Scotland's Highlands & Islands
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Highlights:
- For an exploration of the true character of Scotland, it helps to focus your time on the highlands and the islands that surround them.
- This is the Scotland romanticized in TV series and movies and the places that donate their looks to a myriad of calendars.
- This is rugged country, but it does not mean you have to lodge the same way because the properties we have selected offer a fine table and a warm welcome - even if you are a Sassenach.
SKU:
Explore: Scotland's Highlands & Islands
Customizable Itinerary - 12 Days (from $6,974 / person)
Day 1: Depart USA
Tonight you will leave the USA on an overnight flight to Edinburgh and the start of your Custom Holiday in Scotland.
Day 2: Welcome to Scotland
When you arrive in Edinburgh you will be met by one of our drivers who will drive you into central Edinburgh. You have a chance to rest at the hotel before meeting one of our guides for a walking tour of the highlights of Edinburgh. You will walk the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace, residence of the Queen when she is in Edinburgh. Stroll along Princes Street admiring the shops on one side and the ornamental gardens on the other side. View the memorial to Sir Walter Scott before touring Edinburgh Castle and enjoying the view from the ramparts.
Day 3: A scenic journey to Oban
Your driver will be waiting in the morning to take you to the West of Scotland. You will stop to admire the coast of Loch Lomond considered to be one of Scotland’s most scenic. You will continue on, stopping at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar where the freshest of seafood is served. From fish and chips to Oysters and Smoked Salmon it is all good and all fresh. You arrive at your hotel located on its own 300 acre island. After check in you can walk the grounds before dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 4: At Ease in the Highlands
Today you have a variety of activities to enjoy. You can start with a treatment at the Spa followed by some laps in the indoor pool. You can play nine holes of golf or relax in the garden with a good book. If however you are interested in Scottish highland life we will encourage you to try fly fishing. If you are a novice you can learn the basics of tying the fly and casting and then try your luck at three lochs all stocked with prime trout. If you are lucky, the chef can prepare it for dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 5: Islands of the Inner Hebrides
After breakfast you are driven to the Pier in Oban where you board a ferry that will take you to the picturesque island of Mull. From there you cross the island to Fionnphort where you board a boat for the uninhabited island of Staffa noted for its basaltic formations including Fingal’s Cave. Your ultimate destination is another boat ride away. Iona is where Columba landed, bringing Christianity to Scotland in 563 AD. You will visit the abbey he founded before returning to Oban where your driver will be waiting to take you back to your hotel.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: The Ferry from Kennacraig
Today you say goodbye to one island (albeit small) and hello to another. Your driver will take you to the Mull of Kintyre and the port of Kennacraig where you board a ferry for the two our cruise to Islay (pronounced eye-la). Enjoy the scenery as you cruise the Sound of Jura before arriving at Port Ellen where you are met and taken to your hotel which was formerly a country estate. Enjoy the views out to sea and take a walk to build up an appetite for dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 7: Judging the Single Malts
Islay is home to eight separate distilleries all producing world class single malts of which Laphroaig and Bowmore are probably the best known in the USA. Local might say others are just as good and you get to be the judge with your own designated driver. In between visits you will stop for lunch at a local pub. In the evening we have left you the option of dining at the hotel or visiting Port Charlotte or Port Ellen for a visit to a ‘local” and the best of pub fare.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 8: Islay, Loch Ness and Inverness
After breakfast, you are driven to Port Ellen where you board a ferry back to Kennacraig. You meet your guide and head to Inverness, the capital of the highlands. On the way you will stop for lunch at Loch Ness and take a cruise on the Loch to see if you can spot “Nessie’. Assuming you don’t you continue on to Inverness sitting along the banks of the River Ness . You check into your small hotel which happens to be owned by the world class chef Albert Roux. Enjoy a unique treat for dinner this evening without having to take a taxi home.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: The Isle of Skye
Meet your driver for the drive over the bridge to the Isle of Skye where you will get an extensive tour of the Castles and coastline of this colorful Island. Check in to your hotel and enjoy the views from the bar before dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Sailing the Coast of Skye
The owner of the hotel has a 42 foot yacht and was, in an earlier life, a master mariner. You will be hosted for a cruise along the Sound of Sleat stopping at Loch Hourn to enjoy an elegant lunch along with champagne, an excellent way to see the Island from a different perspective. We have left this evening open since while your hotel’s restaurant is excellent, there are a number of Michelin starred restaurants on the Island, Kinloch House and The Three Chimneys are two personal favorites. We will be glad to make reservations at the time we are customizing your trip.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 11: Skye to Perthshire
Today you will be leaving the Isle of Skye and returning to the Scottish mainland. You will drive through scenic countryside including Glencoe, a beautiful spot, but site of the massacre of 40 Macdonald clan members who were hosting English troops lead by the head of the Clan Campbell back in 1692. You then arrive in Perthshire and the charming town of Blairgowrie. Check in to your cozy but chic hotel for a farewell to Scotland dinner. Start out with single malt in the bar and demonstrate your well-earned expertise.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 12: Return to USA
You will be picked up in the morning and delivered to Edinburgh airport for your return flight arriving back the same afternoon.
Breakfast
Tonight you will leave the USA on an overnight flight to Edinburgh and the start of your Custom Holiday in Scotland.
Day 2: Welcome to Scotland
When you arrive in Edinburgh you will be met by one of our drivers who will drive you into central Edinburgh. You have a chance to rest at the hotel before meeting one of our guides for a walking tour of the highlights of Edinburgh. You will walk the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace, residence of the Queen when she is in Edinburgh. Stroll along Princes Street admiring the shops on one side and the ornamental gardens on the other side. View the memorial to Sir Walter Scott before touring Edinburgh Castle and enjoying the view from the ramparts.
Day 3: A scenic journey to Oban
Your driver will be waiting in the morning to take you to the West of Scotland. You will stop to admire the coast of Loch Lomond considered to be one of Scotland’s most scenic. You will continue on, stopping at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar where the freshest of seafood is served. From fish and chips to Oysters and Smoked Salmon it is all good and all fresh. You arrive at your hotel located on its own 300 acre island. After check in you can walk the grounds before dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 4: At Ease in the Highlands
Today you have a variety of activities to enjoy. You can start with a treatment at the Spa followed by some laps in the indoor pool. You can play nine holes of golf or relax in the garden with a good book. If however you are interested in Scottish highland life we will encourage you to try fly fishing. If you are a novice you can learn the basics of tying the fly and casting and then try your luck at three lochs all stocked with prime trout. If you are lucky, the chef can prepare it for dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 5: Islands of the Inner Hebrides
After breakfast you are driven to the Pier in Oban where you board a ferry that will take you to the picturesque island of Mull. From there you cross the island to Fionnphort where you board a boat for the uninhabited island of Staffa noted for its basaltic formations including Fingal’s Cave. Your ultimate destination is another boat ride away. Iona is where Columba landed, bringing Christianity to Scotland in 563 AD. You will visit the abbey he founded before returning to Oban where your driver will be waiting to take you back to your hotel.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: The Ferry from Kennacraig
Today you say goodbye to one island (albeit small) and hello to another. Your driver will take you to the Mull of Kintyre and the port of Kennacraig where you board a ferry for the two our cruise to Islay (pronounced eye-la). Enjoy the scenery as you cruise the Sound of Jura before arriving at Port Ellen where you are met and taken to your hotel which was formerly a country estate. Enjoy the views out to sea and take a walk to build up an appetite for dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 7: Judging the Single Malts
Islay is home to eight separate distilleries all producing world class single malts of which Laphroaig and Bowmore are probably the best known in the USA. Local might say others are just as good and you get to be the judge with your own designated driver. In between visits you will stop for lunch at a local pub. In the evening we have left you the option of dining at the hotel or visiting Port Charlotte or Port Ellen for a visit to a ‘local” and the best of pub fare.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 8: Islay, Loch Ness and Inverness
After breakfast, you are driven to Port Ellen where you board a ferry back to Kennacraig. You meet your guide and head to Inverness, the capital of the highlands. On the way you will stop for lunch at Loch Ness and take a cruise on the Loch to see if you can spot “Nessie’. Assuming you don’t you continue on to Inverness sitting along the banks of the River Ness . You check into your small hotel which happens to be owned by the world class chef Albert Roux. Enjoy a unique treat for dinner this evening without having to take a taxi home.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: The Isle of Skye
Meet your driver for the drive over the bridge to the Isle of Skye where you will get an extensive tour of the Castles and coastline of this colorful Island. Check in to your hotel and enjoy the views from the bar before dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Sailing the Coast of Skye
The owner of the hotel has a 42 foot yacht and was, in an earlier life, a master mariner. You will be hosted for a cruise along the Sound of Sleat stopping at Loch Hourn to enjoy an elegant lunch along with champagne, an excellent way to see the Island from a different perspective. We have left this evening open since while your hotel’s restaurant is excellent, there are a number of Michelin starred restaurants on the Island, Kinloch House and The Three Chimneys are two personal favorites. We will be glad to make reservations at the time we are customizing your trip.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 11: Skye to Perthshire
Today you will be leaving the Isle of Skye and returning to the Scottish mainland. You will drive through scenic countryside including Glencoe, a beautiful spot, but site of the massacre of 40 Macdonald clan members who were hosting English troops lead by the head of the Clan Campbell back in 1692. You then arrive in Perthshire and the charming town of Blairgowrie. Check in to your cozy but chic hotel for a farewell to Scotland dinner. Start out with single malt in the bar and demonstrate your well-earned expertise.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 12: Return to USA
You will be picked up in the morning and delivered to Edinburgh airport for your return flight arriving back the same afternoon.
Breakfast
