Arrive at Edinburgh airport and travel into the city by taxi, bus, or tram. Leave your luggage in your hotel and perhaps explore the capital by foot, or jump on a hop-on hop-off bus tour to find out about Edinburgh’s majestic and inspiring history.
Today is at your leisure, perhaps walk down into the Grassmarket, with its individual shops, eateries, pubs and rich history. Visit the National Museum of Scotland and find out about our culture and history, and if you are a fan of author JK Rowling, see where she visited to get inspiration for the Harry Potter novels.
Hotel : Apex Grassmarket Hotel
Start your exploration of Edinburgh in the Old Town at Edinburgh Castle, which is at the top of the famous Royal Mile, overlooking Princes Street Gardens and the New Town. In 1566 Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI in the royal palace in the castle, and the tiny bed-closet still survives. Importantly to Scots, the Stone of Destiny, Scotland’s coronation stone, was placed in the Crown Room alongside the nation’s Crown Jewels, following its return from Westminster. Continue down the Royal Mile past St Giles Cathedral, the historic City Church of Edinburgh with its crown spire. There are many alleyways, steeped in history, off the Royal Mile to explore or perhaps you might like to take a ghost tour. At the bottom, you will pass the Scottish Parliament building to arrive at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen in Scotland. Next, you can take a trip around the New Town and visit the Georgian House in Charlotte Square, where you can experience the elegance of 18th-century living.
Hotel : Apex Grassmarket Hotel
This morning you will be met by your guide and depart for the Highlands. First stop will be Stirling Castle which overlooks the River Forth where William Wallace defeated the army of Edward I. From the ramparts you can see the Wallace Monument, a 220-foot high tower, built in 1869 to commemorate William “Braveheart” Wallace.
We will then travel north-west perhaps stopping at the town of Callander before ascending into the highlands. We cross over remote Rannoch Moor, a wilderness dotted with peat bogs and lochans to the most atmospheric of all Scottish glens, Glencoe where we will stop to view its majestic peaks. This area is steeped in history, and at the Visitor Centre, you will hear about the infamous 1692 massacre. We then cross the Ballachulish bridge and soon arrive in the highland town of Fort William.
Hotel : Nevis Bank Inn Hotel or Garrison Hotel
Your destination today is Skye or the Misty Isle. It is a beautiful island with wild scenery, geological marvels and breathtaking mountain peaks. We continue our journey through spectacular Highland glens before reaching the coast and crossing over to Skye. After lunch visit Dunvegan Castle, the stronghold of the Chief of the MacLeod Clan for nearly 800 years where you can take a tour and see relics such as the Dunvegan Cup and the famous Fairie Flag of Dunvegan which was given to the Clan who helped a Fairy Queen, said to help the Clan in times of need.
Hotel : Cuillin Hills Hotel or Marmalade Hotel
We drive north past The Storr the highest point on the Trotternish Ridge, the longest geological landslip in Britain. Below The Storr is The Sanctuary, where you will see the famous rock pinnacles such as the Old Man of Storr, and the Needle Rock. We continue further around the coast where the Mealt Waterfall drops 300 feet into the sea sometimes never reaching the water, but getting blown away by the wind. From here you can see Kilt Rock, where columns of basalt rock form what looks like pleats of a kilt on the cliff face. We then take a drive over The Quiraing, an outstanding area where, if you are brave enough to walk the narrow path and clamber up and down the steep slopes – you will be rewarded on a clear day by views of the Outer Hebrides and the Scottish mainland. Visit the Skye Museum of Island Life where you will see a township of thatched cottages, showing you what life was like for the islanders centuries ago. We also visit a distillery for a tour and tasting of single malt whiskey.
Hotel : Cuillin Hills Hotel or Marmalade Hotel
Today we travel to Inverness making our way over the Skye Bridge to Eilean Donan Castle, situated on an island at the point where three lochs meet, one of the most photographed castles in Scotland. Travel through some stunning scenery towards Fort Augustus on the southern tip of Loch Ness, stop for lunch and to marvel at Thomas Telford’s feat of engineering, the flight of locks leading into the Caledonian Canal. Here we also enjoy a cruise on Loch Ness and a chance to spot Nessie, the monster.
Hotel : Glen Moriston Hotel
This morning we will return south travelling through the mountains of the Cairngorms National Park. Before leaving the Highlands you will visit the Culloden Battlefield where the last battle was fought by the Jacobites. Our route then takes us over the Drumochter Pass (the highest pass in the highlands) as we travel through Blair Atholl to the Queens View, believed to be named after Queen Victoria who visited the area in 1866. The stunning view across Loch Tummel to Schiehallion, a prominent mountain in Perth and Kinross, is one of the best in Scotland. The following morning take a taxi to Edinburgh airport for your return flights.
Hotel : Dakota Hotel
