The Kelpies & The Helix

The tour will start at your chosen location in Edinburgh or Glasgow including surrounding area. Your kilted guide will meet you at the arranged time and give you a quick introduction to the tour. We will then depart the city and towards the Scottish Highlands with the option to make our first stop The Kelpies a famous steel structure that resembles two huge horse heads affectionately know as Baron & Duke.

Stirling Castle

We will then pass by Stirling Castle and over the river Forth towards the Highlands. This is a pass by Stirling Castle although we can alter the itinerary to make a stop here if requested.

We will have optional stops along this road and will get the chance to meet Scotland’s most famous residents the “Hairy Coo’s” where there is the possibility of feeding them. Options for lunch are around this area, or you may wish to take something on the go from the lovely town of Callander which has many fresh baked goods to choose from.

Glencoe

Passing into the spectacular Glencoe we will make multiple stops through here and depending on the itinerary we could include a small hike in the area. The landscape here was created through volcanic eruptions and sculpted during the last ice age. Your guide will tell you some interesting stories here about Clan warfare and also how the area was used as a back drop for big movies such as James Bond, Harry Potter & Highlander to name but a few.

Loch Ness Region

We will pass through Fort William given its name from a British King when the garrison was originally founded in 1690 and on towards Loch Ness where we will stop in the town of Fort Augustus at the foot of the Loch. You may wish to spend some time in this charming town or you may wish to get ahead and make an extra stop at Urquhart Castle.

From Fort Augustus we will make the drive onwards along Loch Ness past Urquhart Castle which if time permits you may wish to visit the inside of this famous castle ruin. This Castle was a sign of strength and defiance in the Highlands until the Government blew it up in 1692 to prevent it falling into Jacobite control.

Inverness

Arriving at your chosen accommodation in the Highland Capital City of Inverness. We recommend making dinner reservations if you want to eat in the many popular restaurants such as the Mustard Seed. If you feel you still have enough energy to stay out later, you could try the award winning Hootenanny’s famed for its traditional Scottish music scene and plentiful choices of Whisky.

John O'Groats

Day 2 will start in Inverness with the drive North towards the ferry at Gills Bay. On the way North we will see the landscape quickly change with less mountainous terrain and more farmland passing over the Black Isle famed for its dark rich soil making it a very prosperous agricultural region. We continue past Dunrobin Castle and on to the most northernly mainland village John o Groats where we can stop and get the iconic picture of the village sign and grab a refreshment before the ferry.

We board the ferry at Gills Bay and cross over the Pentland Firth onto the Orkney Archipelago with an estimated crossing of just over 1 hour.

The Italian Chapel

Upon arriving on South Ronaldsay one of the many Orkney islands it’s just a short drive from St Maragaret’s Hope up to the famous Italian Chapel where you have the option to go inside and see the wonderful Category A listed building built by Italian POW’s during World War II.

Kirkwall

Arriving at our final stop of the day Kirkwall you will have the option to go and explore the town and visit famous sites such as the Bishops Palace and St Magnus Cathedral built when Kirkwall was a Viking stronghold.

Orkney Islands

Day 3 we will visit the sites your group wants to visit the most. You may want to mainly visit the Neolithic sites such as Skara Brae, Maeshowe and the Ring of Brodgar or you may want to catch a ferry to Lyness to hike the Old Man of Hoy and visit the Scapa Flow Museum. Any additional attractions that require a ferry such as the island of Hoy must be arranged in advance to ensure we can arrange the ferry crossings. This day will be planned with your tour planner to ensure we make the most of our time on Orkney. Locations such as Maeshowe MUST be booked in advance. We will assist and offer our guidance for this day as it is completely customised to each group.

Stromness

Day 4 we catch the ferry back to mainland Scotland using a different ferry (if available) which also passes by the tallest sea stack in Britain the Old Man of Hoy. Depending on the time of year we may opt to catch the first ferry of the day which would require a very early start but this will. Be discussed in the booking process.

North Coast 500

Arriving into the port of Scrabster near Thurso we will drive West towards our overnight location of Ullapool. We will drive large parts of the famous North Coast 500 on this day. Your guide or booking agent will discuss what the groups preferences are whether you would prefer to spend time exploring Smoo Cave or do a small hike at the famous Clashnessie Falls. We will cross over the Kylesku bridge and make a stop at Ardvreck Castle ruins for photos before time permitting visiting one of the Norths most pristine and picturesque beaches Achmelvich Bay before arriving at Ullapool the picture-perfect town on the mouth of Loch Broom where we will spend our last night on tour here.

Rogie Falls

Day 5 we start with a drive along the sea inlet of Loch Broom and heading East towards the Highland capital of Inverness. On the road towards Inverness, you may wish to stretch the legs with a small hike at Rogie Falls.

Culloden Battlefield

Passing through Inverness we will drive towards Culloden Battlefield where the is the option to visit the site of the last Jacobite battle the last pitched battle on British soil, where the Jacobites were crushed by the Duke of Cumberland ending any possibility of a Stuart King on the British throne.

Clava Cairns

We will also visit the ancient standing stones of Clava Cairns nearby made famous by Diana Gabaldon in the hit TV series Outlander.

Ruthven Barracks

We will then pass through the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest and Cairngorm National Park with an additional stop time permitting at Ruthven barracks the Jacobite fall-back position after Culloden.

Dalwhinnie Distillery

If you preffered to skip Culloden or other previous stops it may leave time to visit Dalwhinnie Whiskly distillery. Whisky Tours use be booked in advance and are on the basis of availability.

Pitlochry

We will make one final stop in Pitlochry for a comfort break before coming back into the city of Edinburgh or Glasgow depending on where you would like to end the tour.