Wanderlust - 04.2020

wanderlust.co.uk April 2020 25

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS EXPLORE

Get there

Go greener and let

the train take the strain.

Save on a hotel too by

hopping on the sleek

Caledonian Sleeper at

London Euston (from

£85; sleeper.scot)

and waking up in the

Highlands. Book a cabin

with en suite and enjoy

a full Scottish breakfast

in the restaurant car

or something lighter to

eat in bed as the

Highland peaks loom

large out the window.

282

ThenumberofMunros

(mountainsover

3,000ft)inScotland.

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soifyou’vegot

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experience,getthose

bootson.Always

checktheweather.

235,540

Theoicialpopulation

oftheHighlandCouncil

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largesize,thismakes

itoneofthemost

sparselypopulated

partsofEurope.

29

Thewhoppingnumber

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THE NUMBERS

Fling yourselfintotheHighland spirit...

IF YOU ONLY DO THREE THINGS

HIT THE BEACH

The Highlands boast some of

the UK’s most scenic beaches.

However, the locals would opt

for Sandwood Bay, partly

because you can’t park here

and have to yomp over the

moorland for six kilometres.

DRINK WHISKY

Touring a whisky distillery is

a quintessential Highland

experience. Glenmorangie near

Tain is one of the most visitor-

friendly with a great shop too.

A swish new whisky bar in

a glass tower opens this spring.

FIND NESSIE

Well, you have to try at least once...
Cruise company Jacobite run
‘Nessie hunting’ boat trips – cruising
the mysterious waters of Loch Ness
is all part of the fun. Have your
camera ready as you pass the
romantic ruins of Urquhart Castle.

CETACEAN SPOTTING

The Scottish Highlands are home to the world’s most

northerly pod of bottlenose dolphins. These hulking,

playful cetaceans can be surveyed from the shore from

various points around the Moray Firth. The most famous is

Chanonry Point, north-east of Inverness, where dolphins

come into the shallows daily to enjoy a “ish feeding frenzy,

usually a couple of hours after low tide. Boat tours run from

Inverness, with an excellent fast RIB tour from Cromarty

on the Black Isle with EcoVentures. Spey Bay is also

home to the Scottish Dolphin Centre, where you can

learn more about conservation issues – entry is free.

DOLPHINS ON THE BRAIN