Wigtown became Scotland’s National Book Town in 1998 to help revitalise a town that had lost its major industries. The Findlater’s love the relaxed community feel here: “We have a lot of people popping in for just a glass, chatting to staff or bringing a book.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. When you get closer you realise the landscape flows around a succession of hills – four of them qualify as Corbetts, peaks over 2500 feet but less than 3000 feet. Traigh Scarista, Uig, Port of Ness, Dalbeg and Mangersta offer some of Britain’s best surfing, particularly during wild winter swells.

A picturesque sliver of a town that offers a warm welcome to visitors exploring the beautiful countryside of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Edgy and contemporary, it's a great spot to browse art galleries and museums, and to discover the works of local design hero Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Known for its strong, historic connections to Christianity, explore Iona Abbey to take a trip back in time, or head to the northern coast which has particular beautiful bays and beaches, boasting the best views out to sea. Sprinkled along the Atlantic seaboard of Lewis are sands so blond and perfect they could have been plucked from Antigua. The sleeper train from London, a time machine where you fall asleep among black cabs and wake up among red deer in the Highlands, is regularly nominated as one of the world’s best train journeys.

The island it shares with England and Wales is just the beginning of a sprawl of 900 islands, skerries and stacks that spread across the North Atlantic, reaching almost as far as Norway. Along with nearby Shetland, Mainland Orkney was reputedly created from the teeth of the Stoor Worm, a monstrous sea serpent that plagued the Scottish coast until it was dispatched by an Orcadian farmer’s son.Follow the story of Scottish patriot and martyr, Sir William Wallace at this national landmark where you can touch and feel centuries of history. Fort William is also the start of the Caledonian Canal, which links Loch Lochy to Loch Ness all the way to Inverness, splitting Scotland in half.

Any visit to Kelvinbridge also brings an abundance of options for brunch, fantastic coffee and takeaway bakes. There's no overly elaborate cooking at Loch Fyne Oysters, although the chefs are certainly highly skilled, instead it's about allowing diners to really appreciate the freshness of the products.At the heart of Scotland's first national park, the loch begins as a broad, island-peppered lake in the south, its shores clothed in bluebell-sprinkled woods, before narrowing in the north to a fjord-like trench ringed by mountains. Glencoe village offers a chance to delve into local history or you can go for a dram at the cosy Clachaig Inn. The WWT Caerlaverock Wetlands Centre is an excellent place to see whooper swans, barnacle geese in their 30-thousand and more (countless hides, observatories, farmhouse viewing tower). Berriedale Wood can be found in amongst the towering hills of Hoy, a unique and special place to visit at all times of the year. St Andrews, the historic Fife university town, is golf's headquarters, and an irresistible destination for anyone who loves the sport.