Top 10 Viewpoints in the Scottish Highlands
The Scottish Highlands are a land of weather and water: glacier-carved glens, sea lochs reaching deep inland, and 282 mountains over 914 metres known as Munros. The light shifts constantly through cloud and shower, and a viewpoint that is grey one minute can blaze with low sun the next. From roadside pull-ins on the great glens to summit cairns reached by long hill walks, these ten viewpoints capture the Highlands at their most evocative.
Glencoe
The glen of Glencoe is the most dramatic mountain valley in Scotland, walled by the peaks of the Three Sisters and Buachaille Etive Mor, whose pyramid stands at the glen's entrance. Roadside viewpoints on the A82 frame the peaks and the river, often with mist clinging to the ridges. It is a place heavy with history and among the most photographed landscapes in Britain.
Ben Nevis summit
The highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis reaches 1,345 metres near Fort William. The summit is gained by the long Mountain Track (the "Pony Track") or, for experienced scramblers, the Carn Mor Dearg arete. On the rare clear day, the view from the summit plateau extends across the western Highlands and out to the islands; cloud shrouds the top most of the year.
Loch an Eilein, Cairngorms
In the ancient Caledonian pine forest near Aviemore, Loch an Eilein holds a ruined island castle reflected in still water, ringed by the Cairngorm mountains. A level path circles the loch, and the viewpoints frame the castle, the old pines and the hills beyond. It is one of the most serene low-level viewpoints in the Highlands.
Quiraing, Isle of Skye
The Quiraing on the Trotternish ridge of Skye is a landslip landscape of pinnacles, plateaux and hidden hollows. The viewpoint from the road pass and the walking trail along the escarpment frame the jagged rock formations against the sea and the mainland mountains. The constantly shifting Skye weather makes it endlessly photogenic.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
The curving Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter films, carries the West Highland Line over the glen at the head of Loch Shiel. The viewpoint on the hillside above frames the 21-arch viaduct, the loch and the surrounding peaks, especially when the Jacobite steam train crosses in summer. It combines engineering with a classic Highland setting.
Applecross Pass (Bealach na Ba)
The Bealach na Ba, one of the highest road passes in Britain at 626 metres, climbs in steep hairpins over the Applecross peninsula. The viewpoint at the summit looks back over the road and across to the islands of Raasay and Skye, with the Cuillin hills on the horizon. The pass is part of the North Coast 500 route and a spectacular drive.
Loch Maree and Slioch
Loch Maree in Wester Ross is one of Scotland's most beautiful freshwater lochs, dotted with wooded islands and overlooked by the great peak of Slioch, rising to 981 metres. Roadside viewpoints on the A832 frame the loch, the mountain and the ancient pinewoods. It is a quieter corner of the Highlands, rich in wildlife.
Cairn Gorm summit area
The Cairngorm plateau is the largest area of high ground in Britain, an arctic-like landscape above 1,000 metres. From the funicular top station and the trails on Cairn Gorm at 1,245 metres, the view extends across the rounded summits and corries of the range. The high plateau is exposed and weather can be severe even in summer.
Stac Pollaidh, Assynt
The distinctive peak of Stac Pollaidh in Assynt rises only to 612 metres but its shattered sandstone summit gives one of the finest panoramas in the north-west Highlands: a sea of isolated peaks rising from a watery, ancient landscape. A relatively short but steep walk circles and climbs the peak, with views to Suilven and the Summer Isles.
Elgol, Isle of Skye
The viewpoint at Elgol on the south of Skye looks across Loch Scavaig to the jagged Black Cuillin, the most dramatic mountain range in Britain, rising straight from the sea. Boat trips run from the small harbour into the heart of the Cuillin at Loch Coruisk. The land-based view of the serrated ridge across the water is unforgettable in clear evening light.
Explore on the map
From the summit of Ben Nevis to the pinnacles of the Quiraing and the sea lochs of Wester Ross, every viewpoint above is plotted on the interactive map. Use it to see which require a Munro hike, which are roadside stops on the great Highland routes, and plan a journey through the glens and islands of the Scottish Highlands.