Your driver guide will collect you from the location of your choice in Edinburgh or Glasgow, whether it be your hotel, the train station or airport. We can also arrange your pre-tour accommodation for you.

After introductions and a short briefing you will transfer to Highlands to the lush region of Perthshire where you will notice the landscape becoming more mountainous.

The first stop will be a visit to Blair Castle, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Atholl. After a tour of the castle and gardens followed by a light lunch you continue north to the city of Inverness, capital of the Highlands.

Overnight: Inverness

On the outskirts of Inverness lies the vast meadow and moor of Culloden Battlefield, it was here the Jacobites faced their final defeat against Goverment forces in 1746.

These days the battlefield is awash with wildflowers in the summer and an ancient breed of cattle graze the moor, but the battle lines are marked by flags and the marked mass graves are a permanent reminder of the past. Find out more about the Jacobite cause in the visitor centre before walking on to the battlefield to learn more about how battle itself.

Stepping much further back into history next you’ll walk amongst stone burial chambers that were built around 4000 years ago. The Clava Cairns are one of the best preserved Neolithic sites in Scotland, showing the ingenuity of the prehistoric people who inhabited the area around 2000 BC.

This evening bask in the atmosphere of a local pub in the heart of Inverness at a Scotch whisky tasting. Not only will there be samples of Highland scotch whiskies to taste, but you’ll also be regaled with local stories and enjoy some Scottish folk music.

Overnight: Inverness

Saying farewell to Inverness today, you’ll transfer to the banks of Loch Ness, the home of the illusive Loch Ness monster.

On the shores of the loch stands the ruins of Castle Urquhart. It is thought there was a Pictish fort on this site many centuries ago, where around 580AD St Columba visited to convert the local Pictish chief to Christianity. Centuries later a large stone castle was built which was added to over the years. During the Jacobite conflict the gatehouse was blown up and the in decades following the castle fell to wrack and ruin. On a stroll around the site you’ll see the remains of the key areas of the fortress with excellent views of the loch itself.

After lunch you’ll head west and cross the bridge over the sea to the Isle of Skye. We’ll arrive in the harbour town of Portree with its brightly coloured fishermen’s cottages, our base for the next 2 nights on the island.

Overnight: Isle of Skye

The Trotternish Peninsula in the north of the Isle of Skye is one of the most celebrated landscapes in Scotland, and it is not hard to see why. From the crumpled ridge line of the Quirang to the towering rock pinnacles of the Old Mann of Storr and the dinosaurs footprints on the beach at Staffin, the Trotternish Peninsula certainly has an other-worldly feel about it.

You’ll tour the whole peninsula today making sure to stop at some of the most interesting spots including the Museum of Island Life, Drumtulm Castle, The Quirang Ridge and Staffin Dinosaur footprints and Kilt Rock. There will also be an option to hike to the Old Man of Storr rock pinnacle for a truly spectacular experience.

Overnight: Isle of Skye

Glencoe boasts some of the most dramatic scenery in the Scottish Highlands. Formed by an extinct volcano, rock faces rise high above the valley, lined by hundreds of tiny waterfalls.

Enjoy a morning stroll at the Glencoe Lochans. This tree garden with fishing lakes was created by Lord Strathcona who built Glencoe House for his wife. The trails wind up through the woodland and along the banks of the lake. Occasionally the views of the surrounding mountains are framed by the towering trees.

This afternoon you’ll step inside a reconstruction of a traditional turf house that represents the homes that Highlanders would have lived in around the 16th and 17th century. Constructed of peat (turf) blocks and with a roof made of heather or reeds the homes would have smoky and very dark. Thankfully things have moved on since then!

Later we’ll meet with a local story teller to find out more about the legend and history of Glencoe, including where it gets the name ‘The Glen of the Weeping’.

Overnight: Glencoe

As we transfer south back to Edinburgh or Glasgow we’ll make a stop in the historic town of Stirling.

Here Stirling Castle sits high up on a volcanic rock overlooking the town. The castle is renowned as one of the most historically important in Scotland as its  strategic location between the Lowlands and Highlands made it a very desirable fortress for Scottish Kings, Queens for centuries, as well as the invading English armies.

After the castle we’ll have time to wander the cobbled streets of Stirling’s Old Town.

Continuing south your driver guide will drop you off at the location of your choice in Edinburgh or Glasgow.