THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY

Neil WilsonAndy Symington

Scotland

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Northern Highlands& Islands

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Inverness & the Central Highlands

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Highlands &Islandsp244

Orkney &Shetlandp408

CentralScotland

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SouthernScotland

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NortheastScotland

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Glasgowp102

Edinburghp42

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Welcome to Scotland . . . . 4

Scotland Map . . . . . . . . . . .6

Scotland’s Top 16 . . . . . . . .8

Need to Know . . . . . . . . . .16

First Time Scotland . . . . .18

What’s New . . . . . . . . . . . 20

If You Like… . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Month by Month . . . . . . . 25

Itineraries . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Walking in Scotland . . . . .31

Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Regions at a Glance . . . . 38

EDINBURGH . . . . . . . 42Midlothian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94East Lothian . . . . . . . . . . . . 98West Lothian . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

GLASGOW . . . . . . . . 102Inverclyde . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Blantyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137The Campsies & Strathblane . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

SOUTHERN SCOTLAND . . . . . . . 138Peebles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Melrose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Selkirk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Hawick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Jedburgh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Kelso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Coldstream . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Eyemouth . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Coldingham & St Abbs . . 153Lanark & New Lanark . . . 154Biggar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155Ayrshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Dumfries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Annandale & Eskdale . . . . 167Castle Douglas . . . . . . . . 169Kirkcudbright . . . . . . . . . . 170Gatehouse of Fleet . . . . . . 172Galloway Forest Park . . . . 172Dalry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Newton Stewart . . . . . . . . 173The Machars . . . . . . . . . . . 174Stranraer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Portpatrick . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

CENTRAL SCOTLAND . . . . . . . .178Stirling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Fife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Culross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189Dunfermline . . . . . . . . . . . 189Aberdour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Kirkcaldy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Falkland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191St Andrews . . . . . . . . . . . . 192East Neuk . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198Lowland Perthshire & Kinross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201Perth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201Kinross & Loch Leven . . .206Strathearn . . . . . . . . . . . . .206Blairgowrie & Around . . .208

NORTHEAST SCOTLAND . . . . . . . 212Dundee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214Broughty Ferry . . . . . . . . .220Glamis Castle . . . . . . . . . . 221Arbroath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Kirriemuir . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Edzell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Brechin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Aberdeen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225Strathdon . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235Northern Aberdeenshire . . 235Moray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS . . . . . . . 244Loch Lomond . . . . . . . . . . 246Crianlarich & Tyndrum . . 251Helensburgh . . . . . . . . . . . 251Arrochar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252Aberfoyle & Around . . . . . 252Lochs Katrine & Achray . . 254Callander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254Balquhidder & Around . . . 257Killin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258Cowal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259Isle of Bute . . . . . . . . . . . .260Inveraray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

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Contents

Crinan Canal . . . . . . . . . . .264Kilmartin Glen . . . . . . . . . .264Kintyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265Isle of Arran . . . . . . . . . . . . 268Isle of Islay . . . . . . . . . . . . 273Isle of Jura . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277Isle of Colonsay . . . . . . . . 279Oban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280Isle of Mull . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286Isle of Iona . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293Isle of Tiree . . . . . . . . . . . .294Isle of Coll . . . . . . . . . . . . .296Loch Awe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297Connel & Taynuilt . . . . . . . 297Appin & Around . . . . . . . . 298Lismore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298

INVERNESS & THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS . . . . . . 299Inverness . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302Black Isle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310Loch Ness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310Aviemore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316Grantown-on-Spey . . . . . . 321Kingussie & Newtonmore . . . . . . . . . . . 321Highland Perthshire . . . 327Dunkeld to Blair Atholl . . 327Lochs Tummel & Rannoch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331Strathtay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333Glen Coe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336Kinlochleven . . . . . . . . . . . 339Fort William . . . . . . . . . . . . 339Ardnamurchan . . . . . . . . .344Road to the Isles . . . . . . .346Knoydart Peninsula . . . . .349Isle of Rum . . . . . . . . . . . .350Isle of Eigg . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351Isle of Muck . . . . . . . . . . . . 352Isle of Canna . . . . . . . . . . . 353

NORTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS . . . . . . . 356East Coast . . . . . . . . . . . 357Strathpeffer . . . . . . . . . . . . 357Tain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360Portmahomack . . . . . . . . .360Bonar Bridge & Around . . 361Lairg & Around . . . . . . . . . 361Dornoch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362Golspie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363Helmsdale . . . . . . . . . . . . .364Caithness . . . . . . . . . . . . 364Lybster & Around . . . . . . . 365Wick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365John O’Groats . . . . . . . . . .366Mey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367Dunnet Head . . . . . . . . . . . 367Thurso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368Durness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371Ullapool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376Kyle of Lochalsh . . . . . . . . 383Kyle to the Great Glen . . . 383Isle of Skye . . . . . . . . . . 384Kyleakin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387Portree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392Isle of Raasay . . . . . . . . . .396Outer Hebrides . . . . . . . 396Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .398Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401

ORKNEY & SHETLAND . . . . . . .408Orkney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409Kirkwall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412Stromness . . . . . . . . . . . . .420Hoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422Northern Islands . . . . . . . 422Shetland . . . . . . . . . . . . 427Lerwick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .428Bressay & Noss . . . . . . . . 431North Isles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435

Scotland Today . . . . . . . 440

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442

The Scottish Larder . . . 450

Scottish Culture . . . . . . 456

Natural Scotland . . . . . 463

Directory A–Z . . . . . . . . 468

Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486

Map Legend . . . . . . . . . . 495

SPECIAL FEATURES

Walking in Scotland . . . . .31

Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Royal Mile 3D Illustration . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Rosslyn Chapel 3D Illustration . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Scotland’s Museums . . 100

Stirling Castle 3D Illustration . . . . . . . . . . 182

Scotland’s Castles . . . . 210

Scotland’s Islands . . . . 242

Lochs & Mountains . . . 354

UNDERSTAND

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Itineraries

Isle ofSkye

Inverness

EDINBURGH

Plockton

Glen Coe

Culloden

PitlochryFort William

InvergarryGlen Shiel

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A Highland Fling

No trip to Scotland would be complete without a visit to Edinburgh, and even if your Scottish trip lasts only a week, the capital is worth two days of your time. On day three, head northwest to Stirling to see Scotland’s other great castle, then on to the Tros-sachs for your first taste of Highland scenery (overnight in Callander).

Day four starts with a scenic drive north via Crianlarich, Glen Coe and Fort Wil-liam, then along the Great Glen to Loch Ness in time for an afternoon visiting Urqu-hart Castle and the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition. An evening cruise on Loch Ness rounds off the day before spending the night in Inverness, on picturesque River Ness.

On day five, spend the morning visiting Culloden Battlefield, then drive west via Achnasheen and Plockton to Kyle of Lochalsh and cross the bridge to the Isle of Skye. Devote day six to exploring Skye – there will be time for a visit to Dunvegan Castle and a tour of the Trotternish peninsula.

Day seven is the long drive back south – the scenic route goes via Glen Shiel, Inver-garry, Spean Bridge (pause at the Commando Monument), Laggan and then south on the A9 to Edinburgh, with a stop in Pitlochry.

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From Edinburgh head north across the Forth Road Bridge to Fife and turn east along the coastal road through the delightful fishing villages of the East Neuk (pause for a seafood lunch at Anstruther or St Monans) to the home of golf, St Andrews. Stay a night or two – heck, play a round of golf – before continuing north across the Tay Bridge to Dundee and Glamis Castle. From here the A93 leads through the Grampian Moun-tains to reach Braemar, a good place to spend the night.

A feast of castles lies ahead as you make your way east along Royal Deeside – take your time and visit (at the very least) the royal residence of Balmoral Castle and the fairy tale Crathes Castle. Then overnight at the granite city of Aberdeen.

Now strike west again along the A944, making small detours to visit Castle Fraser and Craigievar Castle before turning north to Dufftown in the heart of Speyside. Base yourself here for at least a day while you explore the many whisky distilleries near-by – also try the Quaich whisky bar at the nearby Craigellachie Hotel.

Head northwest to Elgin and its magnificent ruined cathedral, then west on the A96 visiting Fort George and Culloden on the way to Inverness (with maybe a stopover in Nairn). Inverness itself is worth a night or two and there’s the opportunity for a side trip to Loch Ness (Drumnadrochit for monster spotters, Dores Inn for foodies).

Now for a glorious drive from Inverness to Torridon via Kinlochewe through some of the country’s finest mountain scenery; try to spend a night at the Torridon hotel. Then head south via Applecross and the pretty village of Plockton to Kyle of Lochalsh and the bridge to Skye.

Spend two days exploring Scotland’s most famous island before taking the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig, and follow the Road to the Isles in reverse, stopping to visit Glen-finnan, where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his Highland army in 1745. Overnight at Fort William, and drive back to Edinburgh via the scenic road through Glen Coe and and along the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

2 WEEKS

Dufftown

St Andrews

Braemar

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Elgin

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From Edinburgh your first objective should be a visit to Sir Walter Scott’s for-mer home at Abbotsford, followed by a traipse around the beautiful Border abbeys of Melrose and nearby Dryburgh; Melrose is a charming place to stay the night, with a choice of good hotels and eating places.

Next morning head west along the A708 to Moffat, passing through glorious scen-ery around St Mary’s Loch. Continue to Dumfries (and stop for the night), where you can visit the first of several sights related to Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns, and make a short side trip to see spectacular Caerlaverock Castle.

Take the A76 northwest towards Ayr, and spend the rest of day three in Alloway visiting the birthplace of Robert Burns (and other Burns-related sites); nearby Ayr has plenty of accommodation options.

North now to Wemyss Bay and the ferry to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, where you can visit stunning Mount Stuart, one of Scotland’s most impressive stately homes. Spend the night on the island, then return to the mainland and head east to Glasgow.

5 DAYS Border Raid

This route is usually done by car, but it also makes a brilliant cycling tour (270 miles, including the 60 miles from Ul-lapool to Inverness train station, making both start and finish accessible by rail).

From Oban it’s a five-hour ferry cross-ing to Barra; book a night’s stay here. Then, after a visit to Kisimul Castle and a tour around the island, take the ferry to South Uist. Walk the wild beaches of the west coast, sample the local seafood and perhaps go fishing on the island’s trout lochs. Continue through Benbecula and North Uist, prime birdwatching country.

Overnight at Lochmaddy on North Uist (if you’re camping or hostelling, a night at Berneray is a must) before taking the ferry to Harris, whose west coast has some of the most spectacular beaches in Scotland. The road continues north from Tarbert (good hotels) through rugged hills to Lewis.

Loop west via the Callanish Standing Stones and Arnol Blackhouse museum. Spend your final night in Stornoway (eat at Digby Chick), then take the ferry to Ul-lapool for a scenic drive to Inverness.

1 WEEK

CairngormsNational Park

Avon

Spey

Dee

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South Esk

Earn

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Lammermuir

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Ullapool

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Dumfries

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Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 9838th edition – Feb 2015ISBN 978 1 74321 570 8© Lonely Planet 2015 Photographs © as indicated 201510 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Printed in ChinaAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.

Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reasona-ble care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maximum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.

OUR WRITERSNeil WilsonCoordinating Author, Edinburgh, Central Scotland, Northeast Scotland, Inver-ness & the Central Highlands, Northern Highlands & Islands Neil was born in Scotland and, save for a few years spent abroad, has lived here most of his life. A lifelong enthusiasm for the great outdoors has inspired hiking, biking and sailing expeditions to every corner of the country. Researching this edition took him from the country’s most westerly point at Ardnamurchan Lighthouse to its most

easterly at Fraserburgh, and to every corner of beautiful Perthshire where he now lives. Neil has been a full-time author since 1988 and has written around 65 guidebooks for various publishers, including the Lonely Planet guides to Edinburgh and Scotland’s Highlands & Islands. Neil also wrote most of Plan Your Trip and the Scotland Today, Scottish Larder and Scottish Culture essays.

Andy SymingtonGlasgow, Southern Scotland, Southern Highlands & Islands, Northern Highlands & Islands, Orkney & Shetland Andy’s Scottish forebears make their presence felt in a love of malt, a debatable ginger colour to his facial hair and a love of wild places. From childhood treks up the M1 he graduated to making dubious road-trips around the firths in a disintegrating Mini Metro and thence to peddling

whisky in darkest Leith. Whilst living there, he travelled widely around the country in search of the perfect dram, and, now resident in Spain, continues to visit very regularly. Andy also wrote the Golf planning feature, the History and Natural Scotland essays and the Survival Guide.

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

OUR STORYA beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.

Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Franklin, London, Melbourne, Oakland, Beijing and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

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© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing with our content.’