Aye pal, get tae.
Or get tae Scotland, and yer an eejit if ya don’t.
From wee bonnie villages to majestic Highlands, there’s so much that’s incredible about the land of kilts and haggis.
Unfortunately, it can get mislaid in tourism promotion of bagpipes and Loch Ness. Not knocking Nessie (we know you're out there), but Scotland is so much more than this.
Majestic landscapes, crazy traditions, epic marine and wildlife.
And we get it, it's tough going to places that speak a foreign language. But Scotland is worth it.
So from the Highlands to the Hebrides, the lochs to Leith, regardless of whether you’re Celtic or Rangers – here’s 13 of the most incredible Scottish experiences away from the usual Loch Ness, St Andrews and Haggis.
Lang may yer lum reek!
^ Scottish, roughly translating to "long may your chimney smoke!" which roughly translates to "all the best, have a long and healthy life, friend".
Swimming with Basking Sharks
ISLE OF COLL, HEBRIDES
To behold a basking shark with its mouth open is to stare into the abyss.
You could park a bus in the crevasse that is their open mouth, which stretches open as they swim along and devour zooplankton and other little fishies, and hopefully not you.
Basking Shark Scotland leads swimming, diving and snorkelling-focused wildlife adventure tours in the Hebrides. Their marine biologists will give you a thick wetsuit and tell you all about the second largest shark in the world. What they can’t tell you is how you’ll feel when you stare at these weirdly majestic marine beasts seven-metre long, five-tonne kilogram beasts.
Ugly? Yes. Awe-inspiring? Also yes—another reminder of just how extraordinarily diverse the creatures on this planet are.
Walking two days… for a pint
INVERIE, KNOYDART PENINSULA
Location is everything when it comes to bars and pubs. And there is simply none worse than The Old Forge in Inverie, on the Knoydart Peninsula in the Scottish Highlands.
There are no roads into Inverie, so it’s a two-day, 29km trek across mountains and fields, glens and dales, creeks and rivers to get there. You’ll need to scale the 1,020 metre Ladhar Bheinn, deal with wildlife and camp halfway, probably in treacherous Highlands conditions, all of which only make the pint at the end of the journey all the more delicious.
It might just be the best pint you ever taste.
Then you’ve gotta get home.
The Whisky Explorer
LOCH AWE, SCOTLAND
The sensationally named Bearded Man Adventures run a few cool trips, but our pick is The Whisky Explorer, which seems to combine all of the most epic things of the Scottish outdoors into one epic adventure.
The four-day, three-night trip begins and ends at a whisky distillery; a tour of the Oban Distillery (and a few cheeky tastings for warmth, and good luck) turns into a canoe adventure along the waters of the appropriately named Loch Awe; Scotland’s longest lake is dotted with the occasional castle, and from your canoe, wildlife like red deer, pine martens, otters and even the Highlands wildcat will be visible as you paddle.
Camp on the banks of the Loch, enjoy fresh, fire-cooked meals and obviously, a few cheeky drams at the end of each day.
Finding the mystery bar
MYSTERY LOCATION, GLASGOW
Don’t you hate it when you walk down some stairs into a dodgy looking underground haunt in the red-light district... and it turns out to be a really cool, hidden cocktail bar?
Glasgow’s a tough city, and something as intricate as The Absent Ear would have been scoffed at not so long ago by lager-lads. But the Van Gogh-inspired cocktail bar is good enough, and crazy enough, to rise above in 2024. The bar is shrouded in mystery because you only find out the location once you book. We don’t want to give too much away, but get the Tiramisu Flip: Diplomatico dark rum, cherry, coffee, chocolate, biscoff and an egg.
It’s dark and dingy and it’s a little unhinged, and we love it.
10 John Street, Glasgow
Kayaking open seas
ARISAIG
Fancy yourself as a bit of kayaker aye?
Well, champ. Have you ever kayaked the Hebrides? No? Thought not.
This’ll straighten you out. Sort the wheat from the chaff, that sort of stuff.
The Scottish west coast is wild and unforgiving, with coastlines just as dramatic. Arisaig Sea Kayak Centre run a 7-day tour encompassing wild islands, white sand beaches, surprisingly bright waters, rugged headlands, sheltered bays, sea stacks and caves.
You’ll take on the Isles of Harris and Lewis, manage powerful swells and see a side of Scotland not many Scots even get to see. At times you’ll think you’re paddling tranquil waters in the Caribbean, such are the colours on a sunny summer day. But over a week you’ll get everything, and not all of it is quite as nice, which is all part of it.
To John O’Groats
JOHN O'GROATS TRAIL, HIGHLANDS
“From Lands’ End to John O’Groats,” goes the old British saying when you’ve had a decent distance to travel.
They’ve been saying it for centuries; Lands’ End meaning Cornwall, right down the bottom of the south of the island of Great Britain staring the Celtic Sea in the face. And 970km away as the crow flies north, is John O’Groats—a 236km coastal trail along cliffs, through fields, over barb-wire fences and bridges, taking in the most epic views right at the very top of Scotland, marking the top of Great Britain.
To do the whole trail is an enormous undertaking, but a brave few take it on, usually taking between a week and two, in summer. The trail is broken into 14 distinct stages; our pick is the 13th from Wick to Keiss, which has you along a cliff most of the way, and passing the breath-taking ruins of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, which was only built fairly recently in 1476.
Clock the shimmering lights
HEBRIDES
Aurora Borealis? At THIS time of year? In this part of the country? Localised entirely in the Outer Hebrides?
May I see?
Yes.
Yep, the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, or Fir Chlis in Gaelic, can be seen from a few places in Scotland, none better than the Outer Hebrides, where there’s some of the darkest skies in the UK. It probably isn’t the first location you think of when you think Northern Lights, but those magical, dancing hues of turquoise, green and red are there, and there in a big way, and in fact a heap of astronomical sights can be clocked through the naked eye including the Orion Nebula, the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy.
Pay homage to (arguably) the greatest film rant
CORROUR TRAIN STATION, HIGHLANDS
Corrour train station is the country’s highest train station, and it’s also not far from an epic restaurant. But this isn’t why you might decide to get there.
You head to Corrour to pay homage to one of the great rants of all time: Ewan McGregor’s Renton in Trainspotting (1996).
The station itself is quite bleak, but it’s surrounds are stunning, incredible views over a moor that seem to last forever.
If you’re a film buff, a heroin addict, Scottish or you just need to vent about something, this is worth the journey. BYO vodka.
Give the burryman some scotch
QUEENSFERRY
If you ever needed proof that they’re a wee bit mad in Scotland, look no further than the town of Queensferry, not far from Edinburgh.
The Burryman, not to be confused with the Boogeyman, is an equally petrifying character who has appeared once a year in the quaint seaside town on the second Friday of every August, at a festival called the Ferry Fair, for at least the last 340 years.
It goes like this: a local man (who must be born and raised in Queensferry) is covered head-to-toe in burrs—sticky, prickly flowerheads—stuck to an undergarment. He is given two poles covered in flowers, to rest his hands on, and he must then walk the 11km length of the town, collecting money and whisky.
He is not allowed to speak, and unable to refuse any whisky offered to him. And given it’s considered good luck to give the burryman whisky and money as he passes through, this ends up being a lot of whisky.
The burrs makes it incredibly difficult and uncomfortable to walk, and the whole process takes about nine hours.
Video credit: Norrie Work.
Stay in your own castle
PEEBLES
Get the keys to the castle… literally.
About an hour out of Edinburgh is Neidpath Castle, overlooking a quaint little village and the River Tweed, as it has done since the 13th century.
What we love about this castle, other than the way it stands forlornly gazing over the river and surrounding countryside, is that while parts of Mary Queen of Scot's chamber look luxurious and romantic, some parts of it look every bit a structure that’s been around for over 700 years. It’s like you can feel both the grandeur that this place once had, and still has to a degree, but you also know that you’re in a piece of history.
The castle is said to be haunted by the ghost of Lady Jean Douglas, also referred to as "the Maid of Neidpath,” who apparently died of a broken heart. She is reputed to appear clad in a full-length brown dress with a large white collar.
Stay in your own castle
PEEBLES
Get the keys to the castle… literally.
About an hour out of Edinburgh is Neidpath Castle, overlooking a quaint little village and the River Tweed, as it has done since the 13th century.
What we love about this castle, other than the way it stands forlornly gazing over the river and surrounding countryside, is that while parts of Mary Queen of Scot's chamber look luxurious and romantic, some parts of it look every bit a structure that’s been around for over 700 years. It’s like you can feel both the grandeur that this place once had, and still has to a degree, but you also know that you’re in a piece of history.
The castle is said to be haunted by the ghost of Jean Douglas, also referred to as "the Maid of Neidpath,” who apparently died of a broken heart. She is reputed to appear clad in a full-length brown dress with a large white collar.
The Real Fyre Festival
EDINBURGH
The Beltane Fire Festival was an Iron Age Celtic ritual for thousands of years, celebrating the start of the warm months. It was basically the ancient Celtics saying “OMG summerrrrsss hereeeee bitches!”.
A group called the Beltane Fire Society brought it back in 1988 and now it’s grown to be an epic artistic and cultural event. At the impressive vantage point of Calton Hill, a procession takes place. Leading the charge is the May Queen and the Green Man, followed by a cavalcade of characters linked to each. Dotted along the way are various groups who either help or hinder their progress towards the Green Man’s fate and the May Queen’s destiny.
It is a colourful affair, and there’s lots of fire.
(Image credit: SixSigma and Stefan Schäfer).
Get barrelled, Scottish-style
NORTHERN SCOTLAND & EDINBURGH
The Lost Shore Surf Resort is set to be opened near Edinburgh in September 2024, when it will become Europe’s largest inland surfing destination.
Capable of generating up to 1,000 waves per hour, the state-of-the-art surf lake will be set within a 60-acre country park also featuring a accommodation, a food market and a wellness spa.
If you can’t wait until then, or you prefer to surf the old school way (in the ocean, au naturel), the northernmost tip of the Scottish mainland has some reasonably consistent waves. Fraserburgh Beach has a solid beach break, but on the other side of the coast is Thurso, which is probably the home of surfing in Scotland; a powerful right hander for those willing to brave 6°C water temperatures. Bring a thick suit!
Gorge in Glasgow
GLASGOW
The capital usually cops the awards from the snobs and chefs when it comes to food, but an hour and bit down the M8, a rising foodie scene is emerging in Glasgow.
Glaschu (pronounced ‘glas-a-hoo’) is the Celtic name for Glasgow, and these guys produce what you’d call fine dining, only traditionally Scottish; we’re talking big juicy bits of Angus beef cheek, as well as fish, Beef Wellington and Sunday roasts.
For a caffeine fix, or for something a little chiller hit up Ottoman Coffeehouse, a specialty Turkish café run by two brothers since 2005. High ceilings, ornate furnishings bought from Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, comfy sofas, chess sets and obviously, sick coffee.
get in the know Scotland has approximately 790 islands.
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