Tayside

This district to the east of central Scotland takes in the three areas of Perth and Kinross, Angus, and the City of Dundee, Scotland’s fourth-largest city.  Tayside also boasts two National Parks: Trossachs and Cairngorm. Within the latter, the Cairngorm plateau is the highest arctic mountain landscapes in the British Isles, with deep glaciers and diverse ecosystems.  Many rare animals can be sighted, including the protected capercaillie (a type of grouse), pine martens (a type of weasel), wild cats and ospreys.  Purple heather blankets 40 per cent of the park, and centuries-old castles and rural shelters, or ‘bothies’, are dotted throughout the landscape.  When it comes to water, Tayside has a stretch of coastline and the Lochs of Lomond, Earn, Rannoch and Tay.  The region also boasts one of the world’s most famous five star hotels, Gleneagles, which hosted the 2005 G8 Summit, attended by former Prime Minister Tony Blair.