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Dumfries & Galloway and Ayrshire Tourism

Dumfries and Galloway, the Southwest stretch of Scotland with some of Scotland's best beaches on the Colvend Coast, is a popular Scottish area for holidays. To the far west on the Rhinns of Galloway, the Mull is a sanctuary for seabirds and wildlife.

There's a holiday activity for everyone here, from hopping onto the Robert Burns trail at Dumfries (where Burns spend his last days) to relaxing on the stunning Solway coastline at the best beaches of Sandyhills and elsewhere. Abbeys and castles are scattered across the area, with two of the most stunning being Sweetheart Abbey and Caerlaverock Castle south of Dumfries. Keen walkers and mountain bikers should head straight for Britain's largest forest park, the Galloway Forest Park.

Ayrshire contains some of the most important sights on the Robert Burns trail, including the Robert Burns Heritage Park in Alloway which contains Burns' birthplace home and an extensive Burns archive at the Burns Museum. The North Ayrshire coast is linked strongly to Glasgow's shipbuilding heritage. Locations such as Irvine, Ardrossan and Saltcoats all have a fascinating history in shipbuilding. Find out more at the Scottish Maritime Museum at Irvine's Harbourside. For family seaside fun, with quick boat trips across to Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae, you won't find much better than Largs with its viking link giving it an extra edge.

Moving inland in North Ayrshire, Kilmarnock like Glasgow is blending contemporary art and its industrial and social history well at the Doon Valley Museum and the Dick and Baird Institutes. The South Ayrshire coast is peaceful indeed, and popular with bird watchers heading over by boat from Girvan Harbour to bird sancturary island Ailsa Craig.

Edinburgh, Glasgow & the Scottish Borders

Both Edinburgh and Glasgow are two of the best city break locations in the UK. Compact Edinburgh, with its Old and New Town, historic castle, Holyrood Palace and a host of internationally acclaimed art galleries and museums comes alive in August particularly during the Edinburgh Festival season.

Glasgow has a distinctly different appeal than Edinburgh, reinventing itself as a centre for design and architecture from the 1980s. (In 1999 it became the UK's City of Architecture and Design). New cutting edge architecture and attractions such as the Glasgow Science centre blends with the kitsch Victorian, and acclaimed designs of Glasgow's artistic son - Charles Rennie Mackintosh. As a European city of art, with acclaimed art collections including Kelvingrove and the Burrell Collection, Glasgow is one of the best.

The Scottish Borders are home to a superb choice of quality woollen mills and Scottish cashmere, nowhere more so than historic Hawick. Find fine quality fabrics, knitwear and Scottish gifts discount outlets galore in the Hawick area, with big name outlets such as Peter Scott. Both Kelso and Jedburgh are dominated by their historic abbeys. Kelso the larger was a powerhouse in its day. Their abbey ruins are a highlight in the Scottish Borders, situated on the popular Border Abbeys Way.

Historic gems include the striking Melrose Abbey, the remains of which dominate the town and date from 1136. Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) is one of the great names in Scottish Literature, and Abbotsford, his historic home just outside Melrose is a pilgrimage for Walter Scott fans from all over the world.Those in the know, know that Peebles in the Borders is one of the best areas in Scotland for outdoor activities, particularly mountain biking, golf, fishing and walking. Peebles is Tweed Valley Forest Park territory, and this attractive Borders town/come village is an extremely popular base with walkers and mountain bikers.

Central Scotland

Central Scotland is a vast expanse of diverse Scottish territory containing several counties - Stirlingshire, Perthshire, Fife, Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park and to the west Argyll, Bute and the Mull of Kintyre. Central Scotland contains some of Scotland's most stunning Lochs, forests and woodland gorges located within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. You're in Rob Roy Country here - the famous Scots hero Rob Roy MacGregor was born near Loch Katrine in 1671 and is buried at Balquhidder.

Move into Stirlingshire for the site of probably Scotland's most important battle on Scottish soil - The Battle of Bannockburn. Here in 1314 Robert the Bruce led the Scots to victory against huge odds - the English army by far outnumbered the Scots. More important Scottish historical sites are in the centre including Stirling Castle and Scone Palace near Perth - the Crowning Place of Scottish Kings. Bruce himself was crowned here on the Stone of Scone. For Scotland golf, any championship golfer will tell you that to win the Open at St Andrews is to be remembered! The British Golf Museum is aptly placed in St Andrews, with more championship golf in the Central region at Gleneagles. Finally, Perth is fast becoming an important centre for Scottish art alongside Aberdeen. In Perth see the largest collection of work by Scottish Colourist JD Fergusson at the Fergusson Gallery, and move to the Perth Museum & Art Gallery to view more Scottish Art including paintings by Henry Raeburn and Glasgow Boy Edward Hornel.

North East Scotland

Aberdeen and Dundee are two of Scotland's most appealing cities. Compact, friendly and with a host of attractions granite city Aberdeen is a centre for Scottish Art at the Aberdeen Art Gallery. For Scottish Maritime History Aberdeen's Maritime Museum opposite the harbour digs deep into the heritage of fishing, shipbuilding and more recently life off-shore in the oil industry. Dundee has two 5 star graded attractions - Verdant Jute Works and Discovery Point on the Firth of Tay waterfront. Dundee is also developing an international reputation for contemporary art, revolving around the superb Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre (DCA).

Pushing west of Aberdeen into Royal Deeside, Ballater, Balmoral and Braemar await, as does the sublime scenery of the Grampian Mountains and Cairngorms National Park. Aberdeen Airport makes access into the Cairngorms and Aberdeen easy for international visitors. South of Aberdeen on the Angus Coast don't miss one of Scotland's most striking castles - Dunnottar. Push further down to Montrose's Blue Flag Beach and Arbroath's stunning Harbour. Move inland to some of Scotland's best hillwalking territory around the Angus Glens, making Kirriemuir (the Gateway to the Glens) your base. Last but hardly least, as you push down the Angus coast you're in Carnoustie Country and the Angus Golf Coast. Open Championships - Carnoustie has hosted quite a few on its three superb links golf courses.

Scottish Highlands

The Scottish Highlands are a huge draw for those wanting spectacular scenery, locations for outdoor activities, fishing and appreciating the wildlife and geology of the country. It's a vast area and so little populated that you can drive for miles before seeing habitation.

The scenery has something for everyone - lochs, mountains, beaches, coast and lots of small settlements where Scottish and Gaelic culture is still very much alive. Much of the Highlands of Scotland is off the beaten tourist track and provide you with endless opportunities to explore some of last wildernesses in Britain.

Scottish Islands

Scotland is surrounded by hundreds of islands particularly around the west and north coast. Many of these have been inhabited for thousands of years and have a lot of evidence of these early settlers in a wealth of archaeological sites and standing stones. The Western Isles like the west of Scotland is the stronghold of Gaelic culture, something that is proudly protected. The Orkneys and Shetlands have their own culture rooted in Norse history meaning that often it feels closer to Scandinavian culture than Scottish.

There's something very exciting about island hopping and it's a popular way to see the Scottish Islands. However, too short a stay will mean you don't get to see the true island life and individual cultures that make these islands so special. The islands are becoming increasingly accessible with regular ferries or flights. This means that there is an increasing amount of comfortable holiday accommodation offered by islanders themselves.

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