Private 3-Day Tour to the Highlands, Islands and the West Coast

Day 1 On The trail of Robert "The" Bruce, Macbeth and the Jacobites

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   Road to the Isles

   8 hours

   Depart Edinburgh around 8 am, travelling north to Dunfermline (one of our ancient Capitals) stopping to visit the 11th Century Abbey and ruined Royal Palace to visit the tomb of King Robert I (“The Bruce”). Up and through Highland Perthshire (Macbeth country), stopping at Dunkeld to visit the 12th Century Cathedral and have a coffee break.
   Heading back on the road we’ll head up to the “Pass of Killiecrankie” where a battle was fought during the Jacobite wars in 1689, continuing northwards we’ll pass Blair Castle and travel through the Grampian and Cairngorm mountains and arrive at Clava Cairns dating from the Stone and Bronze ages for a visit. We will then head up to Culloden Battlefield for our last visit of the day. It was on the moor that the last battle of any significance to be fought in Britain took place on the 16th April 1746. Then it’s off to the hotel for your well-earned dram and a relaxing evening.

Day 2 Over the sea to Skye

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   8 hours

   Depart our hotel around 0830 am, travelling South West our destination is the Isle of Skye, en route we travel almost the full length of Loch Ness, stopping for photographs at the ruins of Castle Urquhart (and possibly Nessie?), then we cut West through Glen Shiel and towards Eilean Donan Castle for a visit/comfort stop. Continuing our journey we “drive across The Atlantic” on the Skye Bridge and onto the Island, time will dictate our programme on Skye. We then head for the little port of Armadale and take the 45 minute crossing back to the mainland and drive through Glenfinnan towards Fort William and our overnight accommodation.

Day 3 Rob "Roy" country, the Romans, Monty Python & Outlander

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   Edinburgh

   8 hours

   Depart our hotel around 0830 am and continue our journey South.  We head along the banks of Loch Linne and into Glencoe, the setting for one of our blackest chapters in Clan warfare in February 1692, after a photo stop we continue Southwards up and over the Rannoch Moor, one of the last great wildernesses in Europe. Travelling down and through Balquhidder, we enter MacGregor country famous for Rob Roy and our last comfort stop of the day at the Victorian village of Callander (noted in history for the Romans, Rob Roy and the tragic Earl of Callander). Continuing our journey we drive through the village of Doune and its exceptional 13th Century Motte and Bailey Castle, noted for Robert Duke of Albany, David Stirling, Monty Python & The Holy Grail and more recently Outlander. Finally reaching the main motorway we drive past Stirling Castle, the battlefields of Bannockburn and the ruins of Linlithgow Palace before arriving back in Edinburgh around 8 pm.