Six special things to do in Scotland

Jacobite Steam Railway, West Highlands.  Bryan Walker on Unsplash

Scotland is home to spectacular scenery and extraordinary wildlife. Don’t miss these once-in-a-lifetime experiences on your next adventure.

St Ninian’s Isle in Shetland. Credit: Bob Brewer on Unsplash

1. St Ninian’s Isle

On a remote part of the northernmost extremity of the UK is one of the best examples of a sand tombolo in Europe.

This spectacular narrow sandspit attaches the uninhabited isle to the mainland of Shetland, 100 miles off the north-east coast of Scotland. 

A band of pristine golden sand scoring the clear (but chilly) Atlantic waters in two leads to dramatic exposed coastline, which is a haven for puffins and other nesting birds.

The island is famous for the discovery of one of Scotland’s most important Pictish treasure hoards. 

Dunnottar Castle in Aberdeenshire. Credit: Connor Mollison on Unsplash

2. Scotland’s Castle Trail

Aberdeenshire is known as Scotland’s Castle Country for good reason – it has more castles per acre than anywhere in the UK. The north east county is home to 260 castles, stately homes and ruins, dotted around beautiful countryside and dramatic coastline.

19 of its finest form part of Scotland’s Castle Trail, featuring royal residences like Balmoral Castle, baronial tower houses like Craigievar Castle, and the Baroque mansion of Duff House. Don’t miss the dramatic clifftop ruins of Dunnottar Castle, perched atop a rocky outcrop on the edge of the North Sea.

Bottlenose dolphins catching salmon in the Moray Firth.  Credit:Ramon Vloon on Unsplash

3. Bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth

The Moray Firth is home to the most northerly colony of bottlenose dolphins in the world.

Around 200 live in the Firth, one of just two resident populations in the UK. They are the largest and heaviest bottlenose dolphins on earth, said to be down to the extra fat needed in the chilly North Sea waters.

The best place to watch them is at Chanonry Point near Fortrose or from the 18th-century fortress Fort George opposite as they come in to feed.

As well as bottlenose dolphins, the Moray coast is also a good place to spot harbour porpoises and Minke whales.

4. Take one of the greatest railway journeys in the world

The trip from Fort William to Mallaig on the Jacobite steam train is regarded as one of the greatest railway journeys in the world.

It’s no wonder: this iconic 82-mile journey takes in spectacular Highland scenery, including Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, and Europe’s deepest seawater loch, Loch Nevis.

The train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which overlooks Loch Shiel and the Jacobite momument (and Harry Potter fans may recognise its 21 arches).

Puffin. Credit: Bryan Walker on Unsplash

5. Visit the remotest part of the British Isles

The towering sea stacks, cliffs and islands of the St Kilda archipelago form the remotest part of the British Isles.

Rising out of the turbulent Atlantic 41 miles west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, this now uninhabited island group is the UK’s only dual UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Formed from the rim of an ancient volcano, it’s home to almost a million seabirds, including the UK’s largest colony of Atlantic puffins.

A community is thought to have existed on the main island for around 4,000 years, but by 1930 was no longer sustainable. The last 36 residents were evacuated in 1930 –  at their own request.

Tour companies run daytrips to the island, now a birdwatcher’s paradise and a remarkable example of human settlement in isolated remoteness.

Northern Lights. Credit: Vincent Guth on Unsplash

6. Visit the Northern Lights

The north of Scotland is at the same latitude as Stavanger in Norway and Nunivak Island in Alaska, making it a great place for seeing the Northern Lights.

The Aurora Borealis streak the skies across Scotland when the conditions are right – they’ve even been spotted from Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh when particularly strong.

The best time to see them are autumn and winter when the skies are dark and clear, ideally where there is little light pollution.

Head to Galloway Forest or the Cairngorms Dark Sky Parks, or the northernmost reaches of Scotland for the best chance of experiencing the “Mirrie Dancers”.