Holiday rentals and lettings in the Highlands

• Cottages, cabins and lodges: Self-catering cottages, log cabins and glamping pods dominate, most with a garden, wood burner or hot tub and parking for touring the glens.
• Five very different areas: Base yourself in Lochaber, the Cairngorms, around Loch Ness and Inverness, on the west coast and Skye, or in the far north-west.
• Top-rated by guests: Small cottages score highest here, with guests praising the quiet settings, warm interiors and the walking straight from the doorstep.
• Long summer days, dark winters: June brings daylight past 10pm and midges in the west; winter brings snow sports, aurora and very short days.
• Mountains, lochs and whisky: Ben Nevis, Glen Coe, the North Coast 500, red deer and golden eagles, plus distillery tours across the region.

The Highlands are self-catering country. Most stays are stone or whitewashed holiday cottages, timber log cabins tucked into forestry, and larger holiday homes for groups touring the glens by car. Croft conversions, shepherd's huts and lochside lodges fill the gaps. Because distances are long, hosts equip properties for real self-sufficiency.

• Wood burners and drying rooms for wet walking kit
• Hot tubs with a view of the hills or the loch
• Off-road parking and space for bikes, boards and boots
• Well-stocked kitchens for evenings far from a takeaway
• Fire pits and decking at glamping sites for dark-sky nights

Book early for July, August and the Christmas and New Year weeks.

What are the best areas to stay in the Highlands?

For a first visit, Fort William and Glen Coe give you the mountains, the West Highland Line and the west coast within easy reach. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests rate Highland properties highly for the things that matter on a wet, wild coast: warmth, quiet and a good drying room. Small one- and two-bedroom cottages take the top scores, with reviewers singling out generous hosts, thoughtful welcome baskets and views that make up for the long drive. Ratings of 9.5+ are common across the region.

Here are our top-rated holiday lettings from the past year:

1. Glacour Studio Cottage - 10.0+: A compact studio cottage in the central Highlands, praised for its snug interior and the quiet, wooded setting.
2. Beach Cottage - 10.0+: A two-person cottage with a yard on the Highland coast, popular with couples for its calm shoreline location.
3. 2 Railway Cottage - 10.0+: A modern, cosy cottage inside the Cairngorms National Park, with a terrace, a yard and pets welcome.

The Highlands cover the whole northern half of Scotland, from Glen Coe and Fort William north through the Cairngorms and Inverness to Skye, Torridon and Cape Wrath.

✈️What is the best way to get to the Highlands?

Most visitors drive, because the region is vast and public transport thins out beyond the main towns. Here are the most common ways to get to the region:

• Car: The A9 runs north from Perth through Aviemore to Inverness, and the A82 heads north-west from Glasgow past Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William to Loch Ness. From Inverness the A835 and A9 continue to Ullapool, Thurso and the North Coast 500. Fuel stops are far apart in the north-west, so fill up in Inverness, Fort William or Ullapool and expect long single-track sections with passing places.
• Train: The Highland Main Line links Glasgow and Edinburgh with Aviemore and Inverness, while the West Highland Line runs from Glasgow to Fort William and on to Mallaig, crossing Rannoch Moor and the Glenfinnan Viaduct on one of the great rail journeys in Europe. The Caledonian Sleeper leaves London Euston in the evening and arrives at Fort William, Aviemore or Inverness the next morning.
• Plane: Inverness Airport, ten miles east of the city at Dalcross, has direct flights from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Amsterdam, plus onward connections to Orkney, Shetland and Stornoway. Buses and a rail link connect it with Inverness city centre, and every major hire-car company operates from the terminal, which makes it the usual starting point for a North Coast 500 loop.

🥗Where to eat in the Highlands?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Seafood Shack is the best rated restaurant in the Highlands. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Charlotte recommends the Scorrybreac Restaurant in the Highlands: a tiny dining room above Portree harbour on Skye, where a short tasting menu of local seafood and game is worth booking weeks ahead.

☀️When is the best time to visit?

There is no bad season, only different ones. May and June bring the longest days and the driest weather before the midges peak; September and October add autumn colour and roaring red deer; winter trades daylight for snow, dark skies and the chance of the aurora.

Spring and early summer (April to June)

• Best for: Walkers and drivers who want long daylight and quieter roads before the school holidays.
• Weather: The driest months of the year, with light until well past 10pm in June and snow still lying on the high tops.
• Atmosphere: Busy in Skye and Glen Coe at half term, but calm elsewhere, and midges only really start from June in the west.

Summer and autumn (July to October)

• Best for: Families, North Coast 500 road trips and wildlife watching during the autumn deer rut.
• Weather: Mildest of the year and often showery; midges are at their worst in the sheltered west from July to August.
• Atmosphere: Peak season on the popular routes, then a beautiful, much quieter spell of golden birch and bracken through October.

Winter (November to March)

• Best for: Dark-sky watchers, aurora chasers and skiers heading to Cairngorm Mountain or Nevis Range.
• Weather: Cold, wet at sea level and snowy on the hills, with only around seven hours of daylight around the solstice.
• Atmosphere: Wonderfully empty, though some visitor centres, ferries and mountain roads close or run reduced winter timetables.

⭐Our Hosts' recommendation: Our Highlands local expert, Fiona of 2 Railway Cottage recommends coming to visit the Cairngorms in late September, when the birch woods turn gold, the stags start roaring on the moors above Glenmore and the first clear, frosty nights make the park one of the best places in Britain to see the Milky Way without driving anywhere at all. You can read more about local tips on Fiona's page.

1. Climb Ben Nevis
2. Drive the North Coast 500
3. Walk into Glen Coe
4. Cruise Loch Ness
5. Tour a Highland distillery

1. Climb Ben Nevis

   At 1,345 metres, Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles, and the Mountain Track from Glen Nevis near Fort William takes most walkers seven to nine hours there and back. It is a long, relentless zigzag rather than a scramble, but the summit plateau holds snow into June and the weather turns fast, so take map, compass and warm layers. For a gentler day, the Steall Falls gorge walk starts from the same glen.

2. Drive the North Coast 500

   The North Coast 500 loops 830 kilometres from Inverness up the east coast to John o' Groats, west to Durness and back south through Assynt and Wester Ross. Give it at least five days: the single-track roads, the beaches at Achmelvich and Sandwood Bay, and the pass of Bealach na Bà above Applecross all deserve unhurried time. Book self-catering cottages along the route well in advance for summer.

3. Walk into Glen Coe

   Glen Coe is the most photographed glen in Scotland, hemmed in by the Three Sisters and Buachaille Etive Mòr. The short walk into the Lost Valley climbs through birch woods to a hanging corrie where the MacDonalds once hid cattle, while the visitor centre near Ballachulish covers the 1692 massacre. In winter the glen becomes a serious ice-climbing venue, and the Glencoe Mountain Resort runs lifts above Rannoch Moor.

4. Cruise Loch Ness

   Boats leave Inverness and Dochgarroch daily for the 37-kilometre length of Loch Ness, which holds more fresh water than every lake in England and Wales combined. Most cruises stop below Urquhart Castle, whose ruined tower gives the classic view down the Great Glen. Walkers can instead follow the South Loch Ness Trail or the Great Glen Way, both far quieter than the busy A82 shoreline on the northern side.

5. Tour a Highland distillery

   Whisky is made the length of the region, from Tomatin and Glen Ord near Inverness to Ben Nevis in Fort William, Dalwhinnie high on the A9 and Talisker on Skye. Tours run year round and usually finish with a tasting, so plan a designated driver or take the train. Many distilleries sit close to Speyside, making an easy pairing with a Cairngorms base and an afternoon in Aviemore.