Loch Ness and Inverness

Despite the fact that rumors of mythological monsters have mostly been discredited (just don't tell the locals), the magnificent Loch Ness remains a popular tourist destination for visitors to Scotland. While you are unlikely to encounter any monsters, you will be rewarded with some of the most magnificent landscapes in the UK. The ruins of Urquhart Castle are among the highlights of Loch Ness. It's one of Scotland's largest fortresses, overlooking the loch (the current structure dates from the 14th century). For anyone interested in learning more about the area's many tales, the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition tells its history, as well as that of its monster, and includes information on ongoing searches for the elusive creature.

Inverness is a little further north. Inverness Castle, the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, and the late-nineteenth-century St. Andrew's Cathedral are among the many wonderful attractions in this picturesque city. The Culloden Battlefield and Visitors Centre are well worth a visit for history aficionados. The English and Scots fought their final fight at Culloden in 1746, and the fate of Scotland as a British dominion was decided there. The gravestones of Scottish clan fighters, as well as the six-meter-high Memorial Cairn constructed in 1881 to commemorate the conflict, are well worth seeing.

• Recommended hotel: Craigdarroch Hotel - $120 per night
• Timings: NA
• Location: Scotland