This year, Scotland is celebrating #ScotSpirit. These are the special moments, places and sights that offer a Spirit of Scotland feeling. This summer, take a trip to Scotland on a walking or cycling holiday and tick off a few bucket list #ScotSpirit moments. 1 Hunt for the Loch Ness Monster on a Nessie Hunting Trip with www.cruiselochness.com 2 Walk Scotland’s original long-distance trail, the West Highland Way. Depending on your fitness or speed you could cover the distance in three to eight days of walking. [caption id="attachment_19414" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Magnificent Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.[/caption] 3 See the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The unique event draws crowds (and performers) from all over the world with massed pipes and drums, military bands, display teams, dancers and the haunting lament of the Lone Piper set against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. 4 Wild swim in the stunning, crystal clear Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye. Walk to the spot along this route and during a Skye walking or cycling holiday. [caption id="attachment_19418" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Summit of Ben Nevis.[/caption] 5 Walk Ben Nevis to reach the highest point (1344m) in Great Britain. 6 Ride a mountain bike trail at Glentress Forest, acclaimed as one of Europe’s premier mountain biking centres. There are routes for all from green to black graded. 7 Paddle across Scotland on the 54-mile Glasgow to Edinburgh Canoe Trail, from Pinkston Watersports to the capital’s heart. 8 Suck on the traditional Scottish sweets known as Soor Plooms. The sharp- flavoured, round, green boiled sweets are originally associated with the Border ton of Galashiels. You can buy Soor Plooms in traditional sweet shops such as Glasgow’s oldest, Glickman’s. 9 Bag a trig in the 80th anniversary year of the trig point in the UK. These trigs formed the basis of OS mapping before GPS technology. Walk to a trig on a hill in Scotland in 2016. See trigpointing.uk Also see 16 things to know about the UK’s Trig Points. [caption id="attachment_19420" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Sitting in The Cobbler Eye of a Needle.[/caption] 10 Sit in the eye of the needle on Ben Arthur (The Cobbler) in the Arrochar Alps. The “eye” is formed naturally from rock at the summit of the mountain. Some daring people climb carefully through while others choose to sit in it. Walk to Ben Arthur summit. 11 Sail to St Kilda. The archipelago of St Kilda is located 41 miles west off North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. It’s a World Heritage Site and described as “the islands at the edge of the world”. 12 Search for the Northern Lights in Scotland. The best chances to see the Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights) are in the north further or head to the Dark Skies Park, Galloway. 13 Spot dolphins on the Moray Firth, acclaimed as one of the best places in Scotland to see dolphins. Take a boat trip or stand on land at Chanonry Point. 14 Count the 330 Whaligoe steps at the Wick cliff face as you descend to the old harbour. 15 Do a Scottish Via Ferrata. Take on the 500m chain walk at Kinlochleven, near Fort William. See www.verticaldescents.com [caption id="attachment_19416" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Wild camping in Knoydart.[/caption] 16 Try wild camping. Whether it’s a local hill, a remote beach, or next to a tumbling waterfall, camping somewhere wild is a fantastic experience and perfectly possible in Scotland is you behave responsibly and according to the Scottish Outdoors Access Code. 17 Discover true wilderness. Knoydart is said to be Scotland’s last great wilderness area. Experienced walkers can hike in from Kinlochhourn to Barrisdale, or you can catch a boat from Mallaig to Inverie and walk a trail from there. 18 Swim with sharks. Basking Shark Scotland on the Isle of Coll offers this amazing experience. 19 See the Gulf of Corryvreckan. Take a boat trip to the second largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere in the channel between Jura and Scarba. 20 Throw a stone from sea to sea. At Mavis Grind, a narrow neck on Shetland mainland, you can throw a stone from the North Sea into the Atlantic. [caption id="attachment_19415" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Fingal's Cave.[/caption] 21 See nature’s hexagons by visit Fingal’s Cave on the island of Staffa, Inner Hebrides. The hexagonally jointed basalt columns are a wonder of nature and geology.