Touring Scotland's Highlands and Islands Quiz

Answer: Ben Nevis

Fort William sits in the shadow of Scotland's (and the UK's) highest mountain, Ben Nevis. The mountain stretches up to around 4,400 feet (1,350 metres) above sea level and is popular with both walkers and climbers thanks to the presence of both a (relatively) easy path to the top via the Pony Track from nearby Glen Nevis and some more challenging ascents via the cliffs of its north face. The area of the town itself was first settled in the 17th century and was an important defensive location for the English in their long-running disputes with the Highland clans prior to the Jacobite Rising of 1745, when it was besieged but not captured. The fort which gave the town its name has largely been destroyed by later development, but some of the ruins of its northern section remain visible for tourists who are more interested in history than hiking (and I was definitely an example of the former!)

Fort William is the southernmost of the three fort towns originally constructed along the Great Glen. The middle one, Fort Augustus, can be found at the southern end of Loch Ness, while the northernmost, Fort George, is located to the north of the city of Inverness. The Firth of Forth is on Scotland's east coast near Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye is located a few miles off the coast of the Scottish mainland, further north-west than Fort William.

Answer: Glenfinnan Viaduct

The Glenfinnan Viaduct was featured in the film adaptations of J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' novels during the journeys made by the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross station in London to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at some impossible to find (for muggles) location in Scotland. In real-life the steam train that makes the regular 30-mile (50 km) trip for tourists during the summer months is called The Jacobite and other than giving passengers a nostalgic glimpse back to the era of steam railways, it also provides a moving view of the dramatic and stunning scenery (as well as plenty of 'Harry Potter' themed merchandise!) One landmark that can be spotted along the journey is the Glenfinnan Monument - which marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie first landed on the Scottish mainland at the start of the 1745 Jacobite Rising.

The viaduct was built between 1897 and 1901 and is 380 metres (1,250 feet) in length, stands 30 metres (100 feet) above the River Finnan, and is made of concrete.

The Millau Viaduct (which set a new record for the tallest bridge in the world in 2018) is in France, the Ouse Valley Viaduct is in England and the Landwasser Viaduct can be found in Germany.

Answer: Tobermory

The colourful seaside village of Tobermory is the capital of the Isle of Mull - the fourth-largest island in Scotland and the second-largest of the Inner Hebrides (behind the Isle of Skye). The main ferry route to the island runs from the town of Oban on the mainland to the small port of Craignure, which is about 20 miles (32 kms) south-east of Tobermory along the island's northern coast. However, it is also possible to get a ferry direct to Tobermory from Kilchoan - the most westerly village on the British mainland. Fans of British children's television might recognise Tobermory as the setting for 'Balamory' or as the name of one of the Wombles of Wimbledon.

The unpopulated nature of much of the Isle of Mull dates back to the Highland Clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries when the majority of the residents were removed from the land in favour of sheep. However, it is still home to several castles (in varying states of repair), including Duart Castle - the ancestral home of the MacLeans, the clan who controlled the island for hundreds of years until the mid-17th century.

Portree, Rothesay and Stornoway are the largest towns on the islands of Skye, Bute and Lewis respectively.

Answer: An ancient abbey

The island of Iona has an area of only around 3.5 square miles (9 square kms) but a very long history as the one of the oldest centres of Christianity in the British Isles. The current Iona Abbey dates back to around 1200 AD and is believed to stand on the site of a monastery founded by Saint Columba in the mid-6th century. Columba's original monastery remained the major site of his order of monks until they transferred to Kells in Ireland following various Viking raids on their original home. The famous Book of Kells is widely believed to have been begun at Iona Abbey or at least partially written by monks from Iona.

Modern day tourists and pilgrims can make the journey to Iona via a ferry from Fionnphort on the neighbouring island of Mull. The Iona Abbey that can be seen today underwent major restoration work in the early 20th century and as a result is no longer the desolate ruin that it had been for many years following the Reformation. Restrictions in place on bringing cars to the island mean that it retains a quiet, peaceful and tranquil atmosphere in keeping with its history and is a great location for walking and admiring the beautiful coastline and views back to Mull.

There are plenty of whisky distilleries in Scotland, but Iona is not noted for one of them. The mysterious monster is of course associated with Loch Ness and the coronation stone of the Scottish kings and queen came from Scone Abbey.

Answer: Glen Coe

Scottish glens are deep valleys with sloping hillsides that are generally found in the Highland region. Glen Coe is one of the most famous examples of these, thanks to both its strikingly beautiful scenery and the horrific events that occurred there in the late 17th century. The scenery is dominated by the eight 'Munro' mountains (ones that exceed 3,000 feet or around 900 metres in height) that tower over both sides of the glen, the woods and grasslands of its hillside slopes and the winding path of the river Coe that flows down its centre. Visitors to the area can experience great views of the area by climbing the mountains, hiking its eight-mile (12.5 km) length or simply driving down the A82 road, which runs right through the glen.

Several walking routes through Glen Coe also take visitors past the sites associated with the massacre that occurred in Glen Coe in the aftermath of the Jacobite rising caused by the deposition of King James VII of Scotland (and II of England) in favour of the Protestant pairing of William and Mary. The inhabitants of the area were members of Clan MacDonald whose leader had failed to sign his allegiance to the new monarchs in a timely enough manner. The government's punishment for this was to send a group of soldiers to Glen Coe to destroy property and kill everyone they found. The most shocking part of the story though stemmed from the fact that the soldiers stayed with the unsuspecting MacDonalds for nearly two weeks before turning on their hosts and killing around 30 men, women and children.

Glen Etive merges with Glen Coe at its eastern end. Glen Lyon is located further east, while Glen Trool is located in the Galloway area of southern Scotland.

Answer: Staffa

The sea cave known as Fingal's Cave can be found on the small uninhabited island of Staffa, a few miles off the coast of the larger island of Mull. Staffa is of volcanic origin and its geology consists of several layers of basalt, including one where the rock is formed into interlocking hexagonal columns. These distinctive rocks form the basis of the cave and are very similar to those that make up the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. The cave is noted for its acoustics - which inspired Felix Mendelssohn to write his concert overture 'The Hebrides' in 1833 - and gained its name from an 18th century epic poem by James Macpherson.

Aside from Mendelssohn, other famous tourists who are known to have visited Staffa include the naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, author Sir Walter Scott, painter J.M.W. Turner and Queen Victoria. Modern day tourists can take boat trips to Staffa and negotiate a short path over the hexagonal rocks to visit the cave (although sadly on my trip the route into the cave entrance had been closed due to a landslip). Alternatively it is also possible to climb steps up the cliff to wander around the island's 82 empty acres and contemplate the isolated beauty of the location.

Ulva is located next to Mull, while Coll and Tiree are larger islands located further to the west.

Answer: Atlantic puffins

The Treshnish Isles are a small chain of islands located around 5 miles (8 kilometres) off the west coast of the Isle of Mull. The area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for their diverse range of plants and wildlife as well as historically important remains such as the ruins of Cairnburgh Castle on the island of Cairn na Burgh More. Lunga itself is an important breeding site for a range of seabirds, but it is best known for the colony of puffins that nest in burrows set into the island's cliffs and grassland.

Once visitors to the island have negotiated the slightly tricky process of getting off the trip boat onto the uninhabited island's rocky beach, they can get up close and personal with these extremely cute characters. However, while it is certainly possible to get within touching distance of them, actually doing so would definitely not be a good idea!

Other birds that can be spotted on Lunga include fulmars, guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, shags and skuas, while on the boat trip there and back again you are also likely to see the seals that inhabit the wider archipelago and - if you are particularly lucky - the odd whale or dolphin!

Answer: The Colosseum of Rome

The town of Oban is known as the "Gateway to the Isles", but also contains plenty to do for those tourists who are not just passing through. The most obvious landmark - particularly for those arriving in the town by ferry - is McCaig's Tower (or McCaig's Folly), a copy of the Colosseum of Rome located on Battery Hill in what is now a residential area of the town. The tower was commissioned and designed by a local philanthropist named John Stuart McCaig, who intended it to house a museum and art gallery, but his death in 1902 meant that only the outer walls of the building were completed. The site has since been turned into a particularly grand public garden instead.

Aside from taking a ferry trip to the nearby islands of Kerrera, Lismore and Mull or those further afield such as Islay, Coll, Tiree, Barra and South Uist, visitors to Oban can also visit the remains of the area's old castles, check out the interesting range of local shops or tour the town's whisky distillery!

Answer: Bridge Over the Atlantic

The Clachan Bridge spans the Clachan Sound, a narrow inlet that separates the Isle of Seil from the mainland area of Argyll. While technically the water that flows through the Clachan Sound may be part of the Atlantic Ocean, calling the tall humpback stone bridge that straddles it a "Bridge Over the Atlantic" is a bit of an exaggeration! The bridge was constructed in the early 1790s and resulted in the Isle of Seil being the only Scottish island to be connected to the mainland via a bridge until the much larger and more famous Skye Bridge opened in 1995.

The Isle of Seil is one of the Slate Islands in the Firth of Lorn and once had a significant slate quarrying industry, so the bridge connecting the island to the mainland certainly cannot be described as a "Bridge to Nowhere". It is also not Scotland's oldest bridge - there are other bridges around the country with features dating back to at least the 14th century.

Answer: Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond covers a total area of around 71 square kilometres (27 square miles) and by that measure is the largest lake in Great Britain. Its southernmost point is near the town of Balloch in West Dunbartonshire in the lowlands of central Scotland, while its northernmost point is close to the village of Ardlui, 25 miles away in the Scottish Highlands. The Highland Boundary Fault marks the point where the mountainous terrain of the Scottish Highlands gives way to the flatter terrain of the Lowlands region.

The loch is a popular tourist destination and there are a range of opportunities to take boat trips around the loch and its various islands; take part in a range of water sport activities or simply drive or cycle along its length to see the striking changes in the surrounding terrain. Ben Lomond - the most southerly of Scotland's Munros - can also be seen (or climbed) from the loch's eastern shore.

Loch Ness, Loch Awe and Loch Maree are the second, third and fourth largest lochs in Scotland by area. Loch Ness is also the largest Scottish loch by volume - which might explain why no-one has yet managed to find proof of its resident monster!