Scottish Highlands

exeecutive summary by darmansjah

Fierce Bronze Age warriors, Vikings, and Gaelic-speaking clans all have called the rugged Highlands home. Today, the primeval landscape north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault attracts outdoor enthusiasts drawn to the mist-shrouded mountains, shimmering lochs, sheer cliffs, and sandy beaches.

Cairngorms National Park—the United Kingdom’s largest thanks to the incorporation of Highland Perthshire—offers recreation at every speed, from hiking in Leanachan forest to kayaking in Loch Insh and the Insh Marshes Nature Reserve. At Nevis Range—Scotland's highest ski area and site of the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup (June 4)—experienced bikers can take the U.K.’s only mountain gondola, which rises 2,132 feet (650 meters) up the slopes of Aonach Mor, to ride the 3.4-mile (5.5 kilometer) single-track Nevis Red Route down.

To experience more traditional sports like caber toss, tug-of-war, and piping competitions, cheer on the tartan-clad participants during Highland Games (above), held throughout the region from May to mid-September.