands experiences, all you need is some professional inspiration on how to weave them into an epic Highlands itinerary. At Lore Luxury Travel, we have a group of expert UK travel planners that specialise in creating bespoke luxury itineraries. With their help, you could have the ultimate Highlands adventure planned for the year ahead.
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Contact a travel planner today and start your luxury journey to the UK and Ireland. Call us at +44 (0) 2045 781 580 (UK)/ 1 (800) 707-5184 (USA) or send an inquiry here.
