A few years ago everyone wanted to travel overseas as much as possible but now our major airports are so crowded, a lot of people are changing their minds. Why spend endless hours fighting through the masses and waiting on the tarmac, when Britain itself has so much to offer. Combine this with concerns for global warming and some pretty nice summers and it now makes increasing sense to stay home.

However you need to do something exciting for your annual summer holiday and so why not rent a Scottish castle and get away from it all. This is becoming increasingly popular with English families, keen to experience something different within a few hours drive from home. There are now some very luxurious properties available and these can be taken by the week, complete with a full team of staff and thousands of acres.

There is a majesty to rural Scotland that has long disappeared in the south of England. Primarily it's the space available but also guests comment on the gentle nature of the people, the quietness and of course the beauty. Base your self at a lovely ancestral home, complete with spiral staircases, turrets and lots of wood panelling and settle in for a week of sightseeing, golf, long walks and a spot of fishing. There are of course many other fun activities including falconry, quad biking, gorge walking, clay pigeon shooting and horse back rding.

The houses & castles on offer now have en-suite bathrooms, satellite TV, broadband Internet, modern kitchens and all other modern day comforts. They are no longer cold and draughty and guests can now relax in huge comfort. However if they want to rough it, then the great outdoors beckons and Scotland has some incredible wilderness areas, where guests can roam for hours without barely meeting a soul. It is this mix of rural and urban that makes the country so attractive and such a great destination.

After the last war many of the wonderful old homes had been so damaged by the troops, schools and hospitals billeted in them, that they were quickly pulled down. Indeed so much so, that during the 60's, they were destroying a large house in Scotland at a rate of one a week. Those that survived (and their owners) faced a grim future as successive governments maintained a very high rate of taxation, essential materials were extremely hard to get and wage costs spiralled.

However amazingly many homes did survive and a huge number have been massively restored over the last decade or so. It is testament to the determination of the families that own these homes that this has been possible and where some gave up fortunately a lot of new owners have emerged to continue the struggle. With agriculture, fishing and forestry in decline, it is a huge commitment for even wealthy owners to maintain these huge properties but it gives great pleasure to their families and now in many cases to paying guests.

To add to the estates revenues, many homes can now be taken fully staffed and guests get to experience Castle life. Sitting in these homes, soaking in the history and learning about how they have survived is fun in itself but combine this with a whole mass of activities and you have yourself the ingredients of a wonderful vacation. Most of the properties are very flexible about arrival & departure times and guests can very much control their own timings. So give the airports a rest and experience something a little closer to home!

About Author :

Andrew Loyd is a director of Loyd & Townsend-Rose Ltd, who specialize in Scottish castles for hire - ideal for luxury vacations, family reunions, corporate events, or as venues for filming and sporting activities.