Here at InsiderScotland we have an obvious love of our country and we’re also fans of travel listicles too. You know the handy wee lists that group great places together. We get sent loads of listicles by companies and to be honest bin most of them. One really caught our eye, though, recently from the folks over at Cottages & Castles. It’s their round-up of Scotland’s Top 5 Staycation Hotspots.
First a wee bit about them. Cottages & Castles is the longest established holiday lettings agency in the country. We’re talking everything from cosy wee cottages, through to grand design style escapes fashioned by creative architects, and on to the sort of dreamy castle that turns a mere holiday into the trip of a lifetime. They boast oases all over the country too, from the banks of Loch Ness through to the beaches of Harris.
Staycation Hotspots
And on to that list we promised you culled from their own research. Here are Scotland’s Top 5 Staycation Hotspots for you, along with a wee bit about what we reckon after each:
1. Loch Ness
You just can’t fault a loch that has more freshwater than all the lakes in England and Wales. Combined! This epic sweep of water forges across the Great Glen in an epic sweep of scenery. Whether you take a boat ride in search of Nessie, cycle or walk the Great Glen, or just relax and take it all in it’s a stunner. It also handily has one of the most moody castles in Scotland, Urquhart Castle, presiding over its banks.
2. Loch Lomond
We’ve just been back up to the bonnie bonnie banks of Scotland’s largest loch. It never disappoints with a Munro to climb (Ben Lomond), boat tours, the West Highland Way long distance walking trail lining its banks and even a shopping and leisure complex on its southern tip at Loch Lomond Shores. There is picture postcard Luss too, the setting for the long running Take the High Road Scottish soap opera. You could come back here every year and never get bored of Loch Lomond.
3. Oban
We couldn’t agree more again with Scotland’s busiest ferry port and the undisputed gateway to the isles being in this list. From the moment we step off the train and catch the sniff of the salty Atlantic as seagull squawks fill the air we’re won over every time. It’s got the seafood restaurants and shacks (the best one is right by the ferries with the big log table) to justify its claim to be the ‘Seafood Capital of Scotland’. One of the things about a holiday here is that you can make myriad day trips to the isles as well as enjoying Oban itself.
4. Isle of Arran
Mile for mile Arran is probably our favourite Scottish island. It really does deserve the ‘Scotland in Miniature epithets. One rugged half lies north of the Highland Boundary Fault and boasts the craggy Arran Hills, tumbling glens where golden eagles soar and red deer roam, while you’ll find seals, dolphins and even basking sharks by the shore. The south is gentler affair of rolling hills, fertile fields and sweeping sandy beaches. It’s also a foodie island too with two whisky distilleries, a brewery. Chocolatier and three cheese companies.
Goatfell from Brodick, Isle of Arran (c) Jenny McKelvie5. Skye
The largest of the Inner Hebrides often makes lists like these. With good reason as this the Highlands writ large with a flurry of Munro mountains sprinkled across the Cuillin ranges, vast swathes of wilderness and hidden corners that are hardly touched by the bountiful tourist who flock there in Hollywood’s footsteps. No wonder Hollywood loves Skye and it is undeniably cinematic air. It’s got great hiking and restaurants too, including the only Michelin starred eatery in the Scottish isles.
Superb Staycation Options
If you are looking for a place to stay Cottages & Castles have reported a 7% increase in the number of large houses being booked during 2018 year on year. Three of the most booked were Jordanstone House, an wondrous country house pile in Blairgowrie in Perthshire, Drumblair House, a grade C listed house tucked in Aberdeenshire and Kilfinan House, an elegant Scottish country house that reclines just back from the banks of Loch Fyne in Argyll. We’ve just stayed at the latter for the second time and it’s a brilliant escape with enough space to sleep 16. It’s got a pool table sauna, table tennis, air hockey and an outdoor hot tub too! See, we knew you’d like what Cottages & Castles have to offer. . .
It’s clear from their research that Scotland remains a first pick for avid staycationers. Cottages & Castles reckon that in 2018 bookings primarily within Scotland were at a whopping 55%, with 40% of staycationers flocking in from the rest of the UK. Overseas visitors accounted for 5% of bookings. What are you waiting for? Isn’t it about time you book your own dream staycation?
*The post comes in association with Cottages & Castles who organise self-catering holidays in Scotland. They can organise accommodation in over 500 cottages, large houses and castles.
