Wanderlust - 04.2020

24 wanderlust.co.uk April 2020

TheScottishHighlandspeakyetagaininourWanderlustReaderTravelAwards,andas

2020 isalsoVisitScotland’sYearofCoastandWaters,whywaittotravelnorthoftheborder?

Words

Robin McKelvie

Images

AWL; Shutterstock; Alamy

Picture-postcard
Eilean Donan Castle,
in the north-west,
sits on an island at
the point where three
great sea lochs meet

T

he Scottish Highlands
have yet again been
voted by Wanderlust
readers as the most
sought-after UK
destination. And as VisitScotland
is also celebrating the Year of
Coasts and Waters, 2020 is the ideal
year to (re)visit the land of hulking
mountains, shimmering seas, and
starched white sand beaches.
Those Highland peaks are the
star attraction for many visitors,
and come in all shapes and sizes.
From the craggy ridges of Stac
Pollaidh through to the isolated

rock sentinel of Suilven and the

brooding hulk of the UK’s highest

mountain, Ben Nevis, many

become natural playgrounds for

keen climbers in summer and an

icy challenge in winter.

The far north is an oasis for

wildlife too. Scotland’s Big Five –

red deer, red squirrels, otters,

golden eagles and harbour seals

• are all found in abundance in
  a wildscape where man definitely
  plays second fiddle to nature. The
  waters are also home to bottlenose
  dolphins, basking sharks and
  humpback, minke and orca whales.

Inverness remains the only city

in the Highlands and the booming

capital is also currently Scotland’s

fastest growing city – it’s near the

Cairngorms, too, the UK’s largest

national park. Fort William at the

other end of the Great Glen, and

on the opposite Atlantic coast, is

the other railhead and handy base.

But visitors to the Highlands and

Islands during this Year of Coasts

and Waters (visitscotland.com) can

also find themselves swept up in

myriad events taking place. Hop on

a CalMac ferry and you may find

the National Theatre of Scotland

performing aboard. Storm,

meanwhile, is a 10m-tall puppet

that’s touring the region with eight

puppeteers in tow. Then there is

the Isle of Martin Seaweed Festival

(5-6 Sept) with live music and arts

events, while Aiseag at Urquhart

Castle (10-11 Oct) is a Historic

Environment Scotland project that

aims to make their castle a meeting

place of cultures as it weaves in the

richness of Gaelic language and

arts. All of which suggests that this

exceptional area stands a good

chance of retaining its crown at

next year’s Reader Travel Awards.

Go

Now

for a breath of fresh air

THE DESTINATION:

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS