Highland - 54 Attractions You Must Visit

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About Highland

Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. Though relatively populous for a Scottish council area, it is also sparsely populated. At 9.0 per km2 in 2012, the population density is less than one seventh of Scotland's as a whole.

Types of Attractions in Highland

Activities Around

List of Attractions in Highland

Dunvegan Castle & Gardens

Dunvegan castle is built on an elevated rock overlooking an inlet on the eastern shore of Lake Dunvegan. The castle was first built in the 13th century and developed piecemeal over the centuries. In the 19th century the whole castle was remodelled in a mock-medieval style. It is the seat of the MacLeod of MacLeod, chief of the Clan MacLeod.

Eilean Donan

Eilean Donan

Islands

Forts

Eilean Donan is a small tidal island where three sea lakes meet. Eilean Donan Castle which frequently appears in photographs, film and television dominates the island. The castle was founded in the thirteenth century, and became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies the Clan MacRae. A footbridge connects the island to the mainland.

Fairy Pools

Fairy Pools

Waterfalls

Short Hikes

The Fairy Pools are a natural waterfall in Glen Brittle on the Isle of Skye. The pools are a vivid blue and are a popular place for wild swimmers who brave the cold waters. The habitat of the Fairy Pools hosts a variety of animals, such as red deer, rabbits, and sheep.

Falls of Foyers

Falls of Foyers

Waterfalls

Short Hikes

The waterfall has a fine cascade, having a fall of 165 feet. Set in a dramatic gorge, a short walk takes you to the viewpoint of the falls.

Fort George

A large 18th-century fortress near Ardersier, to the north-east of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland. It was built to control the Scottish Highlands in the aftermath of the Jacobite rising of 1745. The current fortress has never been attacked and has remained in continuous use as a garrison. The fort is open to visitors with exhibits and facsimiles showing the fort's use at different periods, while still serving as an army barracks.

Glen Coe

Glen Coe

Skiing Spots

2-5 Day Treks

Rock Climbing Spots

A valley of volcanic origins in the Highlands of Scotland. The scenic beauty of the valley has led to its inclusion in the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland. The valley is regarded as the home of Scottish mountaineering and is popular with hillwalkers and climbers. The journey through the valley on the main A82 road is one of the most scenic routes in Scotland.

Glen Etive

Glen Etive

Kayaking Spots

1 Day Treks

Glen Etive is a valley in the Highlands of Scotland. The River Etive flows through the valley, the river and its tributaries are popular with whitewater kayakers. A narrow road runs down the valley, serving several houses and farms.

Glen Nevis

Glen Nevis

Waterfalls

Viewpoints

2-5 Day Treks

Glen Nevis is a valley in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, with Fort William at its foot. It is bordered to the south by the Mamore range, and to the north by the highest mountains in the British Isles: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mòr, and Aonach Beag. It is home to one of the three highest waterfalls in Scotland, Steall Falls. Several films have been shot in Glen Nevis, most notably in the Harry Potter movies, Highlander, Highlander III: The Sorcerer, Braveheart and Rob Roy.

Glenfinnan Viaduct

Glenfinnan Viaduct

Viewpoints

Bridges

Notable Architectures

A railway viaduct on the West Highland Line. The viaduct is built from mass concrete, and has 21 semicircular spans of 50 feet (15 m). It is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland at 416 yards (380 m). Glenfinnan Viaduct has been used as a location in several films and television series, most natably in four of the Harry Potter films.

Handa Island

Handa Island

Beaches

Islands

Bird Sanctuaries

Cliffs

Handa Island is an island off the west coast of Sutherland, Scotland. It is 309 hectares (760 acres) and 123 metres (404 ft) at its highest point. The island is of national importance for its birdlife and maritime vegetation. Handa is composed of Torridonian red sandstone and surrounded by cliffs covered with birds, which includes puffins, razorbills and guillemots.

Highland Folk Museum

The Highland Folk Museum is a museum and open-air visitor attraction. The museum is primarily made up of three areas that represent and interpret three separate eras of the Scottish highlands. While some of the buildings on the museum site were built there, many have been relocated from other places around the highlands and reconstructed onsite.

Highland Wildlife Park

Highland Wildlife Park

Zoos

Wildlife Safari Spots

The Highland Wildlife Park is a 105-hectare (260-acre) safari park and zoo. Visitors experience Scottish wildlife past and present in the setting of the Scottish Highlands. On show are a variety of animals found in present-day Scotland, animals that were once present, hundreds, even thousands of years ago. Visitors drive around the Main Reserve in their cars.

Inverewe Garden

Inverewe Garden

Botanical Gardens

Inverewe Garden is a botanical garden in the Scottish Highlands. It is noted for the breadth of its collection. The garden was created from barren land in 1862 by Osgood Mackenzie on the 850-hectare (2,100-acre) estate bought for him by his mother. In order to provide a wind break and soil, he planted a mixture of large trees and shrubs. Having done so his vision was to grow as many exotic plants as possible; this he achieved until his death in 1922.

Inverness Castle

Inverness Castle

Viewpoints

Forts

Cliffs

Inverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. The red sandstone structure, displaying an early castellated style, is the work of a few nineteenth-century architects. There has been a castle on this site for many centuries. Until the 30th of March 2020 it housed Inverness Sheriff Court. In April 2017 the north tower of the castle was opened to the public as a view point. At present, only the castle grounds and the north tower are open to the public.

Inverness Cathedral

Inverness Cathedral

Churches

Notable Architectures

The cathedral, constructed in 1869 is the northernmost cathedral in mainland Britain and was the first new Protestant cathedral to be completed in Great Britain since the Reformation. The cathedral is built of red Tarradale stone, with the nave columns of Peterhead granite.

Kessock Bridge

The Kessock Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Beauly Firth inlet. The bridge has a total length of 1,056 metres (3,465 ft) with a main span of 240 metres (787 ft). The four bridge towers dominate the Inverness skyline, especially at night when they are lit.

Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls

Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls

Waterfalls

Cliffs

Rock Formations

The spectacular 55 metres (180 ft) tall sea-cliffs of Kilt Rock are made of dolerite rock strata in many different colours. Kilt Rock boasts a dramatic waterfall- Mealt Falls, created from the outflow of Loch Mealt. Mealt Falls plummets from the top of the cliffs to the rock-laden coast below.

Liathach

Liathach

1 Day Treks

Mountain Peaks

Liathach is a mountain in the Torridon Hills. At a height of 3,461 feet (1,055 m), it lies in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. When seen from the roadside below, its slopes appear to rise up in a series of near vertical rocky terraces. The traverse of the hill including both of its peaks is a challenging expedition; the intervening ridge is for the most part a series of rocky pinnacles. There are few places on the ridge for descent, so once committed, the hiker has little choice but to compl

Loch Ness

Loch Ness

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Boating Spots

A large, deep, freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 kilometres (23 miles) southwest of Inverness. Its deepest point is 230 metres (126 fathoms; 755 feet). Loch Ness is best known for alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie". It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil.

Muck Island

Muck Island

Beaches

Viewpoints

Islands

Cliffs

Muck is the smallest of four main islands in the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The larger part of the island is formed from olivine-phyric basalt flows erupted during the Palaeocene.

Map of attractions in Highland

Comments

For more information about Highland, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_(council_area)