My Scotland: Plan your next adventure with award-winning travel blogger Gemma Armit

Gemma Armit helps people plan their travel around Scotland. Image: Gemma Armit

Gemma Armit is no stranger to Scottish travel.

Based near Dunfermline, she has been been blogging about it and international travel since 2014 at Two Scots Abroad Travel Guides. In 2020, she created a city niche site focusing on the capital, Everything Edinburgh, which has helped over 1.5 million visitors plan their trips.

Above all that, Gemma has been recognised as one of the Top 100 Women in Tourism twice and nominated as one of the Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs in Scotland by Business Women Scotland.

She recently launched her newest venture, Hiya Scotland, to provide Scots and visitors with stress-free Scotland planning. To celebrate, she picked three spots she always recommends.

Glencoe

Roads don’t get much prettier than this. Image: Gemma Armit

Choosing my top three places in Scotland has been a tough challenge, except for my number one, Glencoe! I love how inferior the area makes me feel with its hills and Munros enveloping the A82 Skyfall road.

While most visitors will hop off at the Three Sisters Viewpoint and then get back in their cars, there are a few less talked-about attractions in the area that are worth exploring. Tucked away just minutes from the Clachaig Inn is Torren Lochan and the filming location for Harry Potter’s Hagrid’s Hut.

The Glencoe Visitor Centre, run by National Trust Scotland, offers daily tours of its turf and creel house and plays a short video that explains how the house was built and details the 1692 Glencoe Massacre. The Glencoe Lochan circular, which resembles a Canadian lake, is a pleasant stretch for the legs. The Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom designed its woodlands.

Fife Coastal Path

You can’t beat the smell of gorse. Image: Gemma Armit

It’s a slight cheat since it’s 117 miles long, but the Fife Coastal Path is a scenic stretch that winds through Fife villages and towns. While most visitors will be familiar with the East Neuk leg of the multi-day trail, I enjoy the Inverkeithing to Dalgety Bay section with its bright yellow gorse and view of the Forth Bridges.

Parking is available at the Ballast “Bally” Bank Park, and the walk to Dalgety Bay takes around 30 minutes.

Afternoon Tea at The Colonnades

I’ll take a glass of fizz with mine please. Image: Gemma Armit

I adore afternoon tea and have sampled many in Edinburgh, with The Colonnades at the Signet Library coming out on top. The setting is classy yet comfortable, nestled among the bookcases, accompanied by tasteful historic library memorabilia.

The staff are sophisticated without pomp, and the balance of sweet and savoury bites sandwiched between amuse-bouche and sorbet is delectable. Food is served on gleaming silver trays with a pot of tea; for an additional fee, you can add a glass of fizz.

For more travel tips, follow Gemma at @hiyascotland on Instagram.