Argyll

Visitors come to the West Highlands at least partly for the scenic attractions: for the wilderness of Breadalbane around Crianlarich; for the glorious views of islands from Knapdale or Kintyre. However, the area offers much more than simply scenery. As well as Oban, there are other towns with plenty to see and do. Inveraray on Loch Fyne offers a good range of attractions in and around it, including the fairy tale Inveraray Castle and Inveraray Jail. Dunoon, so easily accessible across the Clyde, is the gateway to the richly forested lands of Cowal.

In the west, the mild climate grows some great gardens at places like Crarae on Loch Fyne or Arduaine south of Oban. A late spring trip here is a gardener's delight. Or discover a grand Gothic mansion, with breathtaking interiors of marble and stained glass, at Mount Stuart on the island of Bute.

The Isle of Mull, with its spectacular scenery and tiny Iona, Cradle of Scottish Christianity with close by; Islay and Jura as two contrasting places, one busy with distilling and farming, the other comparatively empty and wild. Why not go cruising on the Firth of Clyde or even on inland waters such as Loch Katrine or, to the west, Loch Awe.