The Road to Belladrum

1. Falls of Foyers
Foyers, Inverness-shire

The road along the south east side of Loch Ness winds up over the plateau of the Monadhliath Mountains, and is spectacular in its own right. Take a turn towards Foyers, and stop at the top of a (clearly-signed) short walk to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the country. Burns even wrote a poym about the place.

2. Findhorn Ecovillage
near Forres, Morayshire
In summer the visitor centre is open 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 1pm-4pm Sat-Sun.

Formed in 1972, this spiritual community is a great example of the hippie ideal working long-term. A good festival will always inspire feelings of common love (and this one has 'Heart' in the name); why not investigate the sustainability of this with a tour of The Park, or over a slice of 'heaven on earth' gooseberry cake?

3. Pottery Bunkhouse
Laggan Bridge, Inverness-shire

This hostel is part of a quaint wee cluster including a café, pottery shop and hostel. In summer it's guaranteed to have some other young folks hanging around; it's ideally placed for the whole of the Highlands and the Belladrum drive in particular; and they've an outdoor hot-tub with quality views.

If extended travel sounds like a hoot but you're stuck for wheels or pals with wheels, have a look at Liftshare.org - their Belladrum page will get you on the right track, and a roadtrip with fun new folk could be a brilliant frame to the whole shindig.