Visitor information
Plan your visit
Useful links
Explore archaeology & history
The Eagle Stone ©Ewen Wetherspoon
Plan your visit
The fun starts with planning your trip! We highly recommend allowing plenty of time to explore our Pictish museums, carved stones and hillforts – and to enjoy the amazing scenery, fantastic fresh air, welcoming communities, great food and drink, and rich culture of the Highlands.
We are committed to encouraging sustainable and ‘green’ tourism in order to increase the benefits and reduce the negative impacts caused by tourism for destinations. We’ve included some handy tips on being a considerate visitor here and please make sure you ‘Know The Code’ by reading all about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code here, this page also includes some helpful tips on driving on single track roads.
To help you plan your trip, here are a few links to get you started
www.visitscotland.com
Information for planning your trip to the Highlands of Scotland, including accommodation and things to see and do.
www.northcoast500.com
Information on the “North Coast 500” route which overlaps with much of the Highland Pictish Trail.
www.chargeplacescotland.org
Up-to-date details of electric vehicle charge points in the Highlands.
www.hial.co.uk
Air services to, from and within the Highlands.
www.travelinescotland.com
Information about public transport in the Highlands.
www.superfast.com
Ferry transport from Western Europe to Scotland.
www.scotrail.co.uk
Rail travel and timetables Scotland.
www.citylink.co.uk
Coach and bus travel and timetables for Scotland.
visitcairngorms.com
Provides information on planning your trip to the Cairngorm area.
visitinvernesslochness.com
Information on the city and surrounding area.
www.visitscotland.com/see-do/active/cycling/national-routes
Good suggestions for seeing the area on your bike!
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Many local areas in the Highlands also have their own websites offering information on visitor accommodation, facilities, events and activities in their local areas.
If you are keen to explore more of the archaeology and history of the Highlands, then these websites are a good place to start
canmore.org.uk
The online catalogue to Scotland’s archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime heritage.
forestryandlandscotland
Details of walks and biking trails in Scotland’s national forests. Some amazing hillforts linked with the Picts are located in national forests in the Highlands, meaning that you can combine walking or mountain-biking with history and outstanding scenery!
historicenvironment.scot
Information on archaeological sites in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, learning resources, visitor information and much more.
www.highlifehighland.com
High Life Highland countryside rangers run a range of events and activities across the Highlands, including visits to archaeological sites.
highlandarchaeologyfestival
A two-week festival each October celebrating the heritage of the Highlands from earliest settlers to modern times, and often including Pictish sites and themes. There’s something to suit everyone and many of the events are free. Geo-caching and self-guided history/archaeology trail information also downloadable.
her.highland.gov.uk
The online Historic Environment Record for The Highland Council area, with over 100,000 records from the earliest human activity to the Cold War.
www.nts.org.uk
Information about historic sites managed by the National Trust for Scotland.