Though now a place of beauty and tranquillity, the wild landscape of the Highlands is etched with traces of its eclectic and often tragic history. Mostly known as the home to the Highland Clans before their clearance starting in the mid-18th century, the Highlands also played host to other interesting characters, including great kings and queens as well as the mysterious Picts.
Today, remnants of their lives can be found scattered amongst the region’s mountains and lochs, in the form of ancient castles, prehistoric cairns, spectacular cathedrals and more. See where Kings of Scots such as Macbeth were crowned at Scone Palace, explore the seat of the chief of the Clan Murray at Blair Castel or marvel at the Clava Cairns, an incredibly preserved, bronze age cemetery. Learn about all this and more, with the stunning backdrop of the Highlands to keep you company.
Featured History & Heritage
Beauly Priory
Beauly Priory was founded around 1230 by monks of the Valliscaulian order
Queen’s View – Loch Tummel
Admire the spectacular views (named after Robert the Bruce's first wife, Isabella) along Loch Tummel and Schiehallion
Taymouth Castle
c19th neo-Gothic castle in landscaped grounds
Carrbridge Packhorse Bridge
The old packhorse bridge in Carrbridge in the Cairngorms National Park is the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands
Urquhart Castle
The magnificently situated Urquhart Castle, on the shore of Loch Ness, has seen some of the most dramatic chapters in our nation's story
