Outdoor Adventure & Cultural Tours with Personal Tours of Scotland

Duration: 10 Days

Trip Overview

A fabulous tour showing off the very best of Scotland, her scenery, history, cuisine and culture. There will be eight full touring days, with the arrival night in Edinburgh before and the last night at either Edinburgh city centre or the airport if you have an early departure flight. We will pick you up at your Edinburgh Hotel before heading out on your Highland adventure!

Luxury Vehicles with Tables

We will be using bespoke customised Mercedes Sprinter minibuses, there are 8 individual comfortable seats in each bus with tables and charging points for your devices. There will be no limitations on luggage (Please do not bring the kitchen sink!) The vehicles are being built as we speak so photos to follow! (Did i mention the fridge and the Whisky bar?)

Scotland's Top Tour Guides

We are fortunate to have gathered some of the best guides in Scotland. Each driver/guide is knowledgeable, flexible, entertaining and fun! One overall pre-requisite that they all share, is their undying love for Scotland.

Tour Itinerary

Let’s take a brief look into what each day will look like.

Day 1 - Arrival Day

We chose a city centre hotel right in the heart of the Old Town. Enjoy one of the most vibrant cities in Europe!

People will be arriving at different times and days so make your own way to the city centre.

It’s very easy. From outside the Airport Terminal building, follow the signs for the Trams. They leave every 10 minutes, just get your ticket before you board. Get off at St. Andrews Square and your hotel is only a 5 minute walk. Alternatively, there is the Airlink bus that lets you off at Waverley train station (5 minute walk to your hotel).

If you wish to get a private chauffeur to meet you for an airport transfer, you can book this as an optional extra.

Day 2 - Edinburgh to Inverness

After collecting you from your Edinburgh Hotel we head from one UNESCO World Heritage site to another…the amazing Forth Bridge.

Tibbermore Church (Witches Trial in Outlander!) A beautiful walk in Scotlands ‘big tree’ country to a stunning waterfall. Lunch in the Spa town of Pitlochry As we get close to Inverness, there are two ‘must see’ places, Clava Cairns (5000 year old Standing Stones & Tombs) & Culloden Battlefield 1746

Dinner included: In the evening, we take you to great wee pub for some Scottish food and some Ceilidh music.

Day 3 - Inverness to Plockton

We travel down Loch Ness taking in fascinating Loch Ness Visitor centre (included) Urquart Castle and on this famous body of water. Plenty of photo opportunities before heading into the Wild West Highlands via a lovely waterfall walk.

On to Fort Willian to catch the Jacobite Express to Mallaig and onward over the sea to Skye. We then come off via the bridge to overnight in one of Scotlands most beautiful villages, Plockton, know as the ‘Jewel of the Highlands’ (It makes sense to me)

Dinner included in the Plockton Hotel

Day 4 - Tour Northern Isle of Skye

We cross over the sea to Skye to discover an embarrassment of riches on the Isle of Skye from the stunning Qhuirang and the Old Man of Storr to Portree and Dunvegan Castle.

There are so many routes and different thing to see, your guide will chat to you about all of the options…including meeting Faeries and Giants!

Alternatively, a very pleasant tour taking in the Kylerhea ferry to Glenelg and discover stunning Lochalsh…off the beaten track! A lovely afternoon boat trip around Plockton Harbour.

Dinner included this evening at the Plockton Inn

Day 5 - Elgol & The Small Isles

Today, we experience one of the best days of your tour. Drive the winding road on Skye to Elgol (think Lord of the Rings…then some!). Perhaps we’ll be met by some Hairy Highland Cattle on the road!

We board our vessel for a private charter to the Small Isles, some uninhabited. We drop anchor a a fishing boat will pull alongside and we have the ‘Catch of the day’ for lunch…it doesn’t get any fresher than this.

We’ll bring along plenty of extra food for those who don’t want seafood!

Keep your eyes on the water to possibly see Dolphins, Minke Whales and Basking Sharks on the voyage.

If the weather permits, we’ll head on to a beach on the remote isles.

A great day out…you’ll sleep well tonight!

Dinner included at the Plockton Hotel

Day 6 - Plockton to Callander

We sadly depart the Isle of Skye by Ferry to Mallaig and follow the route of the Jacobite Express. Stop for a walk on the Silver sands of Morar, a flawless white powdery beach against pristine waters of the North Atlantic.

View the stunning Glenfinnan viaduct which you crossed over on the train a couple of days earlier.

Through stunning Glencoe and on to the Trossachs town of Callander.

For the next three nights, we base ourselves here at Poppies Boutique Hotel.

Dinner included in Poppies.

As Poppies has only 9 bedrooms (and we have two groups of 8, ) if there are a few single occupancy rooms, we will use a lovely hotel within a minutes walk for the overflow.

Dinner included at Poppies

Day 7 - Trossachs Trail

Today, we venture into the the amazing Trossachs Trail and all of its treasures. Visit the strange bicycle tree at Brig o’ Turk including the wonderful Dukes Pass mountain drive. This day may be as relaxing or as busy as you wish. Enjoy a sheepdog show demonstration and feed some Hairy Highland Coos.

Enjoy lunch at a 17th century Inn.

We then head into the pretty town of Callander, here you can have some free time to shop or walk the Callander Meadows.

Before Dinner at the hotel, we have an excellent and very entertaining ‘Whisky Tasting Masterclass’. If you don’t like Whisky, it’s just because you haven’t found yours yet. You do not choose the Whisky…the Whisky chooses you!

Day 8 - Stirling Castle & Highland Perthshire

We head west into Braveheart Country! It is said that “He who holds Stirling, holds Scotland!” Explore Stirling Castle before heading to view the Wallace monument.

Lunch in the pretty town of Dunblane before heading back into the hills.

Have a quick walk around Cultybraggan WW2 POW camp where Italian & German Prisoners of War got up to all sorts of mischief!

Enjoy the dead centre of Scotland, the quaint town of Comrie, the ‘shaky toun’, more earthquakes here than anywhere else in the UK!

Day 9 - Callander to Edinburgh

We depart the Trossachs and it’s not long before we visit Doune Castle. This was made famous with TV series ‘Outlander’ as Castle Leoch, ‘Game of Thrones’ as Winterfell and a very silly movie called Monty Python and the Holy Grail. We then head down country to the amazing Kelpies, giant 100ft high recycled steel Clydesdale water horses symbolising Scotland’s rich industrial strength.

On to the stunning medieval town of Culross, deeply rooted in Scotland’s witch trials of the 17th century. We arrive in Edinburgh mid afternoon.

We will either drop you off at the airport or at your city centre hotel.

Day 10 - Departure Day

As many of you have different departure times or are staying on for a day or two, we ask you to make your own way to the airport.

Trams depart every 10 minutes from the wee small hours from Waverley station directly to the terminal building or the is a Airlink bus every twenty minutes.

We can organise a private Airport Transfer for you if you wish. There is an option on booking.

Farewell and Haste ye back to Bonnie Scotland.

Includes

Accommodation:

• City centre hotel in Edinburgh or Airport.
• Overnight stays in Inverness, Plockton (3 nights), and Callander (3 nights).
• Final night accommodation in Edinburgh or airport hotel.

Transport:

• Transport throughout the tour.
• Return drop-off at city centre hotel or airport in Edinburgh.
• Transfers can be organised

Meals: Dinners included on Days 2-9.

Activities and Sightseeing:

• Loch Ness Visitor Centre and Urquhart Castle entry.
• Jacobite Express train ride.
• Private charter boat trip to the Small Isles.
• Whisky tasting masterclass.
• Entry to Stirling Castle.
• Sheepdog show and Highland cow feeding.

Excludes

• Certain Meals: Lunches and breakfasts (unless specifically mentioned). Dinner on Day 1 and Day 10.

• Personal Expenses: Personal purchases, souvenirs, and other personal expenses.

• Transport to the Starting Point: Transport to the city centre hotel in Edinburgh at the start of the tour. Transport to the airport or onward destinations at the end of the tour.

• Optional Extras: Private airport transfer on arrival and departure. Any additional optional activities or excursions not explicitly mentioned in the itinerary.

Important to Know

• We prefer strangers not to share the same room.

Payments

A deposit payment of £500 Per Person is due upon booking ( Including Fees ) with the balance due 60 days before tour start date.