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Edinburgh has much to recommend it. There is the castle perched high above the city and the wonderful street below. There’s Holyrood Palace and St Giles’ Cathedral, not to forget the medieval Rosslyn Chapel, made even more famous by Dan Brown’s book, “The Da Vinci Code”. There is even a camera obscura in this lovely old city. The surrounding countryside of Lothians adds to the attraction of vacationing in Edinburgh.
Glasgow has a culture of its own and the image of Scotland’s second city has changed over the last few decades. There are museums and galleries everywhere and great high street shopping, good hotels and restaurants. There is much evidence of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scotland’s best known architect, in the city, including some splendid Art Nouveau buildings.
The Western Isles or Outer Hebrides have long been great tourist attractions but the islands still offer peace and tranquillity in addition to walking and water sports. Seals and dolphins play around the islands and there is a wide variety of seabirds. In addition to all the natural attractions, there are places to enjoy the local music and the arts and crafts of the area.
Mountains, lochs and forests are all part of the great attraction of the Scottish highlands. There are beautiful glens and stunning waterfalls inland and lovely sandy beaches on the coast near Nairn. Elsewhere are secret rocky coves and towering cliffs. Autumn in the highlands is especially beautiful and the visitor may be lucky enough to see the spectacular Northern Lights.
Elgin was the ancient county town of Moray from time immemorial. The area now includes the Grampian Mountains. The Moray Firth is a wonderful area for wildlife, and a centre has been developed recently so that visitors can enjoy the sight of local bird and animal life. The area is particularly famous for its dolphins.
The Aberdeenshire area contains hundreds of archaeological and historical sites. These include stone circles and henges, hill forts and barrows, in addition to more recent sites such as World War 2 airfields. There are interesting museums in various towns such as Peterhead and Banff, and a number of country parks and stately homes.
Argyll and Bute are home to a large number of exotic gardens, mainly due to Victorian plant collectors who established their collections in the nineteenth centuries. In addition there are many prehistoric remains in the area and several good museums, notably one at Kilmartin. All these are set in a stunning landscape of mountains and lochs.
Among the various attractions around Falkirk are the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals, reconnected by the Falkirk Wheel boat lift at Rough Castle. This piece of modern engineering has to be seen to be believed.
The ancient burgh towns of Perth and Kinross have a different attraction to the rugged coastline and highland glens of Dundee and Angus. And to many a greater draw is the home of golf at St Andrews in the ancient kingdom of Fife. The lovely coastline and pretty villages of Arran and Ayrshire is complemented by the rugged mountainous scenery inland.
The Scottish Borders run from the western moorland through the valleys of the River Tweed to the rocky coast of Berwickshire in the east. These areas were the scenes of many bloody skirmishes between England and Scotland. Down at the most southerly point of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, it is possible to view Ireland, England and the Isle of Man. Yes, Scotland has something to offer everyone.