Escorted Tours
Today, we escape the City of Edinburgh and head straight for the Highlands. Your first stop of the day is in the Trossachs National Park. Here, you can admire Scotland's scenic beauty and enjoy local delicacies. Your driver-guide may regale you with tales from Scottish folklore as you travel through the mountainous landscapes of the Western Highlands to Oban. This port town was once the strategic heartland of great feuding clans. However today, Oban is famous for seafood sourced fresh off the boats. It also boasts its distillery where you can sample Whisky that has been perfected for 200 years. There will be some free time for you to enjoy a dram and indulge in some delicious local seafood for lunch. We then venture through the Kilmartin Glen where you see standing stones and strongholds that are over 1,500 years old. At Kennacraig, we catch the evening Ferry to Islay. The sailing time is around two hours and if you peek out to the ocean, you may see the Paps of Jura. These mountains mark the way to Islay, Queen of the Hebrides. Once you've arrived on the island, settle into your accommodation in Bowmore.
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We know Whisky tasting can be hard work, so you begin the day with a little sleep in. After you've had an ample amount of breakfast, enjoy a tour of Bowmore, the oldest licensed distillery on the island. Your driver-guide will take you to the Ardnahoe Distillery for a tour and where you can also enjoy lunch on your own. This modern distillery is the passion project of the Laings, a family who have loved Whisky for generations. Today, you can admire their vision, craftsmanship and unique spirit. After trying the local larder, we continue our travel through the beautiful countryside to the third distillery of the day. On Thursday and Saturday, visit Bruichladdich, the progressive distillery specialising in unpeated Whisky. On Tuesday, we taste the unpeated and salty notes of Bunnahabhain in the most remote Distillery on Islay. We then travel back to Bowmore where you can either stumble back to your room for the night to relax or you can explore the village. Meals: Breakfast
Today, explore the southern side of the island, home to a few of the most famous Whiskies in all of Scotland such as Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg. After breakfast, your first visit of the day is Ardbeg, where we enjoy a tour, tasting and lunch (at own expense). The restaurant here is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy fine Scottish produce as you sip upon delightful dram's. Your next visit today is Laphroaig. This 200 year old Whisky Distiller is a favourite with the British Royal Family and bears the seal of the Prince of Wales to prove it. Throughout the day, your driver-guide takes you to historical spots such as the ruins of Kildalton Church and Dunyvaig Castle. You can also stop at Lagavulin for some intensive flavoured, rich and smoky Whisky. You return to Bowmore for your overnight stay. Meals: Breakfast
This morning, we board the ferry back to the mainland and replace the intoxicating fumes of Whisky with the replenishing fresh air of Scotland's West Highlands. We will travel through coastal scenery to the beautiful village of Inveraray on the Banks of Loch Fyne. Here you join a new bus for the continuation of your tour to Oban. Your guides will help you transfer your luggage and introduce you to your new travelling companions. Once you arrive in Oban, you'll have a free evening to enjoy this bustling Highland town. You can absorb the atmosphere and visit the local pubs or if you prefer to explore the area, hike uphill and admire the views from the most photographed structure in the west, McCaig's Tower. Built in 1897 on instructions by a local banker, it resembles the Colosseum in Rome and provides magnificent vistas over the distant Firth of Lorne. You will stay in this glorious Highland town for two nights. Meals: Breakfast
Today, you have an early start, beginning the day by crossing on the ferry to Mull for a chance to explore dramatic coastlines and wild beauty. You take the small ferry to Iona, the birthplace of Celtic Christianity and the Ancient Burial Ground of Scottish Kings. Here you can visit the historic Abbey with its intricate carved crosses in the Churchyard or explore rocky headlands and sandy coves. There is an opportunity to take a small boat for an optional trip to the Island of Staffa and view the dramatic basalt columns immortalised by Mendelssohn in his Hebridean's Overture 'Fingal's Cave'. We then return on the Ferry to Oban for our overnight stay. Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast this morning, we ramble north along the west coast around Appin, passing the impregnable Castle Stalker. Next, we travel to the gorgeous Glencoe, one of the most famous natural landmarks in all of Scotland. This beautiful area boasts steep slopes and photogenic peaks. Your driver-guide may reveal to you the tragic tale that's haunted this valley for over 300 years. We then continue through Fort William and under the shadow of Ben Nevis, which at 1,344 metres is the highest Mountain in the British Isles. We continue through the Great Glen, a natural fault in the earth's crust that runs through Scotland before continuing north to the picturesque fishing village of Plockton. Upon arrival, you will be dropped of at the hotel for check-in and your overnight stay. Meals: Breakfast
Today, is a very flexible day on the Isle of Skye. There are many possibilities depending on the weather and your driver-guide will use their local knowledge to decide on the best day out for the group. You may ascend the Quiraing along Trotternish Ridge and be rewarded with spectacular views. Alternatively, you could drink in the scenery at Loch Coruisk or drive through the dramatic Red Cuillin to the little hamlet of Elgol. We return you to your accommodation in Plockton in the late afternoon for a free evening to explore the village. Meals: Breakfast
This morning, you will be collected from the hotel for a short drive to the famous stronghold of Eilean Donan Castle. Then, we travel east taking in the stunning views over Loch Duich and the Five Sisters of Kintail before continuing on to Loch Ness for lunch and the possibility of spotting 'Nessie'. Half an hour south of Loch Ness we stop in the village of Spean Bridge and join a new bus for the continuation of your tour to Orkney. Your guides will help you transfer your luggage and introduce you to your new travelling companions. With your new crew, you continue north following the Great Glen travelling the entire 23 miles of the famous Loch. Upon arrival in Inverness, check-in at the hotel. The evening is free for you to explore the 'Capital of the Highlands'. Meals: Breakfast
Today will be an early start, leaving behind the 'Capital of the Highlands', crossing over the Black Isle and continuing past Dunrobin Castle. We then continue driving along the northeast Highland Coastline, travelling into some of Scotland's most dramatic scenery. Onwards through Scotland's most northerly mainland village, John o'Groats, and then to Gills Bay where you board the ferry and cross the Pentland Firth into the Orkney Archipelago. It's a short drive to the famous Italian Chapel where we will stop for a visit before continuing to the Viking stronghold of Kirkwall, the Capital of Orkney. Here you can visit Kirkwall's magnificent Viking Cathedral and enjoy its historic winding streets in the evening. Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast this morning, we have the chance to explore this Archipelago's fertile green pastures, fringed by shores of golden sands and washed by waters of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Visit the 5,000 year old village of Skara Brae, the mystical prehistoric stone circle at Brodgar and the Druidic standing stones of Stenness. Enjoy a stop in Stromness before travelling onto Maeshowe, where in the 12th Century the Vikings left one of the largest collections of Norse runic inscriptions. Then, it's back to Kirkwall for your second night, after what is sure to have been a memorable day. Meals: Breakfast
After a relaxed start, we depart Orkney and sail the Viking waters back to the mainland. We continue to travel the Old Road right across the very top of Scotland, driving past the stunning Ben Loyal and Ben Hope Mountains, following the rocky cliffs and stunning golden sand beaches. We visit the far northwest Highlands and the Wilderness of the Mountains of Assynt before stopping to view the 15th Century ruins of Ardvreck Castle before continuing on to Ullapool, which is situated at the mouth of Loch Broom, a beautiful whitewashed fishing village where you spend your last night's stay on tour. Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, we leave Ullapool behind to take in the drama of the River Droma as it plunges 60 metres down into Corrieshalloch Gorge. We admire the beautiful Loch Glascarnoch, on the way past the 'Capital of the Highlands', Inverness. You can visit Culloden Moor, the site of The Battle of Culloden in 1746, one of the bloodiest events in our history and the last battle to have been fought on the British mainland. Next, you take a short drive to the ancient standing stones at Clava Cairns, made famous by Diana Gabaldon in the 'Outlander' books. From here, we continue through the Ancient Caledonian Pine Forest, hugging the Cairngorm Mountain range. We stop so you can enjoy lunch in these beautiful surroundings before travelling through The Big Tree Country of Perthshire, the Kingdom of Fife and back to Edinburgh where our trip sadly concludes. Meals: Breakfast
Tour Prices are per person twin share in Australian Dollars. Conditions apply and group tours are subject to change and availability. Prices are subject to currency fluctuations. (ra)
