Highland Heritage
from Edinburgh
INCLUDES: Four nights accommodation in rooms with private facilities; full Scottish breakfast; excursions as detailed below by superior air-conditioned minicoach; Admission to a malt whisky distillery and the Clan Donald Centre Gardens; Transportation by air-conditioned luxury touring coach; services of a tour host; service charges and taxes.
The Highlands of Scotland await to be discovered on this wonderful journey of exploration.
Highland Bound
From Edinburgh and Glasgow we will make our way via lonely Rannoch Moor to the beauty of Glen Coe. There is a stop in the heart of the Glen before heading for Fort William. Drive through the Great Glen to Loch Ness, where we make a stop at Urquhart Castle, for some monster spotting. Our tour is based in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands for the next four nights.
The stay in Inverness is unescorted.
Over the sea to Skye
From Inverness we make our way to Garve and Achnasheen, where we make our first stop of the day. Pictureque Glen Carron is next before we arrive in Kyle of Lochalsh. Soon we cross “over the sea to Skye” and make our way to Sleat, the Garden of Skye. The gentle scenery that we see in this part of the island contrasts with the rugged beauty of the Cuillin Hills that we will discover later on our tour. We will make a visit to the Clan Donald Centre where there is time to explore the fabulous gardens. Later we will make a scenic drive and enjoy some beach combing before we return to the mainland. We’ll make a stop so that you can enjoy an optional visit to Eilean Donan Castle, perched on its island at the head of Loch Duich. You will marvel at the views when we stop at this most picturesque of castles.
The Far North
We leave Inverness and head across the Black Isle to the Cromarty Firth where, depending on tide conditions, we may see our first seals. We will make a stop in the town of Golspie. High above the town is an astonishing statue, 27m (90') high. This is of the First Duke of Sutherland, whose agents were involved in the most notorious of the Clearances in the Highlands during the 19th century. We’ll hear more about this sad episode in the history of Scotland as we head North. Caithness grew rich with the development of the herring fishing industry in the 19th century and as a result there are many exceptionally beautiful harbours - as we will discover. There are telescopes available on-board our mini-coach to let you marvel at the wide range of birds & wildlife including Puffins (until early August) and red deer (the "Monarch of the Glen"), which are seen on almost all tours. There are several stops along the way to give you ample opportunity to relax and take a stroll amidst this beautiful scenery.
Applecross and Torridon
A day of scenic beauty as we travel to one of the remotest areas of Scotland—the Applecross Peninsula. Our journey commences with a drive across the Black Isle to the village of Achnasheen. Then the dramatic climb over the Bealach nam Bo, which means the Pass of the Cattle, in Gaelic. The Pass is the third highest road in the United Kingdom and climbs to over 2,000 feet! On our arrival in Applecross we can spend some quality time enjoying the spectacular seascapes or discovering the sad tale of the highland clearances at the local heritage centre. In this area wildlife abounds—nature lovers look out for red deer, pine martens (one of the rarest of British mammals) and otters.
There is an excursion to the scenic village of Cromarty followed by free time in Inverness before joining your motorcoach for our tour south. Our route will take us to the gentle Spey Valley then through the dramatic scenery of the Drumochter Pass. As we travel through Glen Garry lookout for imposing Blair Castle. There's a stop for afternoon tea then the rolling Perthshire countryside will guide us to Perth then homewards to journey’s end in Edinburgh or Glasgow.
Eilean Donan Castle
