The 51 Best Places to see Scotland’s Geology will help you find out more about Scotland’s geological heritage, and guide you to the best places to see different elements of the story laid out in our country’s beautiful landscapes. Scotland’s geological story is unique; our rocks chart the journey our country has taken from one side of the globe to the other. Scotland has some of the oldest, and at times most unusual, rock formations in the world.

Geologists have come from far and wide over centuries to study our ancient volcanic systems, unique fossil finds, and diverse rock sequences, while some of the best examples of glaciated landscapes and active geomorphology in Europe are also found here.

The Scottish Geodiversity Forum’s 51 Best Places to see Scotland’s Geology project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, as part of Scotland’s year of History Heritage and Archaeology 2017. Why 51 best places? We were aiming for a list of 50 places but our panel of experts just couldn’t quite agree. So we have 51 sites for now: but even then everyone has favourites that aren’t included here.

Download the 51 Best Places leaflet and map (pdf file).

Browse the sites below or check out our 51 Best Places Google Map.