Enjoy the best of both worlds with a mix of private guided tours and transfers mixed in with a number of days on a small group trip taking in the best sights (some off the beaten path) along the way. After spending time in Edinburgh exploring the sights in the company of a private guide or doing some independent exploring, make your way to Inverness to meet up with your small group multi-day tour make the most of the sightseeing opportunities en route to the island through Europe's last great wilderness region. One of the most interesting places on earth, the Orkney Islands offer a mix of outstandingly rugged coastal scenery teeming with bird and sea-life, the greatest single collection of pre-historic remains in the World, a land steeped in Viking history, and contemporary sites dating from the two great World Wars. Remember, there is always the option to add a full day or afternoon of private guided services throughout your small group multi-day tour. Do things your way, at an affordable price, knowing that you have 24/7 support as you travel.

In general, the small group tours depart every 2nd Thursday from May 24,2012 until September 27, 2012 and with 1 departure in August. The small group tours have a maximum of 16 people per trip.

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, and considered one of the most charming cities on Earth. Regardless of the time of year, there is plenty to see and do. The city is breathtakingly beautiful, on multiple levels with strayed buildings in brooding grey granite. Eclectic bars, fine dining, and national art collections and museums can be found all over the city. The vast student population keeps the atmosphere upbeat and vibrant, even in the downpours that periodically soak the city.

Meet your driver for your private airport transfer today.

A welcome package with your vouchers, a city map, train tickets (if relevant) and any other touristic information that we deem you may find useful will be waiting for you upon your arrival at your first hotel on your trip.

Edinburgh is a wonderful city to explore - from its historical sights to the highstreet shopping possibilites. With your 24 HOUR hop on hop off bus ticket you can enjoy the freedom to HOP ON & HOP OFF until the same time the following day. The route goes by the following places - stop off at the ones that you are interested in and hop on the next bus once you are finished: Waverley Bridge, Princes Street, Lothian Road, Bread Street, West Port, Grassmarket, Victoria Street, George IV Bridge, Chambers Street, South Bridge, High Street, Canongate, Horse Wynd, Queens Drive, Holyrood Gait, Our Dynamic Earth turning circle, Holyrood Gait, Queens Drive, Horse Wynd, Abbeyhill, Abbeymount, Regent Road, Waterloo Place, Princes Street, South St David Street, George Street, Hanover Street, Queen Street Gardens East, Heriot Row, Queen Street Gardens West, Frederick Street, The Mound, Market Street, and Waverley Bridge. Join the Tour At: Waverley Bridge, Lothian Road, Grassmarket, Royal Mile, Princess Street, or the Princes Mall.

This is a fantastically central hotel, located in the heart of Grassmarket, steps away from Edinburgh Castle in the Old Town. The Apex City (4*) is located next door to its sister hotel, the Apex International. One of the best hotels in Edinburgh, the Yu Spa leisure facilities are based at the Apex International Hotel next door, and are available to residents free of charge and open daily. Facilities include ozone pool, tropicarium, plunge shower and gym with state-of-the-art technogym equipment.

Overnight at Apex City (4*).

You will be met at your central Edinburgh hotel by your guide to commence your walking tour. The buzz of Scotland's capital city sits in perfect contrast to the peaceful tranquility of the surrounding Lothians region. Edinburgh has one of the most beautiful cityscapes in the world, making it the ideal city break destination. From ceilidhs and science to ghost, film and food festivals there's always something going on in the festival city, and that's just for starters. Discover world-class museums and galleries, learn the history of the city or spend an afternoon pub crawling - whatever your fancy! Make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and perhaps take an umbrella!

The Witchery Restaurant located on the Royal Mile is a great place for dinner. The 16th century building located close to the Castle is lit exclusively by candlelight. The tapestry-draped main dining room is an ode to opulence: the seats are a rich red leather, the ceiling is gilded, and the walls are covered with oak panels salvaged from an old cathedral. The Secret Garden annex, meanwhile, is full of brass candlesticks and stone statues, and displays a series of painted doors that tell the story of Edinburgh's wine trade with France. The menu is equally sumptuous, offering dishes such as melt-in-your-mouth steak tartare, rabbit wrapped in Parma ham with tea-soaked prunes, and loin of roe deer with an earthy black pudding. But be sure to save room for the desserts — from the chocolate torte to the bramble, sherry and mascarpone trifle, they make a wickedly decadent end to the meal. Please speak to your Sales Advisor if you would like to have a reservation made for you.

Overnight at Apex City (4*).

Inverness is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland. Important buildings in the city include Inverness Castle, Inverness College and various churches. It is a hub for visits to the nearby Highlands, and is situated on the famous Lock Ness.

Transfer using a local taxi. Please note that this is not included in trip price and is payable locally.

Travel from Edinburgh to Inverness by train. Approximately 3.5 hrs.

Transfer using a local taxi. Please note that this is not included in trip price and is payable locally.

Consider being extra active today and going Gorge Scrambling, Kayaking or making your own perfume at Armoa Sciences. Gorge Scrambling is the most exciting thing you can do whilst being wet. Fitted out with wet suits, helmets and buoyancy aids you will plunge into a world where there will be waterfalls to climb through, rock slides and pools to plunge into and all with our highly trained instructors. Kayak Touring - See Loch Torridon as you’ve never seen it before with our fully qualified kayak instructor. These trips will take you out onto the lochs in the area where you will see the mountains towering above you and the wildlife swimming around you. Perfumery - Spend half a day privately creating your very own perfume with a master perfumer in Scotland. Please let your Sales Advisor know if you are interested in any of these optional activities.

Optional activites today include visiting the small town of Beauly and the art galleries in the area, or enjoying a private boat ride on Loch Ness. Please speak to your Sales Advisor if you are interested in either option.

The Kingsmill Hotel (4*) is surrounded by the Invernesshire Mountains and is just a 1 mile from the city centre. The hotel has an excellent reputation, and hospitality has been enjoyed by both locals and visitors to Inverness for many years. The hotel is set in four acres of carefully kept gardens and manicured lawns. At the Kingsmills Hotel you’ll find high standards of hotel keeping in a quiet and pretty location. You’re close enough to the city centre to walk there, or you can take a stroll in the hotel grounds with scarcely a hint that you’re in the middle of the Highland capital. The hotel has the pedigree plus dashes of character and panache only delivered by genuine hoteliers. The conservatory is light, spacious and very relaxing while the bar is stocked with over 40 whiskeys. The Kingsmill hotel also boasts an extensive leisure club with a swimming pool, solarium, sauna, and gym.

Overnight at Kingsmill (4*).

Transfer using a local taxi. Please note that this is not included in trip price and is payable locally.

Departing from Inverness, you spend a spectacular day travelling through the wonderfully unspoilt Northern Highlands countryside. View the ruins of ancient Beauly Priory and pass through the attractive Victorian spa town of Strathpeffer before arriving at Dunrobin Castle with its towering conical spires, home to the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland and the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses. Continuing onwards, you'll pass through the “goldrush” village of Helmsdale, where the precious metal was discovered in 1868 in Kildogan Burn – prospectors still try their luck today! From here, continue to the undiscovered region of Caithness, known as ‘The Flow Country.’ The landscape is rich with the remains of pre-historic occupation and castle ruins along the wind-swept cliffs.

You will have time to stop at one of the spectacular cliffs between John O’Groats and Wick, as you travel through this dramatic landscape. Arriving at Scotland’s northern-most tip, you will catch the early-evening ferry to the Orkney Islands. The ferry trip is stunning in the setting sun as you pass by that famous sea stack, The Old Man of Hoy.

Experience a 17th Century hotel where award-winning local cuisine meets traditional Orcadian hospitality in the heart of the ancient royal burgh of Kirkwall this evening.
Dating back to 1670, The Orkney Hotel offers every modern convenience, while retaining its original features and charms. Ideally situated in the town centre, the hotel is minutes from the magnificent St. Magnus Cathedral, Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces and award-winning local jewellery shops. Therer are 30 elegant and comfortable en-suite rooms, some equipped with flat screen TVs.

Overnight at The Orkney Hotel (B) or similar.

The Orkney’s are perhaps most renowned for their amazing archaeological sites, and today you will have the chance to go back in time to explore the Neolithic stone circles of the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness. Enter the tomb of Maeshowe to see the artefacts left by Stone Age man. Then it is on to Skara Brae, a collection of ten stone-age houses occupied from about 3100 to 2500 BC, which were only discovered in 1850 when the shifting sands exposed them.

Travel through the beautiful island landscapes this afternoon, where birds and flowers are abundant, and explore how the previous settlers lived. Their huge fortified brochs are scattered throughout the islands, and Gurness is one you can explore. The Vikings are also much in evidence, since for several hundred years from around 700AD the country was under Norse rule, and most place names still reflect the Norse heritage. If the tide permits, you can walk “across the Atlantic” to the tidal island of the Brough of Birsay and visit the remains of the Viking village. This is also a great area for watching seabirds on the cliffs, and a sighting of a puffin or two is almost guaranteed! Hear tales from the saga of how Earl Magnus was slain by his cousin, and see the little church where he was originally buried and where miracles were said to happen.

Overnight at The Orkney Hotel (B) or similar.

Today spend some free time this morning in the former Viking settlement of Kirkwall, the main town on the islands, with interesting historical sites such as St Magnus Cathedral, the Earl’s Palace, the Bishop’s Palace and the Tankerness House Museum. This is also home to one of Scotland’s best distilleries, Highland Park Distillery, where you will stop to explore the traditional methods utilised in producing their famous single malt.

As you travel down through the southern Orkney isles you will come to more recent history - see Scapa Flow, a huge natural harbour that served as the base for the home naval fleet through two World Wars. As well as being the resting-place of HMS Royal Oak, sunk by a daring German U-Boat, it is also the graveyard of the German High Seas Fleet which was scuttled here at the end of the First World War. Then there's the Italian Chapel, originally a couple of old Nissen huts, decorated in imaginative style by Italian prisoners of war. If time permits, you might have time to explore more of the rugged beauty of the island, maybe finding a rare Scottish primrose found only in Orkney, Shetland and Caithness.

Overnight at The Orkney Hotel (B) or similar.

After taking the morning ferry back to the mainland, the first port of call is towards John O’Groats where a visit of the Castle of Mey is in order. This is the beloved home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who restored the abandoned building and created the beautiful gardens. Then, following the beautiful coast road, take in the views crossing the Dornoch and Cromarty Firths on the return journey back to the Capital of the Highlands, Inverness, where your Small gropu tour comes to an end.

Overnight at Kingsmill (4*).

Transfer using a local taxi. Please note that this is not included in trip price and is payable locally.

Travel from Inverness to Edinburgh by train. Journey will take approximately 3.5hrs.

Meet your driver for your private airport transfer today.

Depart from International Airport. End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart (Int`l Airport).