Aberdeen, Scotland

Aberdeen is a good family holiday destination in Scotland. It features tourist attractions that can be enjoyed by all ages, from galleries and museums, to restaurants and bars. It is also known as the ‘Granite City’ or ‘Silver City’ because of the sparkling granite buildings. It is the third largest city in Scotland and is known as the ‘Oil Capital of Europe.’

The city’s name is literally translated as, ‘between the Don and Dee’. It is known for its rugged coastlines and the Cairngorms National Park. Aberdeen is a good site for nature lovers where a string of trails such as the Castle Trail, Coastal Trail, and the Victorian Heritage Trail can be explored.

The largest granite structure in the world, the Marischal College, is nestled in this town. The 16th Century Provost Skene’s House is also among the historical attractions in the heart of the city. Those who love to shop should explore the main street of Aberdeen, Union Street, which offers several shops, restaurants and bars.

Beach lovers will also enjoy strolling on the white sands of Aberdeen’s beach where water sports such as windsurfing and surfing can be enjoyed. Aberdeen also has cliffs and castles that reveal the rich history of the city, such as the ruin of Dunnotar Castle and Stonehaven.

Tourists can enjoy a sumptuous evening meal after a day of exploring the city. A good dish of fish and chips in Stonehaven or fresh seafood dining can be enjoyed at the restaurants around the area.

If you’re a tourist from outside the EU, you must first secure a visa. Ferry rides to Aberdeen are available through Northlink Ferries. It can be reached by plane, rail, road, or sea.

Orkney

Orkney, located in northern Scotland, is an archipelago that is comprised of 70 islands, 21 of which are inhabited. Its sandy beaches, scenery, wildlife, cuisine, and hospitality make the islands an ideal place for a holiday.

Orkney has over 5000 years of human history. Four World Heritage sites, which date back to 3100 B.C., can be found here. These include the Skara Brae Stone Age Village (3100 B.C.), The Ring of Brodgar (2000 B.C.), Maeshowe Chambered Cairn, and the Standing Stones of Stennes.

There are numerous festivals and events celebrated throughout the year in Orkney, which include the annual agricultural shows, the St. Magnus Festival, and numerous sporting events.

A wide variety of activities can also be enjoyed in Orkney. Surfing, sailing, windsurfing, diving, kite surfing, and kayaking are a few of the water activities available. While inland, you can enjoy angling, play a round of golf, or explore the island by bicycle or on foot.

Orkney Ferries connect all the islands to the Orkney Mainland. It is perfect for a holiday cruise and a tour of the islands.

Westray, also known as ‘The Queen of the Isles’, is the second biggest of the North Isles. You can get around the whole island in a day by bike or on foot. An organised tour can also be arranged. The talent of the ancient people can be seen in a rock carving called the Westray Stone, which can be found in the island’s biggest settlement. Holm of Faray can also be found on the island. It is a breeding site for grey seals. In autumn, a large numbers of seals come here to mate and the pups are born in October.

If you’re from outside the EU and would like to spend your holiday in Orkney, Scotland, you will likely need a tourist visa.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh, which means ‘Eidin’s Fort’ is the capital of Scotland. It is close to the Firth of Forth shore and is known as one of the UK’s finest cities an excellent place for a Holiday.

There are several architectural landmarks in this city, such as Gothic St. Giles’ Church; Georgian townhouses, Holyrood Palace, the John Knox House, the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre, and the Writers’ Museum.

Edinburgh Castle is seen on the skyline from the Princes Street Gardens. Malcolm III turned this hill fortress into his royal residence during the 11th century. There are many historic towns that can be explored in the Lothian region where mediaeval chapels and castles reveal Scotland’s interesting history. The city is also divided into the elegant, neo-classical New Town and the mediaeval Old Town.

This city is not only rich in history but also has a wide variety of shops, making it an ideal destination for shoppers from all over the world. Princes Street is the main shopping street, and is filled with designer boutiques. George Street is also flooded with restaurants, bars and clothes shops. Grassmarket offers second-hand and antique art pieces. Other places for shopping are St. Andrew’s Square, Cockburn Street, and the Royal Mile.

If you are travelling from a country outside of the EU, you must first secure a visa. The airport is 8 miles away from the A8 Edinburgh-Glasgow Road.

There are numerous hotels of various star ratings; guesthouses, holiday cottages, and campsites in and around Edinburgh.

Loch Ness

Loch Ness is the largest lake in Scotland and is one of the most popular destinations in the country. The area is filled with excellent eateries, natural wonders, historic attractions, and comfortable places to stay. Loch Ness will never run out of activities to suit all tastes. With the lake being over 20 miles long, a mile wide and 700 feet deep, cruising is definitely on the top of the list of things to do in Loch Ness.

Cruising is one of the best ways to appreciate Loch Ness, with cruises and boat trips operating all year long. In Loch Ness, every season has its special moments. In spring, the surrounding hills burst back into life with the early blossom of the wild cherries and whins. Autumn brings the bronzes and gold of the leaves and the air will make you want to enjoy a hearty meal.

Spotting small villages and farms lets you wonder what life was like in the past when the roads around Loch Ness could not be travelled and people had to sail to get from one place to another. From the Urquhart Castle to the Caledonian Canal, structures of the industrial age can be seen and are still used today. Also, you have to keep your eyes open for you never know if you’ll spot Loch Ness’ most infamous resident, the Loch Ness monster.

Cobb’s Restaurant at the Clansman Hotel is the only restaurant overlooking Loch Ness. The restaurant serves Scottish cuisine with a continental twist, making it popular among the locals and foreign visitors alike.

If you’re from outside the EU and would like to spend your holiday in Loch Ness, Scotland, you will be likely to need a tourist visa.

Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow is a major port and the largest city in Scotland. It is found on the River Clyde in the western part of the country. The main landmarks in Glasgow are the Trades House, the Cathedral, the Hunterian Museum, and the Burrell Collection.

The Burrell Collection showcases a vast array of artworks from many different parts of the world. It contains over 9,000 pieces of art that were collected by William Burrell. The Gallery of Modern Art or GoMA is a contemporary art gallery that displays works from local and international artists. The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery features the collection of William Hunter, which was given to the University of Glasgow in 1738.

Glasgow Cathedral is where the first bishop of the ancient Strathclyde kingdom, St. Kentigern or Mungo, is believed to have been buried in AD 612.

Glasgow is also the largest retail centre outside of London. Argyll Arcade is one of Britain’s oldest shopping areas. It was built in 1827 and houses 32 jewellery shops. The Merchant City and the West End offers travellers a number of bookstores, second-hand clothing boutiques, and antiques stores. The Barras is a street market on the East End where cheap antiques, clothing and food can be purchased. The popular items in this place are Celtic jewelleries, whisky and golfing equipment. There’s also an Italian centre that has cafes and restaurants.

If you are from outside the EU, you must first secure a visa in order to travel in Scotland. There is an airport in Glasgow that accommodates flights from all over the world.

Stornoway

Stornoway is a natural harbour in the Western Isles of Scotland. It has been recognised as a haven for nearly a thousand years.

The main centre of commerce for the Outer Hebrides, this is a town where the Gaelic language is still spoken. It is the island’s main seaport, where it provides a link to mainland Britain.

The Stornoway Port is the entrance to a history filled island. Some of Europe’s most famous monuments, The Standing Stones of Canlais and the Brochs, can be found on the island. The famous Black Houses can be reached easily from the port.

The Lewis War Memorial, completed in 1924, is a war memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives in World War I. It is situated at the highest point of Stornoway. Brochs, circular defensive towers that were used in the Iron Age, can only be found in Stornoway. The Great Broch of Carloway is one of the best preserved brochs in Scotland.

Every July, the annual Hebridean Celtic Festival is held, which attracts more than 10,000 visitors. The An Lanntair Arts Centre can be found in the Old Town Hall. Artworks by local artists can be found here. The harbour is usually full of seals and was given a nickname ‘Portrona’, which means port of seals.

The Number 3 Pier is where cruise liners put into port. Though limited in terms of facilities, smaller vessels are also found here. Located 4 km from the port is Stornoway Airport, linking the island with Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh by air.

If you’re from outside the EU and would like to spend your holiday in Stornoway, Scotland, you will need to enquire as to whether you need a tourist visa.

The Lagavulin Festival Edition Single Malt and the Caol Ila Festival Edition Single Malt

To celebrate this year’s Islay Festival of Malt & Music on 23-30 May, Diageo is once again making available two special Festival editions of its Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. These very limited editions will be available only to personal shoppers, with a limit of one bottle per person.

The first-ever single cask bottling of Caol Ila™ by the Distillers is drawn from a European oak ex-sherry cask filled in December 1996, which has provided just 654 70cl bottles of 12 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The cask was hand-selected by Caol Ila distillery’s long-established manager, Billy Stitchell.

From Lagavulin™ comes a 14 year old expression of this famous Single Malt, from a European oak cask filled in 1995, and hand-picked from Warehouse No. 1 by Iain McArthur, long-standing warehouseman at Lagavulin distillery. This edition consists of 660 bottles.

Both editions are bottled at natural cask strength, and will be on sale at £69.99.

Nick Morgan, Diageo’s Scotch Knowledge and Heritage Director, said: “The Lagavulin single cask edition for the Feis Ile has been a great success in previous years, and we hope this one will bring just as much pleasure to Festival visitors. The Caol Ila bottling is a first for us: I’m sure devotees of this Whisky will find it an interesting and satisfying dram. Both are genuine bottlings made specifically for this year’s Festival and are priced very fairly, we think, to meet the pockets of the hard-pressed Whisky enthusiasts who may have travelled a very long way, and at considerable expense, on their pilgrimages to Islay”.

The Lagavulin Festival Edition will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at Lagavulin distillery during their open day on Saturday 23 May. The Caol Ila Festival Edition will go on sale at Caol Ila distillery during their open day on Monday 25 May.

Port Ellen Voted Top Single Malt Scotch Whisky in World Spirits Competition

In a crowded field of the world’s top single malt Scotch whiskies, the cult single malt from a long-closed Islay distillery, Port Ellen™, was declared “Best Single Malt” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, which announced its 2009 results this week.

The accolade (accompanied by the award of a Double Gold medal) went to the 29 year old cask-strength bottling of Port Ellen, released last year from the owner’s diminishing stocks. The distillery, on the southern coast of Islay, opened in the 1830s and closed in 1983, though its warehouses still exist today alongside the Port Ellen Maltings.

The annual releases of the irreplaceable Port Ellen are anxiously awaited by malt whisky connoisseurs and collectors, particularly those in love with complex smoky Hebridean whiskies. The 2008 release consists of only 6,660 bottles, with a recommended price of £180. Drawn from ever-dwindling stocks, the few rare bottles which are not pre-ordered sell out within days of reaching the retailers’ shelves. Some retailers are already taking orders for the 2009 release, due this September.

An extremely limited single-cask bottling of Port Ellen, distilled in 1981, was on sale last year to visitors to the Islay Festival, in an edition of a mere 200 or so bottles. They are now selling on the internet for upwards of £2000.

The 29 year old Port Ellen that seduced the judges at San Francisco is the 8th release of this rare malt. It was one of a handful of limited cask-strength single malt whiskies released last September in Diageo’s annual Special Releases series. Tasters described it as “elegant, compelling and mellow” with its characteristically powerful tar-smoky, almost antiseptic, notes playing alongside a spicy rich fruit palate.

Dead by Dawn Festival, Edinburgh

Horror film enthusiasts from around the globe have just a few weeks to prepare for the Dead by Dawn festival, which begins in Edinburgh next month.

Set to run between Thursday April 30th and Sunday May 3rd, the event features a range of different types of movies, from the very best offerings from the independent cinema circuit to premieres and previews of upcoming blockbusters.

Complementing the newer films will be a programme including a range of classic features, as well screenings of rare and obscure pieces.

Audience members are able to vote for their favourite movie in three different sections, Best Feature, Best Short and the Cutting Edge gong for debut and emerging filmmakers.

The latter sees a total of ten short films screened - both live action to animated - and can serve as a launching pad for budding George A Romeros and Alfred Hitchcocks.

People staying in Edinburgh Hotels can visit the event and are now able to purchase Dead by Dawn passes, which provide access to the entire show, for £65.

Meanwhile, tickets to the Spawn of the Dead party - which rounds off the festival on the night of Saturday May 2nd - are also available for £25.

Aviemore Highland Resort - Winter breaks from £19.99

Aviemore Highland Resort can pick you up with a well deserved winter break. treat yourself to a holiday without feeling the pinch.

Rooms at the Aviemore Inn are on offer for only £19.99 per room per night.

This offer is valid for stays between 23rd Jan to 28th Feb 2009 and uses promotion code PE3.

1,500 rooms up for grabs - first come, first served. Click here or on the banner below.

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