The 10 best places to visit in Scotland for a 2021 staycation
Majestic mountains, moody lochs, abundant wildlife, remote outposts, bustling cities, rich culture and fiery whiskey (plenty of it) – there’s a lot to love about bonny Scotland.
It’s no surprise then that British holidaymakers (and even Her Majesty the Queen) flock to the ‘land of the brave’ year on year for a staycation on home soil. But a trip north can be daunting, with so much to explore and do – whether you're enticed by the thought of an open-water swim off a faraway island or would prefer to spend your day soaking up the architecture of a sprawling city – so it pays to do your research.
Most of Scotland's coronavirus restrictions were removed on August 9 as the country moved beyond Level 0. However, travellers must be aware that some rules, from mandatory face-mask wearing to social distancing in some settings, remain in place.
If you're ready to plan your own Scottish escape, browse Telegraph Travel's top 10 places below – including cities, islands and National Parks.
Best places to visit in Scotland
1. Edinburgh
Linda Macdonald, Telegraph Travel’s Edinburgh expert, writes: “Built on a human scale and easily navigated, Edinburgh readily gives up its secrets but has more to offer than just history written in stone. It’s a cosmopolitan city too, with Michelin-starred restaurants, a thriving café culture, vibrant and varied nightlife, great shopping and a strong contemporary arts scene”.
If you can, visit during Hogmanay (New Year) for a three-day extravaganza of lights, live music and spectacular fireworks, or the annual summer arts festival that also coincides with the famous Fringe.
Read our guide to 48 hours in Edinburgh
2. Glasgow
“Glasgow is back,” says Gavin Bell, our expert. “It has reinvented itself as a cultural powerhouse of music, creative arts, theatre, design and innovative cuisine.”
Architecturally impressive, with “a wealth of Victorian buildings in red and blond sandstone… Italianate palazzo facades, Art Nouveau reminiscent of Gaudi, and classical Greek and Roman motifs”, Glasgow is also a “sociable city that has always known how to party”.
Read our guide to 36 hours in Glasgow
3. The Outer Hebrides
Scotland isn’t the most obvious choice for a beach holiday, but the 15 inhabited islands that make up the Outer Hebrides can boast some of Europe’s most serenely beautiful stretches – many of which could easily be mistaken for somewhere in the Caribbean.
On mountainous Harris head for Luskentyre, an ethereal blur of swirling sands and shimmering blue streaks, or Scarista, which, being prone to big Atlantic swells, attracts surfers.
On North Uist try Traigh Lingeigh and Traigh Hornais for great sea views; Hosta Beach for surfing; or West Beach, three miles of blissful solitude on Berneray.
And on Barra, it has to be Traigh Eais, an exhilarating one-mile stretch of sand; Traigh Mhor, the world’s only beach that doubles as an airport; or Tangasdale Beach, a great spot for sunsets, with powder sand and deep blue seas, framed by low green headlands and black rocks.
Read how the Outer Hebrides has beaches to rival Punta Cana
4. The Inner Hebrides
This chain of 79 islands – 35 of which are inhabited – can boast some of Scotland’s most fascinating destinations.
Iona is a haven of peace. Its Abbey is a place for quiet reflection amid the sacred remains of 60 Scottish, Irish and Norwegian kings.
There’s whisky galore on Islay, with no fewer than eight distilleries, as well as tranquil beauty, sweeping vistas and more than 20 beaches.
Jura is a land apart, among the wildest and most rugged places in Britain. There are stags on the hills, otters by the shore and golden eagles among the crags – and barely 200 people living along its only road.
And Mull, meanwhile, offers imposing mountain scenery, the town of Tobermory, known for its brightly painted waterfront houses, and a beach of golden sand and crystal clear water at Calgary.
Browse our selection of top hotels in the Inner Hebrides
5. Skye
The largest of the Inner Hebrides deserves its own entry.
Elgol’s boulder-strewn beach is a good place for visitors to start. The view from here of the mighty Black Cuillin mountain range has been lauded as the finest in Britain. Then head for a walk around the Quiraing, between Staffin and Uig or a wild swim in the crystalline waters of Glen Brittle’s Fairy Pools.
Telegraph Travel’s Caroline Shearing recommends a visit in May or early June. “Lambs frolic against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks, spring flowers carpet an already glorious landscape, and seabirds, including puffins, return to nest on its coastal fringes,” she says. “A visit at this time of year also offers a good chance of avoiding the worst of Skye’s weather.”
Read our guide to 36 hours on Skye
6. Cairngorms National Park
One of Scotland’s two national parks, the Cairngorms is a true mountain wilderness and contains five out of six of Scotland’s highest peaks, and four out of 10 of the highest in Britain. Mike Dennison, in his insider guide to the park, recommends a walk around Loch Muick, or cycling the Speyside Way. His favourite view is from the top of 1,309-metre Ben Macdui.
Skiing is possible in winter for fans of activity holidays, while the Cairngorms are also one of the last remaining British strongholds of the red squirrel for keen wildlife watchers.
Read our National Park guide to the Cairngorms
7. Fort William and Glencoe
The second largest settlement in the Scottish Highlands is a popular base for climbers and hikers targeting Ben Nevis and other surrounding mountains. It is within easy reach too of Glencoe – a haven of windswept, rocky splendour. “It is one of the most dramatic, haunting places in Scotland,” says Gavin Bell.
“There are mountains, and a history of clan warfare. It is a broad highland meadow in the heart of Glen Coe, scene of the infamous massacre of MacDonalds by Campbell soldiers in 1692. Most visitors are content to drive through the glen, stopping to marvel at three massive, brooding buttresses on one side and a towering, knife-edge ridge on the other. Those who take a rough footpath up to the lost valley find a historic hiding place of stolen cattle, in a wilderness stalked by the spectres of murdered clansmen. If hairs rise on the backs of necks, it may not be down to the wind.”
And be sure to find time to board the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig. It is one of the most picturesque rail routes in the world and includes a crossing of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which featured in the Harry Potter films.
Read our guide to the perfect break in Glencoe
8. Shetland and Orkney
Orkney, the closer of the two most northerly archipelagos, is punctuated with archaeological treasures, including Skara Brae, a 5,000-year-old housing complex, while there’s a lively arts and folk music scene in Kirkwall, the capital. The picturesque harbour town of Stromness was home to the late poet George Mackay Brown, who wrote: “The essence of Orkney’s magic is silence, loneliness, and the deep marvellous rhythms of sea and land, darkness and light.”
Shetland’s draws are similar. It is also a naturalist’s paradise, home to puffins, guillemots, razorbills, gannets, and thousands of seals, and possesses some magnificent sandy beaches. Consider timing your visit to coincide with Up Helly Aa, the traditional midwinter fire festival, which features torch-lit processions and the burning of a galley.
Read our guide to Orkney’s archaeological treasures and Shetland’s wild, awe-inspiring islands
9. Arran
South of the Hebrides, in the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran is “Scotland in miniature”, according to Gavin Bell, a “jumble of hills and glens and pretty seaside villages that can be explored in a day, but better in two, within easy reach of Glasgow.
“The Highland fault line divides the island, separating the verdant south from the wilder mountainous landscape of the north. In the middle stands heather-clad Goatfell, the highest peak at 2,866ft. It is a relaxed, whimsical place with a slow heartbeat. And there is, of course, a distillery producing golden drams from the island’s sweetest water.”
Read our postcard from Arran, the tiny Scottish island with plenty of breathing space
10. The Ardnamurchan Peninsular
This isolated stretch of coast has empty beaches worthy of Robinson Crusoe. At the very end of the peninsula, Scotland's most westerly point, lies Sanna Bay. Artists and photographers come here for the astonishing colours – snow-white sand dunes, aquamarine seas and jagged black rocks – and striking views of Muck, Eigg and Rum. Nature-lovers collect shells and look for dolphins and whales.
Read our guide to Ardnamurchan: the secret Scottish wilderness you’ve probably never heard of
Best of the rest
The Scottish Borders, home to numerous castles and abbeys, Dundee, with its burgeoning arts scene, and Fingal's Cave on the uninhabited Isle of Staffa, seen as Scotland’s answer to Giant’s Causeway.
The best drive? The A9 from Stirling to Inverness is "the most beautiful A-road in the world", according to Telegraph Travel's Ben Ross. And the best cycle route? That would be the Bealach na Bà on the Applecross peninsula, described by Simon Warren in his book 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs as Britain’s “toughest and wildest”.
