Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and the Scottish West Coast Tour from Edinburgh

Tour ID: 1167 Tour Theme: Small Group Sightseeing Tours (Multi-days) This tour starts from: Edinburgh Duration: 5 Days / 4 Nights
	Operated by: Highland Explorer

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Tour Description:


Our spectacular journey through the Highlands and magical Isle of Skye. This inspiring experience takes in a diverse range of classic Highland scenery, including many 'must see' sights: dramatic Glencoe, mighty Ben Nevis, the famous 'Harry Potter' Jacobite Steam Train, mysterious Loch Ness, haunting Culloden Battlefield, world famous Eilean Donan Castle and the unforgettable Isle of Skye.

DAY ONE: We head north to the ancient capital of Stirling and the site of the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Here there are stunning views towards the impressive Castle and towering Wallace Monument. Next stop is Doune with an optional visit to its Castle, famously featured in the movie ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’. We enter the Trossachs, where the Highlands begin. Our journey takes us through wild Rannoch Moor and into brooding Glencoe, site of the massacre of 1692. We head through some beautiful scenery and onto Oban, a stunning west coast fishing port. (Overnight: Oban)

DAY TWO: This morning there’s the option to take the steam train from Fort William (voted by Wanderlust Magazine as the ‘Top Rail Journey in the World’), crossing the viaduct made famous in the Harry Potter films. Alternatively, you can enjoy a trip along the Road to the Isles including Glenfinnan, where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard. We take the ferry to the Isle of Skye full of awe-inspiring mountains, myths and legends. Here, we have the chance to explore the Clan Donald Centre and gardens before driving north to the island’s capital, Portree. (Overnight: Isle of Skye).

DAY THREE: The start of the day is spent exploring Skye. Highlights include the mysterious Quiraing, Kilt Rock and some of Skye’s extraordinary scenery. Returning to the mainland, we cross the Skye Bridge and visit the most photographed castle in Scotland, Eilean Donan Castle (used in the film ‘Highlander’). We wind our way along the Great Glen to infamous Loch Ness. Here you can hop on board a boat cruise where you can look for the monster before arriving in Inverness, our home for the night. (Overnight: Inverness).

DAY FOUR: The morning is free to explore Inverness, capital of the Highlands, with beautiful river views and shops to buy some unique Scottish souvenirs. Onward bound we head into  the heart of the country and stop at a whisky distillery to discover how the 'water of life' is made. Have a wee dram after an optional guided tour then it's on to Beauly, with its 13th Century priory. We return to Inverness for our final night. (Overnight: Inverness)

DAY FIVE: We explore the atmospheric Culloden Battlefield, scene of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s defeat and the end of the Jacobite Rebellion. After travelling through the Cairngorms National Park, we make a visit to the Museum of Highland Life to learn how Scotland’s clans lived and their traditional ways. Heading south into Perthshire, a land of forests, rivers and mountains, we stop at the quaint village of Dunkeld on the banks of the River Tay and visit its stunning historic cathedral. Finally, we return to Edinburgh with one last view of the Forth Bridge.

*Please note Saturday departures run in reverse with minor changes to the itinerary.

For departure details refer to the "Prices, Dates, and What's Included" Section...

5 Day - Skye and West Coast Tour

Prices, Dates & What's Included:

Departure Days: Mon (May-Oct) and Sat (July-Aug)
Discounts for Children and Seniors
Optional trip on the Famous Harry Potter Steam Train
Optional Cruise on Loch Ness
Includes Ferry Trip 'over the sea' from Skye
Foreign Language Audio Guides Available

Departs: 09.00 Returns: 17.30
Adult £219.00
Child £199.00
Senior £199.00
**Note: All prices are in British Pound Sterling (Currency Converter)

Extra: Steam Train: £28 - must be booked when making your reservation

Accommodation not included
 

Looking for a Private Tour? Enquire

Tour Highlights:
- Loch Ness
- Jacobite Steam Train (optional)
- Ferry over the sea to Skye
- Isle of Skye
- Inverness
- Glencoe
- Oban
- Doune Castle
- Eilean Donan Castle
- Culloden Battlefield
- Whisky distillery


Accommodation
- The tour price for our multi-day tours does not include the cost of accommodation. This is because we want to give you the choice of accommodation to suit your requirements, preferences and budget. Once you’ve chosen what type of accommodation you’d prefer, we book that for you (subject to availability) from allocations we’ve pre-arranged for our tours with accommodation partners in the towns/villages we stay.
- Our accommodation is based in Bed & Breakfasts, Guest Houses, Hotels and Hostels, all of which have been approved by VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme. To help you choose the type of accommodation best suited to you, we have briefly listed below some definitions which you many find helpful if you’re not familiar with them:

Accommodation Types:
- Bed & Breakfast (B&B)/Guest House
The great thing about a bed and breakfast or guest house is the local experience. In most cases you are staying with a family who let out 2 or 3 of the rooms in their home to visitors. B&Bs are renowned for being warm and friendly and many people feel that they offer a more authentic way to experience Scotland. Most offer a traditional Scottish cooked breakfast which is guaranteed to set you up for the day!
Typical prices: £35-£45 per person per night, based on 2 people sharing. Single occupancy will incur a small supplement.

- Hotel
Highland Hotels are smaller than typical hotels, with between 6 and 20 bedrooms, ensuring cosy and hospitable welcome. They are normally run by the owner and have their own personal style. They too serve traditional Scottish breakfasts and usually offer a dinner option as well.
Typical prices: £55-£65 per person per night, based on 2 people sharing. Single occupancy will incur a small supplement.

- Youth Hostel
Youth hostel provide multi-share facilities with 4, 6, 8 or 10 people in a room. Some Hostels provide en-suite facilities within the room, others have shared bathrooms between multiple rooms.
Typical prices: £15-£25 per person per night.

Room Types:

- En suite Rooms
These are rooms which have a private shower or bath and toilet.

- Twin and Double Rooms
A twin room has 2 single beds and a double room has 1 bed for 2 people.

- Family/Triple rooms
Family rooms tend to have one double bed and one single bed. Triple rooms (with 3 separate beds) are occasionally available in Hotels and Guest Houses but a double and single bed is more common.

All accommodation we use is located in the villages/towns where we stay (sometimes 15-20min walk from the village/town centre). Your guide will drop you at your accommodation each evening and pick you up again in the morning.


Foreign Language Audio Guides Available:
We are pleased to be the only tour company in Scotland to be able to offer foreign language audio translations on all scheduled tours. Tours will still be conducted in English, by our guides, however foreign language translations are available in German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French and Polish, with more languages to follow. This service underlines our commitment to excellent customer service for ALL our customers and we hope that those who do not speak English will now enjoy the trips even more.

These are available to download for free, once you have purchased your tour. When you receive your e-ticket, there will be a link to a page where you can download the zipped file and load into onto your own MP3 player, ipod or iphone.

Also, there are a number of units available for hire on the day of departure, however these are issued on a first come first served basis at a cost of £5 per unit to hire. We will also take an additional £30 deposit by credit card, which will be refunded once the unit is returned to us after the tour. Please bring your own headphones if you can.

The audio guides provide customers who do not speak any English with the main stories which the guides will cover on the tour. Your guide will indicate which track to select as they are about to tell the story it relates to, so everyone on the tour can follow at the same time.

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