Rich in historic castles, whisky distilleries and fishing villages, this unique corner of Scotland has fertile farmland, fast flowing rivers and mountains sweeping down to the sea.

Balmoral Castle, on beautiful Royal Deeside, is where the Royal family spend much of the summer, culminating in the famous Royal Highland Gathering at Braemar in September.

The dramatic coast line has sheltered bays with sandy beaches and busy harbours where you can buy fresh fish from the boats.

Ski-ing and a wealth of other sporting activities are available at The Lecht.

This is an area of contrast where you can enjoy the delights of the countryside with the rugged north sea coastline.

The Kingdom of Fife centres round St Andrews which is home to Scotland's oldest university and acknowledged as the home of golf. Here the East Neuk (a Scottish word for corner) is alive with busy fishing ports.

Angus has Carnoustie home of a championship golf course, Arbroath with its historic Abbey and Montrose with the Montrose Basin Wildlife Reserve a favourite with birdwatchers.

Travel inland to the unspoilt beauty of the Angus Glens offering excellent walking for all, visit Glamis Castle, birthplace of The Queen Mother or stroll through the narrow cobbled streets of Kirriemuir, birthplace of JM Barrie, creator of Peter Pan.

There are many fine golf courses in the vicinity and Gleneagles, St. Andrews and Carnoustie. Salmon fishing may be available locally.

Argyll is the birthplace of Scotland and the focal point of much of its colourful history. With a fragmented coastline and deep sea lochs lapping at the foot of mountains the county boasts a longer coastline than France!

The attractive town of Oban provides first class shopping facilities.

Present day rivalry is much more peaceful and enjoyable at the Cowal Highland Gathering, the pinnacle of the Scottish Highland Games calendar with the World Highland Dancing Championship, heavy events and more than 2,000 pipers marching in grand procession.

From Bute nestling at the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula across to the picturesque fishing village of Tarbert, up through the Crinan Canal with its delightful yacht anchorages at Crinan, Tayvallich and Ardfern, to the busy waterway of the Firth of Clyde at Dunoon, the area provides a fascinating picture of bustling trade and leisurely sailing.

Having a mild climate the area has a lush green landscape and many colourful and interesting gardens are open to the public, including the Younger Botanical Gardens just north of Dunoon. Visit Inveraray model village with its old jail and castle, home to the Dukes of Argyll, which is open to the public and drive along the picturesque shores of Loch Fyne to Lochgilphead, the geographical heart of Argyll.

Continue south to the unspoilt beauty of Knapdale, a gentle corner of the highlands, and Kintyre joined to the mainland only by a narrow isthmus and immortalised in song by Paul McCartney.

Other sporting opportunities across Argyll include hill walking, sailing and skiing at both Glencoe and Aonach Mhor.

Ayrshire is truly blessed with unspoiled hills, rocky coves, harbours, magnificent gardens and a mild, west coast climate.

This area is a haven for walkers with its many marked paths along the rugged coast, in the hills, in the Galloway Forest Park or along the Southern Upland Way.

Go salmon fishing on the River Stinchar, try trout fishing on lochs and ponds, sample sea fishing or be content watching fishermen bringing in their catches of crabs, prawns and lobster.

Scotland's premier racecourse is at Ayr, the home of the Scottish Grand National in the spring, and, as well as the famous championship golf courses, there are many friendly, uncrowded golf courses that welcome learners and visitors.

Ayrshire has the hills, coast, lochs and glens - everything for a relaxing, Scottish vacation without the hubbub of the Highlands.

Fort William, renowned for great hospitality, has a large variety of shops, restaurants, bars, cinema and leisure centre.

The area has something to interest everyone with a landscape of extremes from Ben Nevis, the highest mountain, to the deepest freshwater loch, Loch Morar, and a wonderful unspoilt coastline including the famous sands of Morar.

There is climbing, hill walking and skiing.

For the less energetic there are many castles and historical sites to visit including the dramatic Glencoe, or you can take a trip on the scenic West Highland railway or go up to Aonach Mor in Scotland's first gondola cable car.

Inverness-shire offers a wonderful variety for the visitor from the scenic splendour of the glens surrounding Beauly and Drumnadrochit to the wild open moorland around Fort Augustus and Stratherrick with the famous Loch Ness at the centre.

Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands, is a busy friendly town with no heavy industry or pollution. The River Ness flows out of Loch Ness and passes through Inverness en route to the sea, giving a particularly attractive dimension to the town centre. Easily accessible by road, there is also a main railway station at Inverness, and the airport is six miles to the east with several flights daily to London.

Historically this is an area connected with Bonnie Prince Charlie, there are many places of interest to visit, including the Glenfinnan Monument at Loch Sheil in the east and Culloden battlefield in the east.

There are castles and distilleries to visit and numerous golf courses to play.

The 'Misty Isle' of Skye is so called because the peaks of the majestic Cuillin mountain range so often have their heads in the clouds.

Skye has a magical, mysterious quality steeped in Norse and Gaelic culture, recorded in poems and haunting songs. It is the backdrop for a major scene in Scottish History with Bonnie Prince Charlie's famous boat trip 'Over the Sea to Skye'.

Naturalists and photographers will appreciate the wildlife and the ever-changing light and to while away a rainy day there are numerous quality craft shops and interesting museums in Portree (Skye's capital) and Broadford, the wonderful Talisker Malt Whisky distillery or Dunvegan Castle.

The island is a magnet for serious walkers and climbers and also offers marvellous moorland and clifftop walks with endless miles of coastline and geological sites of interest including the Quiraing, Macleods Tables and the Kilted Rock.

This area in the north east of Scotland offers a wide choice of golf, marvellous beach walks and historical sites including Culloden Battlefield and Cawdor Castle.

Nearby Aviemore and the Cairngorms offers walking, skiing and climbing and are within easy reach as is Loch Ness, approximately 1-2 hours drive.

Orkney is a group of islands just off the northern tip of the mainland of Scotland, where the North Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean.

For many centuries Orkney was ruled by the King of Norway which has left the islands with their own distinctions culture and history. You can find the Norse connection epitomised in the majestic St Magnus Cathedral in the island capital of Kirkwall.

Experience life from stone age at the magnificently preserved Skara Brae village, wonder at the standing stones at the Ring of Brodgar and wander the narrow streets of the picturesque harbour of Stromness, the last port of call for sailing ships on the way to America. Discover the more recent history of the islands during World War II with the famous Churchill Barriers connecting small islands to protect the fleet in Scapa Flow when the Italian Chapel was lovingly constructed from two Nissan huts by prisoners of war.

There are miles of sandy beaches to enjoy, craggy shores to explore with abundant marine life, including seals and dolphins, and excellent trout fishing on many fresh water lochs is available, usually free of charge.

The Outer Hebridean Islands of Lewis & Harris lie on the western edge of the British Isles, off the north west coast of Scotland.

A holiday here gives a glimpse of a unique culture with its own language and traditions, influenced by Celtic and Viking settlers. A kaleidoscope of wild and wonderful windswept landscapes, The Callanish Stones, Harris Tweed and lilting Gaelic melodies evoke the freedom and timelessness of a bygone age.

Harris and Lewis are a world apart from the Scottish mainland. Life goes on at an easy pace, city life urgency disappears and there is a wonderful feeling of freedom and peace.

The island can be reached by ferry from Uig (Isle of Skye) to Tarbet and other islands in the Hebrides can be explored by inter-connecting ferries. Tarbet has a tourist information office, shops and services. Harris is of course where the world famous Harris Tweed cloth is woven.

Harris is geographically linked with the Isle of Lewis, but is more mountainous than Lewis, and has a rocky coast and fertile west coast with many miles of superb beaches.

The main town of Lewis is Stornoway, a busy ferry and fishing port with good shopping and restaurant facilities.

Lewis has many places to visit of historic and archaeological interest, including the famous, spectacular 5,000 year old Standing Stones at Callanish

Perthshire is considered by many to be the most beautiful county in Scotland and is very accessible, being within reach of all major centres and many places of interest.

Excellent shopping is available in Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow are both just over one hour's drive, and many historic country houses and castles are close by. Described by Sir Walter Scott as being the most varied and beautiful county, with gentle hills, high mountains, winding rivers and shimmering lochs, Perthshire is at the heart of Scotland and uniquely placed to visit and enjoy all of Scotland's treasures.

Perthshire has a choice of over 30 courses. It is a walkers paradise with all levels of walks from riverside strolls, through forest hikes to Munro climbing. There is fine salmon and trout fishing on loch and river.

The capital town of Perth has a modern shopping centre and a leisure pool. Aberfeldy has a swimming pool and working water mill. Pitlochry has a fine selection of woollen shops, a dam with fish ladder and a festival theatre. Dunkeld has a cathedral and National Trust Little Houses. Killin beside the spectacular Falls of Dochart is close to Perthshire's highest mountain Ben Lawers.

Perthshire has dozens of castles. Drummond Castle near Crieff has magnificent Italian gardens. Blair castle at Blair Atholl , the seat of the Duke of Atholl and home to the only private army in Europe, is impressive and the wooded Pass of Killiecrankie, scene of the famous battle is a breathtaking sight in Autumn. You can visit Scone Palace, ancient crowning place of the Kings of Scotland or Blair Castle.

On the whisky trail there is the smallest distillery in Scotland at Edradour and the oldest at Glenturret, Crieff.

A varied and beautiful county, Ross-shire stretches across Scotland from coast to coast with gentle lush green farmland in the east to wild magnificent rugged scenery in the west.

The west coast is famous for its wondeful scenery but the eastern side is equally attractive in its own way and as deserving of a visit as its famous west coast counterpart.

The east coast has lovely stretches of unspoilt beach and shoreline and a variety of small villages and towns. The quiet quaintness of Cromarty on the most easterly point of the Black Isle is in direct contrast to the bustle of Dingwall, the county town.

On the west coast, Ullapool is a busy fishing port, whereas villages like Applecross and Lochcarron have a sleepy charm all of their own.

The gardens at Inverewe are renowned for their tropical plants, there are palm trees in the streets of Plockton and white coral washed up on secluded beaches. Yes, this is the west coast of Scotland we are talking about!

Mull lies off the west coast of Scotland. Capital of the island is Tobermory where there are good shopping and restaurant facilities.

No trip to Mull would be complete without the short pilgrimage to Iona, with its wonderful Abbey, created by St Columbus in 563 ad and the burial place of many Scottish Kings. A short boat trip from Iona is the island of Staffa with Fingal’s Cave, the inspiration for Mendelssohn’s music.

Jura lies a short ferry across from the flat, green, gentle island of Islay. Jura is a very different island. Mountainous, sparsely populated and left to nature, Jura is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts, rich in red deer and birds of prey including eagles. The Paps of Jura dominate the island landscape and from here you can enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding islands.

The lochs and burns provide excellent trout fishing and sea angling is popular off the coast.

The infamous Corryvreckan Whirlpool off the northern tip of Jura can be a spectacular sight and sound. There are ruined castles at Clag and Glengarisdale, with iron age forts, standing stones and keills - evidence of the island's history. The village of Craighouse has a grocer shop, hotel and distillery which produces the distinctive Jura Malt Whisky.

For sheer beauty and majesty this area must be unbeatable. The River Spey, Scotland's second longest and fastest flowing river, passes between the magnificent Cairngorm and Monadhliath mountains.

The area is easily reached by road and rail and the region offers so much for the visitor. See Britain's only herd of reindeer and vist the Highland Wildlife Park to see the many animals which once roamed free in the area. There is first-class hill walking, climbing and skiing.

Other activities include bowling, golfing, pony trekking, tennis, watersports, shooting and fishing - in fact, something for everyone.

Sutherland