Ullapool is the last major settlement on the west coast of Scotland as you travel north, and also a major ferry port for the Western Isles.
As a town it’s remarkably small - there’s room enough for a Somerfields, but not much else for shopping.
However, it’s nestled among one of the most scenic stretches of [...]

A journey through Assynt Coigach offers a visit to a secluded beach by Achnahaird.
To get to it, follow the single-track road from the A835, and after a long journey turn right into Achnahaird. Then follow the signs to the caravan park, and shortly you’ll arrive at a small car park.
It’s a small bay with white [...]

The A835 continues north out from Ullapool and curves around the right of Assynt Coigach.
This is a wild and beautiful stretch of Scotland, dominated by a handful of imposing mountains thrusting out alone from the cragged landscape: Cul Beag, Stac Pollaidh, Cul Moor, and Suilven.
Simply put, this is a breathtaking place and absolutely worth visiting, [...]

The A835 leads from Inverness in the heart of the Highlands to Ullapool on the Western coast of Scotland.
And it has to be said, this is probably the most scenic drive through Scotland I’ve experienced.
You start by leaving the roundabout at Tore from the A9, and drive uptowards the imposing view of Ben Wyvis, rising [...]

The A837 passes from some of the most amazing scenery on the West Coast to the base of the Sutherland Mountains, and right through the heart of the barren Highlands.
So you’d think you may be in for a treat with the views.
And you’d be completely wrong.
To be fair, the countryside isn’t particularly dull - it’s [...]

Tentsmuir Point is one of the secret gems of Scotland.
Getting there isn’t easy – you have to drive away from the main roads into a little warren of single track roads that curve around for about 10 miles before you can get to it.
But when you do, you find an idyllic and peaceful spot indeed.
Coniferous [...]

The town of Leven itself, east along the Firth of Forth from Kirkcaldy, looked interesting. On the roadmap it’s drawn with a long crescent of beach along a shallow bay.
As Kirkcaldy itself is a somewhat poor and appalling seaside destination, Leven itself could only offer better promise.
And, indeed, it does offer a long crescent sandy [...]

There aren’t many beaches accessible from Central Scotland, but Burntisland is one of them.
It’s not an island – but funnily enough, the sea lapping at the sand does look like it’s filled with black ash.
When we visited Burntisland there was only a narrow stretch of sand along which this strange black ash lapped, but [...]

As you drive down the A910 from the A92, it’s hard not to be given the feeling that you’re about to discover one of Scotland’s treasures personally.
The road cuts through tree-lined hills and as it curves around past the old stone buildings on the outskirts of Kirkcaldy, and it’s hard not to feel excited as [...]

With a location close to Loch Lomond and set against a beach on the Clyde Firth overlooking Argyll, you’d think that Helensburgh may be a particularly nice place to visit.
Certainly there are a lot of lovely Georgian and Victorian houses set about the streets as they follow the main road down towards the beach front, [...]

The first time we went to Ardersier we simply drove through.
We were looking for a beach to let the kids play on, and on various maps Ardersier is always shown as having a long stretch of beach.
But when we drove past all we saw was a high tide that left no room for any [...]