Scottish Isles and Glens

Your Scottish trip starts at 2:30 pm when you meet your tour director at your Glasgow hotel.

Enjoy a tour of Glasgow's city centre, famous for its Victorian and Art Nouveau architecture. Once a city famed for shipbuilding and heavy engineering, Glasgow has transformed itself into a centre of culture and the arts.

During the panoramic tour, visit Cathedral Square to view 12th-century Glasgow Cathedral and the Provands Lordship, the city’s oldest building.

Take a drive along the banks of the River Clyde to hear about Glasgow’s maritime heritage before touring through the west end to see Kelvingrove Park and the impressive buildings of Glasgow University.

On returning to your hotel, have a welcome drink with the group and dinner.

Today, take a short ferry ride to the Isle of Bute, where a drive around the coast will reveal wonderful sea and island scenery.

Take a guided tour of the highly decorated chambers of Mount Stuart House, built in the late 1870s for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. Discover the many Victorian comforts that were highly innovative for their time.

Spend some time in Rothesay, the main town on the island.

Return to Glasgow to enjoy some free time before dining independently in one of the city’s popular restaurants.

Travel alongside the famous banks of Loch Lomond, well-known for its unparalleled natural beauty.

Stop to view the majestic scenery of Glen Coe, and hear the infamous tale of the massacre of the Clan Macdonald that took place here in 1692.

At Fort William, look out for the towering peak of Ben Nevis, Britain’s tallest mountain, before enjoying some retail therapy at the famous Spean Bridge Woollen Mill.

Continue your drive north to visit the iconic Eilean Donan Castle. The first fortified castle was built in the 13th century, rebuilt several times and partially ruined in 1719.

Check in to your charming family-owned hotel near Kyle of Lochalsh.

Today, discover the Isle of Skye and its strong connections with Bonnie Prince Charlie. He fled to the island, helped by Flora MacDonald, after his defeat at Culloden Moor.

Travel to Dunvegan Castle, a stronghold of the Chiefs of MacLeod for nearly 800 years, making it the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland. View priceless family heirlooms and stroll through formal gardens.

See the stunning landscape of Skye, including magnificent Kilt Rock, before visiting Portree, the island’s main town. Take a stroll down to the harbour to see the brightly painted houses that sit overlooking the bay.

Return to your hotel for free time before dinner.

Today, explore more of the Highlands as you travel through one of Scotland's most sparsely-populated regions with vast tracts of bogland, rugged mountains and coastline.

Now the route is famous as The North Coast 500, you'll travel along the coastline through remote hamlets and vast areas of open land.

Capture stunning photos at scenic stops along the way and explore the charming harbour town of Ullapool. Savour lunch near the iconic Kyle of Sutherland Bridge, celebrated for its sweeping vistas and striking design.

Continue through the untamed beauty of the Highlands to an afternoon stop near Tongue, where rugged mountains merge with expansive sea lochs.

Continue to Scrabster, on the northern coast of Scotland, to join the ferry for the Orkney Islands.

Dinner will be served during the crossing, and upon arrival, we will proceed to the hotel in Kirkwall.

After breakfast, it’s time to explore the Orkney Islands.

We start with a drive around the northern part of the Orkney mainland, past the Earl’s Palace. This remarkable building was the home of the notorious Robert Stewart, half-brother of Mary Queen of Scots, who was the Earl of Orkney in the late 1500s.

Our first visit is to Skara Brae, a 5,000-year-old village considered one of Europe’s best-preserved prehistoric settlements and one of Orkney’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

After free time for lunch in the port of Stromness, travel to see the Ring of Brodgar, a circle of prehistoric standing stones,

Later, return to Kirkwall to see 12th 12th-century St Magnus Cathedral.

Enjoy some leisure time in the afternoon to explore the town, and then dine at the hotel.

We start the day with a stop at the tiny Italian Chapel. This ornate structure was built from two Nissen huts by Italian prisoners of war, who decorated the interior with intricate paintings.

Later, see Scapa Flow and drive across the Churchill Barriers, created during World War II to deter German U-boat attacks.

Return by ferry to the mainland, then enjoy spectacular coastal scenery as we drive to visit Dunrobin Castle. This fairy-tale castle has been the ancestral home of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland since the 13^th Century.

It was redesigned in the mid-1800s to a design by Sir Charles Barry, who created the Houses of Parliament in London.   

With 189 rooms, this is the largest mansion in northern Scotland. During your visit, you can see the dining room, music room, and library, which contains over 10,000 volumes and features priceless artefacts.

Journey south to Strathpeffer, an elegant Victorian-era spa town, and enjoy a relaxing dinner at your hotel.

Cruise the mysterious waters of Loch Ness to visit the mighty ruins of Urquhart Castle, once Scotland’s largest castle, which was destroyed in the Jacobite wars.

Next, stop at the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre to learn about the ferocious battle that ended the Jacobite Uprising.  Here, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite army was defeated by the Government Troops commanded by the Duke of Cumberland.

This was the last battle ever fought on British soil, and its outcome marked the end of the clan system in Scotland.  

Experience a visit to a traditional sheep farm, where talented sheepdogs showcase their impressive herding abilities. Return to your hotel later for a delicious dinner.

Explore the Glenturret Distillery, Scotland’s oldest working distillery, where you’ll uncover the time-honoured craft of whisky making and savour a tasting. Nestled in the scenic Perthshire countryside, the Glenturret has been producing whisky since the 18th century.

Drive to your hotel in Edinburgh, then attend a Scottish Evening to dine on excellent local cuisine, followed by a lively music and dancing show.

Tour departures between 1 to 17 August 2026 will enjoy a free night to dine independently.

This morning discover Edinburgh on a sightseeing tour.

See the wide streets, grand squares, and elegant townhouses of the 200-year-old Georgian "New Town”, then take a drive along part of the Royal Mile, the oldest part of the city, where some houses reach 11 stories tall.

Tour grand Edinburgh Castle to see historic buildings, the Stone of Scone and the Scottish Crown Jewels. Also, appreciate great panoramic views over the city from the ramparts.

The afternoon and evening are free.

Departures between 1 and 17 August 2026, attend a performance of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.