5 Best Sights in Scotland

A stone tower on the site of what was originally an Iron Age fortification, Clickimin Broch (just to the southwest of Lerwick) makes a good introduction to these mysterious buildings. It was possibly intended as a place of retreat and protection in the event of attack. South of the broch are vivid views of the cliffs at the south end of the island of Bressay, which shelters Lerwick Harbor.

Here, on a cold April day in 1746, the hopelessly outgunned Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie were destroyed by King George II's army. The victorious commander, the Duke of Cumberland (George II's son), earned the name of the Butcher of Cumberland for the bloody reprisals carried out by his men on Highland families, Jacobite or not, caught in the vicinity. In the battle itself, the duke's army—greatly outnumbering the Jacobites—killed up to 2,000 soldiers. The victors, by contrast, lost just 50 men. The National Trust for Scotland has re-created a slightly eerie version of the battlefield as it looked in 1746 that you can explore with a guided audio tour. An innovative visitor center enables you to get closer to the sights and sounds of the battle and to interact with the characters involved, while a viewing platform helps put things into perspective from on high (literally). Academic research and technology have helped re-create the Gaelic dialect, song, and music of the time. There's also a good on-site café.

After the fateful Battle of Culloden, the nervous government in London ordered the construction of a large fort on a promontory reaching into the Moray Firth. Fort George was started in 1748 and completed some 20 years later. It's one of the best-preserved 18th-century military fortifications in Europe. At its height it housed 1,600 men and around 30,000 pounds of gunpowder; the on-site Highlanders Museum gives you a glimpse of the fort's history. The fort, 8½ miles west of Nairn, is also a great base for spotting dolphins and whales out at sea.

This artillery fort was built in 1665 to protect the Sound of Bressay from the invading Dutch. However, it was never completed, as the Dutch seized the fort in 1673 and razed it to the ground. They were soon chased out of Shetland and the fort was rebuilt in 1781. As it has never seen military action, Fort Charlotte looks almost exactly as it would have in the 1780s.

Looking like a ruined castle on a mound, Ruthven Barracks is redolent with tales of "the '45," as the last Jacobite rebellion is often called. The defeated Jacobite forces rallied here after the Battle of Culloden, but they then abandoned and blew up the government outpost they had earlier captured. You'll see its crumbling, yet imposing, stone outline as you approach. Most come by car—there's a small car park across the road—but it's also walkable from Kingussie in about 20 minutes.