Published: 14.11.2024

Scotland Guide: Discover What this Amazing Country Offers for Cottage Breaks

From Glens to Castle Country, Whisky Distilleries, Mountains, and Lochs, come discover Bonny Scotland.

Scotland - a country with stunning scenery and a noteworthy unique culture awaits you, let us guide you on Scotland's highlights and attractions. Scotland offers mountains, heather, castles, whisky, fishing and country pursuits. Read on to find out more about what Scotland has to offer for special self catering holidays. For those who have never been, Scotland really does have some magnificent landscapes and a strong sense of national pride which helps make visiting Scotland a real pleasure.

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Scotland with its Rugged and Wild Beauty Welcomes Visitors All Year Round

For those who have never travelled across the border, Scotland is a wonderful holiday destination. The beauty of it's countryside is distinctive and easily identifiable. There are forests, lochs (lakes), hills and glens with plentiful wildlife and magnificent scenery.

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Regions of Scotland to Discover on Holiday:

• Aberdeenshire and the Cairngorms

• Angus and Dundee

• Argyll and Bute

• Central Scotland

• Highlands

• Perthshire

• Scottish Islands for small remote white-washed holiday homes

• Southern Scotland including the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway

Find good comfortable holiday cottages to rent in south Scotland Scottish loch fishing holiday

Book self-catered accommodation near a Scottish loch or river for a fishing break in Scotland

Scottish rivers are well stocked with salmon, trout and other fish. Try your hand at fly fishing, or if you plan a coastal holiday, go deep sea fishing and catch mackerel, haddock and perhaps something bigger! We have a selection of fishing lodges and self catering cottages on riverbanks and lakes suited to fishing holidays in Scotland and other locations. For more information and advice on visiting Scotland read our top tips on places to go in Scotland plus our recommendations for having an enjoyable stay in Scotland.

Enjoy reading our guides and browsing for cottages in Scotland's top self-catering holiday destinations:

Aberdeenshire and the Cairngorms

Cairngorms National Park holidays Home to Scotland's Castle Country, whisky distilleries, part of the stunning Cairngorms National Park, Speyside and a pristine coastline with unspoilt sandy beaches, just when will you discover Aberdeenshire?

Whether you choose to explore the Aberdeenshire coast on holiday, the countryside or a combination of the two, this is a tranquil yet stunning area of Scotland, which offers much more than just golf and fishing (although they're very much on offer too!).

Oh and the Queen's holiday home, Balmoral Castle is in Aberdeenshire too so visit to discover why this area draws the royals back year after year. Find out more about in our guide to Aberdeenshire for self-catering holidays.

The Scottish Highlands - a cottage holidays guide

The Highlands of Scotland are known for lochs, mountains, rivers, forests and for their remoteness. Inverness is known as the capital of the Highlands. Loch Ness and the Cairngorms National Park are to be found in the Scottish Highlands.

The Galloway Forest Park

This is an amazing place to take a cottage break if you would like to experience the wonder of myriads of stars in the night sky, a natural wildlife haven where the game is to spot an animal before it spots you. The forest is criss-crossed with trails for mountain biking and walking. It's a superb place to take a dog for a pet-friendly holiday. The Galloway Forest Park is in Dumfries and Galloway, in southwest Scotland.

mountain biking galloway forest park

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The Isle of Skye, soulful and scenic - a place to refresh the soul. The Isle of Skye is officially part of the Scottish Highlands and lies off the coast of the South Western Highlands. The Isle of Skye is an amazing place to visit where you can go seal watching, whale watching and may also catch sight of other wildlife. Voted as one of the best island destinations in the world in a recent National Geographic survey you really have to vist to experience the beauty and magic of the Isle of Skye.

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If you plan to explore the Borders in Scotland and approach the two main cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow from the south, you may be interested in finding somewhere of a good quality to stay near Peebles and the Borders. View holiday cottages near Peebles.

Coastal self catering holidays in Scotland

Scotland's coastline offers many leisure opportunities and takes many forms from wide stretches of sandy beach, picturesque coves and harbours, to tall forbidding granite cliffs. Self-catering holiday cottages and accommodation on the west coast of Scotland Nature lovers will want to visit Scotland to experience the splendid isolation and freedom of the wide open spaces. So many habitats for birds, animals and flowers to thrive. This is the land where deer still roam the hills and wild cats forage for food.View bottle-nosed dolphins, harbour porpoise, seals, myriads of sea birds on the northern coasts and Moray Firth, golden eagles and ospreys in the Highlands and remote glens. Walk the cliff paths graced by primroses in spring followed by sea thrift and many wild flowers during the summer.

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In summer, tramp or cycle through ancient woodlands. Discover stone circles and a mysterious past. Pictish remanants remain scattered in lonely places waiting to be discovered by today's explorers.

City Breaks in Central Scotland

The historical city of Edinburgh

The capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, offers history, museums and National Trust properties. Visit the castle and enjoy looking around or join one of the guided tours. The Old Town surrounds the castle and has charming cobbled streets and much more. To get the most out of your trip to Edinburgh we recommend visiting in summer time when you have the best chance of good weather. Booking an open-top bus tour is a good way of obtaining an overview of the city and a general idea of where the main landmarks are situated.

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Large house rentals in Edinburgh for family and bigger groups of holidaymakers.

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scotland city breaks

The main cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow have welcomed foreign visitors for years and not only for the Edinburgh tattoo. City of Culture status is well deserved by Glasgow. Visitors are amazed by the interest in the arts and evidence in the museums, art galleries, shops and homes. These cities are surprisingly cosmopolitan and offer a variety and quality of restaurants and cafes that is unsurpassed elsewhere in Britain. That is not to acknowledge that Scottish identity and culture are still exceptionally strong and that you will be reminded of all things Scottish in the accents, dress, music, history, the buildings, food and hospitality wherever you go, but there is plenty of choice. These cities in Scotland do not sleep, partying until the wee hours is normal, and a good time is guaranteed. Or, travel further north and discover isolated unspoilt and uncommercialised communities that continue old traditions and ways of life.

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Golfing holidays in Scotland

Scotland is golfer's paradise with golf courses in almost every town and village, The prestigious Gleneagles Golf Course in Auchterarder, Tayside, is set amongst some of the finest scenery in the world. And, even if the golf courses are closed because of snow in winter, you can go walking, tobaganning or even skiing at the Lecht or in the Grampian Mountains instead. Lots of golfers come purely for golfing holidays in Scotland.