15 inspiring outdoor activity ideas to do in Scotland this summer

Away from the much-visited and more famous visitor attractions in Scotland is a treasure trove of lesser-known outdoors gems. Fiona Russell reveals 15 must-sees for this summer.
Finnich Glen.  Picture:: John McSporranFinnich Glen.  Picture:: John McSporran
Finnich Glen. Picture:: John McSporran

1 The Singing Sands

A six-mile return walk from Arivegaig, on the far north-west peninsula of Ardnamurchan, takes you to Camas an Lighe, aka the Singing Sands. If you shuffle across the sands in bare feet, or even shoes, you’ll hear the sand singing. The noise is created by the perfectly round sand grains rubbing together to make a low frequency sound.

2 Bealach na Ba

Whaligoe Steps. Picture: Donald BainWhaligoe Steps. Picture: Donald Bain
Whaligoe Steps. Picture: Donald Bain

Scotland’s only true Alpine-style road zig-zags back and forth up the Bealach na Ba (pass of the Cattle) in the mountains of the Applecross Peninsula, Wester Ross. Many people struggle even to drive it, while others enjoy a challenge of cycling the six miles from sea level to 626m with gradients of up to 20 per cent.

3 Machair flowers

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Get up close to sandy machair grasslands in the Outer Hebrides and count the number of different types of flowers. It’s said there are up to 45 species of wildflower in a square metre of machair.

4 Spot dolphins from the land

The Moray Firth, north of Inverness, is one of the best places for seeing dolphins in the UK. As well as a dolphin watching boat trip it’s often possible to spot the graceful sea mammals from land at Chanonry Point on the Black Isle.

5 Swim with sharks

Amazingly, one of the best places in the world to see – and swim with – basking sharks is in Scotland in the waters off the Isle of Coll. Basking Shark Scotland organises snorkelling swims on the island.

6 St Kilda

Machair Flowers. Picture: Jon ThomsonMachair Flowers. Picture: Jon Thomson
Machair Flowers. Picture: Jon Thomson

The archipelago of St Kilda is located 41 miles west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides and is described as “the islands at the edge of the world”. It is a World heritage Site and a place of stunning beauty. It’s not easy to reach these far-flung islands but you can join a boat trip.

7 Singing seals

If you are lucky, a kayak or boat trip from the Hebridean island of Barra to the uninhabited island of Mingulay will reveal the mystical sounds of seals singing. At night, the resident grey seal population come ashore to rest on the beach, which is not only a spectacular sight but also an amazing sound as the seals ”sing” to each other.

8 Whaligoe steps

Fairy trail. Picture: Fiona RussellFairy trail. Picture: Fiona Russell
Fairy trail. Picture: Fiona Russell

Climb the Whaligoe steps at Wick, in Caithness. There are 330 steps that descend a cliff face to one of the most inaccessible harbours imaginable.

9 Gulf of Corryvreckan

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Take a boat trip to visit the Gulf of Corryvreckan, the second largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere in the narrow channel between Jura and Scarba.

10 Mavis Grind

At Mavis Grind, a narrow neck on the Shetland mainland, you can throw a stone from the North Sea into the Atlantic Ocean.

11 Fingal’s Cave

Fingal's Cave. Picture WikicommonsFingal's Cave. Picture Wikicommons
Fingal's Cave. Picture Wikicommons
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Fingal’s Cave, on the uninhabited island of Staffa in the Inner Hebrides, is

formed entirely from hexagonally jointed basalt columns, similar in structure to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. The acoustics in this sea cave are spell-binding.

12 Camp out on Summer Solstice

In 2017, June 21 is the longest day of the year and the occasion of the Summer Solstice. To experience the longest period of daylight, you need to head north. On Orkney, which is located at a latitude at 59 degrees north, the sun barely dips below the horizon around the Summer Solstice. Camp out to see what it means to be in twilight rather than darkness at night-time.

13 Finnich Glen

Finnich Glen, also known as the Devil’s Pulpit, just north of Glasgow, is a stunning but eerie natural gorge said was used in ancient times for Druid rituals and meetings by Covenanters. The bright green moss covering the walls seems otherworldly, while the water flowing through the red sandstone can resemble a river of blood. See Guide to Finnich Glen.

14 Jumping salmon

The beautiful Atlantic salmon undertakes a migration from the feeding grounds off the coast of Greenland to return to the river of its birth in order to spawn. To do this the salmon must swim upstream and negotiate river rapids, weirs and waterfalls.

There are many places to see the incredible sight of salmon leaping and one of the best is the Falls of Braan in Perthshire.

15 Walk a fairy trail

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Make a wish on Doon Hill, near Aberfoyle, the fabled home of fairies. The short walk leads to a small hill and woodland. Trees have been adorned with ribbons and messages that ask for wishes to come true.

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