Scotland holidays: how the Lowlands beat the famous Highlands

Everyone’s been to the Highlands, so minimise travel and visit the spectacular Scottish Lowlands for your next Scotland trip, by Alexandra Pereira The first thing I notice at Glenapp Castle are the curling stones. Wedging open the heavy doors, these granite boulders are hewn from Ailsa Craig, the island you can see from the windows of this mighty Scottish property. Inside, every corridor gives period drama; every staircase evokes a mysterious aristocrat descending at midnight. This is The Wicker Man country, where remote islands, peculiar local traditions and mist-shrouded seas lend themselves to cinematic drama. The 1973 cult classic, starring Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, was filmed around these stretches of south-west Scotland. Thankfully, our own story is more relaxing. Scotland’s luxury travel industry places so much emphasis on the Highlands. But Glenapp, a Relais Châteaux hotel near Ballantrae, makes a compelling case for staying in the Scottish Lowlands. Ta