Scotland

You’ll take the high road, and I’ll take the low road, but either way, we’ll both see the best of Scotland. In the lowlands, you can sample the laid back bohemian culture of cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh, known internationally for its annual Fringefest, the world’s largest art festival.

Scotland’s majestic Highlands, however, are the scene-stealers. In the past, their misty cliffs and blue lochs have provided inspiration to everyone from novelist and playwright Sir Walter Scott to Danish auteur Lars Von Trier, who used this otherworldly landscape as a set for his 1996 masterpiece Breaking the Waves. The Highlands are often considered the most romantic part of Scotland, conjuring to mind the beauty of Inverness, a magical place full of medieval castles and untouched glens, and the vast majesty of Cairngorm's National Park, where red deer graze in the hills and eagles roam the skies. There is also incredible biodiversity throughout the country, from dolphins who frolic off the Moray Coast up in the bays of Sutherland, or the clear lochs and isolation of the glens of Wester-Ross and the fabulously wild, Isle of Skye.  Drive the famous hairpin bends of North Coast 500 to reach the UK’s most remote peninsula: Belach na Ba.

Perthshire is home to beautiful soft glens, scented moors, snow-capped mountains, scenic lochs, noble palaces, heritage from the Romans, Pics and Celts, dense ancient woodlands and Royalist history from Mary Queen of Scots to King James 1. Perthshire is indeed Scotland’s handsome Highland county with an eight-thousand-year history – no wonder Sir Walter Scott described this wilderness as "The fairest portion of the northern kingdom." Of course, no trip to Scotland would be complete without a shot of Scotch, which should be easy to find with 98 active malt distilleries. But don’t forget to eat first: proving there’s more to Scottish cooking than haggis, make it a point to dine on local favourites like poached duck eggs, Shetland salmon, Angus beef, and wild partridge with pear sauce. Explore wonderful Scotland.