There is certainly no shortage of intriguing tales of Scotland's myths and legends, and for centuries these stories have been told time and time again. We have picked some of our favourites, from the spooky to the strangely sweet to the extremely gruesome.
Find out about the terrifying tale of Sawney Bean and visit the cave he called home, go searching for the kind-hearted Wulver the werewolf, or see the magnificent Kelpie statue that's become an icon of central Scotland.
Scotland is full of stories, so why not come north of the border for a holiday? Stay at one of our self-catering holiday cottages all across the country and delve into Scottish folklore this season.
Scotland cottages
The Loch Ness Monster
A creature which probably doesn’t need much of an introduction, the Loch Ness Monster is one of the most famous Scottish myths of all. The first recorded sighting of the creature, which was compared to a dinosaur, was nearly 1,500 years ago when it was said that the beast jumped out of a lake and ate a farmer.
After that, the tales of the mysterious creature just kept coming from photos which claimed to show the monster, to sightings of people who were adamant they had set eyes on the beast for themselves.
Some consider Nessie to be a legend, some a mythical beast, but whether its existence is real or not, Nessie has made Loch Ness one of the most popular tourist attractions in the whole of Scotland.
Stay nearby: Lodge 3 | Sleeps: 4 guests plus 3 dogs
Loch Ness cottages
The Kelpies
The kelpie is one of the best-known Scottish mythical creatures, which was said to haunt Scotland’s rivers and lochs – its shape is similar to that of a pony which is where the name derives from and it appears in many Scottish myths and legends.
The Scottish Gaelic words ‘cailpeach’ or ‘colpach’ mean heifer or colt. To its victims the Kelpie appears as a grey pony with a dripping mane, it would entice people to ride on its back before slowly drowning them!
Today, Falkirk is home to magnificent Kelpie statues, this time celebrating the heavy horse industry rather than the water horse who took people’s lives!
Stirling cottages
Wulver the werewolf
No doubt you are expecting this to be a tale of a ferocious werewolf snatching lives from un-knowing explorers of the Shetland Isles.
This is actually the story of a friendly creature with a man’s body and a werewolf's head that's become a part of Scottish mythology. It is reported that Wulver was sweet-natured and would sit on a rock, known as ‘the Wulver’s Stane’ fishing, before leaving his catch on the windowsills of poor families.
That’s not to say his presence was always welcome. In some versions of the myth, Wulver is associated with old burial grounds and it was believed that Wulver suggested death, sitting mournfully outside homes of the ill.
Shetland Isles cottages
The ghosts of Glamis Castle
Glamis Castle is believed to be one of the most haunted castles in Scotland. The legend goes that this historic 14th century home in Angus is haunted by the spirit of Janet Douglas, a young girl who was burned alive in 1537, suspected of being a witch! Today it is said that her spirit wanders the grounds of Glamis Castle; she has been spotted in the clock tower and the chapel, but she’s not the only one.
The figure of a woman without a tongue has been seen staring from behind barred windows as well as in the grounds, revealing her face to visitors. A third character is Earl Beardie who likes to gamble!
You can hear the rattling of dice through the castle hallways as he plays against the devil for his soul. The game is said to take place in the castle’s legendary secret room, a place where enemies of the Crawford family were holed up and left to die. Visit the castle to hear more about this Scottish legend.
Forfar cottages
The legend of Sawney Bean
This isn’t one for the light-hearted, so we saved it until last!
Dating back to the 16th century, Sawney Bean committed, with his wife and 46 children and grandchildren, a 25-year reign of cold-blooded murder. Capturing, killing and eating thousands of tourists and local people before casting unwanted limbs into the sea. During these auspicious times, many innocent people were blamed and executed for the murders – most commonly it would be the keepers of inns where Sawney's victims were last seen.
It was simply by chance that the Sawney family were discovered by a man and his wife as they returned from a fayre, the man watched the female members of the family butcher his wife. For all those years, the well-hidden sea cave had kept their existence unknown. After this, King James IV took charge of the hunt equipped with bloodhounds and 400 men. If it hadn’t been for the dogs sniffing out the strong stench of flesh, they may not have found the sea cave.
The family didn’t try and escape and they were taken to Edinburgh in chains, incarcerated and in Leith, they endured a long and torturous execution. Feel like you’ve just watched a horror movie? Go looking for the sea caves yourself on the Ayrshire and Galloway coast and see if you can find the cave that the Sawney family called home!
Ayrshire cottages
Visit the home of these myths and legends
Plan a trip to find the birthplace of one of these Scottish myths to find out more. We have a wonderful collection of cottages for you to browse through - choose from large farmhouses for extended family groups, restored crofts, cosy fishermen's cottages, chic city apartments and so much more.
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