Kintail & Morvich

Kintail is the National Trust for Scotland's second-largest property, a sweep of mountain at the head of Loch Duich that includes the Five Sisters of Kintail, the sharp-peaked ridge in Trust care since 1944. Otters fish in the sea loch, red deer graze the slopes and golden eagles ride the ridges, and the glens hold Cill Fhearchair, a standing stone and burial ground some 2,000 years old, and the site of the 1719 Battle of Glenshiel, which Trust archaeologists have been excavating. Paths run from family walks in the lower glens to Munro summits, the Affric Kintail Way passes through, and rangers run guided hill walks and sea kayaking taster days. Reviewers describe it as a walkers' and Munro-baggers' base with routes for every weather. Tips from visitors: the Morvich car park is small, the ranger office there has maps, Citylink buses stop at Ault a' Chruinn, and there is no phone signal once you leave the glen floor.