Intro
	Berwickshire, Roxburghshire, West Lothian, Mid Lothian, Peebles-shire, Dumfriese & Galoway, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Argylle & Bute, Perthshire, Highlands, Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire The majestic Grampian Mountains dominate the skyline to the west whilst miles of unspoiled and often dramatic coastline frame the area in the east. With its sparkling granite buildings, Aberdeen has one of Scotland's most enchanting skylines, while the city's Old Town has a magical air of time gone by. A fantastic range of first-class restaurants and a vibrant nightlife combined with a thriving cultural calendar and shops galore all help make Scotland's third largest city a modern and lively destination that's well worth the trip. The capital of the Grampian Highlands is even more unique thanks to the treasures on its doorstep. You can sample the 'water of life' and visit the eight distilleries and cooperage on the world's only Malt Whisky trail. Follow the Castle Trail and take in 11 of the finest gems the region has to offer. Alternatively, you can head to the coast where vast empty beaches, interspersed with picturesque fishing villages and dramatic cliff top scenery are waiting to be explored. Hit the ski slopes, play on championship golf courses or follow in Queen Victoria's footsteps - the choice is yours.   Full Campsite Listing

Argyll Here you can savour the atmosphere of Hebridean islands, the charm of rural villages and the natural frontier which separates the rugged grandeur of the West Highlands from the gentler beauty of the Lowlands. Here too, you can trace the footsteps of heroes like St Columba, Sir William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Mary, Queen of Scots ... and of outlaws like Rob Roy. These are lands where you can glimpse an eagle, an osprey, a wildcat, a fine antlered stag or even whales and dolphins. And if the fancy takes you, you can enjoy the spectacle of a Highland Games, the warmth of a traditional folk night or the flavour of a local food festival. Scotland's first great travel writer, Sir Walter Scott, was captivated by the beauty of this fascinating area. In his best-selling poem, 'The Lady of the Lake', he wrote of the landscapes around Loch Katrine: 'From Kintyre to Killin and Tobermory to Tillicoultry, an open invitation awaits you in these heartlands of Scotland.' The same holds true today as it did in Scott's time.   Full Campsite Listing

Ayrshire & Arran Ayrshire and Arran are a mecca for all golfers with over forty quality courses, including three Open Championship courses. It is also home to some of the most prestigious heritage and visitor attractions that Scotland has to offer. Ancient castles, beautiful country parks and gardens, bustling market towns and award-winning visitor attractions are all to hand and set in awe-inspiring scenery. The spectacular granite mountains, ancient stone circles and the sheltered waters of the Firth of Clyde act as a magnet for walkers, cyclists, fishermen and sailing enthusiasts alike. It is also the birthplace of world-renowned poet Robert Burns, and there are plentiful reminders of the man and his world to explore here. The Isle of Arran, reached by ferry from Ardrossan, is known as 'Scotland in miniature'. A fascinating and surprising island, it has an unrivalled range of landscapes, covering the whole spectrum of Scottish scenery in one delightfully compact package. It is big enough to offer a bewildering variety of activities yet small enough to retain its intimate island atmosphere.   Full Campsite Listing

Dumfries and Galloway Few can remain unmoved by the unspoilt beauty of this corner of Scotland. Take a walk along the deserted beaches where Robert Burns journeyed on horseback to catch whisky smugglers or stroll through the rugged grandeur of the Galloway Forest Park, 300 square miles of forest, moorland and lochs where you're more likely to see a deer or bird of prey than another human being. Admire the ancient ruined castles and monuments that set the imagination alight with their whispered hints of what life used to be like, or simply snuggle up in front of a huge open fire and enjoy the utter relaxation that being away from it all brings. But if your preference is to get out rather than chill out, then Dumfries and Galloway also has a fantastic range of places of interest, activities and sports to enjoy. The area is a mecca for golfers, cyclists, walkers, and sea and game anglers. You'll also find some real hidden gems here: a colourful Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the east of the region and Wigtown, Scotland's National Book Town in the west, a feast for the eye in Kirkcudbright Artists' Town and a real treat for the tastebuds in nearby Castle Douglas Food Town. So relax and let the landscape and atmosphere of this magical corner of Scotland work its spell on you.   Full Campsite Listing

Edinburgh & Lothians 'Edinburgh', said the writer Robert Louis Stevenson, 'is what Paris ought to be'. Its magnificent architecture shifts from the lofty tenements and narrow closes of its medieval Old Town as they tumble down the spine of the Royal Mile, to the grace and geometric precision of the Georgian New Town. Above it all, in its towering splendour, stands the Castle. Every step is a revelation - an alleyway which reveals an ancient courtyard, or a wynd which opens up a new panorama. And yet within this sweeping elegance is a compact city, a bustling city, and above all a city which rewards every visitor. Beyond the city, the Lothian countryside provides a beautiful setting for the rich gems of the capital. This is an area steeped in history, filled with castles, great houses and battle sites. It's also the ancient home of the game of golf and you can find some of the great links and parkland courses of the world here. In fact, the trails and parkland and miles of glorious coastline in the Lothians open up the countryside for everyone - from picnickers on the fine golden beaches, to walkers high in the Pentland Hills.   Full Campsite List

Highlands & Skye For many people around the world, the Highlands 'are' Scotland, living up to their picture-postcard images with majestic scenery, awesome wild places, towering mountains, ancient pine forests and broad expanses of dark and shimmering loch. They are all this, of course, and much more besides. Capital of the Highlands and the only major urban centre in the region, Inverness is an obvious springboard for exploring more remote areas - north to wind-lashed Cape Wrath, at the very northwest tip of the mainland, with it sheer cliffs and sand-filled bays bearing the brunt of frequently fierce Atlantic storms; south to the beautiful expanses of Glen Coe via the Great Glen; or west to the remote and tranquil Ardnamurchan peninsula with the beautiful 'Road to the Isles' running to Mallaig and Skye beyond. Skye is one of the most popular holiday spots in Scotland and is famed for the harsh peaks of the Cuillins and the bizarre rock formations of the Trotternish peninsula. Wherever you roam, you'll find outstanding natural beauty: Glen Coe, the Cairngorms National Park, Ben Nevis, Ardnamurchan, Glen Affric - the list is as long as the Great Glen itself. And though it's natural to picture the Highlands as a mountainous region, there are also miles of coastline and intriguing islands to explore as well. Here you can have your own private sandy beach with shimmering turquoise waters and nobody else to be seen for miles around. Then there are the amazing flat lands of the Flow Country in Caithness and Sutherland, one of Europe's last great wild places. Not surprisingly, wildlife flourishes in such great wildernesses and you can see dolphins, whales, eagles, deer, otters and much more besides. The inspiring landscape and the tranquillity and space which it offers are without doubt the main attractions of the region but if you like the active life, the Highlands also offer unsurpassed opportunities for top-class mountaineering, climbing and off-road biking, along with a host of other outdoor pursuits. This is particularly true around Fort William and Lochaber which proclaims itself 'the Outdoor Capital of the UK'. If you prefer your holiday at a slower pace, the region's many historical sites, remote castles, distinctive culture and language and welcoming towns also prove a major draw in their own right.   Full Campsite List

Orkney Orkney is a truly unique destination. A deep sense of history can be felt everywhere in the 70 or so scattered islands that make up the archipelago, islands where life is defined by the past and sculpted by the sea. The ferry from Scrabster on mainland Scotland to Stromness sails past the impressive red stone sea-stack of the Old Man of Hoy, then on below the cliffs of St John's Head - the highest vertical cliff in the UK - making this the most dramatic way of reaching Orkney. Yet the drama of Hoy is misleading as the landscapes elsewhere are much gentler and well farmed. Kirkwall, Orkney's main town, is a great base for touring by car or by bike. There are excellent ferry services between islands, though you can also take the world's shortest scheduled flight - 2 minutes! - between Westray and Papa Westray. Orkney offers a rich variety of activities on land, loch and sea to suit all abilities and interests, from golfing to walking, and from sailing to cycling. With almost 600 miles of coast and some great unspoilt areas, the islands are superb for wildlife watching and for rich and varied angling. Divers love it too, particularly around Scapa Flow where the German fleet was scuttled at the end of the First World War. Orkney is also the amateur archaeologist's ideal destination. Part of mainland Orkney has been declared a World Heritage Site because of the richness of its prehistoric sites. For example, at Maeshowe, visitors wonder at the skills of stone masons who built this large tomb some 5000 years ago. Nearby stand the eerie stone circles at Stenness and Brodgar while further west you can marvel at the sunken Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae, overlooking the Bay of Skaill. In fact, almost every one of the islands can boast some prehistoric relic or find. By contrast, modern day Orkney is a hive of creative industry, with several internationally renowned jewellery manufacturers and many professional craftspeople at work in the islands. Studios and workshops are often open to the public, and there are Craft and Artists' Trails to follow.   Full Campsite List

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides - also known as the Western Isles - stretch for 130 miles and look out on their western side to the Atlantic Ocean. Here on the edge of Europe is a striking mix of landscapes from windswept golden sands to harsh, heather-backed mountains and peat bogs. An elemental beauty pervades each of the more than two hundred islands that make up the archipelago, only a handful of which are actually inhabited. Lewis and Harris form the northernmost island in the Hebrides. Though actually part of the same land mass, they are thought of as different islands and each has its own distinctive culture, traditions and heritage. Lewis in the north is the largest island in the group and its main town of Stornoway is a busy centre of island life, its natural harbour a thriving fishing port. Harris is home to the world-famous Harris Tweed, which has to be made on these islands if it carries the name. Across a narrow isthmus from the more mountainous North Harris lies South Harris, presenting some of the finest scenery in Scotland, with wide beaches of golden sand trimming the Atlantic in full view of the mountains and a rough boulder-strewn interior lying to the east. Further south still sit a string of tiny, flatter islands including North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra. Here breezy beaches whose fine sands front a narrow band of boggy farmland are mostly bordered by a lower range of hills to the east. Uniquely, one of the beaches on Barra also doubles as a landing strip for the scheduled flights from the mainland! The Hebrides remain the heartland of Gaelic culture, with the language spoken by the vast majority of islanders, though its everyday usage remains under constant threat from the national dominance of English. Its survival is, in no small part, due to the influence of the Free Church and its offshoots, whose strict Calvinism is the creed of the vast majority of the population, with the sparsely populated South Uist, Barra and parts of Benbecula adhering to the more relaxed demands of Catholicism. The natural environment of the Hebrides make it ideal for walking and cycling of all standards while the superb Atlantic beaches draw surfers from around the globe. Fishing for salmon and trout, as well as sea angling, is also highly popular and of the highest quality. The clear, pollution-free Hebridean waters, also produce some of the best seafood in the UK. Lying offshore into the Atlantic, the remarkable deserted Island of St Kilda, a World Heritage Site, is a major attraction which can only be reached by day boat or live-aboard cruise vessel, subject to weather conditions and the permission of its owners, the National Trust for Scotland.   Full Campsite List

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is the main gateway to Scotland from the south but there is more than enough here to make it a destination in its own right. Covering about eighteen hundred square miles, the Scottish Borders stretches from the rolling hills and moorland in the west, through gentler valleys to the rich agricultural plains of the east, and on to the rocky Berwickshire coastline with its secluded coves and picturesque fishing villages. Whether you explore by car, on bike or on foot, you'll discover friendly towns and picturesque villages, as well as the castles, abbeys, stately homes and museums that illustrate the exciting and often bloody history of the area. It's that history which is commemorated in the Common Ridings and other local festivals, creating a colourful pageant much enjoyed by visitors and native Borderers alike. It should also come as no surprise that an area so rich in hills and moorland, valleys and rivers should have mastered so many ways of enjoying the great outdoors. The area is a paradise for hillwalkers and cyclist of all types while in the River Tweed and its many tributaries, you'll find some of the best fishing in Scotland. The Scottish Borders is also home to rugby and passion and rivalry inevitably emerge as the Rugby Sevens tournament gets under way through spring and summer. As the Borders is a region famed for its textiles, a major attraction for many is to browse and buy beautiful tweeds and tartans and the highest quality knitwear direct from the local mills and shops.   Full Campsite List

Shetland With its unique culture, stunning seascapes and abundant wildlife, Shetland is an entrancing blend of Scotland and Norway. Shetland's scenery is surprisingly varied for such a small area and is often truly spectacular. The islands offer everything from rocky crags and heather hills to fertile farmland, from sand dunes and pebble beaches to stupendous cliffs. The network of well-maintained roads makes most of Shetland's scenery easily accessible to the visitor but it's well worth exploring off the main routes. For the motorist and cyclist, the side roads are a special delight in spring and early summer when the verges are festooned with wild flowers. The quality of light in these parts is remarkable and adds a particular quality to the landscape. The sunsets are spectacular, the Northern Lights can be astounding and the Simmer Dim's worth seeing too in summer when it never really gets dark. Nowhere in Shetland is further than three miles from the coast and life is dominated by the sea. Travellers have been coming to these lands since Neolithic times and the evidence is everywhere to be seen. The impressive Mousa Broch is over 2,000 years old and there are even earlier settlements. The influence of the Vikings is, of course, everywhere. The ancient Viking parliament, the Althing, once met near Scalloway and even today, Norse Udal law still plays a role in Shetland life. The Norse influence is also noticeable in the Shetland dialect and on place names and on the last Tuesday of January, Vikings roam the streets of Lerwick at the annual fire festival, Up Helly Aa. This is the world's biggest fire festival and involves a torchlight procession dragging a Viking longship through the streets before setting it alight in spectacular fashion and retiring to the local halls for a night of revelry. These dramatic celebrations are a sight to behold but they pale in comparison to the islands' breathtaking natural wonders. Shetland is home to well over a million birds, including over 600,000 fulmars and over 200,000 puffins. The incredible resident population, coupled with some unusual migrants, makes the islands a twitcher's paradise. In fact, Shetland is a haven for all kinds of wildlife, as seen in its three National Nature Reserves, four RSPB reserves and 78 Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Shetland is a great place for an active family holiday. There's something for everyone - from mountain biking to trout fishing, scuba diving to round-the-clock golf. With 19 hours of midsummer daylight, Shetland can keep you active all day long.   Full Campsite List