1. great things to do
1Life’s a stage
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the
largest arts festival in the world. Catch
comedy, cabaret, street performers,
musicals and poetry, as the city is immersed
in Thespy action. edfringe.com
2Shop local
Every Saturday, from 9am till 2pm,
Edinburgh’s farmers’ market is open.
Taking place on Castle Terrace against
the backdrop of the castle, you’ll find
the best Scottish produce. Shop for
Aberdeen Angus beef, Shetland lamb,
venison, seafood, shortbread and haggis.
edinburghfarmersmarket.co.uk
3Have a Highland fling
Watch hefty kilted gents wielding a
caber at the Strathmore Highland Games.
The handsome Glamis Castle provides
a fitting backdrop and the bagpiping
competition adds buckets of atmosphere
to the spectacle. 9 June; glamiscastle.co.uk
4Take note
Classical music connoisseurs should
head to Berwick on Tweed’s Paxton
House for the little known, but world-class
international chamber music festival.
19-28 July; musicatpaxton.co.uk
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5Attend a coronation
Join the occupants of the pretty border
town of Melrose as they take to the saddle,
Scottish flags aloft, in celebration of the
town’s battle-strewn history. A week of
festivities follows games and fancy dress
aplenty, culminating in crowning the
festival queen in Melrose abbey.
16-23 June; returntotheridings.co.uk
6Do good and eat fish and chips
The first fish and chip shop in the UK
to gain MSC chain of custody for Scottish
haddock, The Bay Fish & Chip Shop in
Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire has scooped
just about every award for quality as well as
for sustainability. thebayfishandchips.co.uk
7Get ready for the Ryder Cup
Watch some of the world’s best golfers
battle it out round the handsome PGA
centenary course at Gleneagles. And if
you’re honing your skills for the 2014
Ryder cup, take note, this will be the venue.
22-25 August; johnniewalkerchampionship.co.uk
8Dance a jig
Know your Hamilton House from your Gay
Gordons? The Angus accordion and Fiddle
Festival in Arbroath is a weekend extravaganza
of traditional Scottish music and dance,
wrapping up with a kilt-spinning dance off
at the ‘Final Stamash’. 5-7 July; aaff.co.uk
9Eat fresh-as-a-daisy oysters
The Loch Fyne Farmshop, Oyster Bar &
Restaurant, at the head of Loch Fyne, is the
place to stop as you travel to and from the West
Coast. Oysters farmed in the Loch, locally
caught langoustines and own-smoked salmon
are specialties. lochfyne.com
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C&TH » Great british HOTEls

2. 10Catch the king of fish
Scotland’s big four salmon rivers,
the Dee, Spey, Tay and Tweed attract
fishermen from across the globe. Fish the
river Dee in early spring, or cast your fly
in to the world-class river Tweed for early
season salmon or tustle with brown trout
come autumn. fishpal.com
11Fairy tales
Take a dip in the breathtakingly
pretty Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye.
But, be warned, these natural rock
pools may look totally tropical with their
crystal clear, sky-blue waters; but the
temperature certainly isn’t.
12Conquer The Ben
Standing 1,344 metres above sea
level, Ben Nevis is Britain’s highest
mountain. Make the ascent via the ‘pony
track’ starting at Glen Nevis.
May-September; ben-nevis.com
13Take the Hogwarts Express
The stretch of rugged Scottish
countryside between Fort William and
Mallaig has been immortalised in the
Harry Potter Films. Hop aboard West Coast
railway’s ‘Hogwarts Express’ and steam
through the Highlands, stopping for fish
and chips at Mallaig and to admire the
Glenfinnan Viaduct on your way home.
westcoastrailways.co.uk
14Follow the wind
Windsurfing and kitesurfing fans,
take note; the tiny isle of Tiree in the
Outer Hebrides boasts Britain’s windiest
beaches. Just don’t forget your wetsuit.
wilddiamond.co.uk
15Go wild about whisky
Dufftown in the Highlands is the
malt whisky capital and offers ‘nosing
and tasting’ evenings every Wednesday
throughout the summer. From 26-30
September, it puts on the Autumn Speyside
Whisky Festival with tours and tastings at
the distilleries, plus music, dancing and
pipe bands a-plenty. whisky.dufftown.co.uk
16Walk the Rob Roy Way
Follow in the footsteps of Scotland’s
most notorious outlaw. The trail spans
94 miles and meanders through the
Southern Highlands traversing heather-
strewn heaths, lochs, burns and Bens.
robroyway.com
17Visit a near-perfect beach
Scamper over the cotton-white sands of
the Isle of Harris’ largest beach. The icy-pale
blue waters are as clear as they come. Stay and
watch the sun set over Taransay if time allows.
luskentyreholidays.co.uk
18Buy a kilt
The AW’13 catwalks were awash with
tartan. Snap up a kilt at Geoffrey Tailor’s
working Woollen Mill in Edinburgh. And,
while you’re there, learn about the history of
Highland dress and watch the power looms
whipping out a fine weave. geoffreykilts.co.uk
19Visit the Melodious Cave
Listen to the eerie echoes of crashing
waves beneath the naturally domed roof
of Fingal’s Cave. The boat trip off the
uninhibited Inner Hebrides isle of Staffa is
half the fun. staffatours.com
20Forage for your supper
Let Mark Williams take you foraging
through woodlands, hedgerows and the
coast in and around Galloway. He runs
bookable courses or provides personalised
sessions anywhere on identifying, harvesting,
preserving and cooking gourmet wild foods
– herbs, seaweeds, berries and – especially –
fungi. gallowaywildfoods.com
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photos:©NationalTrust
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