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Between the Ochil Hills and the Campsie Fells, the city of Stirling grew up around its castle, historically one of Scotland’s most important fortresses. Below the castle the Old Town is still protected by the original walls, built in the 16th century to keep Mary, Queen of Scots safe from Henry VIII. The medieval Church of the Holy Rude, on Castle Wynd, where the infant James VI was crowned in 1567, has one of Scotland’s few surviving hammerbeam oak roofs. In front of the church, the ornate façade of Mar’s Wark is all that remains of a grand palace, destroyed by the Jacobites in 1746.

Just 3 km (2 miles) south of Stirling, the Battle of Bannockburn Experience stands by the field where Robert the Bruce defeated the English in 1314, after which he dismantled the small castle that once stood there to prevent it from fallinginto English hands. A statue commemorates the man who became an icon of Scottish independence.

Experience Central and Northeast Scotland

Situated on a long crescent of sandy beach, this small town is known for its annual Hogmanay Fireball Festival and its heated seawater open-air swimming pool. It is also infamous as the birthplace of the deep-fried Mars Bar. The Stonehaven Tolbooth Museum is housed in a 16th-century building on the quayside and once served as the town’s courthouse and jail. It now displays a large collection of oddball, punishment-related artifacts such as the stocks and the crank, a distinctly horrible torture device.

Stonehaven Tolbooth Museum

⌂ Old Pier, Stonehaven Harbour # 1:30–4:30pm Wed–Mon
∑ stonehaventolbooth.co.uk

Open-air swimming pool

" ⌂ Queen Elizabeth Park # Times vary, check website;
∑ stonehavenopenairpool.co.uk

Perched on its sea-girt crag just 3 km (2 miles) south of Stonehaven, Dunnottar is the northeast’s most spectacular castle. It featured in Victor Frankenstein, the 2015 sci-fi film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, starring Daniel Radcliffe. It also featured as Elsinore in Franco Zeffirelli’s Hamlet. The castle sits on a superb natural stronghold, with steep cliffs on three sides and a narrow neck of rock connecting it to the land. The Scottish crown jewels were famously hidden from Oliver Cromwell’s invading army here in the 17th century. Originally constructed for the Earl of Marischal in the 12th century, the surviving parts, mostly in ruins, date from the 15th and 16th centuries, and the 14th-century tower house is still in relatively good shape, though roofless. The castle is accessible by car, or via a steep well-marked clifftop path from Stonehaven.

Tiny Pennan is a picturesque fishing hamlet sandwiched between towering sandstone cliffs and the choppy waters of the North Sea. This single row of pretty, whitewashed stone houses achieved fame as a location for the 1983 film Local Hero in which it doubled as the fictional village of Ferness. Look out for the iconic red phone box on the seafront; originally installed just for the movie, it is now a local landmark.

A bleak and beautiful expanse of windswept coast near Balmedie, a somnolent suburb of Aberdeen, Forvie National Nature Reserve is one of Scotland’s most dramatic coastal stretches, and one of the largest areas of sand dunes in the UK. This unique environment, where stark empty sand dunes meet the mudflats of the Ythan Estuary, is home to some spectacular wildlife including eider ducks, wading oystercatchers and seals. Just 2.5 km (4 miles) south of Forvie, the opening of Trump International Golf Links in 2012 sparked controversy within the local community, as the previously protected Menie Estate was bulldozed to make way for the development. Donald Trump’s grandiose promises of a $1.25 billion investment creating 6,000 jobs persuaded the Scottish government to ignore environmental considerations and approve the scheme. The local economy has not benefited as promised. The resort comprises one course (open only seven months of the year) and a 16-room hotel that employs fewer than 100 people.

This grand mansion, well off the tourist trail, but its spectacular collection of artworks and renowned masterpieces by Scottish and European masters is a revelation. El Greco’s St Jerome in Penitence is a highlight, and there are also works by Allan Ramsay, Sir Henry Raeburn and Dutch, German and Italian Renaissance painters. Surrounded by immaculate gardens, the house was designed by famed architect William Adam for William Duff, Earl of Fife, in 1735, but the two allegedly fell out over a structural flaw in the building, which led to a long-drawn-out court case, and Duff never actually moved into the finished house.

Balmoral Castle is a kitsch Victorian vision that is the high point of any visit to leafy Royal Deeside. Queen Victoria bought the estate for 30,000 guineas in 1852, after its owner choked to death on a fishbone. Her Prince Consort, Albert, had a hand in the design and it reflects his Teutonic tastes. The grand ballroom is the only part of the castle open to the public, but splendid walking trails allow visitors to explore the gardens and grounds.

Castle Fraser, within beautifully kept landscaped grounds, is an architectural riot of towers, turrets and crow-step gables. Most of these were added in the late 18th century, but the original castle, which is more than 400 years old, is one of the oldest and largest “z-plan” tower houses in Scotland. Inside, grand medieval halls and Regency salons house Fraser family portraits and exquisite Regency furniture.

Built as the residence of Robert, Duke of Albany, in the late 1300s, Doune Castle was a Stuart stronghold until it fell into ruin in the 18th century. Now fully restored, it offers a unique view into the life of the medieval royal household.

The Gatehouse leads to the central courtyard, then into the Great Hall. With its open-timber roof, minstrels’ gallery and central fireplace, the Hall adjoins the Lord’s Hall and Private Room, and retains its original privy and well-hatch. A number of private stairs and narrow passages illustrate the ingenious means by which the royal family protected itself.

The film Monty Python and the Holy Grail was shot here, and it has also featured in Game of Thrones and Outlander.

With its cobbled marketplace and crooked lanes, Elgin retains much of its medieval layout. The 13th- century cathedral ruins are all that remain of one of Scotland’s architectural triumphs. Once known as the Lantern of the North, it was damaged in 1390 by the Wolf of Badenoch (son of Robert II) in revenge for his excommunication by the Bishop of Moray. Further damage came in 1576 when the Regent Moray had the lead roofing stripped. Among the remains is a Pictish cross-slab in the nave and a basin where one of the town benefactors, Andrew Anderson, was kept as a baby by his homeless mother. The Elgin Museum has anthropological and geological displays, and the Moray Motor Museum has vehicles dating back to 1904.

Elgin Museum

'⌂ 1 High St # Apr–Oct: 10am–5pm Mon–Fri, 11am–4pm Sat
∑ elginmuseum.org.uk

Moray Motor Museum

" - ⌂ Bridge St # Easter–Oct: 11am–5pm daily
∑ moraymotormuseum.org

Due to its climate and geology, Speyside is home to half of Scotland’s whisky distilleries. The signposted trail includes eight distilleries though one (Dallas Dhu) no longer makes whisky, and a cooperage, where barrels to store whisky are made.

There is no secret to whisky distilling: barley is steeped in water and allowed to grow, a process called “malting”; the grains are then dried with peat smoke, milled, mixed with water and allowed to ferment in a double process of distillation. The final result is a raw, rough whisky that is then stored in old oak sherry casks for three to 16 years, during which time it mellows. Worldwide, an average of 30 bottles of Scotch whisky are sold every second.

The visitor centres at each of The Malt Whisky Trail® distilleries provide similar, and equally good, guided tours and informative audio-visual displays. Their entry charges can usually be redeemed against the purchase of a bottle of their whisky.

EXPERIENCE Central and Northeast Scotland

Sitting proudly atop a tiny island in the middle of Loch Leven, this eerie tower-house castle, often shrouded in mist, is one of Scotland’s oldest, dating back to the 14th century. Mary, Queen of Scots was held captive here between 1567 and 1568, when she suffered a miscarriage and was subsequently forced to abdicate the throne to her infant son James VI. She escaped and was exiled to England, never to return. Other notable visitors include Robert the Bruce and Robert II, who was King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. Boats depart regularly from the mainland pier; the crossing takes around 10 minutes. Tickets must be bought from the ticket office.

The Loch Leven Heritage Trail is a 22-km (14-mile) gravel path that circles the loch – perfect for a scenic cycle or walk. Cycle hire is available at Kinross Pier.

The capital of medieval Scotland, Perth’s rich heritage is reflected in many of its buildings. In the Church of St John, founded in 1126, John Knox delivered fiery sermons that led to the destruction of many local monasteries. On North Port, the Victorianized Fair Maid’s House (c. 1600) is one of the city’s oldest, and the fictional home of the heroine of Sir Walter Scott’s The Fair Maid of Perth (1828).

In Balhousie Castle, the Museum of the Black Watch commemorates the first ever Highland regiment, while the Museum and Art Gallery has local industry displays and Scottish art exhibitions.

Three km (2 miles) north of Perth, Gothic Scone Palace stands on the site of an abbey destroyed by John Knox’s followers in 1559. Between the 9th and 13th centuries, Scone guarded the sacred Stone of Destiny, now in Edinburgh Castle.

Balhousie Castle

- ⌂ RHQ Black Watch, Hay St § (01738) 638152 # 9:30am–4:30pm daily (Nov–Mar: 10am–4pm)

Museum and Art Gallery

⌂ 78 George St§ (01738) 632488# 10am–5pm Tue–Sat (Apr–Oct: also Sun)

With the pinnacled outline of a Loire chateau, the imposing medieval tower house of Glamis Castle began as a royal hunting lodge in the 11th century, but later underwent a thorough reconstruction in the 17th century. It was the childhood home of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and her former bedroom can be viewed, including a youthful portrait by Henri de Laszlo (1878–1956). Her daughter, the late Princess Margaret, was born here.

Many rooms are open to the public, including Duncan’s Hall, the oldest room in the castle and Shakespeare’s setting for the king’s murder in Macbeth. The castle’s oppulent rooms present china, paintings, tapestries and furniture spanning 500 years. In the extensive grounds stands a pair of wrought-iron gates made for the Queen Mother on her 80th birthday in 1980. In summer the spectacular gardens are in full bloom.

By the River Tay, crossed here by an elegant Thomas Telford bridge, this ancient and charming village was all but destroyed in the Battle of Dunkeld in 1689. The Little Houses lining Cathedral Street were the first to be rebuilt, and remain fine examples of an imaginative restoration.

The partly ruined 14th- century cathedral enjoys an idyllic setting on shady lawns beside the Tay, against a backdrop of steep and wooded hills. The choir is used as the parish church, and its north wall contains a leper’s squint (a little hole through which lepers could see the altar during mass).

It was while on holiday in the countryside around Dunkeld that the children’s author Beatrix Potter found inspiration for her Peter Rabbit stories.

Experience Central and Northeast Scotland

Scotland’s capital until 1603, Dunfermline is dominated by the ruins of the 12th-century abbey and palace, which recall its royal past. The town first came to prominence in the 11th century as the seat of King Malcolm III, who founded a priory on the present site of Dunfermline Abbey and Palace. With its Norman nave and 19th-century choir, the abbey church contains the tombs of 22 Scottish kings and queens, including that of the renowned Robert the Bruce. The ruins of the palace soar over the gardens of Pittencrieff Park.Dunfermline’s most famous son, the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), had been forbidden entrance to the park as a boy. After making his fortune, he bought the entire Pittencrieff estate and gave it to the people of Dunfermline. Carnegie emigrated to Pennsylvania in his teens and, through iron and steel, became one of the wealthiest men in the world. He donated some $350 million for the benefit of mankind. The Carnegie Birthplace Museum tells his fascinating story.

Dunfermline Abbey and Palace

= ⌂ St Margaret St # Apr–Oct: daily (Sun pm only)
∑ dunfermlineabbey.co.uk

Carnegie Birthplace Museum

⌂ Moodie St # Mar–Nov: daily (Sun pm only) ∑ carnegiebirthplace.com

An important religious centre in the 6th century, Culross is reputed to have been the birthplace of St Mungo in 514. Now a beautifully preserved 16th- and 17th-century village, Culross prospered in the 16th century due to the growth of its coal and salt industries, most notably under the genius of Sir George Bruce. Descended from the family of Robert the Bruce, Sir George took charge of the colliery in 1575 and created a drainage system called the “Egyptian Wheel” which cleared a mine 1.5 km (1 mile) long, running underneath the River Forth.The National Trust for Scotland began restoring the town in 1932 and provides a guided tour from the visitor centre in the former prison.

Built in 1577, Bruce’s palace has the crow-stepped gables, decorated windows and red pantiles typical of the period. Inside, its original painted ceilings are among the finest in Scotland. Crossing the square past Oldest House (1577), head for the Town House to the west. Behind it, a cobbled street known as the Back Causeway leads to the turreted Study, built in 1610 as a house for the Bishop of Dunblane. The main room, with a Norwegian ceiling, is open to visitors. If you continue north to the ruined abbey, fine church and Abbey House, don’t miss the Dutch-gabled House with the Evil Eyes.

Palace, Town House and Study

" = « # Apr–Oct: 11am–4pm daily (July & Aug: to 5pm daily)

This impressive, elegant boat lift is the first ever to revolve and the centrepiece of Scotland’s ambitious canal regeneration scheme. Once important for commercial transport, the Union and the Forth and Clyde canals were blocked by numerous roads during the 1960s. Now the Falkirk Wheel gently swings boats between the two waterways for an uninterrupted link between Glasgow and Edinburgh. This huge, moving sculpture constantly rotates, lifting boats 35 m (115 ft), equivalent to 11 traditional locks, in just 15 minutes. Visitors can ride the wheel on boats that leave the visitor centre every 40 minutes.

Two amazing, glittering equine heads tower above the Forth and Clyde and Union canals. The Kelpies, 30-m- (98-ft-) tall metal sculptures created by sculptor Andy Scott, are the keynote landmark of The Helix, an expansive new canalside park with miles of walking and cycling trails. The visitor centre explains the history and renewal of the canals.

The Romans invaded Scotland for a second time around AD 140, during the reign of Emperor Antonius, and built a 60-km (37-mile) earth rampart that stretched across Central Scotland from the Firth of Clyde to the Firth of Forth, further defended by ditches and forts at strategic points. One of the best-preserved sections of the wall can be seen at Rough Castle, west of Falkirk.

Experience Central and Northeast Scotland

Dundee was a major shipbuilding centre in the 18th and 19th centuries. In Victoria Docks.stands HMS Unicorn: built in 1824, it is the oldest British-built warship still afloat. Berthed at Riverside is the royal research ship Discovery, built here in 1901 for the first of Captain Scott’s voyages to the Antarctic. Housed in a Victorian Gothic building, the McManus Galleries give a glimpse of Dundee’s industrial heritage, with archaeology exhibitions and Victorian art.

A more recent gem in Dundee’s crown is the stunning V&A Museum of Design by architect Kengo Kuma, which opened in 2018 and shows the best of Scottish and international design in a monumental modern building with curving concrete walls.

Along the coast, Arbroath Abbey contains a copy of The Declaration of Arbroath, which attested Scotland’s independence in 1320.

HMS Unicorn

"⌂ Victoria Docks,# Times vary, check website∑ frigateunicorn.org

Discovery

" ' - ⌂ Discovery Point # 10am–6pm Mon–Sat (from 11am Sun); tours by appt only ∑ rrsdiscovery.com

McManus Galleries

⌂ Albert Institute, Albert Sq# Daily∑ mcmanus.co.uk

V&A Museum of Design

' - =⌂ 1 Riverside Esplanade# 10am–5pm daily
∑ vam.ac.uk/dundee

This stunning Renaissance palace was designed as a hunting lodge for the Stuart kings. Begun by James IV in 1500, most of the work was carried out by his son, James V, in the 1530s. He ordered the redecoration of the façade with dormers, buttresses and medallions. The palace fell into ruin during the years of the Commonwealth and was occupied briefly by the infamous Rob Roy, Scotland’s very own Robin Hood, in 1715.

After buying the estates in 1887, the third Marquess of Bute became the Palace Keeper and subsequently restored the building. The richly panelled interiors are filled with superb furniture and contemporary portraits of the Stuart monarchs. The royal tennis court, built in 1539 for King James V, is the oldest in Britain.

Scotland’s oldest university town and one-time ecclesiastical capital, St Andrews is now a shrine to golfers from all over the world. Its main streets and cobbled alleys, full of crooked housefronts, university buildings and medieval churches, converge on the venerable ruins of the 12th-century cathedral. Once the largest cathedral in Scotland, it was later pillaged for its stones, which were used to build the town. St Andrews Castle was built for the town’s bishops in 1200 and the dungeon can still be seen. The St Andrews golf courses are to the west of the town, and each is open for a modest fee.

The British Golf Museum, which tells how the city’s Royal and Ancient Golf Club became the ruling arbiter of the game, will delight golf enthusiasts. One of the chief pleasures here is a walk along the sands.

St Andrews Castle

' " ⌂ The Scores § (01334) 477196 # 9.30am–5.30pm daily

British Golf Museum

" ⌂ Bruce Embankment # Daily
∑ britishgolfmuseum.co.uk

A string of pretty fishing villages peppers the shoreline of the East Neuk of Fife from Earlsferry to Fife Ness. Much of Scotland’s medieval trade with Europe passed through here, reflected in the towns’ Flemish-inspired architecture. The herring industry has declined, but the sea still dominates village life.

The harbour is the heart of charming St Monans, while Pittenweem is the base for the East Neuk fishing fleet.

The town is also known for St Fillan’s Cave, retreat of the 9th-century hermit.

A church stands among the cobbled lanes and colourful cottages of Crail; the stone by its gate is said to have been hurled from the Isle of May by the Devil himself.

Anstruther is home to the Scottish Fisheries Museum, with boats, cottage interiors, and displays on whaling. From here you can visit the nature reserve on the Isle of May.

A statue of Alexander Selkirk in Lower Largo recalls his seafaring adventures that inspired Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe (1719). After disagreeing with his captain, he was put ashore on a deserted island for four years.

Scottish Fisheries Museum

" ' - = ⌂ St Ayles, Harbour Head, Anstruther # Daily
∑ scotfishmuseum.org

Experience Central and Northeast Scotland