what to bring...
- outdoor footwear
- lots of thin layers (even in summer)
- a light waterproof jacket (April-October)
- deet or mosquito repellent (June-September)
classic tour of the highlands
your own guided tour of the Scottish highlands
Day One: Leave Edinburgh at 8.30am for Stirling and the West Highlands; plenty of opportunities for sightseeing on this private tour and first off - visit Stirling with its castle and view the Wallace Monument. We recount the big Scottish stories from Braveheart to Bannockburn, from Rob Roy to Glen Coe, and have a closer look at how these have had an impact on the Scots and on people outside Scotland (as well as some of the lesser well known tales). After lunch at the Clachaig Inn we travel up the Great Glen (Albyn) fault line, visit Eilean Donan Castle; stay at the renowned Plockton Hotel, or the Plockton Inn, with superb seafood and with traditional live music sessions.
Day Two: Journey to the magical Isle of Skye over the Mam Ratagan Pass and then by ferry using the old cattle crossing point at Glenelg, experience the 'Lord of the Rings' landscapes of the Red and Black Cuillin Mountains, walk to an Iron Age Broch (fort), tread lightly at the wonderful and enigmatic Fairy Glen, take in the Quirang (part of the Trotternish landslip), Kilt Rock and the Old Man of Storr; this is a day of breathtaking scenery, reading the land, and hearing a local story or two; second night in Plockton (or Portree).
Day Three: In the land of Nessie, out onto Loch Ness with Augusta Tours for the folklore, history, geology and the special tranquility at the centre of this loch, lunch stop at the fine Pottery Bunkhouse - a chance for you to embrace their legendary baking, views of Blair Castle (a great fund of family lore and treasure in an ancient family home), visit Edradour, Scotland's smallest malt whisky distillery, visit the tiny 'city' of Dunkeld with its ancient cathedral, a place of spiritual significance and a centre of Christianity for over a thousand years, Birnam Wood (of Shakespeare's Macbeth) , back to Edinburgh for early evening.
For a Four Day Classic Tour, the third night's lodging can be at Dunkeld and Birnam or Pitlochry with superb opportunities for woodland walking and gardens. Day Four can include a trip to St. Andrews, home of golf, Scotland's oldest university and fine old town and beaches.
This tour can also be built around a traditional music session depending on the night. The tour can be taken with accommodation and stops serving vegetarian food. Click here
accommodation
Accommodation for this tour can be tailor-made: hotels, inns, guest houses, homely bed and breakfasts. My most popular accommodation stop-offs in Plockton, are the Plockton Hotel, the Plockton Inn, the Waterside and Driseach ( Joan and Iain Maclelland's Bed and Breakfast). In Portree I favour Ben Tianavaig, with private bathroom, and Marie Macleod's Bed and Breakfast, (0044) 1478 613636, without bathroom. In Highland Perthshire I recommend Wellwood House, Craigatin House and Kinloch House Hotel.
