Scottish Highlands & Islands

Europe's last great wilderness, plus the archipelago beyond it. Glen Coe and Ben Nevis, the Cairngorms' plateau and ski slopes, Loch Ness and the Great Glen, the North Coast 500 running 516 miles round the top, and the islands — Skye's Cuillin and Old Man of Storr, Mull, Islay's distilleries, the Outer Hebrides' white beaches, and Orkney, Shetland and St Kilda further out still.

Best time: May–Jun and Sep (long days, fewer midges); Dec–Mar for snow and aurora

• Isle of Skye — the Cuillin, the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr
• The North Coast 500
• Cairngorms National Park
• Glen Coe and Ben Nevis
• Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle
• Orkney's Neolithic Heart, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• St Kilda — a dual UNESCO World Heritage Site