Countdown to Commonwealth Games offers the perfect opportunity to explore Scotland

From beautiful landscapes … to natural wonders … to historic sites, festivals and cultural events… what will your Brilliant Moments be?

Today, Monday 14 April, marks exactly 100 days to go to the XX Commonwealth Games*.  To celebrate the occasion, VisitScotland, the national tourism body for Scotland, has unveiled a list of the 100 Brilliant Things to do in Scotland that everyone must experience whilst in the country during this amazing year.

With so much excitement building around the big event in Glasgow, the city offers the perfect gateway to exploring the rest of Scotland during 2014.  Whether it's a relaxing afternoon spent walking on a deserted beach in the Highlands or one of Scotland's Islands; an adventurous journey on a bike around the south of Scotland or by water-ski in Loch Lomond or Perthshire; a step back in time during a visit to one of Scotland's many historic sites; or a visit to one of the many cultural events taking place during Homecoming Scotland 2014.  The world is your oyster! (Or should that be a fresh langoustine from Scotland's Seafood Trail?!)

Brilliant Moments…

Brilliant moments are to be made whilst enjoying experiences that are exclusive to Scotland.  Visitors can find their own piece of the country whilst exploring the stunning Achamore Gardens on the Isle of Gigha, or the remote beach at Achemelvich in Sutherland.   There are also unique sights to behold such as Fingal's Cave on the Isle of Staffa (said to have inspired  Mendelssohn's 'Hebridean Overture'), not to mention the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights.  The Caithness coast, Orkney Islands, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides are among the best places to see them.

Only in 2014…

Along with the Commonwealth Games, Scotland will welcome visitors to a variety of other once-in-a-lifetime events in 2014.  Gleneagles in Perthshire will see the world's golfing elite take over the Hotel and Golf Resort during September 2014, not to mention hundreds of golfing fans.  There are more than 700 events in the Homecoming Scotland 2014 calendar including the World Sheepdog  Trials in Tain, and the slightly more toothy Coll of the Sharks Festival at the Isle of Coll.  For anyone who has ever wanted to know if it's how high, how far or how straight the caber lands is important in a caber toss** there is the Highland Homecoming in Inverness.   There is also the chance to see the unique Kelpie sculptures, designed by Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, part of the John Muir Festival at the Helix Park in Falkirk.

Great landscapes and breathtaking views…

Scotland is home to some of the most amazing views and stunning scenery in the world, which have inspired artists and poets, as well as becoming the film sets for blockbuster films.  Visitors can travel to the Falls of Lora at the end of Loch Etive and be in good company:  filmmakers were so inspired by the views that the James Bond film Skyfall was filmed not far from away by Glen Etive.  Words cannot do justice to other views in Scotland; from the panoramic views around Castle Stuart Golf Links near Inverness, to the sights when driving up the Pass of the Castle (Bealach na Ba) to Applecross, not forgetting the view of the Old Man of Hoy when on a scenic tour around the Orkney Islands.

Journey to the past…

From bustling cosmopolitan cities to fascinating historic locations - visitors to Scotland won't have to travel far to come across a location with a fascinating past. For example, just a short drive from Edinburgh is Abbotsford House, the home of Sir Walter Scott, in the Scottish Borders.  Also not too far from Scotland's capital city is Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian.  Used as a location for the film The Da Vinci Code it is rumoured to be the final resting place of the Holy Grail. Go further afield to visit other historic sites, such as Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries & Galloway (one of Scotland's greatest medieval fortresses and the UK's only triangular shaped castle); follow Scotland's Castle Trail in Aberdeenshire; visit Glamis Castle in Angus (rumoured to be one of the most haunted locations in Scotland); as well as take a trip to Orkney, which is home to the 5,000-year-old Skara Brae Prehistoric Village and the Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle.

A taste of Scotland…

It's not just the sights and sounds that need to be experienced on a trip to Scotland, but also the unique tastes.  Scotland is renowned for its fresh produce, unique whisky and natural larder. From Michelin-starred restaurants such as those in Leith in Edinburgh, to enjoying fish & chips sitting at Crail Harbour in the East Neuk in Fife, each meal eaten in Scotland is unique and memorable. Visitors can also get a taste for the 'water of life' at one of Islay's many distilleries on the world-famous Malt Whisky Trail through Speyside and perhaps combine it with haggis, neeps and tatties anytime during the year (not just on Burns Night!)

 

The full list of 100 things to do in Scotland is available to download at www.visitscotland.com

For more information on visitor attractions and places to stay in Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com 

For full details on the programme of events for Homecoming Scotland 2014, visit www.homecomingscotland.com

VisitScotland, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and VisitBritain will be operating a Destination Media Hub (DMH) at the centrally located IET Glasgow: Teacher Building in the city's St Enoch Square for national and international consumer, news and sports media throughout the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

A dedicated digital newsroom will also offer registered users access to the latest travel and tourism news from the three partners, rich multimedia content – including HD B-Roll and high-res imagery – plus a range of exciting media offers and other useful resources. 

To register for digital newsroom access and apply for DMH accreditation, please visit our registration page at www.destinationmediahub.com

Ends.

@VisitScotland

#Homecoming2014

#Glasgow2014

Notes to Editors

• For attraction and accommodation offers go to www.visitscotland.com     
• VisitScotland is Scotland's national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland
• For VisitScotland's press releases, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to www.visitscotland.org

About Year of Homecoming Scotland 2014

Scotland will welcome the world during Homecoming Scotland 2014 providing a year-long programme of events alongside the Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games. Homecoming Scotland 2014 will run from 31 December 2013 to 31 December 2014 throughout the length and breadth of the country. Visitors from around the world are invited to join in a celebration of the nation's food and drink, active pursuits, cultural heritage, nature and ancestral heritage. Homecoming Scotland 2014 is a Scottish Government initiative being led by EventScotland and VisitScotland, supported by numerous partners. To find out more visit www.homecomingscotland.com

*The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will be taking place from 23 July to 3 August 2014.  For more information visit www.glasgow2014.com

**Note: In a caber toss it's not how high or the distance that is important.  The caber is thrown into the air so that it flips 180 degrees, implants its top end into the ground, and rolls over. The object of the game is for the caber to land in a straight line away from the athlete and is judged by its proximity to the athlete in the manner of a clock's hand with 12 o'clock being the best score.

VisitScotland's complete list of 100 Brilliant Things to Do in Scotland:

•             Live like the Downton Abbey aristocracy for the day with a visit to Duff House in Aberdeenshire

•             Go for a bike ride on the 7stanes trails across the south of Scotland

•             Explore Achamore Gardens on the Isle of Gigha

•             Get up close and personal with Jaws at the Coll of the Sharks Festival, Isle of Coll

•             Keep your eyes on the sunning skies of Mull watching the eagles soar; or meet the famous Tobermory Cat!

•             See the Falls of Lora at the end of Loch Etive

•             Follow in the footsteps of US presidents with a stay at the Eisenhower Apartment at Culzean Castle, Ayrshire

•             Visit the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway

•             Spend a day visiting art galleries and museums, followed by an evening at the theatre, in the city of Aberdeen

•             Watch the 40ft Wickerman spectacularly set alight at the Wickerman Festival, Dumfries & Galloway

•             Take a tour of the farm, learn how ice cream is made and enjoy the adventure playground at the Cream O'Galloway Visitor Centre,  Dumfries & Galloway

•             Visit Gretna Green's Famous Blacksmiths Shop

•             Visit the Drover's Inn, Loch Lomond, an old inn used by the Highland drovers who used to drive their cattle down the side of Loch Lomond to the markets

•             Climb aboard the RRS Discovery in Dundee

•             Explore Scotland's Seafood Trail, including the renowned Loch Fyne Oyster Bar and the Pierhouse Hotel in Appin

•             Eat a real Forfar Bridie

•             See some free shows during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

•             Take a trip to Caerlaverock Castle, near Dumfries, one of Scotland's greatest medieval fortresses and the UK's only triangular shaped castle

•             Explore Scotland's Castle Trail, Aberdeenshire

•             Journey through the past in Dundee & Angus by following the Pictish Trail and discover the mysterious Pictish stones

•             Take a walk along Broughty Ferry beach and enjoy great views across the estuary

•             Check out the interiors of Mount Stuart, a 19th century country manor house, on the Isle of Bute

•             Check out the locations for various films made in Scotland, including the famous red phone box in Pennan, Aberdeenshire from 'Local Hero'

•             Visit Glamis Castle, renowned as being one of the most haunted castles in Scotland!

•             View the Corryvreckan whirlpool

•             Blow away the cobwebs with a walk in the Pentland Hills, just outside Edinburgh

•             Visit the Globe Inn in Dumfries, Robert Burns' favourite pub - if you sit in his former chair you have to be able to recite his poetry or you owe everyone in the pub a drink!

•             Climb to the top of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh

•             Drive or walking through Glencoe Pass

•             Discover Charles Rennie Mackintosh's House for an Art Lover, Glasgow

•             Have lunch by the sea at North Berwick's Scottish Seabird Centre

•             Walk all of the Munros - there are 284 of them (and they are all over 3000ft)

•             Share the road at Plockton with Highland Cows and palm trees

•             Play golf at the oldest golf course in world, Musselburgh Links, The Old Golf Course

•             Search for the Holy Grail at Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian

•             Explore Quarrier's Village - a conservation village, formerly the famous Victorian orphan community built by William Quarrier - in Inverclyde

•             See the Kelpies, part of the John Muir Festival, at the Helix Park in Falkirk

•             Drive the Fife coastal tour, stopping off and exploring villages en route

•             Go down to the woods and spend a night in a treehouse at Fernie Castle in Fife

•             Enjoy Michelin star restaurants and visit the Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith

•             Play the Old Course at St Andrews

•             Explore your senses with whisky during Whisky Month at Create: Eat: Whisky in Edinburgh

•             See Robert the Bruce's grave in Dunfermline Abbey

•             Enjoy fish & chips sitting at Crail Harbour in the East Neuk in Fife

•             Follow in the fictional footsteps of Inspector Rebus on a walking tour around Edinburgh

•             Become a warrior and plan your own military strategy with a visit to the Bannockburn Visitor Centre in Stirling

•             Come face to face with characters from the past at Stirling Castle

•             Enjoy a watersport on Loch Lomond

•             Take a ferry out to Inchmahome Priory near Stirling to see the priory established in the 13th Century by a small community of Augustinian

•             Choose from the great choice of places to eat in the atmospheric cobbled Ashton Lane in the West End of Glasgow.

•             Experience a gig at the famous Glasgow Barrowlands

•             Go on a ghost tour along Edinburgh's Royal Mile (one of the spookiest places in the country)

•             Take in a live science show and go and see the latest IMAX® movie at the Glasgow Science Centre

•             Follow the Clackmannanshire Tower Trail, a route taking you around four tower houses and one manor house

•             Take the shortest scheduled flight in the world from Westray to Papa Westray, two of Orkney's smaller islands (it takes two minutes)

•             Explore two UNESCO World Heritage Sites and discover ancient Roman stories and what working life was like in the 1700s with a visit to the New Lanark World Heritage Site and the Antonine Wall in Lanarkshire

•             Cycle through the Cairngorms National Park

•             Drive up the Pass of the Castle (Bealach na Ba) to Applecross and take in the amazing views

•             Get a taste for the 'Water of Life' on the world-famous Malt Whisky Trail through Speyside

•             Go dolphin-watching at Chanonry Point on the Black Isle

•             Go Loch Ness Monster hunting

•             Make some new four legged friends at the World Sheepdog Trials in Tain in September 2014

•             Mix with the Heavies at the Highland Homecoming Festival in Inverness

•             Take a scenic tour around Orkney Islands and see the spectacular Old Man of Hoy

•             See the panoramic view around Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness

•             Surf the world class waves at Thurso

•             See the Northern Lights

•             Walk along the beach at Achmelvich in Sutherland

•             Follow in the footsteps of Harry Potter crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct by train

•             Take the West Highland line to Mallaig, a 164-mile train ride

•             Follow the scarecrows on Skye at the Tattie Bogal Festival

•             Pull on your wellies and go to T in the Park

•             Sample whisky at one of Islay's many distilleries

•             Walk along the beach on Tiree

•             Step back 5,000 years at Skara Brae in Orkney

•             Visit the Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle in Orkney, one of the largest and finest stone circles in the British Isles

•             Fly to Barra and land on the beach

•             Take a boat trip to the unique Fingal's Cave in the Inner Hebrides

•             Visit the Callanish Standing Stones in Lewis

•             Walk along the white sand beaches on Harris and Lewis

•             Visit the home of Sir Walter Scott, Abbotsford House, by Melrose  in the Scottish Borders

•             Bungee jump at Killiecrankie

•             Sit and relax on a park bench in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow in the springtime

•             Catch a traditional music session at the Taybank in Dunkeld

•             Do a Highland wildlife safari near Aberfeldy; with kilted landrover drivers, whisky nips in a bothy at the top of a mountain and plenty of wildlife

•             Follow in the footsteps of world-class golfers and get in the mood for the Ryder Cup, with a trip to the Gleneagles Hotel and Golf Resort in Perthshire

•             Get out on the water and try your hand at watersports in Perthshire including white-water rafting and canoeing

•             See a theatre production at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre

•             Enjoy a spot of Afternoon tea at the Dryburgh Abbey Hotel, Melrose in the Scottish Borders

•             Come face to face with the famous ponies of Shetland!

•             Discover Scotland's Viking history in the town of Kirkwall in Orkney

•             Explore St Ninian's Isle in Shetland and see the puffins and many other seabirds

•             Spend midsummer at the northern tip of Unst

•             Be inspired by the work of famous contemporary artists with GENERATION, a celebration of 25 years of art in Scotland

•             Soak up the atmosphere in Glasgow, host city of the XX Commonwealth Games and Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme including the Festival around Games time

•             Go to a ceilidh and learn that fabulous dance Strip the Willow

•             Visit the most northerly golf course in Scotland, which is situated on the small island of Whalsay, in the Shetland Islands

•             Watch the sun set near Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran

•             Watch the cricket on the beach in Elie, Fife during the summer

•             Eat haggis at any time of the year all over Scotland!

 

For further information please contact: 

Erin Hickey 

Tel: +44(0)131 472 2030

Email: erin.hickey@visitscotland.com