Local Insider Venturing Into The Scottish Wilderness

Our Local Insider Danny has been a guide in Scotland for a number of years and, when Shelby from Culture Trip’s US team spoke to her, we dug deep into the two exciting new itineraries we have in the country.

Scotland is one of our favourite places in the world. With its stunning scenery, calming natural retreats and idyllic islands, there is something magical about this place, which attracts millions of visitors every year. Travel Expert Shelby is based in America but is a huge fan of everything Scotland. When she spoke to out Local Insider Danny, she wanted to know more about some of the main reasons people keep coming back to this wilderness wonderland.

Explore Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands by Train on Culture Trip’s newest rail adventure.

“Wild Scotland really float my boat!,” Danny enthuses. “Scotland as a location lets you immerse yourself in ancient nature, you can imagine what it was like when volcanoes were erupting and the land was moving. What we’re left with now is stunning views.”

Culture Trip’s Rail Trip lets you experience this too, as well as cultural stops in Edinburgh and Inverness. The joy of this itinerary is that it takes you from the city to some of the least populated parts of the UK.

Is there a more iconic train route on the planet? The Jacobite steam train, or Hogwarts Express, is also one of the most picturesque

“Scotland has some classics that you should sample,” Danny tells us when talking about the food and drink you’ll be sampling on the trip. “Haggis has to be on the menu. There’s some great fish soups you can try, and it’s a local delicacy. Salmon is obviously farmed in the area and is about as fresh as you can get. Black pudding is one of the specialities on the islands but there are also some great seasonal vegetarians dishes too.”

Shelby highlighted one of her favourite activities from here last trip to Scotland and Danny agreed. “Yes, there are some great distilleries, including one near where I live in Fort William. The water for this one comes straight from Ben Nevis itself. It’s very pure, and you can compare it to some of the more peaty whisky distilleries on the islands”.

Danny is a big advocate of the small-group travel experiences Culture Trip is known for. “Sharing trips as part of a group has environmental and financial benefits, but the real bonus is that you end up doing things that you might not do on your own. It’s things that you might not otherwise think of”, he explains.

“Responsible travel that supports local businesses is one of the things I really like about the Culture Trip itinerary,” Danny adds. “Scotland is a small part of the world, but it really does offer a bit of everything”.