Scottish Mainland Information|Higlands of Scotland|The far north Highlands|Speyside and Aviemore

Mainland Scotland

Although Scotland is divided into 32 authorities, there are three distinct areas in Scotland. Each of these areas are in turn divided in four or more other distinct areas which are linked and give access to the respective information pages.

Mainland Scotland - the North

Mainland Scotland - Central

Mainland Scotland - South

Dunfermline Abbey

Mainland Scotland - Overview

In the north of mainland Scotland is the mountainous area of the Highlands and in the south another high area known as the Southern Uplands.

These uplands are split by the relatively low-lying area of central Scotland. The Southern Upland area consists of The Scottish Borders in the east and Dumfries and Galloway in the west of Scotland. It is well known for its rolling hills, beautiful villages and its many castles and abbeys, especially in the Borders. While not as high an area as the Highlands it is also sparsely populated and is mainly made up of farmland.

Edinburgh Castle - Smoke on the right is the one o'clock gun.

The central part of Scotland is where most of the people live and work. Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland in the east, is famous for its Castle sitting on top of Castle Rock and the Royal Mile that stretches down the slope to the Palace of Holyroodhouse where the queen stays when she visits the city. Edinburgh is also home to the new Scottish Parliament as well as a number of internationally renowned festivals that take place during the summer. Glasgow in the west is the largest city of Scotland and has its own distinct culture to offer the visitor as well as being one of the main shopping areas.

About 30 miles from Glasgow is the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, the first to be created in Scotland. This sits on the border of the low ground to the south and the high ground to the north and is known as Scotland in Miniature due to the mixture of mountains and valleys as well as lochs and rivers. Scotland´s largest National Park can be found in the Cairngorms, a huge mountain range in the north-east which includes some of the tallest mountains in Scotland. The tallest mountain of Scotland is Ben Nevis, at the southern end of the Great Glen that almost splits Scotland in two. It is possible to follow the Caledonian Canal, which joins Lochs Linnhe, Lochy, Oich and Ness to the Beauly Firth near Inverness, the capital of the Highlands.

To the east of the Great Glen, the Speyside whisky region can be found. This area is literally filled with dozens of distilleries along the shores of the River Spey. Further east is Aberdeen that has thrived due to Scotland´s oil industry. North of Inverness and west of the Great Glen are probably the remotest parts of Scotland. There are few villages, which are mostly connected by single-track roads, and many more mountain ranges. In the extreme north of Scotland is the small village of John O´Groats, the ferry point for the northern islands of the Orkneys and Shetlands.

Sunrise over the Paps of Jura seen from Islay

The west of Scotland is, for many, the most beautiful and versatile part of Scotland. This is an area of mountains and wilderness, a variety of wildlife, many lochs, the sea and islands just to name a few highlights. The far north-west of Scotland, Sutherland, is also the most remote part of the Scottish mainland; mountains like Suilven and Stack Pollaidh dominate the wild landscape. Ullapool is the biggest town in this part of Scotland and from there the ferry leaves for Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides. South of Ullapool, Wester Ross starts, according to many the most beautiful area in Scotland. Lonely roads, beautiful lochs like Loch Maree, stunning scenery and numerous mountains make Wester Ross a very attractive but remote area. Wester Ross is one of the last remaining wildernesses in Scotland, especially the Letterewe forest in the area north of Loch Maree. Loch Maree is also home to some of the last remains of the Caledonian Pine forest which covered Scotland hundreds of years ago.

The mid west of Scotland is dominated by the Isle of Skye, the Torridon Mountains and the Applecross Peninsula, which is a favourite place for motorists due to the high mountain pass they have to cross. The south-west of Scotland´s Highland area, Argyll & Bute, is friendlier, with wonderful little towns, beautiful lochs and an ever changing landscape. Oban is the centre of the south-west of Scotland and an important ferry terminal for most of the routes to the Western Isles and Inner Hebrides.