12 Places in Scotland That Look Like a Fairytale
Some places in Scotland make you stop and wonder whether they're real: a valley of tiny green hills, a castle on its own island, a ring of stones older than Stonehenge's great circle. These are the 12 most magical places our guides take people to, and how you can see them.
The Fairy Glen · Eilean Donan Castle · Glencoe · The Lost Valley · Kilchurn Castle · The Quiraing · The Fairy Pools · Loch Coruisk · The Callanish Stones · Clava Cairns · Dunnottar Castle · Rosslyn Chapel
Nine of the 12 are on our small-group tours from Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- Most magical (our guests say)The Fairy GlenIsle of Skye
- OldestThe Callanish StonesAbout 5,000 years old
- Hardest to reachLoch CoruiskBy boat from Elgol
- Closest to EdinburghRosslyn ChapelAbout 30 minutes
- Best weather for magicMist and low cloudReally
- See most of them5-day Skye tourFrom £444 pp
12 places in Scotland that look like a fairytale
Some are famous, some take a bit of effort to reach, and most of them are at their best in mist, low light or a passing shower. We've said which of our tours visit each one, and how to get there if you're travelling on your own.
1The Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye
Near Uig, on the Trotternish peninsula, north Skye
Just outside the village of Uig, a single-track road winds into a small valley of grassy, cone-shaped hills, tiny lochans and a rocky outcrop that looks like a ruined tower. Everything seems built at the wrong scale, as if the landscape has been shrunk.
There's no ancient legend behind the name; it was simply the best way anyone could describe the place. The stone spirals on the valley floor were made by visitors, not fairies, and local people ask you not to build new ones or move the stones.
See it with us: A stop on our 3-day Isle of Skye tour, 5-day Skye tour and 7-day Skye and Outer Hebrides tour.
2Eilean Donan Castle
Dornie, on the road to the Isle of Skye
A castle on its own small island, where three sea lochs meet, reached by a curved stone bridge and backed by mountains. You've probably seen it before, even if you didn't know it: it has appeared in Highlander, a James Bond film and a great many calendars.
The castle was left in ruins in 1719 and rebuilt between 1912 and 1932. Inside, the rooms are furnished as a family home. Read the story of Eilean Donan.
3Glencoe
The A82 between Rannoch Moor and Loch Leven, in the western Highlands
Drive down off Rannoch Moor into Glencoe and the mountains close in on both sides: the Three Sisters on one side, the jagged Aonach Eagach ridge on the other, waterfalls running down every gully. When cloud hangs on the tops, it feels like the setting of an old story.
It has a dark one, too. In 1692, government soldiers who had been guests of the MacDonalds of Glencoe turned on their hosts in the Glencoe Massacre. Our Glencoe guide tells the story.
See it with us: On our Glencoe day tour from Glasgow, our Loch Ness day tour from Edinburgh and most of our Highland tours. See all our Glencoe tours.
4The Lost Valley, Glencoe
Coire Gabhail, above the A82 in Glencoe
Hidden between two of the Three Sisters is a flat, grassy valley floor, walled in by cliffs and completely invisible from the road. The MacDonalds are said to have hidden cattle here, some of them probably stolen, which is how it got its Gaelic name, Coire Gabhail, the corrie of capture.
Getting there is a proper hill walk: about three hours there and back, on a rough, rocky path with a river crossing that can be impossible after heavy rain. Our Lost Valley guide has the route.
See it with us: Not on a scheduled tour, as it needs half a day on foot. Our tours stop beneath the Three Sisters, right below it.
5Kilchurn Castle and Loch Awe
The head of Loch Awe, near Dalmally in Argyll
Kilchurn is a ruined Campbell castle on a spit of land at the top of Loch Awe, with the mountains of Ben Cruachan rising behind it. On a still morning, with mist lying on the water and the castle reflected in the loch, it's one of the most beautiful sights in the country.
When water levels allow, a short path leads across the meadows to the castle itself. See our Kilchurn Castle guide.
See it with us: On our Standing Stones and Castles day tour and Oban day trip from Glasgow, and Day 2 of our 5-day Skye tour.
6The Quiraing, Isle of Skye
The Trotternish ridge, north Skye
The Quiraing is a giant landslip on the Trotternish ridge, a jumble of pinnacles, cliffs and hidden grassy plateaus with names like the Needle, the Prison and the Table. The land is still slowly moving: the road below it has to be repaired every year.
You don't have to walk the full loop to feel it. Even the first half hour of the path from the road gives you the view along the cliffs and out to sea.
See it with us: On Day 3 of our 7-day Skye and Outer Hebrides tour. Our 3-day and 5-day Skye tours loop around the same Trotternish peninsula.
7The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye
Glen Brittle, below the Black Cuillin, Skye
A burn tumbles down from the Black Cuillin mountains in a chain of small waterfalls and clear pools, blue-green on a sunny day. Walking up beside them, with the jagged peaks ahead of you, is one of the best short walks on Skye.
The path is about 40 minutes each way and gets muddy, with stepping stones across the burn. Go early or late in summer; it's very popular.
See it with us: On Day 2 of our 7-day Skye and Outer Hebrides tour.
8Loch Coruisk, Isle of Skye
The heart of the Black Cuillin, reached from Elgol
Loch Coruisk lies in a basin surrounded on almost every side by the bare rock peaks of the Black Cuillin. There's no road. You reach it by boat from Elgol, across Loch Scavaig, often past seals, then a short walk up from the landing.
Sir Walter Scott wrote about it and J.M.W. Turner painted it. On a still day, with the mountains reflected in the black water and no sound but the burn, it's easy to see why.
See it with us: Not on a scheduled tour, as the boat trip takes half a day. It works well on a private Skye itinerary.
9The Callanish Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis
Callanish (Calanais), west Lewis, Outer Hebrides
On a low ridge above a sea loch on the Isle of Lewis stands a circle of tall, thin stones, with avenues of stones leading away from it in the shape of a rough cross. They were put up around 5,000 years ago, before the great stone circle at Stonehenge, and the tallest is almost 5 metres high.
No one knows exactly what they were for. One theory links them to the moon, which rises and sets very low over the hills here every 18.6 years. Our Callanish Stones guide has more.
See it with us: The last stop of the day on Lewis on our 5-day Outer Hebrides tour and 7-day Skye and Outer Hebrides tour.
10Clava Cairns
Near Culloden, just east of Inverness
In a quiet grove of trees near Culloden are three Bronze Age burial cairns, each surrounded by a ring of standing stones, around 4,000 years old. It's a still, slightly eerie place, especially in the early morning.
Outlander readers will recognise the feeling: the cairns are said to have inspired Craigh na Dun, the stone circle Claire travels through. See our Clava Cairns guide.
See it with us: On Day 1 of our 5-day Outer Hebrides tour and 5-day Orkney tour from Edinburgh.
11Dunnottar Castle
On the coast near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
A ruined fortress spread across a flat-topped rock, with sheer cliffs dropping to the North Sea on three sides and only a narrow ridge of land joining it to the mainland. From the clifftop path, it looks like a castle from a fantasy novel.
In the 1650s, the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden here from Cromwell's army. Read our Dunnottar Castle guide.
See it with us: Not on a scheduled tour. It's a favourite on our private castle tours.
12Rosslyn Chapel
Roslin, 7 miles south of Edinburgh
From the outside, Rosslyn looks like a small church. Inside, almost every surface is carved: leaves, flowers, angels, knights, more than a hundred "green men" and the famous Apprentice Pillar. It was founded in 1446 by William Sinclair, and people have been arguing about the meaning of its carvings ever since.
The Da Vinci Code made it world famous, but it doesn't need the conspiracy theories. See our Da Vinci Code guide.
See it with us: A stop on our Alnwick Castle and Rosslyn Chapel day tour from Edinburgh.
How to see Scotland's most magical places on one trip
Six of these places are on or near the Isle of Skye and in Glencoe, so a trip to the west Highlands and Skye covers half the list. The Callanish Stones need an extra couple of days in the Outer Hebrides. Rosslyn Chapel is an easy half-day from Edinburgh, and Dunnottar fits into a trip up the east coast.
- 3 days: Glencoe, the Fairy Glen and Eilean Donan. See our 3-day itinerary.
- 5 days: add Kilchurn Castle and a full day on Skye. See our 5-day itinerary.
- 7 days: add the Fairy Pools, the Quiraing and the Callanish Stones on the Outer Hebrides.
Don't wait for sunshine. The Fairy Glen, Glencoe and the Quiraing are at their most magical in low cloud, with mist drifting across the tops. Bring a waterproof, and go anyway.
Tours to Scotland's fairytale places
Our small-group tours, with no more than 16 travellers, take you to most of these places without the stress of planning or driving, and your guide will tell you the legends along the way.
Isle of Skye 3-Day Tour from EdinburghTwo nights on Skye via Glencoe and Loch Ness: the Old Man of Storr, Fairy Glen and Eilean Donan.From £248 pp25% depositView tour →
Isle of Skye 5-Day TourKilmartin, Oban, Glencoe, two nights on the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and Inverness.From £444 pp25% depositView tour →
7-Day Scotland Tour from Edinburgh: Skye & the Outer HebridesThe Isle of Skye, Lewis and Harris, Loch Ness and Inverness. Ferries included.From £556 pp25% depositView tour →
5-Day Outer Hebrides Tour from EdinburghLuskentyre Beach, the Callanish Stones, Lewis blackhouses and Loch Ness. Ferries included.From £428 pp25% depositView tour →
Standing Stones & Castles Day Trip from GlasgowKilmartin Glen's stone circles, Inveraray Castle, Kilchurn Castle and Loch Lomond.From £90 pp50% depositView tour →
Alnwick Castle Tour from EdinburghThe Harry Potter Hogwarts castle, Rosslyn Chapel, Leaderfoot Viaduct and St Abbs.From £96 pp50% depositView tour →See all our Isle of Skye tours, or plan a private itinerary to include Dunnottar, Loch Coruisk or the Lost Valley.
Magical places in Scotland FAQs
What is the most magical place in Scotland?
Many of our guests say the Fairy Glen on the Isle of Skye, with its miniature hills and stone spirals. Glencoe in the mist and the Callanish Standing Stones on Lewis are close behind.
Where is the Fairy Glen in Scotland?
The Fairy Glen is near the village of Uig, in the north of the Isle of Skye. It's about 25 minutes' drive from Portree.
Can you visit the Fairy Glen and the Fairy Pools in one day?
Yes, if you're driving yourself, but they're at opposite ends of Skye, about an hour and a quarter apart, and both are busy in summer. Our 7-day tour visits them on consecutive days.
Which Scottish castles look most like a fairytale?
Eilean Donan on its island, Dunnottar on its cliff, Kilchurn on Loch Awe and Castle Stalker on its islet. See our 21 castles to visit in Scotland for more.
Are there fairy legends in Scotland?
Plenty. Dunvegan Castle on Skye keeps the Fairy Flag, said to have been a gift from the fairies to the MacLeod chiefs, and Highland folklore is full of fairy hills, kelpies and selkies. Read our five legends of Skye.
More Scotland inspiration
Last updated September 2026 by the Scotland's Wild team.
