Tour itinerary
We begin the day with a panoramic tour of Inverness before leaving the capital of the Highlands to head eastward to Culloden Moor. This haunting expanse of wild moorland was the scene of the last pitched battle fought on British soil and marked the end of the Jacobite Rising of 1745.
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s forces were defeated by the Duke of Cumberland’s government troops in a battle that lasted less than an hour.
You can visit the excellent Culloden Visitor Centre to learn about the events that led up to that fateful event.
We then travel to mysterious Clava Cairns, the extensive remains of an ancient prehistoric burial site, with cairns and standing stones. It’s said that this 4000-year-old Bronze Age site inspired Outlander author Diana Gabaldon to create the fictional stone circle, Craigh na Dun.
The next stop is Fort George, a massive military fortification which George II commissioned in 1746 as a defence against further Jacobite incursion. Military history enthusiasts will be fascinated by its museum, the largest regimental museum outside of Edinburgh. It gives a fascinating insight into 18th-century military life.
After some time at Fort George, we’ll head north to the coast and stop to explore Nairn, a delightful seaside town on the Moray Firth known as one of the sunniest and driest places in Scotland. The town has a rich cultural life, and when Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton, a resident of Nairn, created a film festival there in 2007, it put the small town on the world stage.
As we leave Nairn and continue our journey, we’ll enter the majestic and spectacular Cairngorms National Park, making a brief stop at the beautiful Loch an Eilein.
The small island on the loch is home to the ruins of a 14th-century castle, giving rise to its Gaelic name, ‘Loch of the Island’.
During our time here, keep your eyes peeled for sightings of Red Squirrel, Scottish Crossbill and Crested Tit, and in summer, Ospreys can sometimes be seen scouting the waters for fish.
Our final stop is in Aviemore, famous worldwide as a centre for outdoor winter sports. It’s also a lovely Highland village in its own right, surrounded by breathtaking scenery.
After our time in Aviemore, we’ll head back home to Inverness.
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