Scottish Highlands

The Highlands have some of the most beautiful sand in Europe: the silver beaches of Morar and Arisaig, Achmelvich and Clachtoll in Assynt, remote Sandwood Bay and the shell-sand bays of the islands, where pale sand and turquoise water look almost tropical on a clear day. The sea doesn't feel tropical, though. Even in August it rarely gets much above 13°C, so swimming means a brisk dip, often in a wetsuit, and the weather can turn quickly.

Beach days here are for walking, picnics and children with buckets, with sea or loch swimming for the hardy. A visitor who wants long days in the water should go somewhere else.

The Highlands eat best from the sea and the hills: langoustines, scallops, mussels and oysters landed on the west coast, hot-smoked salmon, venison, Highland beef and lamb. Harbour towns such as Oban, Ullapool and Portree have seafood shacks on the quay and a few serious restaurants, and the Isle of Skye and the Wester Ross coast have some dining rooms worth a long drive. Whisky is the other great draw, with distilleries from the Speyside fringe to the northern coast offering tours and tastings.

Off that coast, choice gets thin. Village eating often means a hotel bar serving fish and chips, kitchens close early, and the best tables need booking well ahead in summer. Inverness has the widest range, but it isn't a food city.

The heritage here is in single sites rather than towns. The battlefield and visitor centre at Culloden tell the story of the last Jacobite rising. Urquhart Castle sits in ruins above Loch Ness, Eilean Donan stands on its tidal island at the meeting of three lochs, and Cawdor and Dunrobin show the grander side of Highland lairds. Glencoe has its massacre memorial, and the Clearances left abandoned townships across the glens. Standing stones and brochs are scattered along the far north and west.

Inverness has a cathedral, a riverside castle and a small museum, but no historic centre to spend days in. Sightseeing means driving between sites, and much of what moves visitors is history read into the landscape.

Nights out are modest. Inverness has a cluster of pubs and a few late bars near the river, and Fort William, Aviemore and Portree have pubs that fill up with walkers and climbers. In the villages, a night out means the hotel bar, a dram by the fire and maybe a folk session. Clubs barely exist, and most places are quiet well before midnight. The pleasure is in the company of a small pub, not in going out.

This is the real reason to come. Glencoe's walls of rock, Ben Nevis above Fort William, the jagged Cuillin ridge on Skye, the ancient sandstone peaks of Torridon and Assynt, and the high, arctic-feeling plateau of the Cairngorms make up some of the wildest mountain country in Europe. The West Highland Way and countless hill paths cover it, and there is serious scrambling, sea kayaking among the islands, mountain biking around Fort William and Aviemore, and modest skiing in winter.

Wildlife is a big part of it: red deer on the hillsides, golden and sea eagles, dolphins off Chanonry Point, otters, seals and whale-watching trips from the west coast. May, June and September are the kindest months. High summer brings long light but also midges, and the weather changes all year.

Day trips here are island crossings and drives between small towns. From Oban, ferries reach Mull, with colourful Tobermory, and on to Iona with its abbey. From Inverness, the obvious outings are the villages along Loch Ness, the Black Isle, the whisky distilleries of Speyside and the old burgh of Elgin with its cathedral ruins. From Fort William, the steam train runs over the Glenfinnan Viaduct to Mallaig, and Skye's Portree is a long but popular day out.

The places themselves are small, and slow roads stretch two hours of driving further than they look on the map. Orkney is reachable from the north coast, but it really deserves a stay of its own.

The Highlands suit families who like the outdoors and don't mind rain. The Aviemore area is the easiest base, with the Highland Wildlife Park, a free-ranging reindeer herd in the Cairngorms, forest trails, adventure parks and gentle lochs for canoeing. Elsewhere, children enjoy the steam train over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, castles with battlements to climb, dolphin-spotting from the shore and rock pools on the west coast beaches.

The hard part is distance and weather. Long drives on winding roads tire small children, wet days need a plan, and midges can spoil summer evenings. The culture is relaxed and welcoming, though, and the countryside is safe.

A car is all but essential. The main roads are fine, but much of the west and north runs on single-track roads with passing places, where a short distance takes a long time and summer traffic, camper vans and sheep slow things further. Scenic rail lines run to Inverness, Fort William, Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh, and buses link the main towns, but neither reaches the trailheads, beaches and small villages that most visitors come for. Ferries to the islands need booking in summer. The towns themselves are small and easy on foot.

Shopping is about things made here: tweed and woollen knitwear, tartan, whisky bought at the distillery, smoked fish, and pottery and jewellery from craft studios along the west coast and on Skye. Inverness has a Victorian covered market and an ordinary high street, while Aviemore and Fort William lean towards outdoor gear. There is no fashion or luxury shopping, and in many villages the only shop is the general store.

The Highlands aren't cheap in season. Accommodation is limited and in demand from May to September, especially on Skye, around Glencoe and along the northern coastal route, so rooms are expensive and sell out early. Eating out costs what it does across Britain, fuel and car hire add up, and remote shops charge more. Hostels, campsites, bothies and self-catering cottages keep costs down, and the hills, beaches and most viewpoints are free. Spring and autumn are noticeably easier on the budget.

Live music here is traditional. Fiddle, accordion and pipe sessions happen in pubs in Inverness, Fort William, Portree and many village halls, and ceilidhs with live bands are the place to learn the reels. Gaelic song still lives on in the west and the islands. Summer brings Highland games with pipe bands and several folk and roots festivals. Inverness has the region's main theatre, with touring drama, dance and concerts, but there is little classical music or opera beyond occasional visits.

There is no bathing culture to speak of. Spa treatments mean a handful of country house hotels and lodges around Loch Lomond's northern edge, Speyside and Skye. What the Highlands offer is quiet: a cottage at the end of a single-track road, long summer evenings, an open fire, a dram and nothing to hear but wind and birds. Cold-water dips in lochs and the sea have a loyal following. For anyone who wants to switch off rather than be pampered, the pace works well.