Iconic Scotland Tour

DAY 1. EDINBURGH – ST ANDREWS – DUNDEE – CARNOUSTIE – ARBROATH ABBEY

Leaving Scotland’s romantic capital, view the awesome Forth Bridge before discovering the East Neuk (corner) of Fife and the best fish and chips in the UK at Anstruther. St Andrews is far more than the Mecca of golfers. As Scotland’s ecclesiastic capital, it is also the seat of our oldest University, where “Wills met Kate”. Your private tour of Dundee, city of Jam, Jute and Journalism will lead you through delightful Carnoustie en route to Arbroath Abbey, where Scotland’s Declaration of Independence was signed in 1320. Overnight in Angus

DAY 2. GLAMIS CASTLE – BLAIRGOWRIE – BALMORAL ESTATE – ROYAL LOCHNAGAR DISTILLERY

Visit shortbread tin Glamis, birthplace of our dear-departed Queen Mother, amongst the most haunted inhabitations in Britain, before dropping by Blairgowrie – a gateway town, and a wondrous place to shop for quirky souvenirs. Our Royals spend upwards of two months in each year at their own family estates at Balmoral. Should a visit to the estate itself prove impossible during your visit, there is still a great deal worthy of your attention in Ballater, and not least of all the only Scottish Distillery with the Royal Seal of Approval, Royal Lochnagar. Overnight in Aberdeen

DAY 3. HUNTLY CASTLE – DUFF HOUSE – BUCKIE COAST – ELGIN CATHEDRAL – CULLODEN

Delight in beautiful Aberdeenshire as we pass between stark Huntly Castle and stately Duff House where you will receive an exclusive tour of the National Galleries’ Northern Collection. After a lunch of Cullen Skink, a traditional smoked haddock chowder, we visit the Lantern of the North at Elgin Cathedral, before turning for Culloden where you’ll be guided across the ground where the Jacobite dream faded forever in 1746. Overnight in Inverness

DAY 4. INVERNESS – ULLAPOOL – STORNAWAY – CALLANISH – HARRIS TWEED – SKYE

Today, we’re on the road to the isles as we head for the Hebrides on an awe-inspiring lochside drive to Ullapool. As we cross the Minch, if we’re lucky we may see seal, dolphins, porpoises, even pods of whales. Ashore on Lewis we’ll visit the Callanish standing stones, evocative neolithic monuments older than the pyramids and have the opportunity to purchase Harris Tweed at source. This is no factory outlet: tweed is still literally a cottage industry. If the sailings are kind, we’ll see in the evening in Portree. If not, Harris is still more hospitable. Overnight on Harris or Skye

DAY 5. SKYE – KYLE OF LOCHALSH – EILIEAN DONAN – LOCH NESS CRUISE – SPEAN BRIDGE

After a breathtaking tour of Skye, which in itself feels almost like a tour of Scotland in miniature, we’ll cross back over onto the mainland to take in perhaps the most unmistakable castle you’ve never heard of at Eiliean Donan, before embarking on a wonderful cruise on Loch Ness: laid-back or full-throttle – you choose. At the foot of Loch Lochy, we’ll pay our respects at the Commando Monument where a remarkable band of brothers trained ahead of supreme sacrifice. Overnight in Oban.

DAY 6. OBAN – CRAIGNURE – IONA – TOBERMORY

Relax on an exclusive tour of Mull. After crossing the Firth of Lorn, we skirt past Bunessan to enjoy the context that serene Iona lends to your expanding knowledge of Scotland’s stirring history. The rest of the day we are on island time and certainly in no rush. Perhaps we’ll take the tiny passenger ferry across to Ulva to enjoy a pint of fresh prawns; perhaps we’ll take a dip at beautiful Calgary Bay; perhaps we’ll take route one to Tobermory, the island’s principal town, where we’ll kick back in one of the best pubs in Scotland. Overnight in Tobermory.

DAY 7. ARDNAMURCHAN POINT – GLENFINNAN – THE JACOBITE STEAM TRAIN – FORT WILLIAM

On the untamed Ardnamurchan peninsula we head for Glenfinnan where the standard was raised in the name of the Old Pretender. The memorial at Glenfinnan is a heartbreaking reminder of a forgotten Highland way of life, but it’s also home to the viaduct where a certain boy wizard attempted to catch up with the Hogwarts Express in a flying Ford Anglia. You’ll be speeding across it on the Steam Train we call The Jacobite. Whilst you might not be able to buy every flavour beans aboard, you’re assured to feel an exhilarating rush of excitement. Overnight in Fort William.