The Sunday Times - UK (2022-06-05)

10 June 5, 2022The Sunday Times

Travel Focus on Scotland

TAKE A ROAD TRIP INTO THE

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

With its bald hills, deep lochs and wild

moorlands, the Highlands is arguably

Scotland’s most coveted destination. The

modern age has added to its appeal, with

baronial castle hotels and all manner of

outdoor excursions, but it’s still possible

to savour many of its highlights on a long

day trip from the central belt. Start on the

scenic A82 on the banks of Loch Lomond;

continue through Crianlarich to Glencoe

for Hollywood-worthy hills; then loop

back via Appin and Loch Awe. It might feel

counterintuitive to see it in such a whirl,

but even in a blur it’ll blow you away.

Details A drive from Glasgow to Glencoe

on the A82 takes more than two hours,

with the return via the A828 and A85

another three (discoverglencoe.scot,

wildaboutargyll.co.uk)

SPOT RED KITES

Scotland is the land of the raptor and

at many points on the compass it’s

possible to see golden eagles, ospreys,

kestrels, marsh harriers, common

buzzards and more. What’s more,

Doune, north of Stirling, is the

best place in the UK to see a fragile

population of rewilded red kites. You’re

here for the bird-of-prey hides, kite-

feeding stations and ranger-led tourism,

but also for pond-dipping sessions, ATV

buggy tours and dragonfly walks. To

extend the day trip, stop to see the

grounds of nearby Doune Castle, then

finish with a dram at Deanston Distillery.

Details Ranger-led hike: adult £10, child

£4 (argatyredkites.co.uk)

MEET BRAVEHEART IN STIRLING

The guardian of Scotland William Wallace

was born outside Glasgow in Elderslie, but

his story really comes to life in Stirling, the

site of his greatest military success against

Edward I. Beneath Stirling Castle is the

site of the Battle of Stirling Bridge, while

atop Abbey Craig is the National Wallace

Monument, a museum-cum-memorial

that tells the blood-and-guts story of the

patriot and martyr. There’s a hint of Mel

Gibson bum-wiggling to keep the coach

tours happy, but the real star is the view

from the top of the open-air gothic spire.

Ahead, framed by the Ochil Hills, a swathe

of farmland unfolds south towards

Bannockburn, the stomping ground of the

king of Scots Robert the Bruce.

Details Adult £18, child £11,

stirlingcastle.scot; adult £10.75, child

£6.75 (nationalwallacemonument.com)

SEE SCOTLAND IN MINIATURE IN A DAY

Since pretty much the mid-20th century,

travellers to the Isle of Arran have likened

the arrival in Brodick to reaching a kind of

island paradise. The island is wilder than

many expect yet crammed with history

and things to do — from the Machrie Moor

standing stones to best-in-class distilleries

and Brodick Castle, Garden & Country

Park (£14.50/£8.50, nts.org.uk). Factor in

any more than this — the Goatfell hiking

circuit, perhaps — and you’ll need to stay

overnight. Ardrossan is an hour’s drive

from Glasgow, or a less by train.

Details Ardrossan-Brodick ferry from

£42.60 return with a car; for passengers

it’s adult £8.40, child £4.20

(calmac.co.uk)

Callander, about an hour by car

(lochlomond-trossachs.org)

GHOST HUNT AT CULZEAN CASTLE

The Ayrshire coast is known as the home

of Robert Burns, the national bard, and

championship golf courses, but another

feather in its cap is this 16th-century pile.

It’s haunted by seven ghosts — so guides

say — and it’s not hard to believe when

touring the estate’s shadowy woods,

secret follies and hidden walled garden.

More than anything this is a place that

encourages fantasy and it’s ideal for family

trips, with beaches and coves to explore,

a deer park, adventure playground,

buggy walks and swan pond. It’s an

hour or so by car from Glasgow.

Details Adult £18.50, child

£10.50 (nts.org.uk)

→Continued from page 9

FROM GLASGOW

BLEND YOUR OWN WHISKY

No surprise: Scots are rather partial to the

smoky amber spirit and yet Glasgow’s

contribution to the country’s whisky map

is often overlooked. One exception is

Glengoyne Distillery, which produces the

country’s slowest-distilled whisky and is

40 minutes north of Glasgow, easily

accessible by public transport. The dram’s

distinctive taste comes from the water

from the Glengoyne Burn, but it’s also

local lore that you can taste the winds that

blow down the glen. Make of that what

you will.

Details Tours and tastings from £18

(glengoyne.com)

GO WILD IN THE TROSSACHS

The route to Loch Lomond and the

Trossachs National Park takes you

through swathes of Caledonian pine forest

and into a mini-Highlands landscape of

rhododendron forests, history-rich lochs

and exposed higher slopes where deer

bellow. You’ll get the idea of its size when

puttering on a sightseeing boat across

mirror-clear Loch Katrine or scaling Ben

Lomond or Ben A’an, the park’s two

favourite summits with viewpoints to

calm the soul. Away from this, Scotland’s

first national park is a blank canvas for

canoeing, kayaking, mountain biking and

wild camping, albeit only with a permit

from March to September.

Details The main gateways are Balloch,

50 minutes by train from Glasgow, and

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IAIN MASTERTON/ALAMY