Scottish Highlands

The Scottish Highlands in May feel almost too good to be true. The midges haven't woken up, the days stretch past 9pm, the heather is greening up after winter, and the famously moody weather has a higher chance of behaving than at any other time of year. Single-track roads wind through Glencoe, around Skye and up Wester Ross, with passing places and the polite wave that goes with them. Three days is a tasting menu, enough to confirm you'll be back for two weeks next time.

The Highlands carry a heavy history — the Jacobite risings of the 18th century, the Glencoe massacre of 1692, the Highland Clearances of the 19th. The clan system, Gaelic language, and bagpipe tradition all stem from this region. Modern Highland life is small towns and big distances, with sheep farming, fishing, distilling and tourism the main industries. Eilean Donan castle and the Glenfinnan viaduct (yes, the Harry Potter one) are the iconic stops; behind them sit centuries of Highland life.

Highland food is rustic and brilliant when done right. Try cullen skink (creamy smoked-haddock chowder) at the Café 1 in Inverness, haggis with neeps and tatties at a country pub, and fresh langoustines at the Applecross Inn (a destination unto itself). Whisky is the obvious indulgence — Speyside (Aberlour, Glenfiddich, Macallan) for elegant, sherry-cask whiskies; Islay across the water for the smoky peated ones. Most distilleries offer tours for £15–25.

May and September are the goldilocks months — long days, low midge counts, fewer tourists than peak July–August. June to August have the longest days (light at 4am, dark after 10pm) but midges are merciless near water from late May onwards. Winter is dark, dramatic and gorgeous but many smaller attractions close and roads can ice over.

Hire a car at Glasgow or Edinburgh airport — public transport doesn't reach most of what you want to see. Driving is on the left; single-track roads have numbered passing places. Whisky distilleries usually require a designated driver. Bring layers including a proper waterproof — Scottish weather changes every twenty minutes. Cash is rarely needed; cards work even at remote pubs.

Take the small ferry from Mallaig to the Isle of Eigg for a day, or push further to Knoydart — the UK's only village unreachable by road, walked in over the mountains or reached by boat. The Cairngorms have spectacular dark-sky reserves; if your dates miss aurora season, the Milky Way alone is staggering.