Scotland comes out as the top golf tourist destination, through having no less than 17 of the Top 100 Courses Outside The USA, according to this month's Golf Digest.

And of the 17, five are all in the St Andrews area - what better excuse to put Fife on your Scotland tour route ?

Scotland's world-class mountain biking centre at Glentress never looked so stunning as it did on Saturday. The fine Easter sunshine showed off the forest trails at their best as my son & I tackled the 15km Blue course, one of four signposted routes at Glentress, near Peebles. Long climbs and thrilling descents through the pine trees, and all for nothing more than a few pounds for the car park.

Like ski runs, the routes are pitched at all levels of riders, from Green (5km and near flat) to Black (30km of hair-raising up and down). With the wonderful Hub cafe, MTB shop and showers on site, and bike hire available (limited - phone ahead), this really is a fantastic day out.

The new Scottish Prestige Golf Club has been announced by First Minister Alex Salmond during a visit to China, in a move to attract China's 1 million players to Scotland's premier golf courses.

A tour from GetAroundScotland can build in as many rounds of golf as you want (or as your wife will allow). Just ask about it on the enquiry form !!

Scotland's National Museum Of Flight outside Edinburgh has opened two new visitor attractions this week.

"Fantastic Flight" explores the science and the technology of how planes fly and challenges visitors to use simulators and models to test their skills.

"Fortunes Of War" recalls the Museum site's days as a military airfield, with displays of uniforms and equipment, film footage and a chance to pilot an airship on search patrol.

Add these to the permanent displays of civil and military aircraft, including the Concorde G-BOAA, and you have a perfect day out for any plane enthusiast.

The last single track section of the famous A830 Road To The Isles has been upgraded to two lanes, offering safer driving and fewer delays on the journey from Fort William to Mallaig. The road is one of Scotland's classic scenic drives, as well as a popular route for visitors travelling to Skye.

Scotland hosts golf's biggest tournament at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast, back at this course after 15 years. The world's greats will play for the Claret Jug at the Ailsa Course over 4 days on July 16-19. Remarkably, of the current top 50, only 7 have ever played Turnberry competitively.
See www.opengolf.com

The recent swings in exchange rates now make holidays in Scotland even more attractive.

The US Dollar has strengthened 40% against the Pound, buying 70p now instead of only a fraction over 50p a year ago, whilst 1 Euro is now very close to 1 Pound, making a visit to Scotland much more affordable for visitors from the Eurozone.

Even for UK based visitors, the days of budget flights and cheap shopping abroad have gone, making the stay at home option a better deal for your finances.

So wherever you come from, a holiday in Scotland offers more value for money than ever before.

Norfolk Lines have announced they will begin a direct ferry service between Zeebrugge in Belgium and Rosyth (near Edinburgh) in May. The overnight ferry will depart Zeebrugge on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week, with return sailings from Rosyth on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Readers of Wanderlust travel magazine have voted Scotland's West Highland Line their favourite train journey in the world.

The line, which runs for 164 miles from Glasgow to Mallaig, travels along the side of Loch Lomond, across Rannoch Moor stopping at Corrour, a station otherwise accessible only on foot or mountain bike, past Ben Nevis to Fort WIlliam, then west over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous in the Harry Potter films, to the Sands of Morar and Mallaig.

In the summer months, take a day of your Scotland holiday to travel the Fort William-Mallaig on the Jacobite steam train.

Base your tour of Scotland around Homecoming Scotland.

This year is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland's national poet Robert Burns, and Homecoming Scotland 2009 aims to motivate people of Scottish descent and those who love Scotland to do just that - come home.

From Burns Night (Jan 25th) to St Andrew's Day (Nov 30th) a country-wide programme of exciting and inspirational events and activites will celebrate the rich culture and heritage of the ancestral home of millions of people worldwide, alongside some of Scotland's great contributions to the world: Burns, Whisky, Golf and its Great Minds & Innovations.

To see the full programme, go to www.homecomingscotland2009.com

Now redesigned for 2009, Get Around Scotland aims to provide useful, unbiased suggestions and information - whilst still leaving the choices for your holiday up to you, the traveller. We don't offer any kind of booking arrangements, partly because that's not what we're about, but also because we believe that part of the holiday tour experience is having that flexibility to alter your plans as you want to. If you enjoy a place, stay longer - if it's not to your taste, move on.

It's likely that most visitors will choose to drive around Scotland, but there are plenty of options to travel by train or bus, as well as a great cycle network. We can offer tour routes for all these holidays - just put all the details on the form. Tell us what sort of holiday you're looking for and we'll plan accordingly, whether that be cramming as much as possible into one week, a long distance cycle, or taking a more relaxed trip around the quieter backroads. Wherever possible the suggestions we make are derived from personal experience, though we do also draw on other trusted sources. Nobody pays us for recommendations.