The Central Highlands

The Central Highlands, a large and diverse region, is bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the east by the North Sea, to the north by the Northern Highlands and Moray Firth, and to the south by Argyll, the Drumochter Pass on the A9, and the southern fringe of the Cairngorm Mountains.

To the west of the Great Glen, the long valley linking Inverness with Fort William and containing Loch Ness, lie the wild and remote mountains, lochs and rivers, deep inlets, off-shore islands and small, picturesque villages of Lochaber and Lochalsh – magnificent West Highland scenery. 

In the centre, a broad band of mountains runs east from the west side of Loch Ness and Fort William, through the Cairngorms, to Aboyne in the east. The hills here, though massive, are more rounded than those of the west and are covered in heather and forested moor, with fields, woods and meadows in the valleys and tundra on the high tops. The Cairngorm massif dominates the landscape and its National Park status is justly deserved.

Fringing the mountains to the north and east is a coastal plain of rich, rolling farmland and occasional hills. The farming tradition is strong, as visits to the many market towns will demonstrate. Cattle, sheep and barley are grown, the last named to feed the numerous whisky distilleries. The coast itself is home to working fishing towns and villages like Peterhead and Buckie, boats going far out into the North Sea and Atlantic in search of their quarry. These communities and their traditions remain strong and the people, special.

Aberdeen, “The Granite City” and “Oil Capital of Europe”, is a thriving modern city with an ancient past, while the central location of Scotland’s newest city, Inverness, makes it the ideal base for people wishing to explore the Highlands as a whole.

Whisky and castles figure prominently in this region, each with its own car trail for you to follow – or you can just sit back and relax.