My Favourite Places to Enjoy Autumn in the Scottish Highlands

Although I've shared loads over the years about what winter and summer in the Scottish Highlands looks like, one season I haven't actually shared much about over the years is autumn. In some ways, autumn is when the landscape of the Scottish Highlands truly comes into its own. The hills pop with the colours of browning bracken and the heather (my namesake) really starts comes alive with shades of the most beautiful purple.

Below is a list of five of my favourite places to enjoy at this beautiful time of year. This isn't the definitive list because the Highlands are so beautiful at this time of year. But, if you are looking for some of places to really slow down and enjoy the beauty of the Scottish Highlands at this time of year, this list is for you.

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Applecross, Wester Ross

If the weather is half decent, there's no where better to drive than over the Bealach na Ba to Applecross. The mountain pass road over to Applecross isn't for the faint of heart, but with the autumnal colours, it makes for a really special journey. You might even spot a deer our your travels just like we did.

I haven't visited the Applecross Peninsula loads of times, but I cannot remember finding it more beautiful than when we visited at the end of October in 2025. We ate at The Applecross Walled Garden, which is a beautiful cosy spot set in some of the most beautiful gardens in Wester Ross. They also use their own produce in their food options which is such a lovely touch.

Sutherland

Dornoch is a quaint little town in Sutherland and has fast become one of my favourite places in the Highlands. We visited during a weekend at the start of October a few years ago and seeing the trees turning orange in this pretty village was simply wonderful.

Another spot we visited in October was the beautiful fairytale castle that is Dunrobin Castle. This beautiful white castle is one of the most beautiful castles I've seen across the Highlands. When we visited in October 2023, we were too late in the day to actually go inside. But we managed to wander around the gardens as the sun started to set, seeing the incredibly dahlias in the gardens (and we even spotted a little Roe Deer darting through). I'd love to go back to Dunrobin Castle when it's actually open to experience it for myself, but for the time being, I'm so thankful I got to see it during the autumn months. It really added to the drama of this fairytale Highland Castle.

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Orkney

We visited Orkney in October 2023 and it was one of my favourite trips I've had. Although the weather was pretty windy and the ferry journal to and from Orkney was pretty sketchy, we had such a wonderful time visiting the islands. We had a great time discovering the historic sites that make Orkney so special, and in the evenings, we loved cooring up in our little cottage with some Orkney cheese and sourdough.

If you want to find out more about our trip, you can read these blogposts.

• The Italian Chapel, Orkney

• Everything we Did on Orkney

Beauly

Only 20 minutes from Inverness, Beauly is one of my favourite little towns to visit in the Highlands. With lovely coffee shops and some of the best charity shops in the Highlands, it's a cosy little place that's perfect for an autumnal day out. In some ways, this place feels like the Highland version of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls.

I love driving through the streets of Beauly, wandering through the antiques shops (there are so really interesting antique and charity shops in Beauly with great treasures) and heading for lunch somewhere like Corner on the Sqaure or Cafe Biagiotti. It's a cute and cosy village that's great to visit.

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North West Skye

Skye, and especially North West Skye, are at their most dramatic during the autumn and winter months. A few years ago, we visited Neist Point Lighthouse at the start of October, on what was an especially windy day (it took me a long time to brush out the tugs in my hair) and then visited Coral Beach in the middle of November. The two days couldn't have been more different, yet they both encapusalated autumn. One day was crisp and golden. The other was gloomy and moody. Yet they both showed me how beautiful the contrasting types of autumnal days here are.