Small Group Tour: 2013 Scotland Orkneys & Highlands

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.

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

Meet your small group who you will be with for the next number of days as you journey on adventure of the Orkneys and  Scottish Highlands. Departure time is 8:30am from The Waterside Hotel - 19 Ness Bank, Inverness and it is recommended to be here 30 minutes before departure.

Departing from Inverness, you'll spend a spectacular day travelling through the unspoilt North Highlands to Beauly, a beautiful and inspiriting region of ancient landscapes and fascinating history. The sleepy stone-built village is home to the ruins of Beauly Priory founded in 1230. 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 since the 1400's. 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, you'll pass through the ‘gold rush’ village of Helmsdale and continue through the Caithness, a large area of unspoilt and dramatic scenery with high cliffs and offshore stacks.  Arrive at Scotland’s northern-most tip to catch the early evening ferry to the Orkney Islands, a stunning trip sailing pass Hoy, famous for its towering sea stack, the Old Man of Hoy.

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.

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 they were  uncovered by a storm. The attraction presents a remarkable picture of life around 5,000 years ago, before Stonehenge was built.

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.

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 and the Bishop’s Palace. 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. Visit the Italian Chapel, originally a couple of old Nissen huts, decorated in imaginative style by Italian prisoners of war.

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 group tour comes to an end.

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

Meet your driver for a private train station transfer. Please note that this service includes up to 3 hours of service.

Meet your driver for your private airport transfer today. Please note that this service includes up to 3 hours of service.