6. The Ultimate Tour

Day 1
Transfer from Edinburgh Airport to hotel.  Rest and recuperation.  Edinburgh sightseeing and dinner. Stay at The Beverley Hotel

Day 2
Edinburgh – East Neuk - St Andrews – Tay Bridge - Discovery Centre, Dundee - Meikleour – Dunkeld

Forth Bridge

Leave Edinburgh and cross the Forth Bridge.  The neighbouring Forth Rail Bridge is a very well known landmark in central Scotland and was completed in 1890 to become the longest bridge in the world.  Follow the ‘Fife Coastal Tourist Route’ to St Andrews.  Stop in Pittenweem and Crail to admire these lovely fishing villages.

St Andrews is the ‘home of golf’ as well as having Scotland’s oldest University and the historic (although ruined) Cathedral and Castle.  Spend an hour or two walking on the beach, taking photographs of the famous Old Course and strolling through the ancient streets.

Cross the Tay Bridge and (time permitting) visit the Discovery Centre in Dundee, the award winning museum and exhibition of Captain Scott’s Antarctic trips (complete with ‘The Discovery’ herself in dock). 

Scenic drive to Meikleour in Perthshire to admire the world’s tallest hedge and then a short drive to Dunkeld on the banks of the river Tay.  There is a great traditional pub in the village where traditional folk music is played most evenings.  Dunkeld Cathedral is the oldest centre of Christian worship in Scotland and beautifully located next to the river. Stay at the Birnam Guest House.

Day 3
Dunkeld – The Hermitage - Pitlochry – Edradour Distillery - Blair Castle - Culloden Battlefield – Clava Cairns - Inverness

Queen's View

The Hermitage is a beautiful (easy) woodland/waterfall walk just 5 minutes from Dunkeld.  Drive north up the A9 and stop at Pitlochry to visit the Edradour Distillery.  This is the smallest distillery in Scotland with free tours and a lovely location in the Perthshire hills.

We continue north and stop at Blair Castle for a tour of this magnificent building and lunch in their popular café

Drive north to Inverness and stop at Culloden Battlefield, a few miles south of Inverness.  It was here the Jacobite rebellion finally came to a violent end at the hands of the Duke of Cumberland and government soldiers.  A windswept moorland, it is not difficult to imagine the horrors that took place here in 1746.  Short drive to Clava Cairns, prehistoric burial cairns in near perfect condition.

Continue to Inverness (capital of the Highlands), arriving early evening for sightseeing and dinner. Stay at the Inverness Guest House

Day 4
Loch Ness, Invergarry, Glen Shiel, Five Sisters View, Eilean Donan Castle, Plockton

A short drive to famous Loch Ness. Urquhart Castle visitor centre is the most famous and most beautiful part of the loch.  Optional boat trip at Fort Augustus or from Inverness in the morning prior to departure for Urquhart Castle.

Eilean Donan Castle

Continue to Invergarry and the Well of the Seven Heads before scenic drive and lunch at the remote Cluanie Inn (Glen Shiel).  One of Scotland’s best mountain viewpoints is in Glen Shiel – the Five Sisters View. 

Visit the most photographed castle in Scotland – iconic Eilean Donan Castle.  Spectacular, historic, romantic and quintessentially Scottish.  Used extensively in various famous movies.

Early evening arrive Plockton.  Delightfully pretty coastal village and base for 2 nights. Stay at the Plockton Hotel

Day 5
Isle of Skye day tour

Drive to Skye over the famous road bridge towards Sligachan for a view of the Cuillin Mountains, the most dramatic range of mountains in Scotland.

Continue to Portree and stop for lunch.  Stop at Kilt Rock and the world famous Quiraing (very unusual rock formations amidst wild Highland scenery). Visit the ruins of Duntulm Castle, perched over the sea with views to the Isle of Harris. Visit the Museum of Island Life and Flora Macdonald’s grave at Kilmuir.  Continue to the Faerie Hills.

Time permitting drive down the A881 to Elgol for a very famous view of the Cuillin mountains.  Catch the small ferry to Glenelg (back on the mainland). Stay at the Plockton Hotel

Day 6
Torridon – Gairloch/Inverewe – Corrieshalloch Gorge – Ullapool – ( Summer Isles)

Drive through Torridon, Shieldaig and Lochcarron.  Spectacular mountain scenery.  Along the banks of Loch Maree, the view to the magnificent mountain of Slioch is inspiring.

Continue to Kinlochewe and towards Poolewe and Gruinard.  Optional stop at Inverewe Gardens (a wonderful array of foreign plants thriving because of the proximity of the Gulf Stream to the west coast of Scotland) or a walk on the beaches. 

Onwards to Corrieshalloch Gorge and the pedestrian suspension bridge.  Stop for fish and chips in Ullapool before option of continuing north to the Summer Isles and Achiltibuie for overnight stop. Stay at Ullapool – The Ceilidah Place or
Achilitbuie - Summer Isles Hotel

Day 7

Glencoe

Inverness – Loch Ness – Fort William – Glen Nevis – Glencoe - Killin

South to Inverness and then west to Fort William.  At Glen Nevis there is a lovely walk to the Falls of Steal. 

Cross Loch Leven at Ballachulish and onwards to Glencoe, this magnificent and most famous of glens. Spectacular mountain scenery and scene of one of Scotland’s most tragic events, the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692.

Continue towards Crianlarich and Killin.  Set against the backdrop of the mountains of Breadalbane, Killin is a pretty Perthshire village.  The River Dochart runs through the town and The Falls of Dochart are a popular tourist attraction. Stay at the Breadalbane Guesthouse.

Day 8
Rob Roy’s Grave – Trossachs – Loch Lomond – Inchmahome – Wallace Monument – Stirling Castle - Edinburgh

First stop Rob Roy Macgregor’s Grave.  This famous Highland character is buried in the pretty churchyard at Balqhuidder

Scenic drive towards Kilmahog. and then following the ‘Trossachs Trail’  to Aberfoyle.  Towards Loch Katrine for a boat trip on the Victorian steamship the ‘Sir Walter Scott’.  Onwards to the ‘queen of lochs’ Loch Lomond  at Inversnaid.  Here there is a lovely walk and viewpoint (part of a Royal Society of Protection of Birds nature walk).

Towards historic Stirling and the National Wallace Monument, the magnificent tower commemorating Scotland’s greatest patriot!  Stirling Castle is only a few minutes away and Scotland’s most important historic building is a truly fitting way to end the tour.

Return to Edinburgh. Stay at The Beverley Hotel

Day 9
Edinburgh Sightseeing/Airport Transfer

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