By Discover.Scotland
Over the past 18 months, Discover.Scotland have travelled the length and breadth of the country in search of what Scotland has to offer. In this blog post, they give their Top 5 places to visit in Scotland.
Scotland has a vast selection of places of wonder and this list was hard for us to narrow down.
We as a couple made our choices based on not only the beauty of the surroundings we found ourselves in but also how they became personal to us. We hope you guys enjoy our short blog and we hope it inspires you to visit these places one day.
1. Glen Coe
Here, we have the most iconic place in Scotland famous amongst mountaineers, hillwakers, tourists, photographers etc etc.
The most stunning setting in Scotland if not the world.
Glen Coe for us means adventure, happiness, exploring, nature, risk, danger and a constant flurry of new things to discover and see, no matter how many times we come here.
For one half of us, this is our training ground for tackling the world’s highest peaks and for the other half it's a land full of adventure, wonder and endless photo opportunities.
No matter where you go here there is always something new to take photos of...
Then, at the end of the day you can head up the valley towards the most famous pub in Scotland 'The Clachaig' for a dram and a fish supper.
2. Devil's Pulpit
Devil's Pulpit is based in Finnich Glen and surprisingly, considering its beauty, is not too well known both from locals and tourists alike.
The name Devil's Pulpit comes from the mushroom shaped rock that pokes above the stream .
Legend has is that this was the rock the devil himself stood upon whilst addressing his followers. It is also known that the Druids used to hold secret meeting down here.
The water that runs though the glen is blood red with the Gorge walls being vibrant green. In order to get down here you need to climb down a set of slippery steps known as the Devil's steps.
This gorge has been used as a setting in the TV hit show Outlander and the Hollywood blockbuster The Eagle.
Definitely one of our favourite spots for the colours, the lighting and the sounds of the flowing rivers.
A must see spot for photographers...
3. Loch Lubnaig
Loch Lubnaig is a small freshwater loch in Callander, near Stirling.
This isn't the most recognisable Loch by far, but it is definitely our favourite. It's the perfect setting for camping, kayaking and for possibly Scotland's best bacon roll (in our opinion) from The Cabin cafe on its shores.
Although tour buses do sometimes stop here enroute to the highlands, it is one of the most peaceful Lochs we have visited. The Loch itself is nestled between two of Scotland's 282 Munro's being Ben Vorlich and Ben Ledi so you can imagine the views being spectacular.
4. Roslin Glen
Roslin Glen is based in the North Esk valley in the historic village of Roslin.
There are several places of interest in the Glen including Rosslyn Chapel where the Da Vinci code was filmed, Roslin Castle, Wallace's cave and the old paper mill ruin.
A great day out for everyone from historians to nature lovers and dog walkers.
This place became important to us as it was where we began the process of starting up Discover.Scotland.
The river that runs through the valley is a great places for a picnic and for kids to play and explore.
5. The Pentland Hill Range
The Pentland Hills are based just outside Edinburgh.
The range itself is approximately 32km in length with its highest peak Scald Law, sitting at 579m.
We fell in love with this place for many reasons, and with the main reason being that within a 15 minute drive you can escape the hustle and bustle of the city and get straight into nature.
With one half of us being a mountaineer and the other half being a hill walker this quickly became our training ground.
Although there are many hills to be climbed here, there is far more to explore on ground level.
There are reservoirs, waterfalls and wildlife, so you can be certain that you and your family will have a great day out.
If you do brave the short climbs up to the peaks you will be greeted with great views across the city.
There you have it guys our Top 5 places to visit.
We hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it!
Check out our Instagram for further inspiration.
Stefano and Maria
By Discover.Scotland
About:
Discover.Scotland are a couple based in Edinburgh who met on Instagram through their love of the outdoors. Stefano is a high Altitude mountaineer who works alongside CAC and Maria an avid Munro bagger.
