Highland Adventure Tour

Day 1: Arrive at Edinburgh/Glasgow Airport and pick up your self-drive car. Depart for the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. As one of Europe’s must see destinations Edinburgh offers much for the visitor, great museums and art galleries, fantastic shopping, great restaurants and bars and one of the most unforgettable skylines with Edinburgh Castle dominating the centre of the city overlooking Princes Street Gardens. Overnight in Edinburgh.

Day 2: After your Full Scottish Breakfast depart Edinburgh heading north crossing the Forth Road Bridge with its dramatic views of the Victorian feet of engineering the Forth Railway Bridge. Continuing north visit Perth and Scone Palace, the family home of the Earl of Mansfield and also the site of the famous coronation Stone of Scone, brought there in the 9^th century by Kenneth MacAlpine, King of Scots. Continue to Pitlochry, a small Highland town.  Stop at the Salmon Ladder where you may be lucky enough to see salmon leaping!  From Pitlochry, travel towards Inverness.  You will take the very scenic & dramatic road over the Drummochter Pass one of the highest roads in Scotland. Descend into Speyside an area of Scotland famous for its whisky producing tradition. Follow the Whisky Trail & visit one of the many famous distilleries in the area. You can visit Glenfiddich, McCallums, Grants, Cardhu and many more.  Each gives an audio-visual show and then a guided tour of the distillery to learn of the processes and for many the highlight is a tasting at the end of the tour. The choice of what to see and do in the Speyside area is huge – there are castles – Brodie, Cawdor (made famous by the Shakespeare’s Macbeth), and Ballindalloch.  Visit Culloden Moor, site of the last land battle on British soil. Continue onto Inverness Area for overnight.

Day 3: Enjoy a day visiting the West Coast of Scotland.  Journey across to Ullapool, a quaint fishing village.  Then travel down past the dramatic Corrieshalloch Gorge to the Inverewe Gardens, run by the National Trust.  These magnificent gardens have a famous rhododendron collection and who would expect to find palm trees in Scotland.  Return through the magnificent scenery of the Torridon area and past Loch Maree. Return to the Inverness area for overnight.

Day 4: Today begins with a visit to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness before heading for a day trip into the northern highlands. Head for the Kessock Bridge and the Black Isle, in reality a peninsula decked out in a thousand shades of green. A maze of quiet country roads and forest tracks, the area is a delight to explore. It is a naturalist paradise with attractions such as the bird reserves and Munlochy and Udale Bay and the famous dolphins that can be best viewed on cruises from Cromarty. Continue north visiting Dunrobin Castle and Gardens bringing to life the lives through the centuries of the Earls of Sutherland. Here you can enjoy a display of the ancient sport of falconry in the gardens of the castle. Return to the Inverness area for your overnight stay. Accommodation in Inverness area

Day 5: Today travel south again going via Loch Ness. Loch Ness forms part of the Caledonian Canal a feat of some great engineering by Thomas Telford linking East Scotland with West by using a series of lochs linked by a canal system. Make a stop at Urquhart Castle, a very scenic spot and also the place where the most sightings of “Nessie” have been. Continue towards Fort William, which nestles beneath the highest mountain in Great Britain – Ben Nevis.  If time allows, why not take a ride up in a gondola at Anoch Mor that on a good day will offer stunning views over the west coast. From Fort William, continue south.

Day 6: Today take a day boat trip to Mull, Iona and Staffa. The tour leaves from Oban Harbour and is renowned as one of the best day tours in the UK, providing a scenic route through the beautiful island of Mull and a visit to the Isle of Iona where Columba landed in 563 brought Christianity to Scotland from Ireland. You can also visit the famous abbey founded by St Columbus before you continue on to the uninhabited Island of Staffa, which is famous for its basaltic formations, the best know of which is Fingals Cave, immortalised in Mendelssohn’s Herbridean Overture. Return to your ovenight in Oban area.

Day 7: Today depart Oban passing through the Brander Pass travel through the beautiful and mysterious Rannoch Moor and into the heart of the Trossachs, known as the “gateway to the Highlands”. Follow the banks of Loch Lomond and then travel onto Stirling. Finish today with a visit to Stirling Castle, which has played such an important role in much of Scotland’s vibrant history. The Visitor Centre has a very good audio-visual exhibition explaining much of the history. Overnight Stirling area.

Day 8: Unfortunately it is time to leave Scotland.  Return to the airport and leave your car.