"Scotland the Brave" a Scotland Travel Page by JanPeter74

Of course a three week roundtrip in Scotland won't show you everything, but we got pretty close.

The great thing about Scotland is that despite it's desolate image, you can reach most mainland destinations rather easily and quickly, since the country is not extremely big and roads are (in general) pretty good.

Bear in mind that due to the changing weather and time of year, everybody will experience the places he or she visits differently. Therefore, everybody will have other favourites after a visit to Scotland.

Basically the country can be divided into several areas. In the south, close to the border with England, you can find the Scottish Border Country which is a nice area resembling the landscape of northern England.

A bit further north you can find the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling. This is the area where much of Scotlands history was written. Many castles and battlefields can be found here.

North of this area start the Scottish Highlands. Most popular area of the Highlands is the southern part with Inverness, Fort William en Britains highest mountain Ben Nevis. Here you will also find Loch Ness, the most famous of Scotlands lochs, which together with some other lakes and canals forms the so-called Calledonian Canal that connects the east and west coast of Scotland. This waterway starts with Loch Ness on the eastcoast (Inverness) and runs southwest in the direction of Fort William.

East of the southern Highlands you will find the part of Scotland that is most famous for it's whisky. The Speyside is the most famous area of this region.

The northern Highlands are not so frequently visited. Most people who make a roundtrip don't come above the line Ullapool (westcoast) - Inverness (eastcoast). However, this northern part of the country perhaps was the most impressive of our entire trip. It really felt like driving to the end of the world. Simply follow the entire coastline of northern Scotland. From Inverness all the way up to John o'Groats (take the ferry here for a daytrip to the Orkney Isles) and back via the north and westcoast to Ullapool takes you 3-4 days. (1 day from Inverness to John o'Groats, 1 day to the Orkneys, 1 day (2 is more relaxed) back to Ullapool).

In the west of the country you can find the Isle of Skye, another highlight of a trip to Scotland. Since a few years this island is connected to the mainland by a bridge and can easily be reached.