Heather in Scotland – 5 BEST spots to find Scotland’s Legendary Flower

Heather in Scotland – Guide to finding the best spots in Scotland

Scottish Heather is a world famous flower. Technically a flowering shrub, this plant grows all over in Scotland. It’s beautiful!

It naturally grows from the Northern Highlands to Edinburgh. No matter where you are in the country, you can likely find and abundance of heather.

Heather is native to Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, Russia, and northern North America, but it appears in especially high amounts in Scotland.

5 best places to see Heather in Scotland

Inevitably you will see heather if the season is right, but no trip to Scotland would be complete without targeting some of the most especially beautiful spots. Below are 5 of the best places to see Heather in Scotland.

When does heather bloom in Scotland

The peak heather blooms are late in the summer, especially August. If you visit Scotland during August, it’ll be almost impossible to not see heather.

1. Pentland Hills Regional Park

If you want to see fields of heather in Scotland one of the best places to visit is located just outside of Edinburgh, Pentland Hills Regional park. 

Specifically, Loganlea Reservoir and Castlelaw Hill inside Pentland Hills is a great spot.

2. Lammermuir Hills

Another great spot to find heather in Scotland is the Lammermuir Hills. Lammermuir Hills is located about an hour outside of Edinburgh.

Cairngorms National Park in Northern Scotland

Cairngorms National Park is the largest national park in the country. While driving through you will inevitably see tons of rolling hills of heather. I highly recommend it.

3. Scottish Heather in the Highlands

If you go all the way up to the Highlands, you don’t even have to go to a specific spot to find heather. Specifically, if you go anywhere north of Ullapool (the northwest part of the country), you’ll see a ton of Scottish heather.

4. The Scottish Borderlands

There is a a border separating Scotland and England that runs for about 100 miles. The surrounding area is often referred to as “the Borderlands.” It is another great place to find Scottish heather.

I recommend checking out the coastline around Eyemouth, St Abbs, and Coldingham on Scotland’s southeastern coast if you don’t have time to travel to Northern Scotland.

5. Tail Burn at Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall near Moffat in the Scottish Borders

What does Heather smell like?

Heather smells mossy and woody rather than some of the more traditional flowers.

Map of the best spots to see Heather in Scotland

Have you ever seen Scottish heather in Scotland? Where were the best spots that you found?