"Do you live your life in fast forward, wishing you could rewind and replay the best bits again? Well, pause and read on. I'm not a big fan of walking. It always seems to be raining whenever I hit the fells and trudging through the countryside where you can turn the sound down on the world and not see another soul - or hear a single peep out of the rest of the world - was a revelation.

The place? The Highlands of Scotland. The scenery? Like nothing else on earth. The weather? Glorious (although this can not be guaranteed!). Getting to the north of Scotland takes some effort, especially for those lucky to be within three quarters of an hour from Manchester Airport. In fact you could quite easily be lying on a beach in Spain in the time it takes you to reach Inverness. But if you want to relax I challenge you to find another place on earth which erases stress from your memory banks so quickly.

Within five minutes drive north of Inverness (the Sharps Reliable Wrecks car hire company is based at the railway station and does what the name suggests www.shaarpsreliablewrecks.co.uk) the Highland Cattle begin to outnumber the people and I began to feel like a work slave pilgrim returning to his spiritual home.

Our first three nights were spent in the glorious Highland Glen Lodges near the quaint village of Rogart and the first morning of our stay will live with me forever. The reason? One wall of the lodge is devoted to a French window which provides wide-screen cinema-style views of a beautiful glen. No buildings in the way, no roads, just a wonderful glen, completely as nature intended.

And within five minutes' walk of the door we were bathed in sunshine on the top of a small hill, surrounded by a sweet breeze and engulfed in complete silence - something so rare these days that it became like a sonic illusion, with our ears straining to pick up the slightest squeak.

The area is blessed with an immeasurable number of walks but it is blessed with a natural gift...walk in any direction from where you choose to start and within no time at all you are seemingly miles away from civilisation.

But the Highlands isn't just about walking. If it were I wouldn't have gone. Our base provided us with the chance to travel through some of the most picturesque scenery in Europe for day trips to the Isle of Skye and the fishing village of Ullapool - where a cracking portion of fish and chips and an ice-cream on the jetty wall are the order of the day.

The region is also dotted with some incredible castles to explore. Dunrobin, for example, close to the east coast town of Brora contains one of the best gardens I have ever seen and has such a lively history that even a "history's boring" sceptic like me can be captivated.

The most northerly of Scotland's great houses dates back to the early 1300s. Queen Victoria slept here and the Sutherland family have done a wonderful job at creating a wonderful tour - complete with captivating stories to match each room.

The cafe also provides meals in keeping with the setting ... venison not cheese toasties!"

Copyright: Andrew Turner April 2002