Nessie hunting, Speyside whisky, and North Coast500 named in Ultimate UK Travelguide

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has come top of a list of 500 must-do experiences in the UK compiled by travel guide Lonely Planet.

The festival was voted into first place by seasoned travellers asked to rank their most memorable experiences, beating the British Museum and Giant's Causeway.

Lonely Planet's Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist also features Glencoe and Arthur's Seat in the top 20, with 67 Scottish entries in total.

Attractions across Highland and Moray include spending a night on ice in the Cairngorms National Park, the North Coast 500, raising a world-beating dram in Speyside, and searching for monsters at Loch Ness.

The guide says of the Fringe: 'Nowhere beats it for spectacle or scale ... there is theatre, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, opera, music and spoken word, and whatever the time of day, an acrobat, trapeze artist, contortionist or tried-and-tested bagpiping busker will be pleased to entertain you.''

The list was created by compiling every highlight from the Lonely Planet guidebooks to Great Britain and Northern Ireland and asking writers to rank their top experiences.

Tom Hall, from the travel guide, said: 'Lonely Planet's Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist brings together the UK's most compelling sights and experiences, ranging from world-class museums and giant cathedrals to rollicking festivals, inky lochs and tiny pubs.

'We're thrilled to name the world's largest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the UK's top experience - it's one of the most exciting and diverse destinations on the planet.'

Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said the accolade was 'a true testament to the creativity, energy and imagination that Fringe artists and audiences bring to Edinburgh each year'.