Places thistleconvict Wants to Go

Twice a year, this Orkney town hosts a rowdy game of medieval mob football.

Every New Year's Day, locals don gaudy costumes and dive into the frigid Firth of Forth.

This brilliant display of whirling fireballs celebrates Hogmanay.

Originally intended as a temporary installation, this sculpture is now a permanent part of a stunning Scottish beach.

A cross marks the spot in a small Scottish village that claims to be the exact center of the country.

The farthest northwesterly point of the British mainland is one of the most remote places in the Scottish Highlands.

The ruins of a medieval seminary some say is the oldest university site in Scotland.

Thanks to both terrific preservation and historic vandalism this ancient site is known as the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney."

A hidden tunnel leads to a medieval queen's shrine buried beneath a parking lot.

Britain's only herd of free-ranging reindeer.

A pub that is literally in the middle of nowhere, but continues to do business.

The mysterious megaliths have enchanted and intrigued visitors for thousands of years.

The elaborate clockwork contraptions in this Scottish gallery create small worlds of whimsy and horror.

The highest peak in the United Kingdom has a history of physics, specters, and a pilgrimage of strange objects.

The true age of this ancient stone circle is unknown, but its stunning vista isn't in question.

The fountain marks the area where hundreds of accused witches were burned at the stake.

This astonishingly geometric cave has inspired everyone from Jules Verne to Pink Floyd.

One of the largest collections of traditional Māori artifacts in New Zealand.

An eerily charming collection of salvaged buildings and curios grown out of a family scrap business.

Three rooms of bones, curios, and one artist's collection of natural artifacts create this intriguing museum.

The most remote tree in the world is more than 170 miles from its nearest neighbor.

New Zealand's west coast is one of the best places in the world to view these large seabirds.

Anyone wanting to know what a dwarven mine sounds like need only visit the tunnels of this New Zealand artillery compound.

Nature's slip and slide.