HEART & SOUL

A spectacular new touring route links a string of historic sights, and takes in some of Scotland’s most heart-stirring scenery

- HELEN OCHYRA

Think Scotland, think ancient castles. Mountains too, of course, and perhaps an osprey wheeling above a Highland stream. Whisky probably comes to mind, along with golf, a side of leaping salmon, or maybe a glassy loch or thundering waterfall.

These things are quintessential Scotland, and all can be experienced on the recently launched Heart 200 touring route. This 200-mile road trip around the heart of Scotland runs in a loop from Stirling, out into Highland Perthshire, the Trossachs and as far north as the Cairngorms. It links Scotland’s two national parks and demands at least a week of your time to do it justice. Even then, you’ll be spoiled for choice.

Start on a high in Stirling, touring the battlements and buildings of Stirling Castle and peering down over the city from a sheer-sided volcanic crag that has been fortified since the Iron Age. The castle has long guarded the lowest crossing point of the Forth river and it became the preferred residence of most of Scotland’s later medieval monarchs including James V, whose daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, was crowned here in 1543. Tour the royal apartments, now returned to their mid-16th-century glory, see the vast fireplaces of the Great Hall and stroll through the Douglas Gardens, from which there are splendid Highland views.