Over my many years of exploring Scotland I have discovered many unique and special places - from great wee traditional pubs and great restaurants to secluded beaches and country walks. This "top ten" is just really the tip of the iceberg. I have had lots of help compiling this list from friends, family and clients. In some way I'm giving away the trade secrets!

This list will be continually added to and one day feature in that book I've always meant to write about Scotland! Some of the below will be well known already but others are listed because of the very few visitors that actually reach them I'm more than happy to take you to any of these places on tour.

Scottish Castles:

Tantallon Castle, East Lothian

Castle Campbell, Clackmannanshire

Newark Castle, Renfrewshire

Duart Castle, Isle of Mull

Edzell Castle, Angus

Elcho Castle, Fife

Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries

Blackness Castle, West Lothian

Castle Fraser, Aberdeenshire

Skipness Castle, Argyll

Scottish Stately Homes

Inveraray Castle, Argyll

Scone Palace, Perthshire

Glamis Castle, Angus

Floors Castle, Borders

Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland

Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute

Culzean Castle, Ayrshire

Abbotsford House, Borders

Mellerstain House, Borders

Blair Castle, Perthshire

Scottish Villages

Culross, Fife

Dunkeld, Perthshire

Melrose, Borders

Cromarty, Black Isle

Portree, Isle of Skye

Tobermory, Isle of Mull

Tarbert, Argyll

Moniaive, Dumfries

Quarrier's Village, Renfrewshire

Inveraray, Argyll

Scottish Beaches

Machir Bay, Isle of Islay

Balephuil Bay, Isle of Tiree

Gullane Bents, East Lothian

Elie Beach, Fife

Montrose Beach, Angus

Cambuskenneth Beach, Morar

Coral Beach, Isle of Skye

Vatersay Beach, Isle of Barra

Luskentyre Bay, Isle of Harris

Kyle of Tongue Beach, Sutherland

Scottish Ruins

Linlithgow Palace, West Lothian

Dryburgh Abbey, Borders

Rosthsey Castle, Isle of Bute

Inchcolm Abbey, Firth of Forth

Arbroath Abbey, Angus

St Andrews Cathedral, Fife

Balmerino Abbey, Fife

Dunkeld Cathedral, Perthshire

Ruthvern Barracks, Highland

Elgin Cathedral, Moray