Ski holidays in Scotland - a country of dramatic variety, long in tradition and is a nation proud of its heritage, culture and natural beauty. Summer and ski holidays in Scotland are all about exploring this beautiful country and having fun....

For the traveller and holiday-maker, there are few places that offer such diverse outdoor activities from fishing salmon, golf, climbing, hiking in the Highlands and some great skiing thanks to some spectacular snow falls in recent years.

The ski resorts are all within easy reach of Scotland's famous attractions such as....

• Loch Ness
• Whisky trail
• Edinburgh Castle

...and so its easy to come up with an itinerary that combines some attractions, culture and outdoor pursuits especially at Christmas where Edinburgh hosts it's famous Hogmany street party and fireworks.

Where to stay in the Scottish ski resorts

The self catering accommodation in and around Scotland's ski resorts varies from comfortable B&Bs to luxury lodges with plenty of choice to suit all budgets and tastes. You won't find any traditional chalet rentals as you would in the Alps but you will get a very warm and friendly welcome plus the added bonus of being surrounded by the majestic scenery of the Scottish Highlands.

Booking a holiday rental, whether a lodge or cottage is easy and great value. Plus, if you travelling with a young family, a self-catering option provides the space and freedom to do what you want, when you want.

All the Scottish ski resorts offer something different and if you are staying around the Cairngorm National Park, you can try Aviemore, Glenshee and The Lecht as they are all very close to each other.

Aviemore at the base of Cairngorm Mountain is Scotland’s most popular ski resort while The Lecht at 2000 feet in the eastern Cairngorms is Scotland’s most compact with 18 pistes but has the best snow record of all the resorts.

Glenshee, the largest ski centre in the UK with 36 runs, 21 lifts and tows that spread across four mountains and three valleys.

Glencoe Mountain was Scotland’s first ski resort that continues to be popular and has 7 lifts servicing 19 runs. The Nevis Range on Aonach Mor, 7 miles north of Fort William, has some excellent off-piste black and red runs where you can ski or board up to 1190m.

Summer in & around the Scottish ski resorts

In summer, the Scottish Highlands are stunning with the long warm days making all the outdoor activities great fun. You can't mention Scotland without mentioning golf - there are courses everywhere for all levels and many of them are public courses. Other popular outdoor activities include:

• Mountain biking
• Hiking
• Fishing
• Swimming
• Sailing
• Kayaking
• White water rafting

One of the most popular summer activities is to head to some of the lochs where you will find white sandy beaches and all types of water sports from jst skis, wind surfing to sailing.

Loch Morlich next to Aviemore is very popular place to stay during the summer as is Kenmore - a very pretty village sitting at the junction of Loch Tay and river Tay.

Salmon fishing is a big sprt in Scotland and keen anglers come from all over the world to fish on the River Spey just past Aviemore heading towards Inverness - the main season is mid August.