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5 secret Scottish holiday hotspots you need to visit this summer

26 July 2019

Loch Lomond, Loch Ness and the ‘Harry Potter train’ that takes in the Glenfinnan viaduct — these are some of Scotland’s best-known tourist hotspots.

But if you’re looking for some lesser-known – but equally brilliant – places to visit on a Scottish holiday this summer, here are five of the best, as provided by Insider’s Guide.

Circus Lane, Edinburgh

Scotland’s capital swells with some of the world’s greatest creative talent each August.

But if you’re looking for somewhere a little off the beaten track, take a detour to Circus Lane, one of Edinburgh’s most Instagrammable spots.

Insider Claudia Scott also showed off her favourite bar, food stops and charity shops to make your Edinburgh stories even cooler.

The Panopticon, Glasgow

The Britannica Panopticon is claimed to be the world’s oldest surviving music hall. Nowadays it hosts one of the many nights of Glasgow’s thriving drag scene.

Lawrence Chaney also points out that Glasgow is a great city for vintage clothing shops, has one of the world’s best independent cinemas and will happily rival Edinburgh for having the best chippies.

Dundee’s music scene

Dundonian pop sensation Be Charlotte showed that her hometown has more to offer in terms of musical nightlife than you might assume.

Taking to the same stage as she did at one of her first gigs, Be Charlotte enthused about the thriving music scene in Dundee.

It’s well worth staying over for a night after visiting the V&A to see if you can spot the next big pop star playing one of their early ‘I was there’ gigs.

Clickimin Broch, Lerwick

The Social’s Marjolein Robertson has travelled the world, but still considers Clickimin Broch on Shetland – where she grew up – a special place.

Spectacular structural design makes this a tourist hotspot you’ll love ...just not as much as Marjolein!

Stadium tour, Aberdeen

Aberdeen are the club where Sir Alex Ferguson made his name by making them most northerly team in the UK to win a European trophy, the 1983 Cup Winners’ Cup against Real Madrid.

Local grime artist and Aberdeen fan Ransom FA took the tour and spotted a telegram from the Queen Mother, congratulating the team for their victory.

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