Rural Community Gateway

We received over 200 nominations, from music festivals to long drop toilets. We think your list is great, it conjures up memories and inspires future trips. The list is not in any particular order, except that the most popular nominations are at the top.

If your favourite thing isn't on the list let us know by adding a comment to the article. You can also tell us your stories about some of things on the list!

100 Best things in rural Scotland

1. Music festivals. (4 votes) Nominations for the Wickerman Festival and Rockness, Loopallu in Ullapool, the Hebridean Celtic Festival and the Shetland Folk Festival.
2. People (3 votes)  Rhys Evans said getting to know the warm-but-earthy folk wresting a living from this beautiful landscape and Ann Sutherland said Orcadians, friendly, helpful folk (most of them anyway).
3. Village halls (3 votes) Special mention for Glenuig Hall.
4. Standing stones and cairns – whether at Callanish, Clava, Brodgar, Stenness or wherever. (3 votes)
5. Tranquillity/Solitude/ Silence. (3 votes)
6. Stac Pollaidh. (3 votes)
7. Watching red squirrels chasing each other in pine trees. (2 votes for red squirrels)
8. Aurora Borealis. (2 votes)
9. Windsurfing or surfing on the Isle of Tiree. (2 votes)
10. Being able to see the Milky Way on a clear night. (2 votes)
11. Oysters and Applecross Bay prawns at the Applecross Inn. (2 votes for Applecross Inn)
12. Ben MacDhuie (2 votes)
13. Caldwells homemade vanilla ice cream from Innerleithen. It's the best ice cream in the whole world! (2 votes)
14. Fresh air. (2 votes)
15. Glencoe. (2 votes)
16. Lunan Bay, Angus - the most romantic place. It has everything - a castle, a river, dunes, caves and an element of wildness. (2 votes)
17. Dolphin watching boat trip in Moray Firth. (2 votes), one nomination for Ecoventures leaving from Cromarty specifically.
18. The view from Suilven. (2 votes)
19. Ceilidhs, including impromptu one's in someone's kitchen! (2 votes for ceilidhs)
20. Fishing - some of the best in the world. (2 votes) 
21. NHS E-Library - particularly the Rural Specialist library. Accessible to non- NHS people.
22. Sheena Kennedy - Kinloch Rannoch's 'virtual day centre'. Sheena is employed for 20 hours a week to provide older people in the area with social stimulation and company and to liaise with health centres, nurses etc. Louise Moran says they all think the world of Sheena and she does an amazing job visiting everybody regularly.
23. The unmistakable glint of gold when gold panning.
24. Eating at the Three Chimneys on Skye.
25. The hidden harbour through the tunnel at Cove.
26. Taking world's shortest flight of two minutes from Westray to Papa Westray in Orkney - the view is fabulous and you get a certificate (flying over Orkney on a summer day also got a nomination).
27. The remnants of the old Caledonian woods. Hats off (and cheques sent) to Trees for Life, Reforesting Scotland and others working to raise awareness, and protect and extend the woods.
28. Luskentyre Beach Harris - next stop America!
29. Islay - wild birds, little bays and coves and friendly people.
30. Walking along the rocks from the Boat Houses back to Marwick Bay on Orkney. There is no finer place to be on the planet!
31. Walking up Glen Rosa on Arran - Wow!
32. Driving the quad bike through damp bog myrtle and stopping to enjoy the scent.
33. Swimming in the icy water under the Holy Lynn waterfall in the Garple burn on a hot summer day (swimming in icy lochs also got a nomination).
34. The laughter and gossip around the dinner table with the neighbours after a busy day silaging.
35. The nervous anticipation when your sheep is picked out for the line-up at the local show.
36. Unst - Had a recent trip to Unst and the yellow themes bus shelter is great, but don't miss the xylo-boat at the ferry terminal at Belmont - 80 copper pipes across the deck of a 14ft boat making a xylo-boat in my world. Great place Unst!
37. Seeing my first 1,500 native tree plantings coming through the tops of the sleeves!
38. Local festivals and celebrations - steeped in myths and traditions (Flambeaux Procession in Comrie for instance).
39. View of Cuillins from Tokavaig.
40. Camping at Loth Point near Helmsdale.
41. Sun setting over the island of Rona.
42. Eating haggis from the award winning Dingwall butcher.
43. The view from the top of Staerough hill (just outside village of Kirk Yetholm - Scottish end of the Penine Way), looking across to the Eildons.
44. Belted Galloways - as seen in many a field in South West Scotland.
45. A walk around spottes glen, by Haugh of Urr.
46. A pint of cold, local ale at Tibbie Shiels looking out over St Mary’s loch.
47. Common Ridings across the south of Scotland.
48. The long-drop toilet at Cardoness Castle!
49. Galloway Forest Park – the hills and views are magnificent as well as sustainable.
50. The events staged in Carrbridge.
51. The Taransay Fiddle Camp.
52. Flying from Lewis to Barra on Loganair (either direction!).
53. Sailing in the Kyles of Bute on a sunny day in May.
54. The smell of sheep and crushed pineapple weed in a fank on the hill.
55. Islands - each of the 379 inhabited ones affords a distinctiveness that rewards a lifetime's exploration.
56. The journey from Lochailort to Kilchoan on Ardnamurchan.
57. Mountain Rescue Teams.
58. The Woodschool in Ancrum – a perfect example of adding value.
59. Stobo Japanese Water Garden, private, but open for charity once a year.
60. View from the Cat's Back, Knockfarrel.
61. Camping next to the beach at Big Sand near Gairloch.
62. A picnic and paddling at the otters pool (which is along the raiders road, between Clatteringshaws and Mossdale).
63. Hareshowe Farm in Aden Country Park, near Mintlaw - the best hidden gem I have found with a truly amazing story. It was gifted to Aberdeenshire Farming Museum in the 1990s and the farmhouse, outbuildings, byres, workshops - everything - was numbered, dismantled, moved nine miles and painstakingly rebuilt.
64. Tayvallich situated on Loch Sween . . . The Tayvallich Inn is the place to eat . . .  it serves the best seafood around.
65. The Isle of Skye Brewery at Uig.
66. Rackwick Bay on the island of Hoy.
67. The drove road from Kinlochhourn to Inverie.
68. Loch Fyne mussels.
69. Crofting.  
70. Foula - for celebrating the pre-Julian calendar.
71. Single track roads with passing places.
72. Otters.
73. The realisation that the horrid, featureless walk to Sandwood Bay is rewarded in the end.
74. The Black Isle Brewery (sadly out of bounds now I'm wheat free).
75. Bluebells in the Ballachuan Hazelwood on Seil Island.
76. Snowboarding and skiing at Cairngorm mountain range.
77. The walk up to and through the Chalamain Gap and back to Whitewell on the Lairig Ghru path past Piccadilly - on a good day!
78. Riding a big old motorcycle around the dozens of wee backroads in Perthshire, up in the hills at 30 mph without seeing another vehicle. Rhys Evans calls these routes "Exquisites".
79. Eating asparagus picked that morning from the Asparagus Farm in Eassie, Strathmore.
80. Getting 'lost' in a forest of big trees in Highland Perthshire.
81. 'Sitting in' on music sessions in small remote pubs.
82. Touring arts companies.
83. Fresh seafood, in particular langoustines straight from the boat and mackerel that you've caught yourself and cooked on a fire on the beach.
84. Midge machines – at last, homo sapiens are fighting back.
85. Access legislation - great to be able to go anywhere you like.
86. Camping at Arduane and Arisaig watcing the sun on the water.
87. The steady increase in Ecotourism which has benefit for all in places like the west coast and islands.
88. Watching the sunset from Lossiemouth beach
89. The skies - sunrise at Carnoustie whilst waiting for a train on a winter morning; sunset over the Tay bridges; a spectacular large pale moon against a deep velvet blue sky over the west highland hills; seeing the stars in a rural sky where there is little light pollution; huge,bright,clear rainbows against the blackest storm clouds; the soft yellow of snow laden clouds; the northern lights (I haven't been fortunate enough to see this yet but I will!) - all of them beautiful in their own unique way!
90. The cake at the Storehouse of Foulis by Evanton.
91. Ceilidh dancing in village halls across the Highlands on Saturdays.
92. The A97 Dinnet to Huntly for the Autumn colour.
93. The view from the road just north of Torphins (as good as the Queen's view). 
94. Fish and chips at the Kimberley Inn in Findhorn – sublime!
95. The Isle of Bute (St Blanes, Mount Stuart, beaches, standing stones and other fantastic archaeology, walks, pubs, wildlife, Brandanes, Castle, Rothesay gardens).
96. Meditating in the ruins of St Ninian's Church in the Isle of Whithorn on a sunny day, then walking up the nearby cliffs to feel the wind in my hair and look out at the huge expanse of sea and sky.
97. The Foss road along Loch Tummel.
98. Ospreys.
99. Orkney beef.
100. A pint of Bitter and Twisted washed down with a glorious bowl of Cullen Skink at The Burnside Inn, Menstrie, just as the sun goes down over Dumyat.

Thanks to all who contributed

Thanks to the following for their nominations: Anne Angus, Ian Bailey, Lisa Buchanan, Helen Connolly, Pete Cooper, Jane Cotton, Ann Darlington, Nicole Deufel, Hugh Donaldson, Robbie Dunsmore, Rhys Evans, Alan Fay, John Ferguson, Jillian Flye, Denise Gildea and friends, Rhoda Grant MSP, Jaye Hearman, Sandra Hogg, Lena Hutton, Ken Logue, Jim Lugton, Iain Matheson, Norman MacAskill, Fiona MacKenzie, Nan McCluggage, Rhonda McLean, Roslyn McNay, Sasha Milligan, Louise Moran, Hope London Morris, Paz Newis,  Pat, Bridget Paterson, Beverley Prentice, Fiona Quinn, Janice Ralston, Colin Reed, Frank Rennie, Sarah Rollo, Sue Sadler, Helen Sandison, Les Sharp, Becky Shaw, Eleanor Shaw, Nicola Simpson, Cathy Stephenson,  Liz Stewart, Ann Sutherland, Gillian Swan, Pip Tabor, Bill Taylor, Vicky Thomson and David Woodhouse.

• Privacy
• Help
• Contact Us
• Disclaimer