Scotland is famous for its rugged beauty and there’s plenty of unforgettable experiences to be enjoyed by the more adventurous Aussie explorers.
Here we unearth our seven favourites which includes watching the Northern Lights and visiting haunted castles.
Bagging a Munro:
There are 282 Munros (mountains which measure over 3000ft) in Scotland. It is not clear when these mountains became known as Munros, but the popularisation of “Munro-bagging” (which effectively means conquering) seems to have started with the publication of a book by Hamish Brown, Hamish’s Mountain Walk , in 1974. It documented his four month self-propelled journey (apart from some ferry crossings) round all the Munros. Find out more here.
Completing the North Coast 500:
This is known as ‘Scotland’s answer to America’s scenic Route 66’ – the route covers 500 miles of the coast of the northern Highlands, which stunning beaches, idyllic coastline views and delicious food & drink stops (such as Cocoa Mountain in Durness). Aussie road trippers can get their best pals together for the ultimate Scottish road trip. Find out more here.
Taking a plane to Barra….. and landing on the beach:
It sounds like something out of Indiana Jones, but it’s true. Loganair operates flights from Glasgow and Benbecula to Barra; Traigh Mhor, a two mile cockle shell strand, serves as the island’s runway, and as such, flights work to a flexible timetable as the runway disappears twice a day under the incoming tide. Find out more here.
Going wild swimming:
There are various places in Scotland where it is perfectly acceptable to go wild swimming depending how brave you feel. You may want to include the Corryvreckan Whirlpool in Argyll & The Isles or the Fairy Pools in Skye. Find out more here.
Visiting a ‘haunted’ castle:
Scotland is the home of myths, legends and spooky stories and what could be more hair-raising than visiting a rumoured haunted castle to see if the stories are true. Glamis Castle is believed to be one of the haunted castles in Scotland with stories of a ‘white lady’ roaming the corridors…. Find out more here.
Dancing with a Scot at a Ceilidh:
Anyone looking to meet the woman (or man) of their dreams might want to get up close to a Scot at a ceilidh. Dances include Strip the Willow, which involves couples standing in two lines, each couple linking arms to spin together then working their way down the line to dance with each couple in turn. Find out more here.
Seeing nature at its most stunning…. Witnessing the Northern Lights:
Lying on the same latitude as Stavenger in Norway and Nunivak Island in Alaska means visitors are very likely to see the Northern Lights (also called the Aurora Borealis) and feel very small (but equally awe-struck). Some of the best places in Scotland to see them include Wick in Caithness and Galloway Forest Park, the only Dark Sky Park in Scotland during the autumn and winter months on clear nights. Find out more here.
To find out more go to www.visitscotland.com
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