5 Places to Visit in Scotland

From secret lochs to ancient castles, these are my favourite five places to visit in Scotland.

Much like Ireland and the rest of the UK, Scotland has so many amazing places to visit, so I narrowed it down to my top five places to visit in Scotland.

Scotland has so many mysterious, wonderous, incredible and spectacular places to visit. Particularly in the Highlands, where the Mountains touch the sky and the ghosts ride in on the mist.

Keeping with the theme of taking a trip down memory lane, when I was travelling across Scotland, Ireland and the rest of the UK with partner, exactly two years ago; to the day. I am moving through the country and selecting my favourite things to see, which I highly recommend you visit; if you’re travelling there that is.

Doune Castle:

If you’re a fan of the book and television series Outlander; or even a fan of Monty Python’s Holy Grail, you definitely want to add this castle to your itinerary. Of course, it’s not in the condition you see on the television, but it’s darn near close enough.

Most of the castle is in surprisingly good condition, with many of the floors, walls, grand halls and monster-sized fireplaces still in-tact. The main court area of the castle however is missing the roof and floors, so if it;s raining, make sure to wear weather appropriate shoes; it’s muddy.

Stirling:

Love the move Braveheart and obsessed with the story of William Wallace? Well, Stirling is the place where it all happened. The real William Wallace that is. Braveheart was actually filmed in Ireland, as the landscape was easier to film in then Scotland. But, if you love the movie and the real-life story of William Wallace, Stirling is where it all happened.

The real story of course is nothing like the move with Mel Gibson; with respect to the love story, but the idea of a man returning back to his country from France to discover England had overrun Scotland and this one man fought to free Scotland from England is all true and his legend certainly lives on in Stirling.

Culloden:

This one is for the history buffs. in 1975, Culloden was where the last stand between the English and the Scots took place, when the Catholic Bonnie Prince Charles (leader of the Jacobite army) was attempting to replace the current Protestant King at the time.

Unfortunately for the Scots, they lost this battle and although many English died in the battle, more Scots died and any who survived the conflict were tried for treason and hung across Scotland and England. It was from 1975, that all tartan representing any Scottish clans was outlawed by the crown and anyone caught wearing it was arrested and often hung as punishment.

Edinburgh:

I fell in love with Edinburgh from the moment I stepped foot into this fabulous city. Filled with both British, Scottish and even European history, all crammed into one city; Edinburgh boasts a spectacular diverse culture of many decades of European trade. Packed with old churches, monuments, underground tunnels, some of the world’s oldest pubs and of course Edinburgh Castle, the city is world renowned for its ghost stories, history and amazing architecture.

There is so much to do in this brilliant city and anyone I know who has been there, all fall in love. There were simply too many places to list for this city, so I highly recommend you visit when you get the chance and explore for yourself.

Urquhart Castle on the Loch:

The lonely ruins of a castle which once was, sitting on a hill by the Loch. Oh the stories and tales this castle could tell. There are many a great tale attached to this castle, with the funniest of all being about a dispute of two clans in the highlands, who were battling for the land and the castle. When the occupying clan of the castle were losing against their enemy, they decided to blow up the castle; figuring if they couldn’t have, then neither would their enemy.

These are the ruins left today for tourists to explore. But, that’s just one of the many interesting stories. The castle looks over the Loch, where many a sight of the mysterious Lochness Monster have been seen. I dare you to go explore and see if you can find the monster for yourself.