Scottish Highlands
Escape to the mountains: 10 utterly majestic videos through Britain's most dramatic peaks
Take a journey through Britain's greatest peaks with our pick of the most spectacular and inspiring mountain footage.
Brutal massacre at Battle of Culloden. The bloody final clash that crushed the Jacobite Rebellion
Hundreds of Highlanders were slain in the Battle of Culloden. Buried in mass graves, their souls are said to haunt the moor.
Nan Shepherd revolutionised nature writing with The Living Mountain. This is her story
One of the greatest books about Scottish mountains lay in a drawer for 30 years. Charlotte Peacock profiles author Nan Shepherd and her enduring passion for the Cairngorms
Inchnadamph Bone Caves walk, Scotland
Escape to Scotland's snow-capped Highlands and discover the Bone Caves – a network of hidden underground hollows, once hideouts for predatory prehistoric beasts
Eilean Donan Castle: history, facts and how to visit
Eilean Donan, which means the Island of Donnán, is one of the most photographed places in Scotland and has appeared in a number of films, including Highlander. Visit the fortress, learn about its past and admire the grandeur of the mountains that surround it.
Walk: Beinn Eighe, Highland
Leaning over the island-strewn waters of twinkling Loch Maree is Britain’s oldest National Nature Reserve, a sweep of glacier-carved mountains three million years in the making. Explore this stunning landscape on the 4-mile-long Mountain Trail.
Bike ride: Strathspey, Highland
Explore the Highland enclave inhabited by Archie Macdonald and his Glenbogle clan on this trip into Monarch of the Glen Country
Walk: Ben Nevis, Scotland
This 10-mile walk on the Mountain Track is the easiest and most popular route to the summit of Ben Nevis. For the best experience, pick a sunny day, start early and take plenty of food and water.
Lost Valley walk, Glencoe, Highland
A beautiful 4.5-mile mountain walk through the Lost Valley – Coire Gabhail – in the Scottish Highlands' glorious Glencoe.
Glen Nevis and Steall Falls walk, Highland
This spectacular two-mile walk climbs on a rocky, rollercoaster path through Glen Nevis to reach the epic Steall Falls. The combination of tumbling river water, soaring mountain views and hillside woodland makes this a true microcosm of the Scottish Highlands.
Day out: Kinlochleven, Highland
Unwind in a Norwegian-like valley among old woods, great peaks and glinting lochs
Walk: Devil’s Staircase, Glencoe, Highland
Follow in the footsteps of 18th-century soldiers, walking from Altnafeadh to Kinlochleven, where dramatic views of the magisterial Glencoe are complemented by rushing rivers and woodland birdsong.
Loch Garten Nature Reserve walk, Cairngorms
Take a walk on the banks of Loch Garten – one of Scotland's most beautiful RSPB nature reserves – in search of ancient trees, tottering wood-ant nests, grazing deer and soaring ospreys
Walk: Loch an Eilein, Highland
A three-mile circular walk around beautiful Loch an Eilein in the Cairngorms National Park
Walk: Glencoe village and Glencoe Lochan, Highland
Glencoe is at its most beautiful when snow caps its craggy peaks – best viewed from the shores of a bejewelled lochan
Walk: Coille Mhor, Balmacara, Highland
A beautiful five mile woodland walk on the north-west coast of Scotland that comes alive with wildflowers, lichen, and trees in spring
New project to monitor nature in Cairngorms National Park
For the first time in the UK, the Cairngorms Nature Index will use an ecosystem-based approach to assess nature within the Scottish National Park.
Walk: Great Glen Way, Highland
Look out for leaping red squirrels and dashing pine martens on the Great Glen Way, one of Scotland's most-loved long-distance footpaths
Walk: Sandwood Bay, Sutherland
Explore glorious Sandwood Bay in Sutherland on this 12-mile hike across wild moors and through mighty dunes
Walk: Dog Falls and Glen Affric, Highland
An inspired vision to save the Caledonian Forest is unfolding in Glen Affric – take a walk through the trees and find out more
Composer Matilda Brown on how walking has inspired her music
After a 500-mile hike through Scotland's wildest and most spectacular scenery, composer Matilda Brown talks to us about what inspires her music.
Guide to Scotland's North-West Highlands: where to stay, places to visit and great walks
With sparkling snowscapes, majestic peaks, epic views and warm hearths, the north-west Highlands is a truly thrilling experience – escape to this remote corner of Britain with our holiday guide.
Red squirrels move further into the Highlands thanks to reintroduction project
Around 20 red squirrels have been released in Sutherland Wood as part of a project to extend the animals’ range further north.
Day out: Ardvreck Castle, Highland
The incisor-like mountains and deep, raven waters of Loch Assynt create the perfect atmosphere for two of Scotland's darkest ruins
