SCOTLAND

Wild, rugged, and austere, yet sophisticated, this proud region north of England has every right to be so. Birthplace of the revered game of golf and home to nearly 600 spectacular and challenging courses, as well as original national cuisine and lingo to match, Scotland’s traditions have endured, its character becoming—like their globally acclaimed whisky— even richer with time.

In the Highlands, embrace the wild nature of the country, and hike through the same fields of heather and gorse fierce clansmen once strode through as they protected their land through centuries of turmoil. Plumb the secrets of mountains like Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest peak, or go sea level to see what creatures you can spy in the waters—will it be the Loch Ness monster or dolphins in the Moray Firth?

Then cross into a different culture in what is colloquially considered the Lowlands, which includes the Central Belt and the Southern Uplands. This is the softer side of the land, where rolling green pastures and gentle landscapes f ill the space between coal and agricultural trade and elegant cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh.