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Outdoors in Highland

Every spot we hold in Highland — swim, paddle, walk, viewpoint and dark-sky places, with live conditions.

Highland · 27Dumfries & Galloway · 16Edinburgh & Lothian · 12Argyll & Bute · 11Scottish Borders · 9Perth & Kinross · 9Fife · 8Loch Lomond & Trossachs · 6Ayrshire · 4Fife/Perthshire border · 3
27 places
swimwalkviewpoint

Fairy Pools, Glen Brittle

Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye

A string of turquoise pools and waterfalls below the Cuillin, reached by a 20-minute walk that's become one of Skye's most phot…

Sunset 21:38Known hazard
swimwalk

Sligachan River Pools

Sligachan, Isle of Skye

River pools by the Old Bridge with the Cuillin and Glamaig framing the view, quieter and less signposted than the Fairy Pools f…

Sunset 21:38
swimpaddlewalk

Loch Morlich Beach

Glenmore, Cairngorms, near Aviemore

A sandy loch beach in Glenmore forest with the Cairngorm massif reflected on a still day and a watersports centre right there f…

Sunset 21:52
swimpaddleviewpoint

Loch Insh, Kincraig

Kincraig, Cairngorms

A gentle Cairngorms loch run by a watersports centre, with ospreys often working the water and the mountains as backdrop. An ea…

Sunset 21:56
swimwalkviewpoint

Nairn East Beach

Nairn

A SEPA-designated beach at the harbour end of Nairn, with dolphins occasionally showing in the Moray Firth beyond. SEPA advises…

No overflowBathing: not specified in profile fetch — verify at publishSunset 21:44
swimwalkviewpoint

Rosemarkie Beach

Rosemarkie, Black Isle

A Black Isle beach a short drive from Chanonry Point's dolphin-watching spot, with the Moray Firth opening out ahead. Currents …

No overflowSunset 21:49
swimwalkviewpoint

Dores Beach, Loch Ness

Dores, near Inverness

A shingle beach at the Loch Ness-spotting end of the loch, with the Dores Inn a short walk away. The water is deep close to sho…

Sunset 21:56
swimwalkviewpoint

Sandwood Bay

Sutherland (near Kinlochbervie)

A mile of pink sand and a sea stack at the mainland's far north-west corner, reached only by a 7km walk in with no road, no caf…

Sunset 22:11Known hazard
swimwalkviewpoint

Achmelvich Bay

Assynt, Sutherland

A sheltered white-sand bay in Assynt with Suilven visible inland and a campsite right on the beach. About as easy and welcoming…

Sunset 22:05
swimwalkviewpoint

Clachtoll Bay

Assynt, Sutherland

A white-sand Assynt beach split by the Split Rock sea stack, with the district's mountains rising behind. Facilities are limite…

Sunset 22:06
swimwalkviewpoint

Coral Beaches, Claigan

Claigan, Isle of Skye (near Dunvegan)

White coralline-algae sand and turquoise water at the end of a 2.5km coastal walk from Claigan, with Lewis and Harris visible a…

Sunset 21:59
swimviewpointwalk

Elgol Beach

Elgol, Isle of Skye

A pier and shingle beach with the Cuillin ridge laid out across Loch Scavaig, and boats to Loch Coruisk departing from the same…

Sunset 22:00
paddlewalk

Dochgarroch Lock, Loch Ness / Caledonian Canal

Dochgarroch, near Inverness

A calm canal launch at Dochgarroch Lock leading out through the Bona Narrows into Loch Ness itself. The canal section is placid…

Sunset 21:54
paddlewalkviewpoint

Plockton Harbour

Plockton, Wester Ross

A sheltered harbour paddle from one of the prettiest villages on the west coast, complete with palm trees courtesy of the Gulf …

Sunset 22:03
paddleviewpointwalk

Loch Maree (Slattadale launch)

Wester Ross

A big wilderness loch below Slioch, with pinewood islands protected as a nature reserve and a genuine sense of remoteness. Flat…

Sunset 22:14
walkviewpoint

Ben Nevis (Mountain Track / Tourist Route)

Fort William, Lochaber

The Mountain Track to the roof of the British Isles, a long well-worn path that can still catch out the unprepared: snow linger…

Sunset 22:07
walkviewpoint

Old Man of Storr

Trotternish, Isle of Skye

A steep well-built path up to one of Skye's most photographed rock pinnacles, with the Sound of Raasay opening out below. One o…

Sunset 21:39
walkviewpoint

The Quiraing

Trotternish, Isle of Skye

A landslip landscape of leaning pinnacles and hidden plateaus above Staffin Bay, known simply by its features: the Prison, the …

Sunset 21:36
walkviewpoint

Suilven

Assynt, Sutherland

One of Scotland's most distinctive mountains, a long approach across Assynt's scattered lochans before a steep pull to a narrow…

Sunset 22:17
walkviewpoint

Cairn Gorm Summit / Ptarmigan

Cairngorms, near Aviemore

A climb onto a genuinely sub-arctic plateau above Aviemore, past Lairig Ghru toward Ben Macdui, in some of the windiest conditi…

Sunset 21:58
walkviewpoint

Corrieshalloch Gorge

Wester Ross, near Ullapool

A short accessible path to a suspension bridge over the Falls of Measach, which drop 45m into a narrow mile-long gorge. Step-fr…

Sunset 22:15
walkviewpoint

Falls of Glomach

Kintail (Highland/North-West border)

One of Britain's highest waterfalls at 113m, reached by a remote 4-5 mile hill path with a steep, exposed final approach to the…

Sunset 22:00
viewpointwalk

Bealach na Ba viewpoint

Applecross, Wester Ross

The highest road climb in the UK, with a viewpoint at the top looking out to Skye, Raasay and the Outer Hebrides. No walking ne…

Sunset 22:12
viewpointwalk

Loch an Eilein, Rothiemurchus

Rothiemurchus, Cairngorms

A level loop around a loch with a ruined castle on its island, set among some of the oldest Caledonian pines in Rothiemurchus. …

Sunset 21:57
viewpointwalk

Duncansby Head

Caithness, near John o'Groats

Sea stacks and seabird colonies at Britain's most north-easterly point, a short clifftop walk from the lighthouse car park. The…

Sunset 21:40
viewpointwalk

Dunnet Head

Caithness

The most northerly point of mainland Britain, with Orkney's cliffs visible across the Pentland Firth from an RSPB-managed headl…

Sunset 21:52
stargazeswimviewpoint

Glen Brittle Dark Sky, Isle of Skye

Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye

A campsite-adjacent glen away from Portree and Broadford's glow, with the Cuillin silhouette dominating the southern horizon an…

atmospheric · wild