©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Scotland’s Highlands & Islands Orkney & Shetland p229 Northern Highlands & Islands p173 Inverness & the Central Highlands p115 Southern Highlands & Islands p46 Neil Wilson, Andy Symington PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD Welcome to Scotland’s SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS Day One: Milngavie to Highlands & Islands . 4 & ISLANDS . 46 Drymen . 107 Day Two: Drymen to Scotland’s Highlands Loch Lomond & Rowardennan . 110 & Islands’ Map . 6 the Trossachs . 48 Day Three: Rowardennan Scotland’s Highlands Loch Lomond . 48 to Inverarnan . 110 & Islands’ Top 19 . 8 Crianlarich & Tyndrum . 52 Day Four: Inverarnan to Need to Know . 20 Arrochar . 53 Tyndrum . 111 The Trossachs . 53 Day Five: Tyndrum to If You Like . 22 Kings House Hotel . 112 South Argyll . 61 Month by Month . 25 Cowal . 61 Day Six: Kings House Hotel to Kinlochleven . 112 Bute . 62 Itineraries . 28 Day Seven: Kinlochleven Inveraray . 63 Activities . 32 to Fort William . 113 Crinan Canal . 64 Regions at a Glance . 43 Kilmartin Glen . .. 65 INVERNESS & Kintyre . 65 THE CENTRAL Islay . 69 HIGHLANDS . 115 Jura . 74 Inverness & the Colonsay . 80 Great Glen . 118 THOMAS DEKIERE/SHUTTERSTOCK © DEKIERE/SHUTTERSTOCK THOMAS Arran . 81 Inverness . 118 Brodick & Around . 82 Around Inverness . 123 Corrie to Lochranza . 83 West of Inverness . 128 Lochranza . 83 Black Isle . 129 West Coast . 84 Loch Ness . 130 South Coast . 84 The Cairngorms . 135 Lamlash . 84 Aviemore . 135 Oban, Mull, Iona Around Aviemore . 138 & Tiree . 86 Grantown-on-Spey . 140 Oban . 86 Kingussie & WEST HIGHLAND WAY P104 Around Oban . 90 Newtonmore . 140 Mull . 92 Tomintoul & Around . 141 Iona . 98 Cockbridge to KICHIGIN/SHUTTERSTOCK © KICHIGIN/SHUTTERSTOCK Tiree . 100 Tomintoul Road . 142 Coll . 101 Royal Deeside . 142 North Argyll . 102 The Angus Glens . 145 Loch Awe . 102 Highland Perthshire . 146 Connel & Taynuilt . 103 Dunkeld & Birnam . 146 Pitlochry . 148 WALKING THE WEST Blair Atholl . 150 Lochs Tummel HIGHLAND WAY . 104 & Rannoch . 151 Planning . 105 Aberfeldy . 152 The Walk . 107 Kenmore . 153 TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH DRESS P280 Loch Tay & Ben Lawers . .. 153 Contents UNDERSTAND Fortingall . 154 Kyleakin (Caol Acain) . 207 Scotland’s Highlands Glen Lyon . 154 Broadford (An T-Ath & Islands Today . 264 West Highlands . 154 Leathann) . 207 History . 266 Armadale & Sleat . 210 Glen Coe . 155 Highland Culture . 274 Kinlochleven . 158 Isleornsay . 210 Fort William . 159 Elgol (Ealaghol) . 210 Landscapes & Wildlife . 282 Around Fort William . 162 Cuillin Hills . 211 Ardnamurchan . 164 Minginish . 212 Food & Drink . 289 Road to the Isles . 165 Portree (Port Righ) . 212 Knoydart . 168 Dunvegan (Dun Bheagain) . 214 SURVIVAL Small Isles . 169 Duirinish & Waternish . 214 Rum . 170 Trotternish . 215 GUIDE Eigg . 171 Raasay . 216 Canna . 172 Outer Hebrides . 217 Directory A-Z . 298 Muck . 172 Lewis (Leodhais) . 218 Transport . 305 Harris (Na Hearadh) . 221 Glossary . 309 NORTHERN HIGHLANDS Berneray & ISLANDS . 173 (Bearnaraigh) . 224 Index . .. 312 East Coast . 176 North Uist (Uibhist Map Legend . .. 319 A Tuath) . 225 Strathpeffer . 176 Benbecula (Beinn Na Tain . 177 Faoghla) . 225 Bonar Bridge & Around . 177 South Uist (Uibhist Lairg & Around . 178 A Deas) . 226 Dornoch . 178 Barra (Barraigh) . 227 Golspie . 179 Helmsdale . 180 ORKNEY & Caithness . 180 SHETLAND . 229 Helmsdale to Lybster . 181 Orkney . 232 Wick . 181 Kirkwall . 233 John O’Groats . 182 East Mainland to South Mey . 182 Ronaldsay . 237 SPECIAL Thurso & Scrabster . 183 West & North Mainland . 241 FEATURES North & West Coast . 188 Stromness . 243 Activities . 32 Thurso to Durness . 188 Hoy . 245 Scottish Castles . 57 Durness . 190 Northern Islands . 247 Driving Tour: The Trossachs to Mull . 85 Durness to Ullapool . 191 Shetland . 250 Ullapool . 195 Lerwick . 252 Driving Tour: A Loch Ness Circuit . 133 Ullapool to Kyle Bressay & Noss . 256 Lochs & Mountains . 157 of Lochalsh . 196 Scalloway . 256 Kyle of Lochalsh . 203 Driving Tour: Wee Roads South Mainland . 257 & Mighty Mountains . 197 Kyle to the Great Glen . .. 203 North Mainland . .259 Scotland’s Islands . 209 Skye . 204 The North Isles . .. 260 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 28 Itineraries Assynt •# The Minch •# Coigach Moray É Firth É •# Loch Maree •#Glen Torridon •# Inverness É Isle of Skye •# •# Plockton Sea of the Hebrides Mallaig •# É Glenfinnan •# •# Ben Nevis Glen Coe •# •#Rannoch Moor É •# Falls of Dochart Firth of ATLANTIC Forth OCEAN •# Loch Katrine •# The Trossachs 2 WEEKS A Highland Fling This tour takes in the scenic highlights of the Highlands, including the Isle of Skye. Begin with a visit to the Trossachs for your first taste of Highland scenery; take a cruise on Loch Katrine and spend the night in Callander. Continue north via the Falls of Dochart at Killin and the fringes of Rannoch Moor. The mountain scenery becomes more impressive, culminating in the grandeur of Glen Coe. Keen hill walkers will pause for a day at Fort William to climb Ben Nevis (plus another day to recover!) before taking the Road to the Isles past glorious Glenfin- nan and the Silver Sands of Morar to Mallaig. Overnight here and dine at one of its seafood restaurants. Take the ferry to the Isle of Skye, spending a day or two exploring Scotland’s most fa- mous island, before crossing the Skye Bridge back to the mainland, then head north via the pretty village of Plockton to the magnificent mountain scenery of Glen Torridon. Spend a day or two hiking here, then follow the A832 alongside lovely Loch Maree and continue north into the big-sky wilderness of Coigach and Assynt, before making your way back south with an overnight in Inverness. 29 •# Orkney Islands ATLANTIC OCEAN Cape Wrath Durness Arnol The •# •# •# PLAN YOUR TRIP É Thurso Blackhouse Minch •# •#Stornoway Miavaig & Traigh Uige •# •# •#Assynt •# Callanish Lewis É NORTH SEA Standing Stones •# Coigach •# É Tarbert É Harris •# •# Ullapool Moray •# Berneray É Firth North Uist •# IT I •# Inverness NERAR South Uist •# É I ES Barra •# Sea of the Hebrides É •# Oban 2 WEEKS Island Hopscotch This route is usually done by car, but the Oban–Barra–Stornoway–Ullapool–Inverness loop also makes a brilliant cycle tour (around 270 miles, including the 60 miles from Ullapool ferry terminal to Inverness train station, making both start and finish accessi- ble by rail). CalMac’s Island Hopscotch ticket No 8 includes all the ferries needed for the Outer Hebrides part of this route. From Oban it’s a five-hour ferry crossing to Barra; you’ll arrive in the evening so plan to spend the night there (book ahead). In the morning, after a visit to romantic Ki- simul Castle and a tour around the island, take the ferry to South Uist. Walk along the wild beaches of the west coast, sample the local seafood and, if you’ve brought your fish- ing rod, look forward to a bit of sport on the island’s many trout lochs. There are good places to stay at Polochar, Lochboisdale and Lochmaddy (two nights should be enough). Keep your binoculars handy as you follow the road north through Benbecula and North Uist, as this is prime birdwatching country. If you’re camping or hostelling, a night at Berneray is a must before taking the ferry to Harris. Pray for sun, as the road along Harris’ west coast has some of the most spectacular beaches in Scotland. The main road continues north from Tarbert (good hotels) through the rugged Harris hills to Lewis. Don’t go directly to Stornoway; instead head to the Callanish Standing Stones and Arnol Blackhouse museum – the highlights of the Western Isles. If you have time (two days is ideal), detour west to the beautiful beaches around Miavaig and Traigh Uige; there’s plenty of wild and semiwild camping. Spend your final night in the Hebrides in Stornoway (eating at Digby Chick), then take the ferry to Ullapool, where you have the choice of heading straight to Inverness, or continuing north around the mainland coast through the gorgeous wilderness of Coi- gach and Assynt, and on via Cape Wrath and Durness to Thurso, where the ferry to the Orkney Islands awaits. 30 Inverness •# É Urquhart Castle Rothiemurchus É Tomintoul •# •# Loch Ness •# Aviemore •# •# É •# •# É •# Ballater Newtonmore Cairngorm•# PLAN YOUR TRIP Fort É Mountain Braemar William É •# Railway É Ardnamurchan •# •# Point Glen Nevis •# •# Tobermory •# Glen Coe Pitlochry Oban É •# •# •# Loch Awe Iona •# Isle of Mull Inveraray IT •# É Firth of •# I Kilmartin Glen Forth NERAR •# •# Beaver Detective Trail É Loch Lomond AT L A N T I C •# O C E A N É Dunoon •# I Tarbert ES Isle of Islay •# É •# Isle of Gigha É Argyll & the Isles Heart of the Highlands Mull of Kintyre •# Heart of the 10 Argyll & the Isles 1 DAYS WEEK Highlands Argyll and its islands offer a varied taste of The central and western Highlands are Highland scenery, wildlife and history, all famous for mountain scenery, ancient pine within a few hours’ drive of Glasgow. forests and whisky distilleries. Begin with a scenic drive from Dunoon Beginning in Pitlochry, abandon the to Portavadie via Benmore Botanic Gar- main A9 road and enjoy a day’s scenic den, then take the ferry to the pretty drive east across the hills on the A924, fishing village of Tarbert. Devote a day and then north on the A93 through the ski to the Kintyre peninsula, taking in Camp- area of Glenshee to the remote Highland beltown, the Mull of Kintyre and the Isle outpost of Braemar. Spend a night here, of Gigha. Then allow at least two days for and the following day either hike in the touring Islay and its famous distilleries. hills nearby or visit Balmoral Castle before spending your second night at Ballater. Back on the mainland, head north through Knapdale – visiting the Beaver From here the roller-coaster A939 takes Detective Trail – to the prehistoric sites you north to Tomintoul and Glenlivet, close of Kilmartin Glen and on to Oban. to the heartland of Speyside whisky.