Argyll and Inner Hebrides travel guide

The vast swathe of Central Highlands is not a distinct region but rather the sum of disparate parts of other regions, including Perthshire, the Trossachs, Angus Glens, Deeside, Don Valley, the Grampians, Speyside, Strathspey and Loch Lomond.

The historically important regions of Perthshire and Stirling straddle the Highland Boundary Fault, the dividing line between the heavily populated Central Lowlands and the wild and empty Highlands. Just across this ‘border’ is the Trossachs, a picture-postcard area of mountains, forests and lochs that stretches west from Callander to the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, and the glens of Perthshire, whose atmospheric lochs and mountains are rich in history.

The spectacular and varied landscape ranges from the gentle pleasures of Loch Tay to the rugged peaks of the Grampian Mountains, where there are Munros aplenty for the bagging and decent winter skiing. On the eastern shores of Loch Lomond is the West Highland Way, Scotland’s most popular long-distance hike. In the northeast, in the Spey Valley, are the tasty staples of a Highland tourist diet – whisky and salmon – while, nearby, stand many of Scotland’s most notable castles, one of which is the holiday home of the most famous family in the UK.