Scotland is a country that keeps its stories close. Castles where queens were crowned and plots were hatched. Glens full of fairy folk, water spirits and the ghosts of the thousands of women once tried as witches. It's moody, mythic and very, very green. It's also one of the most LGBTQ+ welcoming countries in the world, with marriage equality, strong legal protections and queer communities that have shaped its cities for decades.

This trip is for the queers who read the plaque, then go looking for the story behind it. We start in Edinburgh, then follow the old roads north into the Highlands. Walk the halls of Stirling Castle, where Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned as an infant. Step inside the 4,000-year-old circle at Clava Cairns. Wander the Fairy Glen and the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye, where locals still leave room for the fair folk. And yes, there will be Highland cows.

Then we finish the way every queer trip should. We roll into Glasgow for Pride weekend. Explore the city's queer history with a local guide, then join thousands of people marching through the streets for Glasgow's Pride.

You'll travel in a private coach with a local driver who knows the back roads, the legends and the best place to stop for a cuppa. Your EveryQueer host is with you the whole way. Small group. Old magic. Your people.

Arrive in Scotland's capital and check in to our hotel in the heart of the city. Spend the afternoon wandering the Royal Mile, climbing Calton Hill or getting lost in the closes of the Old Town. Tonight we meet the group over a welcome dinner. This is where strangers start becoming travel friends.

Today we hit the road. The first stop is the Kelpies, two 100-foot steel horse heads named for the shape-shifting water spirits of Scottish folklore. Then we climb to Stirling Castle, perched on a volcanic crag and once the favorite home of the Stewart kings and queens. After lunch we cross the Highland line and head north. We stop at Queen's View above Loch Tummel. Queen Victoria thought it was named after her. It was actually named after Isabella, the first wife of Robert the Bruce, more than 500 years earlier. Tonight we settle into the Highland town of Pitlochry.

This morning we head into Cairngorms National Park. A herder leads us on a walk into the hills to meet Britain's only free-ranging reindeer herd, about 150 animals strong. These gentle, curious creatures will eat right out of your hand. Lunch is in Aviemore, a mountain town ringed by forests and lochs. On the way to Inverness we stop at Clava Cairns, a circle of standing stones and burial cairns built around 4,000 years ago. Walk among the stones and see what you feel. Outlander fans, you know.

Today starts with the moment you've been waiting for. At Farm Ness, each of us gets a bucket of treats to hand-feed the Highland cows. Learn their names and stories, and take all the close-up photos you want. Then we explore Urquhart Castle, a ruin with more than 1,000 years of history on the shores of Loch Ness. Keep your eyes peeled for Nessie. Lunch is in Fort Augustus at the southern tip of the loch. This afternoon we stop at Eilean Donan, a castle on its own island where three sea lochs meet. You've seen it on a thousand shortbread tins. Today you get to walk across the bridge. Then we cross over the sea to Skye.

Lace up your boots. This morning we hike to the Old Man of Storr, a 180-foot basalt pinnacle on the Trotternish Ridge, with views across the Sound of Raasay. Then we follow the coast to Kilt Rock, where Mealt Falls drops straight into the sea. Stop at the Quiraing, a landscape of cliffs and rock towers with names like the Prison and the Needle. After lunch in Uig, we explore the Fairy Glen, a miniature world of grassy cones and winding paths that locals say belongs to the fair folk. We end the day at Talisker, Skye's oldest working distillery, for a one-hour tour and three single malt tastings.

This morning we walk to the Fairy Pools, crystal-blue water tumbling down the slopes of the Black Cuillin mountains. Swimsuits optional. Bravery required. Then we ferry from Armadale to Mallaig, a working fishing port at the end of the Road to the Isles, for lunch. Next is Loch Eilt, which stood in for Hogwarts' Black Lake. We time our stop at Glenfinnan to watch the steam train cross the viaduct. Its 21 arches were built in the 1890s, and yes, it's the one from the movies.

We head into Glencoe early. Stop for the Three Sisters, the dramatic ridges that define the glen, then cross Rannoch Moor, one of Europe's last remaining wildernesses. Lunch is in Luss, a postcard-pretty village of old slate workers' cottages on the shore of Loch Lomond. We arrive in Glasgow early afternoon and head straight out on a private walking tour of the city's LGBTQ+ past, present and future. Hear about Scottish drag queens and lesbian witches. Learn the story of the Lesbian Line and Scotland's first openly queer poet laureate. Visit the corners of the city where institutions like the Waterloo and Polo have kept the community dancing for decades.

Today belongs to Pride. Join thousands of people marching through the city center, then spend the day at the festival with music, performers, food and a whole lot of rainbows. Tonight we gather for our farewell dinner and toast everything we've seen together. After dinner, the city's queer bars keep the party going for anyone with energy left.

After breakfast, head to Glasgow Airport with full hearts, a camera roll full of cows and beautiful queer memories.