THE ULTIMATE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS – 12 DAYS – ESCORTED TOUR

The Ultimate Scottish Highlands and Islands Tour will take you through breathtaking landscapes, historic castles, dramatic highlands, and charming cities.

PRICES INCLUDE:
Accommodation of 11 nights at good 3 star and 4 star hotels, all rooms with private bath or shower

Food & Beverage:

💚Breakfast at the hotel each day, days 2 – 12 inclusive 💚Dinner at hotel on days 1 – 10 (3 courses with tea/coffee) 💚Dinner and entertainment on day 11 (3 courses with tea/coffee)

• Modern motor-coach with driver x 11 full days, on days 1-11 (09h00-17h30 daily)
• Modern motor-coach with driver x 1 evening return transfer on day 11
• Modern motor-coach with driver x 1 airport transfer on day 12
• English-speaking guide x 12 full days, on days 1-12 (09h00-17h30 daily)

Visits:

💚Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum 💚Armadale Castle & Museum 💚John Lennon Memorial Garden 💚 Strathaver Museum 💚Skara Brae 💚Ring of Brodgar 💚Italian Chapel 💚Dunrobin Castle 💚Culloden Battlefield 💚Brodie Castle & Estate 💚Glamis Castle 💚V&A Dundee 💚Edinburgh Castle 💚The Scotch Whisky Experience

Experiences:

SELF-DRIVE TOUR OPTION AND FAMILY GROUP RATES AVAILABLE –

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO CONTACT US or call us direct at 772-571-3132

DAY 1: WELCOME TO SCOTLAND

Arrive at Edinburgh Airport. Meet with your English-speaking guide and driver and transfer to Glasgow. Enjoy a panoramic city tour.
Discover Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, with a panoramic city tour. From the magnificent St Mungo Cathedral to the People’s Palace and Glasgow Green, explore Glasgow rich past as a religious centre and one of the most important industrial cities in Britain.

The Victorian architecture of the centre offer a striking contrast to the extensive parks of the West End. Among those, Kelvingrove offers a haven of peace in the city, with amazing views on Glasgow University’s striking buildings and the Kelvingrove Museum. It is not hard to imagine why Glasgow is home to Scotland’s most celebrated architect: Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Visit Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of Scotland’s most popular museums. With 22 themed, state-of-the-art galleries displaying an astonishing 8,000 objects, the extensive collections are wide-ranging and internationally significant. The Exhibition Gallery and the community exhibition space both have a running program of temporary exhibitions and displays. Please note that some temporary exhibitions are subject to an entry fee.

Overnight, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Glasgow or area.

DAY 2: GLASGOW TO FORT WILLIAM

This morning, depart Glasgow and journey to Fort William.

Enjoy Loch Lomond Cruise.

Cruise Loch Lomond boasts the largest private passenger cruise boat fleet in Scotland, comprising seven vessels maintained to the highest standards. Each boat features twin decks, an enclosed saloon, an open deck, a bar with tea/coffee facilities, and toilets. This diverse fleet enables exclusive allocation of a vessel for each group or private party, ensuring flexibility and reliable service. The company’s substantial Boat Yard and slipway in Tarbet, Loch Lomond houses the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) for annual vessel surveys and the issuance of passenger safety certificates. This facility supports maintenance, repairs, and cosmetic work, upholding the fleet’s exceptional quality.

Enjoy drive through Rannoch Moor and photo stop In Glencoe. Continue on to Fort William and check In to your hotel.

Overnight, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Fort William or area.

DAY 3: FORT WILLIAM TO ISLE OF SKYE / KYLE OF LOCHLASH

This morning, depart Fort William and journey to Isle of Skye.

Enjoy photo stop at Glenfinnan Viaduct. (subject to availability)

Single Ferry from Mallaig to Armadale.

Visit Armadale Castle & Museum.

Located in Armadale, just a short walk from the ferry terminal, Clan Donald Skye is a 20,000-acre highland estate on the Sleat peninsula in south Skye. Once part of the traditional lands of Clan Donald, the Estate’s principal focal points are the restored historic gardens, and the beautiful walking trails threading through the 40 acres of woodland around Armadale Castle.

In the Museum of the Isles, you will discover the history of the Highlands and Islands through the story of Clan Donald, its most powerful clan, at the award-winning museum. Six interconnecting galleries taking you through 1500 years of the history and culture of the area once known as the Kingdom of the Isles. The MacDonalds – or Clan Donald – were the Lords of the Isles and sat at the heart of the history of Gaeldom. The museum follows their story and that of the Highlands.

Spend some free time In Portree.

Overnight, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Isle of Skye or Kyle of Lochlash area.

DAY 4: ISLE OF SKYE / KYLE OF LOCHLASH TO ULLAPOOL

This morning, depart Isle of Skye or Kyle of Lochlash and journey to Ullapool.

Enjoy photo stop at Eilean Donan Castle.

Visit Inverewe Gardens.

A lush, tropical oasis perched on a peninsula at the edge of Loch Ewe amid the rugged landscape of Wester Ross, this world-famous 21 hectare historic garden is one of Scotland’s most popular botanical attractions. It is surrounded by over 809 hectares of estate managed for conservation. Created out of bare rock and a few scrub willows in 1862 by Osgood Mackenzie, it’s full of colourful, exotic plants from around the world.

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful gardens in Scotland, Inverewe is a must for anyone who loves nature. One of the world’s greatest gardens, Inverewe sprang from the realisation of one man’s determination and his taste for the exotic. Continue onto Ullapool and check In to your hotel.

Overnight, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Ullapool or area.

DAY 5: ULLAPOOL TO THURSO

This morning, depart Ullapool and journey to Thurso.

Enjoy brief stop at John Lennon Memorial Garden.

Visit Strathaver Museum.

Strathnaver Museum is the Museum of the Clearances and tells this fascinating and at times brutal story within the wider perspective of our cultural and social history. The Museum holds a diverse range of objects depicting life in the north Highlands from prehistoric to more modern times. Discover the vibrant culture, inherited from Norse and Gaelic ancestors. Strathnaver Museum is a heart which keeps the blood of tradition pumping; sustaining and preserving it for future generations.

Continue on to Thurso and check In to your hotel.

Enjoy stroll along Dunnet Beach.

Not only a great place to hunt for shells with many whelks and razor shells on the sand, it is also a haven for many types of seabirds including oystercatchers, eider ducks, curlew and ringed plover.
The great beach stretches for over 2 miles and is fairly sheltered from the elements. The beach is a surfer’s haven and offers some quite dramatic surf when the winds are high. There are excellent wildlife spotting opportunities in the bay and a visitor centre at the north end provides details of what can be seen.

Overnight, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Thurso or area.

DAY 6: THURSO

This morning, enjoy day excursion to Orkney. Take the ferry from Scrabster to Stromness.

Visit Skara Brae.

The neolithic settlement of Skara Brae, lying near the dramatic white beach of the Bay of Skaill, is the best preserved group of prehistoric houses in Western Europe. Uncovered by a storm in 1850, which blew away the sand to reveal the shapes of stone buildings, the attraction presents a remarkable picture of life around 5,000 years ago. This Neolithic village on the shores of the Bay of Skaill in Orkney’s west mainland is one of several stunning archaeological sites within the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the summer months, visitors can also access Skaill House: built in 1620 by Bishop George Graham on the site of a Norse farmstead, all 12 of its Lairds have been related and all have contributed to the history and collection in the house. Inside you can see rooms with furniture and artefacts belonging to generations of Skaill lairds and see a dinner service used by Captain James Cook on his final voyage.

Visit Rings of Brodgar.

The Ring of Brodgar is a Neolithic henge and stone circle about 6 miles north-east of Stromness on the Mainland, the largest island in Orkney, Scotland. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.

Visit Italian Chapel.

The Italian Chapel is on the island of Lambholm, which is linked to the Orkney Mainland by the first Churchill Barrier. Known as the Italian Chapel, it was built by Italian prisoners of war – during World War Two – chosen amongst the five hundred men housed at Camp 60 on Lambholm, having been sent to Orkney to help build the Churchill Barriers. The men had very little to work with when creating the Chapel, other than two old nissen huts, unwanted scrap and some concrete. The astounding and truly unique chapel is an unforgettable inspiration to all those who visit it.

Return ferry from Stromness to Scrabster.

Overnight, dinner, bed and breakfast at your hotel in Thurso or area.

DAY 7: THURSO TO INVERNESS

This morning, depart Thurso and journey to Inverness.

Visit Dunrobin Castle.

Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Dunrobin Castle is also one of Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s, home to the Earls and later, the Dukes of Sutherland. The Castle, which resembles a French château with its towering conical spires, has seen the architectural influences of Sir Charles Barry, who designed London’s Houses of Parliament, and Scotland’s own Sir Robert Lorimer. The Castle was used as a naval hospital during the First World War and as a boys’ boarding school from 1965 to 1972.

Continue on to Inverness and check In to your hotel. Enjoy Hop On Hop Off bus tour. Spend the balance of your day at leisure.

Overnight, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Inverness or area.

DAY 8: INVERNESS

This morning, enjoy Loch Ness Cruise (30 minutes) and visit Urqhuart Castle.
Once one of Scotland’s largest castles, Urquhart saw great conflict during its 500 years as a medieval fortress. Control of the castle passed back and forth between the Scots and English during the Wars of Independence. The power struggles continued, as the Lords of the Isles regularly raided both castle and glen up until the 1500s. The last of the government troops garrisoned here during the Jacobite Risings blew up the castle when they left. Urquhart’s iconic ruins remain, offering glimpses into medieval times and the lives of its noble residents.

Visit Culloden Battlefield.

Scene of the 1746 Battle of Culloden between the Jacobite and the British armies. As the last battle being fought on British soil, Culloden marks the beginning of the dismantlement of the structures of Highland society. In the aftermath of the battle, kilts and tartans were banned. It was here that the Jacobite army fought for a Stuart king in order to reclaim the throne of Britain from the Hanoverians. Today, 250 years on, Culloden is still a site that connects us intimately with Britain’s past. Find out why this battle lasted only one hour but still changed the course of Scotland’s history. Listen to accounts from genuine characters who were involved in the Battle, experience the battle in a 360 degrees theatre, get a bird’s eye view of the forces and tactics at play.

Overnight, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Inverness or area.

DAY 9: INVERNESS TO ABERDEEN

This morning, depart Inverness and journey to Aberdeen.

Visit Brodie Castle and Estate.

Stuffed to the turrets with antique furniture, paintings and ceramics, the legacy of generations of Clan Brodie, this 16th-century castle is a slice of Scottish history not to be missed. Explore the rooms, passageways and towers, all sensitively restored to show what everyday life was like for one of Scotland’s most ancient clans. There’s plenty to discover outside the castle too. The 71 hectare estate has landscaped gardens, a large pond, a walled garden, a woodland walk, an adventure playground and a nature trail with observation hides for watching wildlife.

Enjoy whisky distillery visit. (subject to availability) Continue to Aberdeen and check In to your hotel.

Overnight, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Aberdeen or area.

DAY 10: ABERDEEN TO EDINBURGH

This morning, depart Aberdeen and journey to Edinburgh.

Visit Glamis Castle.

Glamis Castle is a living and breathing monument to Scottish heritage. The family home of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Glamis Castle is the legendary setting for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the childhood home of HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and the birthplace of Princess Margaret. Steeped in history, Glamis Castle has evolved over the years to create a stunning architectural treasure that is full of vitality to this day. You will not fail to be touched by every painting, every piece of furniture, every little detail along the way, as they are sharp reminders that this is not a museum but an incredible family home.

Visit V&A Dundee.

V&A Dundee brings design from all over the world to Scotland and gives a new platform to Scottish designers. Visitors can experience the remarkable story of design past, present and future and the vital contribution design makes to all our lives, through permanent displays and changing exhibitions showcasing the very best of design from around the world. Continue to Edinburgh and check In to your hotel.

Overnight, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Edinburgh or area.

DAY 11: EDINBURGH

This morning, enjoy Hop On Hop Off Edinburgh.

Visit Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh’s Castle rock has been a stronghold for over 3000 years. In its dominating position overlooking the capital city, the grandeur and historical significance of Edinburgh Castle has made it a globally famous icon of Scotland and part of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site. Sited on top of an extinct volcano, gaining stunning views across City of Edinburgh, the castle has witnessed many of the defining events of Scottish history and has dominated its surroundings with majesty for centuries. Captivating visitors with its ancient buildings and marvellous views, it continues to spellbound with its wonderful story.

Then, visit Scotch Whisky Experience.

Visit the new Scotch Whisky Experience for a sensational journey! Take a swirling, bubbling barrel ride through a replica distillery as you become part of the whisky making process. Along the way you’ll hear the stories behind this magical craft, with expert tour guides and whisky advisors with you every sip of the way. They’ll help you discover the aromas and flavours that appeal to your palate and lead you to your perfect Single Malt Whisky.

This evening, enjoy Spirit of Scotland Show.

Spirit of Scotland Show involves a rip roaring evening of traditional Scottish song and dance accompanied by a great selection of quality Scottish food to delight your pallet. Our resident band and traditional Scottish Dancers provide breathtaking performances for their audience and never fail to entertain.

Overnight, Bed and Breakfast at your hotel in Edinburgh or area.

DAY 12: FAREWELL

This morning, transfer to Edinburgh Airport for your journey home.

Trip ID: GSEM298270.1