Castles of Scotland

You will have a Driver-Guide with you for the duration of your multi-day Scottish adventure. Our Driver-Guides are all experienced drivers, are very personable, and extremely knowledgeable about the general history and culture of Scotland. Our Driver Guides tend to have 10 to 30 years experience conducting tours around Scotland. They are knowledgeable about the country and can provide plenty of suggestions for visits in your programme and including where to stop for lunches etc. Please note that they are not Certified Blue Badge Guides - where necessary an additional Guide will be included in your program for a specific cultural site. They are exceptionally personable and intuitive and much more than just a driver so you can rest assured that you are in great hands!

After breakfast your driver-guide will take you on a private tour of the city. You’ll have the opportunity to visit some the most outstanding attractions including Edinburgh Castle, at the top of the Royal Mile, and Holyrood House, the Queen’s official home when she visits Edinburgh (subject to closure when Her Majesty is in residence). You will also visit The Royal Yacht Britannia, home to Her Majesty The Queen for over forty years (entrances included).

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.

You will have a Driver-Guide with you for the duration of your multi-day Scottish adventure. Our Driver-Guides are all experienced drivers, are very personable, and extremely knowledgeable about the general history and culture of Scotland. Our Driver Guides tend to have 10 to 30 years experience conducting tours around Scotland. They are knowledgeable about the country and can provide plenty of suggestions for visits in your programme and including where to stop for lunches etc. Please note that they are not Certifiied Blue Badge Guides - where necessary an additional Guide will be incuded in your program for a specific cultural site. They are exceptionally personable and intuitive and much more than just a driver so you can rest assured that you are in great hands!

Following breakfast at your hotel you will be driven from Edinburgh to Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands. Passing some stunning scenery along your route you will also stop off to visit Blair Castle, the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl. The castle enjoys one of Scotland’s finest settings in the heart of Highland Perthshire. (Includes entrance to Blair Castle).

No vacation to the Scottish Highlands is complete without a visit to the beautiful and mystic Loch Ness and there is no better way to see the Loch than on a boat trip. Consider taking an exclusive cruise on a luxurious modern motor cruiser where you can enjoy a gourmet lunch onboard. Whether you cruise to the more popular destinations such as the romantic ruins of Urquhart Castle or some of the lesser known but equally beautiful spots such as Dores Bay, you will enjoy the best of Highland hospitality from beginning to end. Please let your Sales advisor know if you are interested in including this optional activity into your trip.

A visit to Scotland without visiting some of the distilleries somehow just doesn't seem right! Consider stopping off at Dalwhinnie distillery and touring the premises. At the end of the tour, you'll have an opportunity to sample the 'Gentle Spirit' of the glen, a wonderfully full-bodied, smooth and warming malt whisky. Please speak to your Sales Advisor if you would like to have this included in your day's activity today.

Enjoy a full day guided touring around the stunning Inverness area. You will visit Cawdor castle, romantically linked by Shakespeare with Macbeth and a fantastic example of a fairy-tale Scottish castle steeped in history. You will also visit the historic site of Culloden Battlefield and the garrison fortress of Fort George, begun in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden in 1746. (includes entrances to Cawdor Caslte, Culloden Battlefield and Fort George).

If you have any interest in golfing, you may like to consider playing a round of golf at the Castle Stuart Links course this afternoon. The championship links course overlooks the Moray Firth and well-known landmarks that are synonymous with Inverness and the Black Isle - Kessock bridge and Chanonry Lighthouse. As Turnberry is to Ayrshire and Gleneagles is to Perthshire, Castle Stuart has been conceived to be for the Highlands – a beacon reaching out to golfers throughout the world. Please speak to your Sales Advisor if you are interested in setting up a tee time for a round.

Today you'll be guided on a classic journey from the heart of the highlands to the stunningly beautiful island of Skye. Enroute you will visit Inverewe Gardens, built on a craggy hillside with a majestic setting on the water’s edge of Loch Ewe and home to an incredible selection of exotic plants which flourish in this remote spot due to the nearby gulf stream. Also, visit the iconic ruins of Eilean Donan Castle, imortalised in so many images of Scotland. (includes entrance fees).

Consider taking a side trip to take in the magnificentrly scenic Loch Torridon - an area where some of the finest scenery in Europe can be found. The mountains (Liathach, Beinn Alligin, Sgorr Ruadh, Maol Chean-deargare) are very nearly the highest in Britain, rising in places almost vertically to 3500 feet from the deep sea lochs. Many visitors to the area remark upon the unusual atmosphere - it is truly one of the world's rarest and special places. An alternative side trip today could be to Applecross Inn (which would necessitate an early start to the day). Applecross is an award winning family run Inn which uses locally sourced and beautifully prepared by a team of young chefs, and is known as one of the best seafood restaurants in the country. Please speak to your Sales Advisor if you would like to include either of these options.

Before leaving the isle of Skye this morning you will have the chance to visit the beautiful and historic ruins of Armadale Castle and Gardens on the 20,000-acre highland estate on the Sleat peninsula in south Skye. After a brief tour, continue your journey by taking the ferry back from Skye to the mainland. Once on the mainland you will board the famous Harry Potter trian - The Jacobite Steam Train - one of the great railway journeys of the world. Your car and driver will meet you at the end of the train journey and take you on to your hotel. (includes ferry, train and tour of Armadale castle).

After breakfast, depart your hotel for your final day. Your chauffeur guide will take you from your final hotel back to your departure airport in Edinburgh. Enroute pay a final visit to one of Scotland's most magnificent castles - Stirling Castle - a great symbol of Scottish independence and a source of enduring national pride. The castle’s long, turbulent history is associated with great figures from Scotland’s past, such as William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Mary Queen of Scots. Bid farewell to your driver and guide as you are dropped off in the airport for your onward journey.