If you’re planning on visiting the Bonnie Land of Scotland this Christmas, then you’re in for a treat. This land becomes even more magical when there’s a Christmassy twinkle glossed over it.
Whether it’s the rolling hills of Glencoe or the buzzing streets of Edinburgh, the whole country seems to go up another level, becoming more like a fairytale than a real place.
Oh, and it also gets cold. Very cold. It might feel like a fairytale, but when your ears go red and your nose starts running, you’ll soon be slapped back into reality!
No matter how cold it gets, however, nothing should put you off visiting Christmas over winter, especially if you’re planning on booking a motorhome hire.
If you’re in a motorhome, this country is yours to travel however you please – and more importantly, however warm you please! The only thing you need to do is think about where you’re going to travel.
But that’s why we’re here. To help you out before your Christmas journey, we’ve listed 5 of our favourite Christmas locations in Scotland, as well as a few words on why they’re so worth a visit this time of year.
Bright Lights, Big City
First off, we have to mention Edinburgh. This is where you’ll start and end your journey in our vehicles, but it’s a great city in its own right that you have to explore if you get the chance.
We’re going to go into detail about the extraordinary Christmas market in a later blog, so we won’t spoil that here. But this is a beautiful place full of bright lights, Christmassy shops, snowy gardens, and a real sense of Christmas cheer right through December.
Postcard Perfect
Do you remember when people used to send postcards and some of the Christmas ones had paintings of large, rolling vistas covered in snow? Well, if you travel to Aviemore, you can see paintings like this for yourself. Not in a gallery, but in real life.
During Christmastime, the already picturesque town of Aviemore becomes even more beautiful, with snow-covered mountains and amazing ice-blue glaciers. The activities here are great, too.
Every year, there is an annual winter parade through the town, with live music and even Santa Claus himself making an appearance. Great if you have kids. And if you don’t have kids, who cares?! You get to see Santa Claus!
A Step Back In Time
Have you ever dreamed about spending Christmas at the beach? Somewhere in the sun, perhaps, with surfers on the waves and the smell of barbecued turkey wafting in the air?
Well, you can do all that – minus the sun, the surfers, and the barbecue – here in Scotland! The Moray coastline is a gorgeous place to visit year-round, but in the winter, the historic fishing villages become truly magical. Walking through them is like walking through snowy, Nordic villages in a past life. With the range of frosty beaches on offer, too, this is an experience for people who want a different kind of Christmas adventure. We’d definitely recommend giving it a try!
Fairytale Island
Another place that becomes even more special during Christmas is the Isle of Skye. So long as you know how to drive through snow showers – they are pretty frequent in December – we think this is a great place to travel to, if only for a day or two.
The scenery is stunning, the towns are quaint and fairy-tale-esque, and there are loads of restaurants that will serve the best Christmas dinners you’ve ever had in your life – yes, the pigs-in-blankets are even better than your Nan’s!
Oh, and there’s also the Fairy Pools – ancient rock pools that sit underneath majestic mountains that glisten and sparkle in the sun. If that doesn’t sway you – along with those Christmas dinners! – we don’t know what will.
Dashing Through The Snow
Christmas is as much about fun as it is about the food – or whatever else Christmas is meant to be about! For this reason, we’re going to round off this list with Cairngorm National Park, which is famous for its three major skiing resorts.
Weather permitting, the Cairn Gorm Mountain, Glenshee Ski and Snowboard, and Lecht Ski Centre, are all open from December to May, and these can be great experiences if you’re travelling with the family.
If you’re not into skiing or snowboarding, you’ll find loads of hiking trails that take you through the snowy vistas and quiet forests, and you can even book a dogsled adventure! Whatever you want to do during the Christmas season, the chances are you’ll find it here!
