Departs 08.30 - Returns 19.00 on Day 2	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
SUMMER: 25th March 2013 to 31st October 2013
All tours depart from Bus Stand ZE, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh. MAP. Duration 10 hours 30 minutes.
£89.00 per person. Discount rate £69.00 (students, over 60's and children 5-12). Accommodation is NOT included in this price - see note below. Read Full Terms of Service for this tour.
Important Tour and Accommodation Information. This tour is operated by our partner organisation Real Scottish Journeys in their own vehicle (see photo to right).  Tour price does not include accommodation. Choose from hostel (£14 to £20 per person per night), B&B (£35 to £45 per person per night) or hotel (£50+ per person per night). Accommodation is pre-booked in your name and you pay on departure. Some accommodation will only accept cash and it is always a good idea to have cash when travelling in rural Scotland. Named accommodation is not possible at the time of booking.  If booking by phone please tell us what type of accommodation you prefer. Your accommodation options explained. Tour highlights: Doune Castle Glen Coe Fort William / Inverlochy Castle Loch Ness / Urquhart Castle Inverness Culloden Battlefield Blair Athol Distillery Hermitage walk

Our new 2013 itinerary spends more time exploring the Highlands including a nature walk in Glen Coe, more time at Loch Ness (optional boat trip), Urquhart Castle, overnight in Inverness, Culloden battlefield, 4000 year old stone circles, Ruthven Barracks, a walk in ancient woodland and an optional whisky distillery tour.

Day 1

Leaving Edinburgh we pass Stirling Castle, the National Wallace Monument and stop for a photo at Doune Castle (a must-see for 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' fans!) before our first stop in the pretty Trossachs village of Callander.

As we continue north the mountains and lochs provide a dramatic backdrop for our journey to
Glen Coe, perhaps the most famous of all Scotland’s glens. This narrow valley is where the
bloody massacre of the MacDonalds took place in 1692. You may even recognise this part of
the Highlands, used as a backdrop for many movies including 'Harry Potter and
the Prisoner of Azkaban' and 'Skyfall'.

Glen Coe

After lunch and a gentle walk in Glen Coe we explore the ruins of Inverlochy Castle at
Fort William.

We drive into the Great Glen, stop for a photo of Britain’s highest mountain (Ben Nevis) and continue along the banks of Loch Ness to Fort Augustus where there is an optional boat trip.

The Highland capital, Inverness

Our overnight stay is in the northernmost city of the United Kingdom and pretty capital
of the Highlands, Inverness. There are numerous pubs, cafés and restaurants for evening entertainment.

Day 2

After being collected from your accommodation we visit 4000 year old stone circles and
burial mounds. It's then onto Culloden Moor where the Jacobites were finally defeated by government soldiers in 1746. As we drive south into the Cairngorms National Park you'll learn more about this wonderful wilderness.

Next it's onto Ruthven Barracks, once the dangerous domain of Alexander Stewart 'The
Wolf of Badenoch', now a haunting reminder of the doomed Jacobite rebellion led by Bonnie
Prince Charlie. We explore this 18th century historic fortress (free) and admire the fabulous
views from the hilltop.

Lunch is in Pitlochry, a lively Highland town with an elegant main street packed with shops
and restaurants. During our break here there is an option to visit the Blair Athol Distillery
(adults £4.00, sorry no children under 8).

Hermitage woodland and waterfall walk

Our final stop is a gentle walk through Big Tree Country to the famous waterfall and salmon leap at The Hermitage.

As we return to Edinburgh we cross the River Forth and you'll have a photo opportunity of
the Forth Rail Bridge. It amazed the world when it was completed in 1890 and has become an enduring symbol of Scotland’s engineering heritage.