Inverness & Loch Ness & The Highlands
From Edinburgh
INCLUDES: One nights accommodation in rooms with private facilities; full Scottish breakfast; Transportation by luxury Mercedes-Benz minicoach; services of a professional driver/guide; service charge and taxes.
This two day tour will let you explore one of Scotland's most popular cities, at your own pace; go monster spotting by Loch Ness and see some spectacular scenery. This really is essential Scotland!
Depart Edinburgh at 0930 heading west towards Stirling, passing Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. We also pass Doune Castle (set of Monty Python's "Holy Grail") before stopping in the small town of Callander for a refreshment stop.
We now cross over the fault line into the magnificent Highlands taking in the splendour of Loch Luibnaig, Loch Earn, Glen Ogle and Glen Dochart, as we travel north over the wild and remote Rannoch Moor into Glencoe. This haunting glen was the scene of a great massacre in 1692 where many of the Clan Macdonald were slaughtered. We stop in this imposing mountain pass and take you for a walk so you can enjoy the spectacular views.
We continue north and up the Great Glen to the mysterious beauty of Loch Ness, travelling the whole 23 miles of the famous Loch - plenty of time to try and spot "Nessie!" We arrive at our destination of Inverness at approx 1930 where you will be dropped off at your accommodation. The evening is free for you to explore the capital of the Highlands.
You will be picked up from your accommodation between 0900 & 0930 in Inverness and head west towards glorious Glen Affric. This is a stunning area where the River Affric flows down through a dramatic gorge, surrounded on all sides by the beautiful Caledonian pine forest (one of the only remaining areas of Caledonian pine in Scotland, this has now been made into a nature reserve). We can spend some time here and enjoy a walk through the forest, alongside the River Affric.
From Glen Affric, we go east to Drumnadrochit, stopping for photos of Urquhart Castle with it's mighty ruins overlooking Loch Ness. We will spend our lunchtime on the southern shore of the Loch in the charming village of Fort Augustus. The Caledonian Canal which links the lochs of the Great Glen dominates the town and makes a great place to relax and watch the boats sail by.
We then travel South towards Loch Laggan and into the Cairngorms National Park, a mountainous area of wild land, forests lochs and glens. We continue south past Blair Castle, stopping in the lovely town of Pitlochry before returning to Edinburgh, past Perth and over the Forth Road Bridge. Arrive approx. 1930.
