• Getting moody in Glencoe: A trek through this Highlands glen on foot or by car is one of the most dramatic outings in Scotland. The narrow valleys have a brooding, almost claustrophobic grandeur, and you might feel as if the bleak mountainsides are hemming you in. Or maybe that’s just echoes of the most notorious massacre in Scottish history, still haunting these landscapes.
  • Trekking around the Treshnish Headland, Mull: A relatively easy 7-mile hike past sea cliffs and shoreline caves comes with the company of deer, sheep, seals, and seabirds. When you can take your eyes off the immediate surroundings, scan the horizon for Dutchman’s Cap, or Boc Mor, one of the Treshnish Islands just offshore.
  • Going ashore on Staffa: The main reason to sail over to this tiny islet, really just a grass-covered outcropping, is to see and listen to Fingal’s Cave, where the melodic sound of incoming surf has inspired poets and composers. Then find a perch on the grassy bluffs and observe the colony of enchanting puffins that breed and nest on the sea ledges.
  • Crossing the Sound of Sleat to the Isle of Skye: Few places on earth are as transporting as this near-mystical island of heather-carpeted moors, weird rock formations, mossy glens, green headlands, boulder-strewn beaches, craggy saw-toothed mountains, and transformative seascapes. The only fly in the ointment? Legions of nature and scenery lovers feel the same way, so it’s best to avoid the August crush.
  • Having an adventure in the Cairngorms: Nature goes on overdrive in Britain’s largest national park, 4,528 sq. km (1,748 sq. miles) of wild mountain tundra, heather-carpeted moorland, ancient Caledonian pinewoods, and 55 summits over 900m (3,000 ft.). Hiking, kayaking, wildlife-watching—pick your pleasure.
  • Admire the daffodils in Threave Gardens: Nearly 200 different varieties burst into bloom in April, and rhododendrons provide a riot of color in June. But the 24 hectares (59 acres) overlooking the Galloway Hills are a delight almost any time, with a secret garden and a woodland with a pond and waterfall.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.