Scotland is gearing up for a year to remember. Homecoming 2009 (www.homecomingscotland2009.com) is a series of events and celebrations designed to encourage people to visit, kicking off next Saturday with a weekend of parties to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of poet Robert Burns. Suppers will take place throughout the country, and Dumfries - where Burns once lived - will host a spectacular festival with villagers taking part in a torchlit procession that will end with a traditional ceilidh and dramatic firework display.

The annual Speyside Whisky Festival from 1-10 May will be the biggest ever, with open days at distilleries, walks and suppers, with a similar event taking place on Barra from 18-20 September.

The other highlight will be The Gathering (www.clangathering.org) on 25 and 26 July, when members of 140 clans will join up for the largest ever Highland Games at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh. See www.visitscotland.com.