The business here is actually Staffa Tours, but since people appear to be reviewing the island…read moreitself I'll join them. 1) The island is easily the highlight of my Scottish vacation. Worth the £100 day trip alone. So fascinating and gorgeous. 2) The Tours warned me Staffa was closed for maintenance. Apparently that just got postponed by a week 2 days ago, so we landed! Didn't just sail around it like they threatened. 3) They expertly docked and gave us an hour to tour. Do go to Fingal's Cave first It's breathtaking to be there. Then with your remaining time you can explore the top of the island for views out and down (at the rock formations). 4) Tour guides were very helpful and friendly. Just in case other tour groups serve the island: choose Staffa Tours. Or West Coast Tours, the owners of my overall booking for an amazing day out. Five stars to all of them.

A must see if you are on Mull or staying nearby on Iona. Beautiful views from the cliff or in the…read morecave. You can also see whales and dolphins on the way there. If the weather is good, this is a place that you don't want to miss. 5 Stars!

The Merchant City pretty much covers everything from George Square to High St, and is one of my…read morefavourite parts of Glasgow. Classed as a residential area, you'll also find all sorts of businesses: from the City Chambers, GOMA, bars, cafes and restaurants. Not to mention music venues like The Fruitmarket and City Halls. The buildings are beautiful - you'll find quite a few of them poem to the public during Doors Open Day each September - look out for St Andrews in the Square. One of the focal points is Merchant Square - a converted market with an awesome internal roofed courtyard, which is surrounded by bars, restaurant, and is home to a weekly craft and design fair. The Merchant city festival runs for around 10 days every July, and is well worth a wander round. All in all, one of the friendliest and most vibrant places to be.

My first ever visit to Merchant City was pretty underwhelming - I'm going to say that during the…read moreday in the middle of the week, this area can seem a bit dull. At night is when it really comes alive and there's lots going on! You have the obvious drawcard of Merchant Square but personally, I don't love the offerings. Other streets of Merchant City have great bars and restaurants, and a few favourites for me are Guy's Restaurant, Wilson Street Pantry for brunch, Spitfire Espresso for a great cake/meeting/working spot and Blackfriars for a pint. New additions like BrewDog and Hutchesons are just wonderful, and really add something special to this great part of Glasgow. Parking can be a pain so I recommend parking at King St car park which is a great excuse to pop into the 13th Note/Mono for a pre-post soft drink. There's also a fabulous walking tour/art trail you can do if you pick up a leaflet at GOMA which shows off some of the amazing art in this area.

Mixed views. The tour was interesting but the pricing was a bit high for what you got. The 2…read morewardens in costume could have been more interactive otherwise two mannequins would suffice

Well restored prison from the 1800s. The original from around 1820 and a newer one from the 1840s…read more The difference in thinking over the 20 years was amazing. The court room was used for over 100 years. Definitely worth the stop.

It's a tired cliche in Scotland to harp on about the stunning countryside "on our doorstep" that we…read morepay little attention to, but a trip on The West Highland Line proves that even if Scotland is a country filled with bitter, self pitying drunkards, it's an exceptionally good looking one. This rail line is considered amongst the most scenic in the world, and takes you through Loch Lomond, various mountain ranges, past Oban then onto Fort William. The scenery really is beyond belief at some points, with notable money shots being the Loch Lomond section which is viewed from halfway up a mountain (or a big hill, I'm not sure), and towards the end of the line when the train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, a magnet for tourists as it was used in the Harry Potter films. There is one slight downside. Despite the summer months being packed with bumbag wearing tourists, Scotrail use an older, slower, and sometimes quite uncomfortable train for this service. It's either down to bad business sense or deliberate usage of a slower train for lovers of the rugged terrain, but it grates that they don't even bother with the buffet car. It's not too huge a deal though, and shouldn't detract from what's always a jaw dropping journey.

Beautiful ruins full of history. We got there close to sunset and had the place to ourselves. Just…read morebeautiful

The Finlaggan Trust is responsible for the stewardship of the once fortress belonging to the King…read moreof the Isles. The castle ruins in the middle of this loch shows the strategic importance of this location. Among the castle ruins is a gravesite showing one of the most intake gravestones depicting an armored soldier. While you are walking around the ruins you will find reading panels giving you a more in depth look into the Lord's life. While the visitor center is open seas only, the castle ruins are accessible year round.

This is the land that time forgot. It didn't get the hectic rush, the brash noise, nor the 24 hour…read moreshopping day. As a consequence it is calm, peaceful and a great place to relax. The scenery is unsurpassed in Scotland and it is heavily populated by bird and animal life (Except foxes and grey squirrels which are unknown on the island). If you are looking to have a relaxing holiday with a smaller carbon footprint look no further.

Very pretty but if you don't have a car you will be very limited in what you can do on the island…read more Although if you are a backpacker that is a different story. After seeing the brewery, soap and cheese shop, a castle and a few other sites you have pretty much covered the island. Limited restaurants and cabs so just know that before going. 2 days is all you need but worth going to with some planning.

Callander House is a nice place to visit for a day out with children. The house is free to visit…read moreand had a great Scottish gift shop. They have a cute, wee museum that tells you about falkirk and it's past including Antonine's Wall which is in Callander park. They also have an exibition room that has different events on that are mostly interactive. The tearoom has been reopened where you can have afternoon tea. The Georgian kitchen is a cosy kitchen where you can try their Georgian foods.

I only heard about Callendar House because of an exhibition on that I wanted to visit. It's located…read morein a beautiful big park right in Falkirk so is a really nice place to visit even if you're not all that interested in what's inside (and it's free). We decided to have lunch in the tearoom which was quite strange - they really only have tables of 4/6 so you have to sit with people you don't know for lunch. The menu is pretty basic and what you'd expect of a cafe, I got a baked potato with mince and requested cheese, but even though the waitress noticed I didn't have cheese when she delivered the meal, she never then went to get it which was a bit of a bummer. That being said, the food was way nicer than it looked. We then went to see the Rob Ryan exhibition which is on til 4 September. The space is a little hard to find as you walk through the usual exhibition which is on here but we got there eventually. The exhibition is a little small (maybe 15 pieces) but it was amazing to see the papercuts in person, especially the really large pieces. There's a shop right inside the front door of Callendar House which has some nice souvenirs (tat) and all the staff were really friendly and helpful. There's a huge grassed area around Callendar House so it's worth having a picnic or bringing the dog.

The Dunure Community Labyrinth is a wonderful example of a local community coming together to…read morecreate something truly magical. The location is absolutely perfect, nestled into the cliffs just south of Dunure Castle, with stunning views over the sea to the north and west. It was constructed by Andrew Guthrie with the aid of local volunteers on the site of a former quarry, where stone for Dunure Castle came from, and uses water-worn beach rocks that were donated from a local garden rockery, with the paths layered with blue slate chippings. A surprising benefit of the rocks was that they arrived with lots of seeds trapped in them, seeds that have now produced a wonderful variety of flowering plants that make the labyrinth a riot of colour in the summer months. Access is easiest from the Kennedy Park car park (if it's open), from which you can just walk towards the cliffs until you see the labyrinth nestled below you. A narrow path and some steps at the sea edge leads down to the labyrinth. Access can be a bit slippery and muddy if there has been rain, and the access path could really do with some more stone steps in place, so sensible footwear is advised. You can also park at Dunure Harbour and walk up through the village following the path past the doocot and castle, and you'll see the labyrinth below you on the right. It's a bit longer, but does give you the chance for some tea and cake in the Harbour View cafe on your return (or something a little stronger in the Dunure Inn, perhaps).

Dunure castle is great for a day out but if you want to avoid parking fees park in the local estate…read moreacross the road from the grassy parklands area. Labyrinth is a great example of the community coming together here and is a lovely walk. Great for a picnic on the benches above the area and great for a visit to the impressive ruined castle. Be warned though the village is impossible to park in; it is always busy and the car park is just a grassy area and costs to park so being naturally a tightarse Scotsman i always park in the housing estate up the hill. Beach is great for a walk and some metal detecting if you are into it!

Fantastic street murals. We arrived in town very tired only 1 night but I wanted to see the murals…read moreso we set off walking in the cold rain. We didn't find them all but most i wanted. The mural of the breast feeding woman is covered by construction.. hope they don't destroy it.

Though my particular walking tour of Glasgow was not focused on the City Centre Murals, per se, it…read morewas inevitable that I'd come across these giant works of art; the tour took me through Merchant City where many of the murals can be seen. Commissioned by Glasgow City Council to revitalize the city, there are around 29 murals beautifying buildings & walls. If you aren't on a guided tour, google will point you to several mural maps, locations, & descriptors. Murals that stood out for me were the Strathclyde University Wonderwall which celebrates the 2014 Commonwealth Games & the two popular pieces by street artist Smug, St. Mungo as well as St. Enoch and Child. I absolutely love strolling through a new city to get to know its distinct areas; these murals made my stroll that much more fascinating.

Every city has their main hub. Where all the shopping takes place, the bars and restaurants. You…read morecould take the train right into the city. From the station, the city center area is right there. Buchanan street is lined up with loads of shops, malls and restaurants. It's a good strip with amazing architecture. You mainly have all the chains stores that you see often. HM, Zara, Boots, Urban Outfitters and so on. There's also House of Fraser which is somewhat similar to Nordstrom. A few floors of shopping with the main floor for cosmetics and a small section with the designer shops. Small clusters of malls hidden behind the building. The storefronts were all decorated for the holidays which made it more festive. There was also an arcade where jewelry stores were. Along the main strip which is pretty wide, you have street performers. No cars are allowed which was great. Loads of restaurants lined the area which there's also some that's inside the shopping mall. It's mainly like a shopping district.

Buchanan Street is one of the main streets in Glasgow; it is a fully pedestrianised area of the…read morecity centre which features shops and restaurants as well as the Buchanan Street Galleries Shopping Centre and a subway station. More notable retailers along the street include a large Frasers department store, Apple, John Lewis, Nespresso and Urban Outfitters. It was home to the city's Hard Rock Cafe until it closed in 2024. The street always feels pretty and lively to walk along; there always seems to be something going on. I do think calling it one of the best shopping streets in the world is a bit of a stretch as it does seem to be lacking compared to many European counterparts, but in Scotland? It could just earn that title. I prefer the modern charm of Buchanan Street compared to alternatives elsewhere, such as in Edinburgh. 4*