The Six day tour - a real introduction to the history and landscape that created the clans.

You will see highlands and islands, castles and battlefields. You will cruise on Loch Ness and sample Scottish whisky in the distillery it comes from and take away a lifetime of memories! The tour includes luxury coach travel with an expert tour escort, 3/4 star B&B hotel accommodation, evening meals and admissions as per the itinerary.

Package Prices

• £565.00 p.p. based on 2 people sharing a double/ twin room
• £690.00 p.p. for a single room
• £282.00 p.p. for children under the age of 12 when travelling

Tour Includes:

• Five nights stay in 3/4 star hotels*
• Welcome drink on day 1
• B&B and evening meals
• Services of an expert tour escort
• Luxury coach transport
• Porterage
• Ferry crossing
• Service charges and taxes
• * 1 night Glasgow, 2 nights Oban, 1 night Inverness, 1 night Aberdeen

Not included: Insurance, personal expenses, tickets to The Gathering 2009.

Admissions included:

• Kelvingrove Museum
• Glasgow Cathedral
• Cruise on Loch Ness
• Urquhart Castle
• Cawdor Castle
• Balmoral Castle
• Edradour Distillery
• Inveraray Castle
• Duart Castle
• Auchendrain
• Culloden Battlefield
• Dunkeld Cathedral
• Huntly Castle

To book these tours please click on the following link: Booking Form

Pick up in Edinburgh at 12.00 and arrive in Glasgow at approx 13.30.

In the afternoon we visit the Kelvingrove Museum, which is one of the most dramatic Victorian buildings in the city. Kelvingrove is the most-visited museum in Scotland and the sixth most-visited museum in Britain. The museum re-opened to public in July 2006 after a three year restoration project. The increased exhibition space now accommodates over 8,000 objects including several new exhibits such as the fully restored Spitfire LA198 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron. Kelvingrove also houses a superb collection of paintings by (among others) Botticelli, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh & Picasso. After an absence of several years Salvador Dali's world renowned painting Christ of St John of the Cross makes a welcome return to the first floor of the West Gallery. The lower halls exhibit European Armour, Natural History, Prehistoric Animals, Egyptian Relics and various Discovery Centres where visitors of all ages can find out more about the museum's collections. Visit Glasgow Cathedral, the first stone-built Glasgow Cathedral was dedicated in the presence of King David I in 1136. The present building was consecrated in 1197. Since that same period the Cathedral has never been unroofed and the worship of God has been carried out within its walls for more than 800 years. The Cathedral has a regular and active congregation, and no visitor should leave the city without making a visit. Glasgow Cathedral is the best preserved example of a large church to have survived from Scotland's medieval period, and has one of the finest post-war collections of stained glass windows to be found in Britain.

Check into your hotel enjoy a welcome Drink before dinner.

Overnight Glasgow area

Depart Glasgow and travel onto one of Scotland’s beauty spots the Trossachs, made famous by the writing of Sir Walter Scott.. We pass by the cottage where Rob Roy Macgregor was born The past history of this cottage dates back to 1702. It is an unaltered example of how the Scottish laird’s house was in the 1700’s.

The inscription above the front door reads “17 MS.JM.BG 02” meaning the house was built-in 1702 by John Maclachlan (JM) the initials of his two wives being MS and BG. The house was raided by the famous Rob Roy Macgregor, he abducted both the laird. The original door is in the kitchen today. There has been a detailed investigation from the heritage to show this. Travel through the heart of Clan Campbell country, Stop at Inveraray Castle to visit this beautiful fairy tale castle of the Duke of Argyll.

Inveraray Castle is a remarkable and unique piece of architecture incorporating Baroque, Palladian and Gothic. Featuring four imposing French influenced conical spires surmounting the stone castellated towers, this unmistakably Scottish Castle was the first of its size and type to be built (at the time of construction) in an extremely remote part of Scotland. The complicated story of the design and construction of the castle began in 1720 with a sketch prepared by Sir John Vanbrugh, the architect of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, for the 2nd Duke of Argyll. Vanbrugh died six years later and the design was sympathetically developed by Roger Morris who saw the start of construction in 1746 and worked with William Adam, then the most distinguished architect in Scotland. Both Morris and Adam died in 1748 after completion of the designs and it was Adam's sons John and Robert who saw the project to completion for the 5th Duke of Argyll in 1789.

Continue onto Oban for dinner and overnight area.

Take a ferry to Mull and visit the home of the Clan MacLean Duart Castle. Standing proudly on a cliff top guarding the Sound of Mull, Duart enjoys one of the most spectacular and unique positions on the West Coast of Scotland. For over 400 years this has been the base of the Clan MacLean’s sea-borne power

Then travel across Mull to the Fionnphort where you will take the ferry to Iona, the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland when the monastery was founded by St Columba. It was the burial place of many of the early Scottish kings including Macbeth.

We then return to Oban for dinner and overnight area

Depart from Oban and travel to Glencoe, to see the site of the infamous massacre of the Clan Macdonald by government troops. Onto the Great Glen to Loch Ness home of the monster. Take a cruise from Urquhart Castle to Inverness The magnificently situated Urquhart Castle, on the banks of Loch Ness, remains an impressive stronghold despite its ruinous state. Once one of Scotland’s largest castles, Urquhart’s remains include a tower house that commands splendid views of the famous loch and Great Glen. Urquhart witnessed considerable conflict throughout its 500 years as a medieval fortress and its history from the 13th to 17th centuries was particularly bloody. Following Edward I’s invasion, it fell into English hands and was then reclaimed and lost again. In the 14th century, it figured prominently in the Scots’ struggle for independence and came under the control of Robert the Bruce after he became King of Scots. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the castle and glen were frequently raided from the west by the ambitious Macdonald Lords of the Isles. The castle’s history and that of the noble families – Durward, Macdonald and Grant – who held it, is told in the exhibition and audio-visual display in the new visitor centre. The Centre features an outstanding array of medieval artefacts found at the castle.

Dinner and overnight in Inverness area.

In the morning visit Culloden Battlefield where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army was defeated in 1746. During the Jacobite uprisings most of the Clan MacInnes supported the British government however one branch of the clan fought for the Jacobite cause.

Cawdor. A magical name, romantically linked by Shakespeare with Macbeth. A superb fairy-tale Castle and just what every visitor is looking for ... Scottish history that you can touch and see and sense for yourself. Cawdor Castle is not another cold monument, but a splendid house and the home of the Cawdor family to this day. Cawdor Castle dates from the late 14th century and was built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor. The ancient medieval tower was built around the legendary holly-tree. Although the House has evolved over 600 years, later additions mainly of the 17th century were all built in the Scottish vernacular style with slated roofs over walls and crow-stepped gables of mellow local stone. This style gives Cawdor a strong sense of unity, and the massive, severe exterior belies an intimate interior that gives the place a surprisingly personal, friendly atmosphere. Good furniture, fine portraits and pictures, interesting objects and outstanding tapestries are arranged to please the family rather than to echo fashion or impress. Onto Huntly, remarkable for its splendid architecture, Huntly Castle served as a baronial residence for five centuries. Many impressive features include a fine heraldic sculpture and inscribed stone friezes. The earliest stronghold on the site sheltered Robert the Bruce in the 14th century

Dinner and overnight Aberdeen area

In the morning from Aberdeen visit set amongst the magnificent scenery of Royal Deeside, in the shadows of Lochnagar is the Balmoral Estate. Purchased by Queen Victoria in 1848, the Estate has been the Scottish Home of the British Royal Family ever since. The Estate extends to just over 50,000 acres of heather clad hills, ancient Caledonian woodland, policies and of course the beautiful River Dee is nearby.

Over the past 150 years careful stewardship by the owners, The Royal Family, has preserved the wildlife, scenery and architecture which is available for all generations to enjoy.

In her journals Queen Victoria described Balmoral as "my dear paradise in the Highlands".

Visit Edradour Distillery to learn the secrets of the making of whisky (and try a dram too!)

Scotland’s smallest legal Distillery

In a sheltered glen in the low hills above Pitlochry is Edradour Distillery, the smallest distillery in Scotland and perhaps the smallest legal distillery anywhere in the world.

It also claims to be the second oldest with the current distillery founded in 1837 and tracing its history right back to 1825.

As the last of the Perthshire 'farmyard distilleries' which were once common throughout the area it employs the smallest stills allowed by law. With a staff of only three men producing the whisky and some of the most traditional equipment this is a lovingly crafted and unique single Highland malt. In fact even at the peak of production it produces as little as 12 barrels a week, this is less in a year than many produce in a week.

Made with lightly malted local barley and fresh spring water which after a long natural filtration through granite and peat rises only a few hundred metres from the stills - Edradour is a true gem amongst the single malts. They also produce House of Lords a well respected blend available in the bars of its namesake, (the distillery was also allegedly owned by the Mafia at one point during prohibition, any connection?!). They have also introduced an excellent cream liqueur

We stop at Dunkeld for a visit to the historic Cathedral. Beautifully situated on the banks of the Tay. The choir is now the parish church, but the 15th-century nave and the tower are cared for by Historic Scotland on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Continue to Scotland's capital, Edinburgh where the tour ends.

To book these tours please click on the following link: Booking Form