ROMANTIC SCOTTISH ROUTES

Touring holidays are a hugely popular with Britain Heritage Pass users – and one of the best ways to enjoy the wealth of heritage attractions that are scattered across the stunning landscape of Scotland and its islands.

Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s home in the highlands where the magnificent gardens are open to the public, is reported to have often been a weekend retreat for Prince William and Kate Middleton when they first met at St Andrews University. The creation of Queen Victoria’s German consort Prince Albert, many visitors comment on the fantastic Teutonic architectural flourishes of this famous royal residence.

Closer to St Andrews, Falkland Palace  was home to an earlier generation of royals and served as a hunting lodge for Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James VI. French influence is very apparent in the appearance of the building – maybe a testimony to Mary’s time as the child bride of the Valois king Francis II. The original Royal Tennis Court at the Palace is one of the note-worthy features of this friendly little palace in its tranquil corner of Scotland.

Another worthwhile stop for Pass users is Glamis Castle, the family home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, William’s great grandmother.  This famous castle is reportedly the most haunted in the whole of Scotland. Look out for the Grey lady who ‘walks’ the chapel, reputedly the ghost of a former occupant who was burned at the stake. It is also the legendary setting of Shakespeare’s MacBeth.  

The feats of Robert the Bruce, a much more successful Scottish king, are marked at Bannockburn, the site near Stirling of his famous victory over the English in 1314. The visitor centre includes a fascinating account of the battle and an extraordinary reconstruction of the king’s face. Meantime romantic failure can be celebrated at the moody moorland setting of Culloden where the dreams of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobites were finally trodden into the mud.

Glenfinnan– the site of the prince’s arrival and surely one of the loveliest and most dramatic of all The National Trust for Scotland’s attractions – is more than worth a short detour for visitors heading for the Western Isles. Film buffs are certain to recognise the viaduct that lies at the head of the loch