Travel: Fall in love with Scotland as Autumn illuminates country like no other season

Scotland is beautiful all year round, but autumn illuminates our countryside like no other season.

From the brightest yellows to the deepest reds, Scotland’s forests come alive with colour.

Seven of the 10 largest forests in the UK are here, so visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to immersing themselves in fiery scenery.

VisitScotland has rounded up one-of-a-kind autumn break suggestions, from light shows in an Enchanted Forest, to foraging and wildlife spotting.

Or simply pull on your walking shoes and head for your nearest woodland trail.

From the satisfying crunch of leaves beneath your feet to the earthy smell of the turning season, an autumn walk is the perfect antidote to our hectic lives.

Leaf peeping

The Caledonian Forest was once a vast woodland that colonised most of Scotland.

Formed at the end of the last ice age, its remains can be seen in the ancient pinewood of Glen Falloch and Tyndrum in The Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.

Autumn is a lovely time to see these woods which are home to a variety of rare flora and fauna.

Seeing old Aberdeen in autumn recently ranked on Lonely Planet’s Ultimate UK Travel experiences. Stroll through Seaton Park, one of the city’s largest open green spaces and treat yourself to a picnic by the Bridge of Don, which may be Scotland’s oldest bridge.

Explore the outstanding architecture among the colourful trees at the University of Aberdeen and don’t miss the historic 15th-Century King’s College Chapel.

Tay Forest Park is also a perfect oasis for forest bathing and mindfulness.

Be sure to wander to the famous Queen’s View overlooking the scenic Loch Tummel. In 1886, Queen Victoria visited the breathtaking site and believed it was named after her when in fact it was named after Robert the Bruce’s first wife, Isabella, 500 years earlier.

Light up your life

Northern Scotland lies at the same latitude as Stavanger in Norway and Nunivak Island in Alaska.

This means those visiting Scotland in autumn or winter may catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Some of the best places to spot them include Shetland, Orkney, Caithness, Moray Coast, The Cairngorms and Lewis, Harris.

From October 3 to November 3, the multi-award-winning Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry is a must-see. Walk through this magical forest and immerse yourself in an incredible outdoor sound and light show.

En route, hunt for aliens in Bonnybridge, the UFO capital of Scotland. This town gets more UFO sightings, over 300 every year, than anywhere else on earth!

Go wild

Our forests and coastlines are teeming with wildlife.

Autumn is an especially good time to witness salmon leaping.

Head to the Philiphaugh Salmon Viewing Centre near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. For the best sightings, go in the early morning or evening in October and November.

Between late September and late November, grey seal pups stay ashore until they’ve finished weaning and moulting. Tour the Moray Firth for a good chance to see them, as well as bottlenose dolphins.

For larger marine life, follow the Hebridean Whale Trail, a first of its kind in the UK. This trail has developed 25 whale-watching sites.

In the isles of Arran, Jura and Rum it will be hard to miss the UK’s largest land mammal, the red deer. Every autumn, the stags battle each other to win the right to mate with the females. Only view the sight from a distance!

Scotland boasts the most redheads in the world, including the adorable red squirrel which is the UK’s only native squirrel species. With fewer than 150,000 left they can be found in the conifer forest of Cairngorms National Park and Galloway Forest Park.

Foraging

There are dozens of edible wild mushrooms in Scotland and autumn is the best time to pick them.

Join a foraging stay at Gartmore House in Stirlingshire or Monica Wilde Foraging in Perthshire.

There are about 10 different edible berries found in Scottish woodlands growing largely in Perthshire, Fife, Aberdeenshire, the Highlands, Arran, Ayrshire and the Borders.

Be sure to do your research and do not pick any food if you are not certain what it is.

For more unique autumn activities, check out visitscotland.co.uk