Standing 30 metres tall and weighing 300 tonnes each, The Kelpies are the largest equine sculptures in the world — and one of Scotland's most spectacular modern landmarks. Created by sculptor Andy Scott and unveiled in 2014, they take their name from the shape-shifting water horses of Scottish mythology, said to haunt rivers and lochs. The Kelpies guard the entrance to the Forth and Clyde Canal and represent the horsepower that built Scotland's industrial and agricultural heritage. At night, illuminated against the Falkirk sky, they are genuinely breathtaking.

Built between 1897 and 1901, the Glenfinnan Viaduct is a masterpiece of Victorian engineering — 21 arches sweeping 380 metres across a Highland glen at a height of 30 metres. It was one of the first large structures in Britain built entirely from mass concrete. Known worldwide as the viaduct crossed by the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films, it sits at the head of Loch Shiel where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in 1745 to begin the Jacobite rising. The view from the hillside above is one of the great sights in Scotland.

Rising dramatically from a grassy mound in the Spey Valley, Ruthven Barracks is one of the most evocative Jacobite sites in Scotland. Built by the British government in 1719 to suppress Highland unrest after the 1715 rising, it was held by a government garrison of just 12 men when it was twice unsuccessfully attacked by Jacobite forces in 1745. After the catastrophic defeat at Culloden in 1746, it was here that the shattered remnants of Bonnie Prince Charlie's army gathered for the last time, waiting in vain for orders that never came — before dispersing into the hills forever. The ruins stand free to visit, haunted by history.

One of Scotland's most romantic castles, Cawdor has been the home of the Thanes of Cawdor since the 14th century and is forever associated with Shakespeare's Macbeth — though historians note that the real Macbeth died 400 years before the castle was built. The legend, however, is part of the magic. The castle is still a private family home, filled with remarkable art, tapestries and furniture accumulated over six centuries. The walled gardens, nature trails and drawbridge make it a full half-day. The ancient holly tree preserved in the central tower — said to have guided the castle's original siting — is one of Scotland's most unusual sights.

The Strathspey Railway is a preserved heritage steam railway running through the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, tracing the scenic valley of the River Spey between Aviemore and Broomhill. The line follows the route of the original Strathspey Railway, which opened in 1863 and served the communities and distilleries of this celebrated Highland valley for over a century. Rescued by volunteers and reopened as a heritage line in 1978, the railway today operates lovingly restored steam and diesel locomotives through a landscape of ancient Caledonian pine forest, open moorland and the snow-capped Cairngorm mountains. The journey offers outstanding views that are impossible to experience from a car, and the restored Victorian station at Boat of Garten — once dubbed "the Osprey Village" — is a delight in its own right. Whisky distilleries, red squirrels and red kites are all regular companions on the route.

Viewpoint at three sisters for the most amazing scenery!