The Scottish Grand Tour & The Mystic Islands-Top Tour! (15 days)

The Northern Islands; Orkney Islands – Lewis & Harris Islands – Isle of Skye – Loch Ness – The Caledonian Canal – West Ross – The Highlands –
The Far North – Caithness – The Royal Deeside – Sutherland – Aberdeenshire –
Dundee & Angus – Inverness-shire – Ross & Cromarty – Banffshire – The Kingdom of Fife – Moray Firth – Nairnshire – Cairngorms National Park – Perthshire – Loch Lomond National Park and The Trossachs and much more!

DAY 1: Historical Day and Scottish Knowledge!

Regions: The Kingdom of Fife!

We set off; already on this day we are going to visit true treasures of Scotland such as the three bridges of Edinburgh over the Firth of Forth, one of them a World Heritage Site like many other places in Scotland given the impressiveness of its architecture and grandeur since they are three of the longest bridges in the world in their characteristics. The beautiful little village of South Queensferry where the Queen of Scots used to disembark from the neighboring Kingdom of Fife marks the beginning of this beautiful town with its painted little houses that could well be from a village in the Highlands further north. Another very important point in Scotland that we are going to visit is the resting place of one of its two most beloved Kings; Robert The Bruce, who won a battle against Edward II in Stirling claiming that Scottish sovereignty be respected forever!, we visit Dunfermline Abbey, his resting place. Although the ruins of the ancient Dunfermline Abbey is one of the oldest buildings in Scotland dating from the 12th century, we continue to show you the ruins of the oldest preserved Castle also from the same century. After these wonderful visits and beaches, yes beaches in Scotland, plus small fishing bays that we are going to see, we take you to a Palace, yes, the beautiful Palace and village of Falkland where many scenes of the great series that tells of the Jacobite wars in Scotland “Outlander” have been filmed. We move to the turbulent Scottish past on this day and finish pleasantly resting in the bucolic St. Andrews, a town that gives meaning to the Flag of Scotland with the St. Andrew’s Cross, as it is said that the relics of the Apostle himself reached the majestic Abbey that we visit along with its Castle. Here, in the town that saw the birth of Golf and where the wonderful beach of “Chariots of Fire” was filmed, we dine and rest for today!

DAY 2: Castles and Whisky Distilleries!

Regions: Fife, Angus & Perthshire!

Good morning! Our second and wonderful day!, we take our great and full Scottish breakfast, with porridge included in the local way and we go out for another great day already as one more local of the country. We are going to visit first the “Discovery” a great and historic ship of typical British construction from the beginning of the 20th century with three wooden masts and famous for being one of the first sent to study the Antarctica and which was stuck in the Arctic ice for two years! We enter to visit it as well as the “Frigate Unicorn” in the proud-to-be Scottish city of Dundee!. We have much left to experience today as well, like each of our days in the wonderful Tours that we design with true devotion for Scotland to make you enjoy this country of legend and more so in this our Top Tour of vacations full of content so, we continue. We are going to visit the wonderful Glamis Castle along with its mischievous ghosts and its impressive gardens. After passing through the ancient Royal Burgh of Dunkeld we arrive at the Scottish Victorian village par excellence, we arrive at Pitlochry, a town where the tourism boom in Scotland began due to the visit of Queen Victoria in 1845 recommended by her doctors given the quality of its air, location, and beauty. Here we will walk along the banks of its beautiful River Tummel or walk the main street to find wonderful souvenirs in addition to visiting one of the most important Whisky Distilleries in the country and that is because we are in the country of Whisky or “Scotch”, given the purity with which this well-known liquor is processed, basically composed of the cold and pure water of Scottish springs and the Barley or a type of Scottish barley converted into Malt, the ancient Pictish Celts already called this liquor “Water of Life”, so, we are going to see its whole process and taste it. Magnificent and interesting day today, the night cannot be less interesting so of course, we will dine by the warmth of some log fire and rest tonight here, in one of the most beautiful villages in all of Scotland; Pitlochry!

DAY 3: Picturesque day in the Cairngorms National Park and Royal Deeside!

Regions: Cairngorms National Park & Aberdeenshire!

Third and picturesque day; we wake up in this beautiful town of Pitlochry and a day in full Nature awaits us; we will see today; beautiful and lush forests, wild and inhospitable landscapes, impressive mountains, fairytale Castles and citadels and cliffs in the North Sea among other beautiful places. Let’s go for it; today we will visit the gardens of the castle of the British Royal Family of Balmoral or the picturesque Castle of the beautiful Scottish town of Braemar, this will depend on the date you choose to come with us since the British Royal Family rests in their Balmoral Castle in the month of August and this month it is not open to the public, but we can enjoy its beautiful surroundings equally. In the middle of the Cairngorms National Park the largest in Scotland and which we will cross admiring its natural beauty, are these two castles and beautiful town. But… we still have the imposing Castle / Citadel that inspired the home of the Scottish Royal Family in the movie “Brave”, the Dunnottar Castle that we visit is on an imposing peninsula or cliff in the middle of the cold North Sea, its views are truly impressive. Well, after so many emotions we are not going to miss visiting one of the most important cities of Alba and that is because it is the third in population and known as “The Granite City” or “The European Capital of Oil”; Aberdeen; here we will have our great and comforting dinner and rest for today! Enjoy it!

DAY 4: Varied and Spectacular Day!

Regions: Aberdeenshire & The Northeast Coast!

Fourth dream day! Today is a beautiful Coastal day in which we are going to travel through the regions of Aberdeenshire, Moray and Banffshire; beautiful views, castles on cliffs from dark movies like the one that inspired the writer Bram Stoker for his immortal “Dracula” or bold Lighthouses that defy the brave North Sea in addition to the Scottish Dolphin Centre, will make us enjoy this exciting day without being able to stop paying attention to such wonderful places. We will visit towns like Fraserburgh with its cliffs, fairytale bays like those of Banff and Gardenstown, we will also enter to visit the Scottish Dolphin Centre and we will try to spot some of these friendly characters and seals in the beautiful Spey Bay! In addition we will see the imposing ruins of the city of Elgin, capital of Scottish Cashmere and its Biblical Garden, here you can take a walk visiting the city center and we will spend our great night today recovering strength for the great and bucolic day of tomorrow!

DAY 5: Beaches, Castles, Pictish Forts and Enchanted Forests!

Regions: Moray Firth & Inverness-shire!

Well, well; incredible day taken from our own experience and “Secrets” combined with the jewels of the area and that is because we are living in this great Tour practically all the beautiful country of Scotland, we cannot stop bringing you to this varied and impressive region which is the Moray Firth so let’s go there!. We visit as soon as we leave in the morning what was the largest Pictish Celtic Fort in all of Alba – Scotland!. On a small elevated peninsula was the Burghead Fort, where the original inhabitants of Scotland; the Picts, lived and took refuge from the cold and harsh Scottish climate back then in the 4th century, later it was also occupied by the fierce Vikings in the 8th and 9th centuries, we will enjoy its incredible views from the top. We are also going to walk through the bucolic colored cottages on the immense Findhorn beach in addition to having lunch in its beautiful bay. We will visit the largest Pictish Dolmen in all of Alba; Sueno’s Stone and the immense and healing Nairn beach in this beautiful and relaxed town in the middle of the Moray Firth but this is not all and we still have to visit an enchanted forest that protects its castle and it is in the Cawdor forest which is said to be the wildest and most varied in all of Scotland, we can find even huge Redwoods watered by the cold river that crosses this forest and know more about the connection with this castle and lands of the Scottish King “King of Alba” (1040 – 1057) Macbeth, about whom Shakespeare wrote his great literary work!. Do you think it is enough content and experiences in this mythical and historic country of legend? Well no, our tours can be classified as the best among many other reasons for their content and we still have to visit Fort George; the largest active military fort in all of UK, and we visit it because of the impressiveness of its structure and design, located at the mouth of the Moray Firth it has an incredible strategic position. We are going to travel in time as well, we are going to visit the dolmens that will transport us with the protagonists of the famous series “Outlander” to the middle of the Jacobite wars, but beyond this we are going to see the sad Culloden Battlefield where this sad outcome really took place. That said, we enjoy a comforting dinner at the end of this incredible day in the Capital of the Highlands without known limits, in Inverness, at the foot of its elevated castle watching over the River Ness!

DAY 6: Amazing day; Loch Ness, Palaces & Cliffs!

Regions: Loch Ness and the Far North; Caithness & Sutherland!

Amazing day today as well and it is that in each one we surpass the previous one! This is what it’s about, this is what we deal with at ScotlandTrips, to surpass everything and everyone including ourselves for you, to make you enjoy as much as possible in each of our programs and Scotland offers itself to it, it offers its great secrets of the past for us to discover them, it doesn’t hide them, you just have to have true devotion for them to find them and know how to enjoy them like one more native of this beautiful land, understanding in each of our visits and feeling what this incredible country has been, its extraordinary beauty and its hard and complex past, you just have to listen to it, let it get inside you and it really does, it leaves no one who visits it indifferent, we are going to show it to you today as well. Let’s go, we launch ourselves into the huge and mysterious Loch Ness, literally but by boat of course, the water is too cold to swim ☺ we take a beautiful boat and sail for an hour in the second deepest waters of the country after those of Loch Morar and it is that this huge Glacial tongue that flows into the cold North Sea and with its more than 36 km in length and more than 230 meters deep is the lake that contains more fresh water in the entire United Kingdom, even more than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, we don’t know if its inhabitant Nessie will be there waiting for us or not, what we do know is that this majestic lake has many hidden secrets and well it can have them, one of them is the ancient Urquhart Castle whose oldest rocks according to the Carbon 14 test date from the year 600, 7th century, we are going to “storm” it by disembarking at it. Well, we have much more adventure for today and magical places to discover, among others the ruins of the ancient Castles of Wick (Viking name of this Scottish town), Sinclair and the great French-style Dunrobin Palace and gardens!, incredible sea views and beautiful battlements! One of the typical images of Scotland are some gigantic rock needles coming out of the sea at the foot of some huge cliffs, of course we are going to take you right there, incredible and majestic views at Duncansby Head, together with its lighthouse it is the most incredible image of John O’Groats. We are already in the far, beautiful and desolate North coast of Scotland, hard and mystical lands, but gather strength because we are going to sleep tonight in the northernmost city of the main Scottish island, of Viking origin as well and cold surfing destination; Thurso. We are going to dine well and rest peacefully after this really impactful day because tomorrow with much strength and desire we launch further North, we are going to enter and sail in the North Sea to first reach the Orkney Islands already ancient Viking territories, let’s prepare for it!

DAY 7: Sailing to the conquest of the North!

Regions: The North of the ancient and mystical Orkney Islands!

Have we woken up well and with strength?, We are going to need them, we have to have a good Scottish breakfast, we go to the cold lands, sailing North! We take an impressive and immense multi-story boat with our vehicle included to sail, for almost two hours until we reach Stromness in the Orkney Islands. In these mysterious and beautiful islands, where some Spanish regiments of the “Great Spanish Armada” landed in 1588 during the context of the Anglo-Spanish wars and where some of the Spanish Galleons were repaired given the friendly relationship of Spain with Scotland and of Philip II with Mary Stuart “Queen of Scots”, based on the Catholicism of both countries and whose execution, that of the Queen of Scots ordered by Elizabeth I of England, was one of the reasons for sending the Spanish Armada against England, we are going to disembark as well, we are going to explore these incredible islands during two beautiful days. Today we are going to explore the North of the island, we are going to visit beautiful places like the famous circles of dolmens that we will have seen in more than one movie; “Maeshowe Chamber” up to 5000 years old these prehistoric dolmens tell us, the “Standing Stones of Stenness” or the “Ring of Brodgar” the oldest circle of dolmens in Great Britain. Many of the places we will visit today in these “Viking” islands of traditions that have remained established since those times, are World Heritage Sites! Ancient settlements like “Skara Brae” and visits like tombs or places of religious ceremonies from the Neolithic age like these rings of dolmens and settlements or to name some other points we will see; “Marwick Head”, “Broch of Gurness”, “Broch of Borwick”, “Birsay” will transport us today to truly past times of prehistory and the Vikings. Of course, we are going to sleep today to know and live even more the culture and customs of these distant Scottish islands in their capital: Kirkwall!, good night for today!

DAY 8: Exploring the islands!

Regions: The South of the mystical Orkney Islands!

This is a dream, it is an idyllic dream that we are living in these islands so far North at the same latitude as Oslo or Stockholm, but here we are, enjoying chatting with some friendly local at the time of the great breakfast and surely after listening to some of their advice, we set off today with our camera or mobile well charged to continue our impressive expedition through the islands. We are going to travel today the south of them, we will see ancestral points like the “Tomb of the Eagles”, the “Italian Chapel” or “Hesta Head” impressive cliffs on the island of South Ronaldsay. We visit fishing villages like St. Margaret’s Hope. We cross incredible bridges in the North Sea to see islands like Burray and Glimps & Lamb Holm in addition to an imposing Grotto and cliffs in the middle of a Nature Reserve; “The Gloup” surely throughout these two days we see the friendly “Puffins” these friendly birds typical of the north of Scotland with their colored beaks. Well, impressive day full of photographs and unimaginable landscapes, but we are far from finished, we launch “to sea” again, we will be attentive in all these sailings because it is not surprising that we see some dolphin, seal or whale in these latitudes. We return to the Scottish mainland, we disembark again on the distant North coast and we show you by the way the Castle of Mey; bought and renovated by the Queen Mother of England in 1952 and where she enjoyed many of her summers. We head to the small Scottish village of Tongue, located in a tongue of sea or firth, we will enjoy wonderful views of for example the mountains of “Ben Loyal” or “Ben Hope”, not without first showing you the northernmost lighthouse of the Scottish mainland: “Dunnet Head” and its impressive cliff among many other incredible points. Deserved dinner and rest that we will have in Tongue!

DAY 9: The most rugged and wild coast of Scotland!

Regions: The Wild Northwest Coast!

Good morning again!, what to say about this day; the area we visit today is known as perhaps and depending on tastes of course, the most beautiful and wild area of Scotland; the Northwest Coast is a compendium of small firths, forests, mountains, jagged roads following the coast and incredible landscapes and huge white sand beaches, so….. prepare the camera because we eat a strong breakfast, we are not going to overlook anything on the way so let’s go there! We head off seeing spectacular landscapes to Durness, one of the most visited little villages in this remote area and it’s for good reason, as its white sand beaches or its grotto with an underground river “Smoo Cave” which we are going to visit, give us an idea of the beauty of the area, what can I tell you, you are not going to believe the views and sea inlets that we are going to see today as well. Another of the main landscapes we visit is the “Old Man of Stoer”, not “Storr” which we will also see on the Isle of Skye, but this other huge rock formation that emerges from the sea at the foot of a huge cliff and its lighthouse, beautiful walk that is worth it. Achmelvich Bay is another spectacular walk to visit a beautiful beach that we do not imagine exists in these latitudes but these types of beaches will surprise us very pleasantly. We also pass through the “Knockan Crag” Nature Reserve in the Assynt region, all this area that we visit today and especially the Isle of Lewis, are formed by “Lewisian Gneiss” rocks, from the Precambrian period, they are among the oldest rock formations in Europe and the world dated at around 3 billion years old, Scotland is an ancient land and the Highland Boundary Fault was the point of collision between two ancient continents, what today is Scotland (Laurentia) and England (Baltica) as part of Europe, this was called the Caledonian Orogeny and was the mountain formation process that occurred in Great Britain in the Silurian period, this happened about 416 million years ago and this movement of continents with the Scottish name (Caledonia) formed what was called “Pangea”, hence the wonder of the Scottish landscape and mountain ranges, but we leave Geology for another time and continue enjoying these incredible landscapes. We enjoy today also the microsystem of Lochinver and we pass by the ruins of Ardvreck Castle to rest and dine today in another beautiful town where they exist with all its houses painted white; Ullapool, good and deserved rest!

DAY 10: Prehistoric settlements and Viking times!

Regions: The North of the mystical Isle of Lewis!

Attention; today another incredible day awaits us! In the beautiful morning of today we are going to head to one of the most mystical, curious and distant islands from mainland Scotland and with Viking roots as well like the Orkneys. Very proud of being so and of having their own connotations and differences with respect to the mainland of Scotland and of preserving as in many of the islands their original Celtic language: “Scottish Gaelic”, we will know and live for three necessary and wonderful days with the friendly and social inhabitants of the islands of “Lewis & Harris”, we are going to know the island in depth because it deserves it, towards there we sail!. We set off first thing in the morning from the beautiful town and bay of Ullapool, from where much of its fish sets off for the Spanish market for example and we embark on a huge ferry with our own vehicle bound for the Isle of Lewis! In these two and a half hours of navigation we can enjoy, just like in our trip to the Orkney islands, the different services, cafeteria or restaurant of the ferry, while we try to spot dolphins, whales or seals!. We disembark in Lewis and we are going to know of course as in all our programs of extensive content, the most essential places of each visit and also practically all of them! Without leaving out absolutely anything of renown!. We see today on our magnificent excursion places like the chapel of Saint Columba, the “Tiumpanhead” lighthouse, the northernmost Lighthouse of Lewis and the windiest in the entire United Kingdom and the port of Ness in addition to many other landscapes since we are going to travel across this beautiful island very proud to differentiate itself in part from the rest of Scotland and to be part of it at the same time. Of course, in this wonderful Tour we don’t leave an island without sleeping on it and living with its inhabitants, and so today we sleep and get warm in its capital, the well-known Stornoway!

DAY 11: Prehistoric settlements, famous megalithic circles; incredible landscapes!

Regions: The West of the island of Lewis!

Second day on the beautiful islands of “Lewis & Harris”! We have a strong breakfast today as well, we are going to need it, we have a day of excursion ahead! We are going to see mysterious and huge white beaches, Viking reminiscences, cliffs, green mountains and valleys, prehistoric settlements and Pictish cottages and among many other treasures since we are in one of the oldest areas of Europe the most famous circle of stones or megalithic dolmens in the world; “Callanish Stones” 3000 years old. This famous stone circle and its surroundings date from the Bronze Age in the Neolithic period and like many others in Scotland it is assumed it was used for rituals and ceremonies in addition to appearing in some movies it is a truly impressive place! We continue visiting throughout the day ancient cottages where the local Celts lived like “The Blackhouse” learning about their customs and language; Gaelic, prehistoric constructions like “Dun Carloway Broch” and remains of Viking culture. We will also see incredible landscapes and areas like the island of “Great Bernera” or the beautiful beaches of “Valtos” or “Mangersta”, Iron Age ruins or the famous Uig Bay where the famous Viking chess pieces were found, incredible curiosities. A very extensive day in terms of content and information that we are going to finish resting within the island of course, it is a privilege to be able to get here and it well deserves the three days we dedicate to it, we do it in the beautiful town of Tarbert on the island of Harris!

DAY 12: Magnificent natural scenarios and sailing day!

Regions: The Islands of Harris and the beautiful Skye!

Well, as you can live as well as see, this program that we offer you and that we are living and enjoying together has no waste! We are showing you all the variety of the chosen most beautiful country in the world in 2017, its 790 islands and jagged coasts leave no room for doubt about it and you are getting to know in depth its most mystical, bucolic, ancient and important islands and today is another impressive day for it! After surely having struck up a conversation with some friendly Scottish local, we set off to explore the Isle of Harris today and disembark in the beautiful Skye! Another of the mythical and mystical islands of Scotland. We leave Harris and continue our excursion to visit the beautiful beach of “Luskentyre”, the town of “Leverburgh”, places as unique as the chapel of “St. Clements” with its impressive and magical views or the small Gaelic Island of “Scalpay” to see the first lighthouse built in the Outer Hebrides. We will cross bucolic and incredible barrier bridges over the sea and we will be curious of course, to see how these lonely and Gaelic inhabitants of areas as remote as those we visit in these distant Scottish islands live! A country and islands taken from other times that live and survive today with all modernities and very proud of their ancient past and history! It is a wonderful and grand day today as well, we have no doubt that you haven’t stopped rubbing your eyes because you don’t believe the wonders of nature we are visiting and it is that we ourselves no matter how many times we visit, continue enjoying and getting excited each and every time, it is not a job for us, it is a privilege to be able to make you enjoy just as we do this country of water that has no equal in the world!. It is precisely so much water and the Scottish climate that creates the wonders we are and are going to continue seeing in this unique trip, so we are going to embark again towards the Isle of the Sky, the island as it is known; “loved by the camera”, the island of film exteriors for renowned directors like Steven Spielberg, the wonderful and bucolic ISLE OF SKYE!. We disembark here from the ferry in which we will have had the opportunity sailing from the ISLES OF LEWIS & HARRIS for an hour and a half across the impressive Atlantic Ocean, to spot some type of marine animal. We will also see today in Skye impressive and famous landscapes and places like; Kilt Rock, Old Man of Storr, Uig Bay, or the scenic Quiraing! Without words, not even we ourselves have enough words to describe the beauty of today, you have to live it to truly feel it!. In the capital of the Isle of Skye, in the famous Portree or “King’s Port” with its bay of colored houses, we dine and rest for today!

DAY 13: Paradise; green valleys, dream mountains, Beautiful lakes, Movie Castles!

Regions: The bucolic Isle of Skye & Lochaber!

Good morning again; how did we wake up today? We hope wonderfully in perhaps, the most beautiful island in Scotland and it is that Skye has all kinds of landscapes and colors; mountains, green valleys, beautiful bays, waterfalls, movie-like cliffs well and a few more brushstrokes that make us feel we are in Eden, truly wonderful. On our second day on the island we launch to explore it more deeply today as well!, We head to one of the most requested visits on this beautiful island; “Neist Point” and its lighthouse going into the sea forming one of the most typical Scottish pictures, we will take a walking excursion for the most intrepid for an hour who want to see it closer. The bucolic nature of this island is given by many of its landscapes and images and this is another picture that proves it; “The Fairy Pools”, let’s go for another excursion on this active day; we walk for about two hours to see the river and small pools of green and crystalline waters coming down from the Cuillin mountains (climbers’ paradise), incredible place where it is told the local Fairies bathe! But in case we haven’t seen enough natural beauty we are going to see the most romantic Castle in Scotland, we leave the islands and return to the Scottish mainland, we will cross the immense bridge that joins this island with the main land of Scotland and we visit “Eilean Donan Castle”. With its only access on foot through an ancient medieval bridge, this castle is located between three lakes with access to the sea and nestled in a truly strategic location. Occupied by Spanish soldiers in the context of the Jacobite wars of the 18th century, it has a long history to tell us. Well, on this day we are also enjoying a continuity of mountains, lakes and valleys like that of “Glen Shiel” that will not allow us to distract our attention for a minute. We visit among many other wonderful views the huge and beautiful lakes of; “Loch Garry”, “Loch Loyne” or “Loch Lochy” to reach going down the Caledonian Canal the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Loch Shiel, better known for the famous Harry Potter sagas. Here we stop to enjoy the historical area where the prince “Bonnie Charles Edward Stuart” landed. We will see later the locks of the Caledonian Canal that crossing all of Scotland joins the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean and we will rest at the foot of the highest mountain in all of the United Kingdom; “Ben Nevis or Snowy Mountain”, here, in the outdoor sports capital of UK; Fort William, we will have a deserved dinner and rest for today or those who prefer, can even venture to have a conversation with the friendly Highlanders of the area!

DAY 14: Beautiful landscapes and Castles!

Regions: Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and Stirlingshire!

Incredible expedition and vacations we are enjoying! Today, on our penultimate day and waking up at the foot of “Ben Nevis” and “Loch Linnhe”, we are going to visit the most important and tourist points of Fort William like the old Inverlochy Castle to then set off on this pleasant and scenic day towards the “Valley of Tears” or Glen Coe, where we will tell you why it’s named so and what happened here. We will see in this categorized as the most beautiful elevated valley of Alba the famous “Three Sisters” mountains and we will understand why scenes from so many movies like “007 Skyfall”, “Braveheart” or “Rob Roy” have been filmed in this impressive and heartbreaking valley. Well, we told you it’s an impressive day and you are living it, we cross this wonderful elevated valley to descend to the Trossachs National Park and not without first seeing beautiful landscapes like “Loch Tulla”, we will arrive at Luss, a truly beautiful town on the shores of the most extensive lake in all of the United Kingdom; Loch Lomond, we walk through this beautiful and tourist town to later “storm” what is perhaps the most historically important Castle in all of Scotland along with that of Edinburgh that we will visit the following day. Almost two drops of water in their position and defenses on a large rocky mountain, these two castles have a very similar configuration, although in this one we visit first, the Stirling Castle, very important historical acts for the beautiful and proud Scotland have been developed like the battles of “The Stirling Bridges” in 1297, with William Wallace and his army of Highlanders defeating Edward I of England, or the battle of “Bannockburn”, in 1314, at the feet of the castle commanded by the Scottish King Robert The Bruce and who defeated the English troops of Edward II claiming the sovereignty of Scotland forever!: “as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself”, quotes the Declaration of Arbroath that the same King of Scotland Robert The Bruce and nobles wrote and signed, sent to Pope John XXII in 1320 after defeating the invading English troops in Stirling. In this same and very important Castle was crowned the Queen of Scots Mary Stuart, with which, we have that the two most important monarchs of Scotland are united to the Castle we visit today forever! But in case you are still not surprised enough by the restless and important historical past of Scotland, we make a short stop at Linlithgow Palace, where “Mary Stuart” was born and home of the Stuarts. Truly impressive day today as well like the wonderful and unforgettable 15 days that we are together.

DAY 15: The Athens of the North and the historical Capital of Scotland!

Regions: Edinburgh; The Capital!

Last day! We have lived a dream, but we cannot finish it without visiting one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the capital of this wonderful and mythical country; Edinburgh! After a last and typical Scottish breakfast, we set off to explore the secrets and corners of this city, a World Heritage Site that leaves no one indifferent. Known as the “Athens of the North” for its neoclassical buildings and intellectual past, Edinburgh is divided into two main parts: the Old Town (medieval) and the New Town (neoclassical). We start by “storming” the majestic Edinburgh Castle, which sits atop an extinct volcano, the Castle Rock, watching over the city for centuries. Inside, we will see the Honours of Scotland (the Crown Jewels) and the Stone of Destiny. We then walk down the famous Royal Mile, the backbone of the Old Town, which connects the Castle with the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Along the way, we will discover the hidden “closes” or narrow alleys that hold stories of the dark and mysterious Edinburgh. We will also visit the St. Giles’ Cathedral with its crown-shaped spire and the Scottish Parliament building, an example of modern architecture. For the best views of the city, we can climb Calton Hill, with its unfinished national monument, or for the more adventurous, the walk to Arthur’s Seat offers a panoramic and natural view of the entire city and the sea. After a free afternoon to find the last souvenirs, such as high-quality Cashmere or Tartan, we will enjoy our last farewell dinner together in a traditional pub, celebrating these 15 days of legend, history, and nature. We have traveled through the heart of Alba, its islands, and its mountains; we hope you carry Scotland in your hearts forever!

The Jewels of our Tour.

• DUNFERMLINE ABBEY (admission included)
• ISLAND OF LEWIS & HARRIS
• CAWDOR CASTLE AND FOREST (admission included)
• SCLAPAY ISLAND (Lewis & Harris)
• SCOTTISH DOLPHIN CENTER (admission included)
• DURNESS
• NATURAL RESERVE AND GRUTA DE THE GLOUP & MULL HEAD
• PALACE OF FALKLAND (entrance included)
• MARWICK HEAD CLIFFS
• DISCOVERY BOAT (admission included)
• THE ITALIAN CHAPEL OF THE ORKNEY ISLANDS (admission included)
• FORT GEORGE (admission included)
• THURSO
• THE THREE BRIDGES OF EDINBURGH
• SOUTH QUEENSFERRY
• VIKING BAY OF UIG, ISLAND OF LEWIS
• GLAMIS CASTLE (admission included)
• STOER LIGHTHOUSE
• CASTLES OF BALMORAL OR BRAEMAR (admission included)
• PITLOCHRY
• FERRy TO THE ISLANDS OF LEWIS & HARRIS (included)
• ELGIN CATHEDRAL & BIBLICAL GARDENS
• KIRKWALL (Orkney Islands)
• LUSKENTYRE BEACH
• OLD CELTIC FORT OF BURGHEAD (included)
• ISLAND OF RONALDSAY (Orkney)
• SUENO´S STONE
• MANGERSTA BEACH
• CLAVA CAIRNS
• LOCH NESS & URQUHART CASTLE CRUISE (admission included)
• LOCHINVER
• OLD CASTLE OF WICK (free)
• DUNCANSBY HEAD
• FERRI TO THE ORKNEY ISLANDS (included)
• DUNKELD
• MAESHOWE STANDING STONES VISITOR CENTER (admission included)
• STANDING STONES OF STENNESS
• BLAIR ATHOL WHISKEY DISTILLERY (tour included)
• RING OF BRODGAR
• BROCH OF BORWICK
• PREHISTORIC VILLA OF SHARA BRAE (admission included)
• WICK
• CASTLE OF ARBERDOUR (admission included)
• EYE PENINSULA (Lewis)
• BROCH OF GURNESS
• KIRKWALL
• UNICORN FRIGATE (admission included)
• EAGLES TOMB & VISITOR CENTER (admission included)
• FERRY TO MAINLAND SCOTLAND (included)
• CASTLE OF SLAINS (free)
• PORT OF NESS
• SMOO CAVE & DURNESS BEACH
• OLD MAN OF STOER
• ACHMELVIH BAY
• DUNNOTTAR CASTLE (admission included)
• PETERHEAD
• KNOCHAN CRAG NATURAL RESERVE
• STORNOWAY
• CHAPEL OF ST COLUMBA´S
• PORTREE (Skye Island)
• TIUMPANHEAD KENNELS LIGHTHOUSE
• ST MARGARET´S HOPE (Orkney)
• THE THREE SISTERS MOUNTAINS
• LEWIS LIGHTHOUSE
• SCOTTISH LIGHTHOUSE AND CASTLE SAMPLE (admission included)
• NAIRN
• ABERDEEN; the city of granite.
• LEWIS CASTLE & MUSEUM NAN EILEAN (admission included)
• ELGIN
• “THE BLACKHOUSE” COTTAGE, ARNOL (admission included)
• PALACE OF DUNBORIN (admission included)
• CALTON HILL
• GLENCOE
• DUN CARLOWAY BROCK & LOCK AND DUIN.
• KILT ROCK CLIFF
• MEGALITHIC DOLMENS OF CALANAIS STANDING STONES ON THE ISLAND OF LEWIS
• ASSYNT
• ISLAND OF GREAT BERNERA
• THE CALEDONIAN CANAL LOCKS
• VALTOS
• DUN BORRANISH
• CLISHAM MOUNTAIN
• ST ANDREWS ABADIA AND CASTLE (included)
• TARBERT (Harris)
• EILEAN GLAS LIGHTHOUSE
• GARDNESTOWN
• DUNNET HEAD LIGHTHOUSE
• LEVERBURGH
• ST CLEMENTS CHURCH
• FERRI TO THE ISLAND OF SKYE (included)
• ULLAPOOL
• BROUGH OF BRISAY (admission included)
• QUIRAING VIEWS (Skye)
• HESTA HEAD
• FORT WILLIAM
• OLD MAN OF STORR (Skye)
• CASTLE OF MEY
• NEIST POINT (walk)
• LINLITHGOW PALACE
• THE POOLS OF THE FAIRIES, ISLAND OF SKYE (walk)
• YESNABY CLIFFS.
• BANFF
• INVERNESS
• EILEAN DONAN CASTLE (admission included)
• PORT OF NESS (Lewis)
• THE BLACKHOUSE VILLAGE
• GLENFINNAN VIADUCT
• ARDVRECK CASTLE (free)
• CATHEDRAL OF ST MAGNUS
• ABERDOUR
• OLD CASTLE OF INVERLOCHY
• BURGHEAD
• SINCLAIR CASTLE (free)
• SPEY BAY
• LOCH TULLA
• HESTA HEAD
• LUSS (walk)
• FINDHORN
• STIRLING CASTLE (admission included)
• FORRES
• DAY IN EDINBURGH
• EDINBURGH CASTLE (admission included)
• UNDERGROUND CITY OF EDINBURGH (admission included)
• GHOST BUS TOUR OF EDINBURGH (included)
• Detailed itinerary before the start of the Tour.

No additional costs.

All the activities and visits indicated are included in our closed price, in this way the only expenses you have to add are your travel and flight insurance.

• TRANSFERS FROM AND TO THE AIRPORT.
• TOUR OF 15 DAYS AND 15 NIGHTS.
• ACCOMMODATIONS IN DOUBLE SUITE WITH 3 STAR PRIVATE BATHROOM.
• 15 COMPLETE SCOTTISH BREAKFASTS.
• COMFORTABLE MID-HIGH RANGE VEHICLE.
• LOCAL GUIDE AND DRIVER SERVICES IN ENGLISH.
• EXPLANATIONS, ACCOMPANIMENT AND GENERAL CULTURAL INFORMATION OF THE GUIDE.
• VISITS AND INDICATED ACTIVITIES.
• WE ALSO PICK YOU UP AND TAKE YOU TO YOUR HOTELS.

Option to include dinners.

• Travel or personal insurance (compulsory)
• Flights.
• Own purchases or not described in the included section.
• Personal assistant or porter service. (Our guides always ready to help).

• Single suite: add to the price £50 per night.
• 5-star luxury accommodation: increase depending on requirements.
• Personalized tours: + 15% before discounts and taxes.
• Airport transfers: if not included + £15 per adult/children under 16 years free. Prices per trip.

TRAVEL OPTIONS TO CHOOSE

• Accommodation: 3 star double suite hotels near or in the centre of the town.

Note regarding accommodation: the substantial difference is in the services offered by the type of accommodation and the distance from the town centre. The type of room is always en suite with a private bathroom and full breakfast included. We will drop you off and pick you up at the accommodation itself.

Optional Dinners

• Open dinner service provided for your comfort, to choose from the restaurant menu.
Price: supplement of 30 pounds per adult and 25 children under 16, per person and night (not cumulative). To choose from the restaurant menu up to these amounts. Over them, the client will pay the difference directly at the premises.

Normally our selection of restaurants is in the same hotel or close to it, depending on our great selection of regulars in each location and their availability.

• Dates upon request from just 2 people
• For more than 8 people contact us

Prices are per person in a double room (other options may incur supplements), please select the number of people coming together.
On the dates you want from two people and subject to availability. Anticipation counts in your favor.
Low season: January, February, March, October, November, December:
• Adults: £4,215
(In Open Group. Age 18 +)
• Seniors: £4,023
(In Open Group. Age 65+)
• Youngsters: £3,946
(In Open Group. Age 5 – 17)
• From 4 to 8 people: £3,831
(In Open Group. Groups and Families. All ages)
• Private Tour: £5,166
(From 2 people. All ages)
• “Just the Tour”: £8,250
(Price per group of 1 to 8 people in Open Group.
No accommodation or tickets included)

Middle season: April, May, June, September:
• Adults: £4,554
(In Open Group. Age 18 +)
• Seniors: £4,345
(In Open Group. Age 65+)
• Youngsters: £4,261
(In Open Group. Age 5 – 17)
• From 4 to 8 people: £4,136
(In Open Group. Groups and Families. All ages)
• Private Tour: £5,555
(From 2 people. All ages)
• “Just the Tour”: £9,075
(Price per group of 1 to 8 people in Open Group.
No accommodation or tickets included)

High season: July, August, Christmas, Easter. (December 15 to 31):
• Adults: £4,854
(In Open Group. Age 18 +)
• Seniors: £4,630
(In Open Group. Age 65+)
• Youngsters: £4,540
(In Open Group. Age 5 – 17)
• From 4 to 8 people: £4,406
(In Open Group. Groups and Families. All ages)
• Private Tour: £5,900
(From 2 people. All ages)
• “Just the Tour”: £9,982
(Price per group of 1 to 8 people in Open Group.
No accommodation or tickets included)

• Recommended minimum age for children: 5 years. More young people consult.
• Children under 5 years: not recommended, under the responsibility of the parents and option only available in Private Tours. Children will travel for free if there are places available and the Tour meets the conditions for them. They will sleep in a shared room with at least one adult in their family. Meals not included. One child under 5 per family is free, from the second the price corresponding to “Children between 5 and 15 years old” will be applied. Consult.
• Up to 18 years old: it is necessary to come accompanied by at least one adult.
• Dinners: possibility of hiring or not this service for a value of up to 30 GBP from 16 years of age and up to 25 Pounds for children under 16, per person and night (not cumulative).
• Historic Edinburgh Walking Tour Pack: most of our programs include this day with entrance to Edinburgh Castle, plus a visit to the underground city, ghost bus tour and other guided tours. If it is not included in the chosen program, there is the possibility of adding this day. Prices on our website.
• It is possible to choose the lowest price applicable to each person even within a group.
• Routes: super studied, optimized and selected to enjoy the spectacular landscapes. In the event of major causes outside our company such as extreme weather and impassable works or other unavoidable events, our guide will decide an alternative route of equal beauty as far as possible.
• Accommodation: at “ScotlandTrips International” our selection of usual accommodation is above the average in the same rating scales that other companies offer. The two options are subject to availability and options of the beautiful towns to visit. Especially in wonderful Scotland, our B&B and Guest House selection are at the same level of quality and comfort within our excellent selection, being able to be even more comfortable than a hotel, although a hotel offers more services such as restaurant or bar. Depending on the availability on the dates of the contracted services, the accommodation may be located at a greater or lesser distance from the local centre or even in the closest locations with availability, without thereby stopping any content of the program or itinerary, therefore, the longer the reservation is in advance, the better the conditions and situation of the accommodation, as is usual in the tourism sector due to the supply, demand and dates.
• Possibility of 5-star luxury accommodation and personalized tours: see supplements.
• Baggage: unless otherwise notified, it is allowed to bring one cabin or medium-size suitcase per person. Since we usually operate to improve the quality and attention of our services in vehicles or minibuses, space for suitcases is limited and we operate under safety and weight regulations.
• DNI or Passport: it is necessary to send us this document for reservations and show it to the Guide for security reasons.
• Travel Insurance: it is mandatory to have your travel insurance up to date, it is very economical and can cover any eventuality. It is also recommended that in the unforeseen event that you have to cancel the trip due to any eventuality that may happen to you, this section covers you. Our company has all the relevant insurance.

With everything prepared and in order, you are ready to enjoy a wonderful vacation with our company, we are waiting for you, we are waiting for you!