Scotland's Northern Edge - 5 day tour

Day 2 - Isle of Handa Excurison

Enjoy a relaxing breakfast before joining our coach for the short drive to Tarbet where the ferry will take us to Handa Island, which is internationally recognised for its extensive seabird colonies and impressive sea cliffs.

This island was a thriving community up until 1848 when the potato famine forced the residents to emigrate to Nova Scotia, Canada. Since then the island has been unoccupied and is now a nature reserve operated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

We'll have three-hours ashore to explore Handa, which rises to 400 feet (121 m) above sea level. The island is home to over 150 different species of birds including over 100,000 guillemots. Other residents include razorbills, kittiwakes and, the always-popular puffins.

You can discover the ruined settlement that was home to the island's population and learn the traditions of the island which had its own parliament which met daily to delegate the essential chores.

Day 3 - Kinlochbervie - Tongue - Thurso

A day of dramatic scenery awaits as we travel across the very top of Scotland to reach our next hotel in Thurso.

From our Kinlochbervie, we travel through the desolate landscapes of North West Sutherland. The locals call this area "The Lonely Lands", you'll soon appreciate why.

The Kyle of Durness leads us to the little village of Durness, which was a holiday favourite of John Lennon. He had a cousin who lived here and spent many childhood holidays in the area. The village has a garden dedicated to his memory.    

Our first stop will be to visit the impressive Smoo Cave. The entrance is the largest of any sea cave in the British Isles. On our visit see the thundering waters of the Allt Smoo cascade 196 feet (60m) through a sinkhole into the inner cave below.

The tour continues along the banks of Loch Eriboll, a picturesque sea loch, then passed Ben Hope, the tallest mountain in the north of Scotland to reach Tongue, which gets its name from the Norse, meaning "tunga".

A short drive away, we'll stop in Bettyhill to visit the Strathnaver Museum which tells the history of the region from prehistoric times through to the rise of the Clan MacKay, which dominated the area.

The notorious 18th Century "Highland Clearances" is an important story told at the museum. Local people were evicted from their homes by the landowners to make way for commercial sheep farming. Many people made the decision to resettle in Glasgow or were "encouraged" to emigrate to the New World.

We'll make the short drive to Strathnaver, where we will see the now deserted homes and cottages of a once-thriving community. They provide a moving reminder of the 350 families that were forced to flee from this valley between 1814 and 1819.   

Overnight: Station Hotel, Thurso (or similar) 2 nights

Day 4 - John O'Groats and Castle of Mey Excursion

After breakfast, we head out to discover more highlights of the Northern Highlands. Our first visit is to the spectacular cliffs at Duncansby Head. We'll see the lonely lighthouse that was built in 1924 then follow the coastal path to see the Long Geo of Sclaites, a massive collapsed cave which has created a deep cleft in the cliffs. A further walk along the clifftop provides an ideal viewpoint to see the impressive sea stacks.

Our next stop is to John O'Groats, the most northerly village on mainland Britain. Famous for its pairing with Lands End, 874 miles to the south, this is the start or end point for all types of human endeavour, often used to raise money for good causes. During our visit, a selfie at the signpost is almost obligatory, but the main attraction here are the views over the wild waters of the Pentland Firth towards the Orkney Islands.  

Next is a visit to the Castle of Mey. It was built in the 1600s by the Earl of Caithness and stands overlooking the Pentland Firth. It had fallen into disrepair when HM Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother bought it in 1952. In her ownership, the castle was completely renovated, and the grounds developed to create the beautiful gardens we can see today.

The Castle of Mey became a favoured residence, and The Queen Mother holidayed there for nearly 50 years with her last visit being in 2001.

Our last stop today is at Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on the British mainland.  It offers remarkable views over the Pentland Firth and the little island of Stroma.

We return to Thurso in time to relax before dinner.

Day 5 - Thurso - Tain - Edinburgh/Glasgow

We say farewell to Thurso after breakfast and start our journey southwards.

For much of the tour we've followed the North Coast 500 route and today we will experience some of the fine coastal scenery that this famous journey is famed for.

We will see several small fishing villages that hug the coastline, reminders of the importance of herring fishing to this part of the country in the 19th Century. As we cross the Dornoch Firth, we come to Tain, once more which completes our circular tour of the far north of Scotland.

From here, our homeward journey follows the outward route. We'll make a stop for refreshments before reaching Edinburgh then Glasgow by early evening.