Cairngorms

Rising at the heart of the Scottish Highlands, the Cairngorms National Park is Britain's largest and most dramatic wilderness. This is a landscape of superlatives: the highest mountains, the largest remnants of ancient Caledonian pine forest, and arctic plateaux found nowhere else in the British Isles. Five of Scotland's six highest peaks cluster here, their granite summits home to ptarmigan, mountain hare, and golden eagles soaring on the thermals.

The Cairngorms offer adventure year-round. In winter, skiers and snowboarders flock to the slopes of Cairn Gorm and the Lecht, while summer brings world-class hiking, mountain biking, and wild swimming in crystal-clear lochs. The Speyside region running through the park is Scotland's whisky heartland, where legendary distilleries welcome visitors to taste single malts matured in the clear mountain air. Pretty towns like Aviemore, Braemar, and Grantown-on-Spey provide cosy bases for exploration.

But the Cairngorms are more than mountains and whisky. Ancient castles like Balmoral and Braemar dot the glens, red deer roam the hillsides in their thousands, and red squirrels thrive in the pinewoods. Whether you're seeking adrenaline or tranquillity, a challenging summit or a gentle forest walk, the Cairngorms deliver an experience as big as the landscape itself.