Accommodation

Malmaison Hotel Edinburgh Malmaison Hotel Edinburgh Kingsmills, Inverness The Pentland, Thurso The Pentland, Thurso The Dunollie, Broadford Ballachulish, Glencoe Radisson Blu, Glasgow

Others

6 Dinner (D) 8 Breakfast (B) 1 Afternoon Tea (AT) Wick: Visit the highly rated Wick Heritage Museum to gain a full picture of this once thriving fishing community and how your visit helps keep the story of this town alive. The Wick Society is committed to preserving and promoting Wick’s proud heritage for the inspiration of future generations. They collect, collate and display the many artefacts that tell the history of Wick and their community ethos is one of welcome and sharing. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities. Wick: Share a wee dram with a master distiller as you appreciate the distinctive flavors of a selection of whiskies. Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas. Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert’s fascinating commentary. Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you’ll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels. We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door. From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with a Brendan Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination. Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available). If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with us, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport. Edinburgh: Enjoy a relaxing dinner at a local restaurant and get to know your fellow travelers. Pitlochry: Atholl Palace, built as a Victorian Baronial retreat, is over 130 years old. The Palace plays host to your afternoon tea. You are welcomed into the banqueting room to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea accompanied by sandwiches, scones, Scottish shortbread and traditional Scottish tablet. Glencoe: Your adventure culminates with a wonderful evening enjoying the best Highland hospitality and market-fresh ingredients. Wick: Visit the highly rated Wick Heritage Museum to gain a full picture of this once thriving fishing community and how your visit helps keep the story of this town alive. The Wick Society is committed to preserving and promoting Wick’s proud heritage for the inspiration of future generations. They collect, collate and display the many artefacts that tell the history of Wick and their community ethos is one of welcome and sharing. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities. Wick: Share a wee dram with a master distiller as you appreciate the distinctive flavors of a selection of whiskies. Orkney Islands: Cruise to the windswept Orkney Islands. Come face-to-face with relics spanning human history, from pagan stone circles to reminders of wartime tragedy. Glencoe: Join a ranger in the spectacular Valley of Glencoe, learn about the protection of this rare ecosystem and the important work reintroducing lost indigenous species to its flora and fauna. The Natural Reserve carries out important scientific research and conversation initiatives to protect the fragile biodiversity including rare alpine flowers, mosses, mountain hares, red deer and birdlife such as golden eagles. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land. Edinburgh: A hush descends and eyes turn to the castle. The skirl of the pipes rises and drums crack the night air as a tide of tunics and tartan flood from the drawbridge. For a limited time in August, witness the incredible spectacle of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Edinburgh: Visit Edinburgh Castle to view the Scottish Crown Jewels, Mons Meg and other artefacts with your Local Expert. Edinburgh: Explore the city with your Local Specialist as you travel along Princes Street to see the Scott Memorial, the neoclassical Adam facades of New Town and the official Scottish residence of the King, Palace of Holyroodhouse. St. Andrews: Visit the university town where the famous beach scene from ’Chariots of Fire’ was filmed and see the golf course where the sport was created. Inverness: See the River Ness, Inverness Castle and beautiful scenery as you explore the history of this Highland city. Inverness: At the exciting Culloden Visitor Center, discover why the Battle of Culloden lasted only an hour yet changed the Highland way of life forever. Loch Ness: Drive along the shores in search of the legendary monster. Isle of Skye: See the dramatic Cuillin Hills and stay in pretty Broadford. Eilean Donan: Stop for a photo of this gorgeous castle built on an island in the Loch. Fort William: Enjoy an excellent view of Ben Nevis from the World War II Commando Memorial. Glencoe: Drive through this Highland village on Loch Leven. Loch Lomond: Enjoy time to explore the beautiful ’Queen of Scottish Lochs’. Glasgow: See the grand public buildings, including George Square and St. Mungo’s Cathedral. Enjoy the comfort of the luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches. Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Guide

Travel Director

Meals

Meals as stated

Transport

Ferry

Not included:

Insurance

Insurance is not included

Optional

Other activities and services are not included

Flights

Flights are not included

Others

Other activities and services are not included

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Welcome To Edinburgh
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Welcome To Edinburgh

Join your Travel Director for dinner at a local restaurant. On select departures, during your time in Edinburgh you will also attend The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo — a colorful mix of pipes and drums, dance and display, set against the floodlit backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
Day 2 Day 2: Edinburgh, The Capital Of Culture
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Edinburgh, The Capital Of Culture

Join a Local Expert to see the highlights of the city. In the Old Town, see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the King. Drive along Princes Street to the ornate Scott Memorial, then see the 18th century New Town with its neoclassical Georgian facades. Venture up the Royal Mile to visit Edinburgh Castle, home of Mons Meg and Scotland’s Crown Jewels. The rest of the day is at leisure; why not visit the art treasures in the National Gallery?
Day 3 Day 3: To St. Andrews And The Highland Capital Of Inverness
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: To St. Andrews And The Highland Capital Of Inverness

Cross the Firth of Forth into Fife and journey to St. Andrews, passing the Old Course, home of golf since its creation in the 15th century. Enjoy free time to explore. Perhaps stroll to West Sands Beach where the famous ’Chariots of Fire’ scene was filmed? Alternatively, wander to St. Andrews University where the love story of Kate Middleton meeting her Prince Charming began. Continue via Blair Atholl and pass the Grampian Mountains on the way to the sparkling Spey Valley. Stop at Atholl Palace and Gardens for a delicious cream tea. Originally opened in Victorian times, the hotel retains many traditional features.
Day 4 Day 4: Culloden, Loch Ness And Onto Thurso
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Culloden, Loch Ness And Onto Thurso

Keep your eyes peeled for the Loch Ness monster this morning during a scenic drive along the legendary lake. See Culloden Battlefield in the morning, where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite army was crushed in 1746. Visit the Culloden Visitor Center. Next, with Insight Choice discover the fishing port of Wick. Choose to visit the Old Pulteney Distillery to taste a wee dram of its award-winning whiskies. Alternatively, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience with a visit to the highly rated Wick Heritage Museum and hear about the past of this once thriving fishing community.
Day 5 Day 5: A Day In The Orkney Islands
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: A Day In The Orkney Islands

Start the day by boarding the ferry to the beautiful Orkney Islands where the countryside is breathtakingly majestic and the tranquillity supports a quieter pace of life. Here the hardy locals say they live ‘below the wind and above the water.’ Your Travel Director accompanies you as you visit the 5000-year-old village of Skara Brae, the old Norse Town of Kirkwall, the mysterious Ring of Brodgar, Kirkwall and the small chapel built by Italian prisoners during World War II.
Day 6 Day 6: Over The Sea To Skye
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Over The Sea To Skye

Travel through stunning, pristine landscapes along the northern coast with its white sandy beaches, and further inland to misty valleys and glens, lochs and rushing waters. Then it’s ‘Over the Sea to Skye,’ the largest and most beautiful island of the Inner Hebrides. On the way to Broadford, hear romantic tales of how young Flora MacDonald helped rescue Bonnie Prince Charlie and see the dramatic Cuillin Hills.
Day 7 Day 7: Through The Scottish Highlands To Glencoe Relaxed Start
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Through The Scottish Highlands To Glencoe Relaxed Start

Take in this wild and beautiful landscape before crossing to the Kyle of Lochalsh. Stop for a photo at remote Eilean Donan Castle, which under a clear sky offers a perfect reflection in its loch. Move on to the WWII Commando Memorial where there is a fine view of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. Enjoy spectacular scenery en route to the Valley of Glencoe. Join a ranger for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, learn about the protection of this rare ecosystem and the important work reintroducing lost indigenous species to its flora and fauna. In the evening, enjoy market-fresh Scottish ingredients and wine, as you get together with your newfound friends for a sumptuous dinner. Don’t be surprised if, by the end of the evening, you’re ’Toasting to the Lassies’ or singing ’Auld Lang Syne’.
Day 8 Day 8: Along The Bonnie Banks Of Loch Lomond To Glasgow Relaxed Start
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Along The Bonnie Banks Of Loch Lomond To Glasgow Relaxed Start

Spend time around peaceful Loch Lomond, ‘Queen of Scottish Lochs’ according to Sir Walter Scott and the largest in Great Britain. Perhaps experience the beauty and tranquillity of the loch with an optional cruise before continuing to Glasgow? An orientation drive through the city will show you the grand public buildings, including George Square and St. Mungo’s Cathedral. Then the rest of the afternoon is at your leisure.
Day 9 Day 9: Depart Glasgow
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Depart Glasgow

Today, bid farewell to your journey along the country roads of Scotland as you transfer to the airport.

9 days tour

Country Roads Of Scotland (Classic Group, 9 Days)

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Country Roads Of Scotland (Classic Group, 9 Days)

Day 1: Welcome To Edinburgh

Day 2: Edinburgh, The Capital Of Culture

Day 3: To St. Andrews And The Highland Capital Of Inverness

Day 4: Culloden, Loch Ness And Onto Thurso

Day 5: A Day In The Orkney Islands

Day 6: Over The Sea To Skye

Day 7: Through The Scottish Highlands To Glencoe Relaxed Start

Day 8: Along The Bonnie Banks Of Loch Lomond To Glasgow Relaxed Start

Day 9: Depart Glasgow

Experience Style

Accomodation level

Experience Type

Physical Rating

Age range

Who talk about us:

Best cities to travel to

America

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania