Winding along single-track roads through hollows and glens of green, lakes and seacoast inlets of blue, wildflower fields of yellow gorse and purple lupine, we were seeking castles and whisky and found even more.

Scotland has hundreds of castles — some in ruins, some still family homes, some operating as hotels — and their histories offer fascinating glimpses into the 8,000-year-old stories that inspire Scottish people today.

And the national drink — Scotch whisky — is as beloved as the land's iconic heroes. There are about 150 distilleries in Scotland, most of which are open for tastings that offer a sip of this landscape like no other.

Along our way, we discovered picturesque villages, some exquisite meals that were invariably based on truly local ingredients, and invariably welcoming, proud and lively people with wicked senses of humor who wanted to share with us their beloved land.

All these experiences made for a splendid journey when five friends booked an eight-day tour of three islands off the west coast of Scotland complete with van and driver. Karen Marr, our intrepid driver and guide from Rabbie's Tours in Glasgow, took our worry out of driving on the other side of the road while regaling us with Scottish history, nature and social lessons that we would have missed if we'd rented a car.

We flew into Glasgow where Karen picked us up and whisked us to the first of several ferries. We were off to the Island of Arran, the southernmost of some 600 islands off the west coast of Scotland.

Known as "Scotland in Miniature" because of its classic scenery of mountains, glens, lochs (lakes) and castles, Arran proved a lovely introduction to Scotland's bounty.

We stayed at the Auchrannie Resort Hotel and Spa, whose original spaces were built in 1869. Dinner in the Auchrannie's award-winning eighteen69 restaurant had us swooning over twice-baked souffles of island garlic crowdie, a local cheese, rack of Arran lamb with creamed layered potatoes, fillet of local sea bream whitefish with garden chive creme fraiche and baby artichokes, island strawberries and clotted cream.

The Isle of Arran Distillery, the only legal one on this island, opened in 1997. "Whisky was made on this island for centuries, and was always known for its quality because of the soft, sweetwater here," Joan Mackenzie told us.

We learned that Scotch whisky is made only from water, barley and yeast. If it's a single-malt, it's made in only one distillery. If it's peated or peaty, peat, a natural fuel from the land, which is essentially decomposed materials, is used during the malting process when the barley is cooked. The size and shape of the copper stills make a difference in a whisky's taste, and the kind of wooden barrels that hold it for 10, 12, 15, or 20 years affect it as well.

Isle of Arran whisky is unpeated, so it's milder and more elegant.

On the island of Islay (pronounced Eye-luh), we landed in the lovely seaside village of Bowmore, where we stayed in the Bowmore Cottages that are part of the historic Bowmore Distillery complex.

We visited three distilleries on Islay, which is generally known for the strongest single-malt Scotch whiskys. At Lagavulin, we learned that Scotch whisky is usually distilled only twice, compared to three times for Irish whiskey (Irish whiskey has the "e"), making Scotch whisky stronger.

Lagavulin is heavily peated — claiming 35 ppm, or 35 parts peat per million, a standard measure for peatiness — which makes a powerful, robust Scotch for the well-developed palate.

At Bruichladdich Distillery, which had been shuttered for 10 years until a group of wine experts bought it and restored it in 2000, we tasted several versions of lightly, medium- and heavily peated whisky. Owner Mark Reynier, a third generation wine merchant from England, calls his renewed distillery's lightly peated single malt "the Chateau Lafitte of whisky."

Back at Bowmore, one of only a handful of Scotland's distilleries to have been awarded 5 stars in The Spirit Journal's Malt Distillery of Scotland classification, Ginger MacNeill, whose family has lived in Bowmore for 340 years, said its whisky is "not too peaty — it's middle of the road at 18 ppm."

At the ruins of the Church of Kildalton on Islay, we marveled at one of the finest Celtic crosses carved out of a single slab of local gray-green amphibolite, like bluestone, that dates to the 9th century.

We dined well on local products at the award-winning Harbour Inn right across the street from our Bowmore Cottage.

Finally we landed on Mull, the third largest island in Scotland, where we saw some of the most spectacular scenery, toured some of the most impressive castles and enjoyed some of our favorite meals.

Duart Castle was magical, standing high on a cliff on the Sound of Mull to command five seaway entries to the west coast of Scotland. Since A.D.1174, it has been the base of the Maclean Clan, who still lives there today. Restored in 1911, many of its rooms, sharing family photographs as well as historic furnishings and artifacts, are open for touring as you climb the ancient staircases to find the 180-degree views from the battlements.

Our favorite meal was lunch at The Bellachroy, the oldest inn on Mull, in Dervaig, one of the prettiest villages on the island.

Here we shared a seafood platter, an Argyll smoked platter, a Highland meat platter and a vegetarian platter, each artfully arranged and bursting with local lobster, langoustine, crab claws, oysters and mussels; Argyll's smoked venison, pork, halibut, and salmon and duck breast; rare beef, roast venison, seared duck breast and Scotland's favorite MacSween's Haggis and Stornoway Black Pudding; Spanish omelet of potatoes and eggs with wild mushroom tartlet, mozzarella/tomato/basil, five-bean salad, corn on the cob, hummus and tzatziki dips with crudites. We were speechless.

The village of Tobermory, surely one of the most photogenic villages in all of Scotland because of its brightly painted waterfront buildings, is also home to the only whisky distillery on Mull. The Tobermory Distillery dates to 1823.

On the mainland's west coast again, we headed north from Oban to the charming town of Inveraray to see the historic home of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, also called Inveraray Castle. The senior branch of the Campbell Clan built this imposing castle from 1745-1785, which displays famous collections of armor, tapestries, Scottish furniture and other works of art.

We had one more fantastic meal nearby at the very popular Loch Fyne Oysters restaurant in Cairndow, Argyll. For 30 years, Loch Fyne, a member of the Slow Food movement, has dedicated itself to "respect for animals, people and ecology." We had the most delectable fish and chips ever — made from local haddock — as well as smoked salmon, lobster and oysters, the latter grown on the shore at the head of Loch Fyne where tidal waters mix with freshwater to create sweet, succulent oysters.

Our final distillery visit was the most fun. At the award-winning Glengoyne Distillery near Killearn, we created our own whisky blends, which we bottled with our own labels to take home.

The memories of Scotland we took home will last a lot longer.

IF YOU G0

GETTING THERE: Glasgow International Airport is served by several major airlines. We flew from Newark, N.J., via Continental.

FERRY INFORMATION: The same company operates all ferries. For schedules and fares, check www.calmac.co.uk.

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, ATTRACTIONS: Check www.visitscotland.com for listings of everything you need to plan a trip. Two more general websites: www.ScotlandWhisky.com and www.castles.org/Chatelaine/list.htm.

VAN/DRIVER TOURS: www.rabbies.com offers several touring options.

PLACES MENTIONED: Hotels mentioned: www.auchrannie.co.uk; www.bowmore.co.uk/BowmoreCottages; www.harbour-inn.com;

RESTAURANTS MENTIONED: www.lochfyne.com; www.thebellachroy.co.uk

CASTLES: www.duartcastle.com; www.inveraray-argyll.com.

Priscilla Lister is a freelance travel writer. To find out more about Priscilla Lister and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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