Summer is here and the holidays are stretching out. Now is the chance to get your batteries re-charged and in Scotland there are so many places which are perfect for relaxation, with just a little exhilaration.

In the centre of the country GLEN LYON is quite simply one of the prettiest valleys in the world. Carpeted lower down with rich pasture and meandering rivers, huge mountains soar above. If there is one to climb it is Meall Buidhe - yes, it is a bit of a trudge but the view across Rannoch Moor to Glencoe and Ben Nevis is about as jaw dropping as you can get. History plays its part as well and a top place to stop is Fortingall, home to a yew tree which is said to be the oldest living thing in Europe, dating back between three and nine thousands of years, depending on who you talk to.

The small village is also a good place to base yourself with a charming, upmarket hotel right next to the tree.

If the peace and tranquillity of Perthshire is a little too slow why not try a city break? GLASGOW has all you could wish for from a big European city, music, theatre, top class restaurants and fantastic museums. Central to the metropolitan vibe is a gearing up for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and one sports-themed tour to keep the children (and some adults) happy is around the national stadium, Hampden Park. For more tranquillity try Pollok Country Park which is home to the Burrell Collection, housing more than 9,000 works of art donated to the city by Sir William Burrell and his wife, Constance, Lady Burrell in 1944.

Beyond Dundee is a far more bucolic area. The ANGUS GLENS lead you up to dramatic scenery with Glen Clova perhaps the best known. The Glen Clova Hotel, below Loch Brandy, is surely one of the great hostelries and places to stay in the Scottish countryside. Further on is Corrie Fee, at the top of Glen Doll, an amphitheatre of cliffs providing a stunning place to take a picnic. Before you get to the glens themselves it is probable you will pass Kirriemuir, the birthplace of Peter Pan author JM Barrie - the house where he grew up is looked after by the National Trust for Scotland and is well worth a visit, especially as an original manuscript never before exhibited to the public has just been put on show.

As it is summer beaches are very much on the agenda and MORAR is a superb place to head. The Silver Sands are rightly famous for their picture postcard beauty but a little further is the rather quieter Camusdarach. This place is awe-inspiring and it can easily be seen why it was the beach setting of iconic film Local Hero. Just inland, the Morar Hotel is another brilliant place to stay. It overlooks the Silver Sands and is named after the nearby Loch Morar, the deepest (just over 1,000ft) stretch of freshwater in Britain. Watch out though as it is said to hold a monster to rival Loch Ness, only this one has the slightly un-scary name of Morag.

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