3 Best Sights in The Northern Highlands and the Western Isles, Scotland

At the northernmost point of Lewis, 3 miles northwest of Port of Ness, stands the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, which was first illuminated in 1862. Designed by David and Thomas Stevenson, it's one of many Scottish lighthouses built by the prominent Stevenson engineering family, whose best-known scion was novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, famed for Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The adjacent cliffs provide a good vantage point for viewing seabirds, whales, and porpoises.

Head to this lighthouse for spectacular views of cliffs and sea stacks, as well as seabirds like guillemots and (if you're lucky) puffins. It's on the coastal road east of town. There are a few parking spaces here, or you can walk (about 30 minutes) from the main road.

Skye's westernmost point is famed for its steep sea cliffs and picturesque, early-20th-century lighthouse, designed by David Alan Stevenson (cousin of Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson). The Neist Point Trail begins at the cliff-top parking area, from which it's a short but steep walk down to the lighthouse.