Scotland - a summer wonderland

For those who live in Ireland, a chance to visit some Celtic cousins will often be tempting. Wales is easy to reach via a Dublin to Holyhead ferry, but catching ferries from Belfast to Stranraer may offer a particularly enticing prospect in the shape of Scotland.

And that shape is often a rugged one, with the highest mountains in the British Isles, lengthy, wild glens and deep lochs complimenting its lively cities and rich culture and history.

Of course, there are many different times of the year when people can visit and enjoy various activities and attractions. In winter, for instance, some might wish to experience Hogmanay, or enjoy haggis and poetry on Burn's Night on January 25th. This season also offers skiing and winter climbing.

With the summer months approaching, however, visitors can make the most of the fact that Scotland has particularly late sunsets, with the Highlands getting no darker than twilight in midsummer.

This means visitors enjoying the outdoors can take in some very long walks, making grand mountain expeditions easier to undertake.

People who love walking have an almost infinite variety to choose from. Mountain climbers may head for Ben Nevis, at 4,408 ft the highest peak in the British Isles. There are over 280 Munros (peaks over 3,000ft) and many more over 2,000, with some lesser summits - such as the Cobbler, the Pap of Glencoe or Suilven - being among the most spectacular. For a picture postcard scene, however, the looming form of Buachaille Etive Mor at the eastern end of Glencoe is a particularly striking site when approached across the vast, flat bogland of Rannoch Moor.

There are also long-distance walks that can be enjoyed, such as the West Highland Way from Milngavie near Glasgow to Fort William, at the foot of Ben Nevis.

This route passes alongside the famous bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, the largest lake on the British mainland and the centrepiece of one of Scotland's two national parks, the other being the Cairngorms, where the walking opportunities are complimented by mountain biking, watersports, the chance to see rare species from red squirrels to pine marten and the opportunity to enjoy a right royal experience with a trip to Balmoral.

A visit to the Highlands can also include a trip to Loch Ness - monster sightings not guaranteed - the historic battlefield at Culloden near Inverness and, of course, a distillery.

But none of this should distract from the attractions of Scotland's cities. Edinburgh is both beautiful and historic, with its castle, Royal Mile and festivals in August. Those keen on the latter should book well in advance if they want to stay in the city.

Glasgow may not be the capital, but it is larger than Edinburgh and while its reputation may be grittier, it has some fine architecture, an extensive botanical gardens and many works of art at the Burrell Collection, while sports fans may enjoy a visit to the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park.

The small towns can offer plenty too, from St Andrews - which has Scotland's oldest university as well as being the home of golf - to Gretna Green by the border with England, from where young sweethearts would run away to the village to marry. 

And for those whose biggest love is music, nobody should forget T in the Park in Perthshire in early July, Scotland's answer to Glastonbury.

With so much to offer, Scotland is a place people can fall in love with this summer.

Posted by Mark Robinson