The success of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent Hollywood film has seen a flood of visitors descend on Scotland’s most beautiful and enigmatic church - Rosslyn Chapel. The chapel was built in the mid-15th century for William St Clair, third earl...
West of Ballater lies Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s Highland holiday home, screened from the road by a thick curtain of trees. Built for Queen Victoria in 1855 as a private residence for the royal family, it kicked off the revival of the Scottish Baronial style...
High St, which stretches from George IV Bridge down to the Netherbow at St Mary’s St, is the heart and soul of the Old Town, home to the city’s main church, the Law Courts, the city council and - until 1707 - the Scottish parliament....
The Scottish National Trust’s flagship property, magnificent Culzean is one of the most impressive of Scotland’s great stately homes. The entrance to Culzean is a converted viaduct, and on approach the Castle appears like a mirage, floating into view. Designed by Robert Adam, who was...
Opposite the small, scattered village of Sandwick is the Isle of Mousa, an RSPB reserve. The impressive double-walled Mousa Broch (13m) stands on the island - this well-preserved broch was built from local sandstone between 100 BC and AD 100 and features in two Viking...
Photogenically sited at the entrance to Loch Duich, near Dornie village, Eilean Danan Castle is one of Scotland’s most evocative castles, and must be represented in millions of photo albums. It’s on an offshore islet, magically linked to the mainland by an elegant, stone-arched bridge....
Highland folklore is filled with tales of strange creatures living in lochs and rivers, notably the kelpie (water horse) that lures unwary travellers to their doom. The use of the term 'monster', however, is a relatively recent phenomenon whose origins lie in an article published...
Tobermory, the island’s main town, is a picturesque little fishing port and yachting centre with brightly painted houses arranged around 2 sheltered harbours, with a grid-patterned upper town as the setting for the children’s TV programme Balamory, the town swarms in summer with toddlers towing...
Tiny, charming Melrose is a polished village. This little enclave is a complete contrast with overbearing Galashiels, whose urban sprawl laps at its western edges. Sitting at the feet of the three heather-covered Eildon Hills, Melrose has a classic market square and its most famous...
Edinburgh owes its existence to the Castle Rock, the glacier-worn stump of a long-extinct volcano that provided a near-perfect defensive position guarding the coastal route from North East England into central Scotland. Back in the 7th century the Castle Rock was called Dun Eiden (meaning ‘Fort...