DK Travel : Scotland

Scotland has an overwhelming abundance of natural beauty, hundreds of castles stand proud from its long and turbulent past, and an innate flair for enterprise and travel has endowed the nation with artistic treasures from around the world. The culture remains vibrant today, and there’s much to celebrate. Here’s a distillation of Scotland’s best.

Dallas Dhu Distillery

When this working distillery closed it was preserved as a time capsule of whisky-making from 1898 to 1980. Beautifully done, and with a traditional free dram!
David Bann

Simply the best vegetarian food in the city. This is no hippy hangout, it's modern, stylish and has a great wine list. I've taken meat eaters there too, and never had any complaints - what more can I say?
Dawyck Botanic Garden

An exciting outpost of the Edinburgh Botanic, where trees are the speciality. They began planting them here 300 years ago and have never stopped. The diversity is enormous and many specimens now rank as the finest examples of their kind. Ideal for great woodland walks in a particularly lovely part of the Borders.
Deacon Brodie’s

Not especially remarkable by Edinburgh’s high standards, but if you’re on the Royal Mile (and you will be), it’s a pleasant stop-off for a pint. Another ornate ceiling to peruse, too.
Dean Gallery

Opened in 1999, opposite the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the gallery houses an art library and collection of works by Paolozzi. It also hosts temporary exhibitions.
Deep Sea World

Simply the best aquarium to be found. Dazzling shoals and lots of dangerous water inhabitants. A conveyor-belt tour takes you effortlessly through this beautifully presented environment. A mesmeric experience (see Deep Sea World) .
Deep Sea World

Innovative presentation has made this aquarium a phenomenal success. Not only does it seem to have every imaginable species of dangerous, beautiful and ugly fish, but it also houses them in a network of glass tunnels, so that great shoals of glittering fish surround you. The more adventurous can even swim with sharks!
Discovery Point

The full chill and hazards of Antarctic exploration grip you in this superb hi-tech exhibition. Focusing on the heroic and tragic expeditions of Shackleton and Scott, this display uses original film footage as well as stunning modern images and interactive computer screens. The highlight is a tour of the Dundee-built boat RSS Discovery, the one that carried Scott and his companions on their ill-fated expedition. (While in Dundee check out the Contemporary Arts Centre on Nethergate for great exhibitions and its fine bistro-café.)
Dolly the Cloned Sheep: Roslin Institute (1997)

Cloning – producing an identical organism from a single cell of one “parent” – has been used to manipulate plant life for centuries. In 1997, scientists at Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute produced the first successfully cloned mammal, Dolly, propagated from a single udder cell of a sheep.
Dome Bar

A Corinthian-columned whale of a building, entered through a flight of steps flanked by nocturnal doormen. Ballooning chandeliers, palm plants and a choice of bars: the vast and theatrical circle bar or the plush and cushioned side bar, with its evocation of the 1930s.