Day 1 - Arrival
Arrive Edinburgh/Glasgow and collect rental car. Travel into Edinburgh
and enjoy a visit of Edinburgh Castle or take a panoramic city tour
by bus. Overnight in Edinburgh.
Day 2 - Loch Lomond & Oban
Head north along Loch Lomond stopping off at Luss to visit the Thistle
Bagpipe Works. Continue west with the option of stopping for lunch
at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar to enjoy some of the fresh produce before
heading through Inveraray visiting the castle and jail. Continue north
to Oban spending time in Kilmartin Glen experiencing the Neolithic
and Bronze Age chambered and round carins, stone circles and rock
carvings. Visit Dunadd Fort the ancient capital of Scotland then known
as Dalriada. Overnight in Oban area.
Day 3 - Isle of Mull
Today spend the day exploring Mull and Iona either by car or enjoy
the sites from the sea and 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
Mendelssohns Herbridean Overture. Return to Oban for your ovenight..
Day 4 - Glencoe & Isle of
Skye
Today continue north from Oban through Glencoe with its spectacular
landscape and onto Fort William set in the shadow of Ben Nevis, Britain's
highest mountain. Take the road to Mallaig to enjoy the short ferry
over to Skye or continue on the road to Kyle and take the bridge to
explore Skye, the largest and most scenic of the Hebridean Islands.
Overnight on Skye.
Day 5 - Loch Ness & Inverness
Head east today for the Inverness area meandering gently along shores
of Loch Lochy and Loch Ness via Urquhart Castle, which dates back
to the 12th century and was originally built to guard the route through
the glen! If you dare, take a cruise on Loch Ness, most famous for
the illusive monster. Overnight in the Inverness area
Day 6 - Sutherland
Today begins with a visit to Inverness, capital of the Highlands,
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 which 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.
Day 7 -Speyside & Perthshire
Today travel east of Inverness where you can visit the Battlefield
of Culloden and Clava Cairns, which date back to the 3rd millennium
BC. These are burial chambers which are made up of 3 impressive round
chambered cairns surrounded by a ring of stones. Taking the Speyside
route explore some of the Malt Whisky Trail. The Speyside area is
home to more than half of all the country's distilleries plus the
coopers who repair the oak casks each year. Continue towards Perthshire
through Braemar and Royal Deeside passing by Balmoral Castle and Crathie
Church, Queen Elizabeth’s highland residence and church before
heading through the ski area of Glenshee. Continue south towards Perth/Fife
where you will overnight.
Day 8 - Fife & St.Andrews
Today, if time permits, visit St Andrew’s, named after Scotland's
patron saint. Visit the impressive ruins of the cathedral, once the
most magnificent in the country and St Andrews Castle where visitors
can wander through damp, mossy tunnels to the dungeons. St Andrew's
is also the famous home of golf, played on the Old Course since the
15th century. Continue along the coast via the small fishing villages
of Elie and Pitenweem. Cross the Forth Road Bridge with its spectacular
views of the Firth of Forth before returning your car to Edinburgh
/ Glasgow and joining your flight home.
