Cottage Holidays Scotland

Scottish Highlands - rugged and remote, with warm and welcoming cottage holidays

This isolated county encompasses the vast landmass that is the northernmost tip of Scotland. It is home to a quarter of a million people living in the vibrant city of Inverness as well as thousands of remote crofting communities among the mountains and dells of this rugged region. These communities are all part of an area that is culturally and geologically distinct - influenced by an often violent history, a strong cultural heritage and the Gaelic language. Consecutive ice ages and warm periods have etched a character on the land that has left it streaked with glacial valleys, lochs and mountains.

As a result, this vast region has much to offer when you book your holiday cottage. You will discover spectacular mountains, waterfalls, tumbling rivers and epic lochs with scudding clouded skies, bounded by crystal clear seasides scattered with tranquil islands. But there's more than just awesome scenery in the Scottish Highlands. You can also experience feature-packed adventure or a taste of the local culture and history meeting the warm and welcoming locals. In the south of the region is the famous ski resort of Aviemore where avid skiers enjoy world-class conditions, year after year. This is the region that contains the majestic serenity of Loch Ness - broken only by eager visitors awaiting the appearance if he exists of the fabled 'Loch Ness Monster', or 'Nessie' as this ellusive beast has been nicknamed.

The varied climate and the relatively sparse population of the Highlands also makes it a premier area in Britain for wildlife. When you set forth for a days trecking from your holiday cottage you can see seals or an otter or two in the Cromarty Firth. Some other species you may encounter include the massive golden eagle in mountainous country, cute and friendly puffins near the Stacks of Duncansby or on Faraid Head by Durness, bottle-nose dolphins in the Moray Firth – and red squirrel in the woods near Grantown-on-Spey, unlike the grey squirrel that you find more commonly elsewhere in the UK.

Not unexpectedly in the Highlands, the past is all around, like a dense atmospheric fog. Ancient cairns and stone settings, defensive round towers, the mysterious carved symbol stones of the Picts have all left their mark on the landscape. In the north, the Viking war galleys once roved and gave their character to Gaelic place names such as Shieldaig (sild-vik meaning herring bay) or Diabaig (deop-vik which means deep bay). Langwell (lang vollr which means long field) or Whaligoe (hvair gja - whale inlet) and dozens more evocatively named places remind you of the Viking occupation centuries ago.

Cottage holidays that you remember fondly

The area is not without its creature comforts, with holiday cottages of all shapes and sizes, welcoming visitors all the year round. Like the other regions of Scotland, in Highlands self-catering cottages you will find the standard appliances you would expect to have at home including a washing machine, microwave, fridge, freezer, tumble drier, iron and ironing board. The property you rent for your holiday should have a full description of services and facilities available.