Border 4 Day Tour : Highlands

DAY ONE

We head north bypassing Glasgow towards Loch Lomond, we will stop to stretch our legs and coffee/photo stop at Luss. The Scottish soap opera “Take the High Road” was filmed here, the cottages were all built for the mill and quarry workers of the early 19th century and have mostly all been restored, Luss is now a conservation village.

It’s back on the bus and north on the A82 through Rannoch Moor to Glencoe where we’ll go to a folk museum, Heather thatched cottages and artifacts help you discover how ordinary folk used to live. It also describes the tragic massacre of the MacDonalds at the hands of the Clan Campbell. Whether we go to the folk museum or not is up to you but we can definitely stop at Glencoe, it is a hauntingly beautiful spot and it’s said that not a creature stirs and no bird sings in this spot in remembrance to the massacre.

We will have lunch in the bustling town of Fort William, nestled at the foot of Scotland’s highest mountain Ben Nevis 4406 feet above sea level. If you are feeling a bit thirsty after lunch we can visit the Ben Nevis Distillery for a tour and a “wee dram”.

AfterBen Nevis Distillery it’s back on the bus and we’ll head west to the Glenfinnan Monument and the viaduct where the Hogwarts Express shots where filmed in the Harry Potter films. The Quidditch scenes where also filmed with the famous Ben Nevis in the background.

The scenery around this area is breathtaking with steep sided mountains with elevations up to 3000 feet. The Glenfinnan Monument stands at the head of Loch Shiel and marks the spot where Charles Edward Stewart “Bonnie Prince Charlie” raised his standard and the jacobite rebellion started on 19th August 1745.
DAY TWO
Eilean Donan Castle, that most iconic of Scottish Castles, if you’ve seen Highlander with Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert then you will remember this castle. This site has been inhabited since the 6th century but the first fortified castle wasn’t built until the 13th century. The castle you see today was restored by Lieutenant Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap, he bought the ruined castle in 1911 and it took 20 years of hard work, it was opened to the public in 1932.

It’s a short trip to Kyle of Lochalsh for a quick photostop then over the bridge to Skye, we’ll take a scenic drive up to Portree with as many photostops as you like. We will have lunch in Portree then its back on the bus and east to Urquhart Castle and some “Nessie” spotting at Loch Ness. The castle was pivotel in the warring English & Scots and changed hands numerous times. It’s a romantic ruin with the added attraction that you might just catch a glimpse …..

Depending on time we can now visit Dallas Dhu Distillery or the visitor centre for Culloden battlefield.
Dallas Dhu is no longer a working distillery, its now a museum and because there aren’t so many health & safety regulations as in a working distillery you get that little bit closer to see the distillers art.
Culloden, on the 16th April 1746 the course of British, European and World history was changed forever. This was not simply a battle between English and Scots, it was a bit like the American civil war in that in some families, brother fought against brother.

We will spend the night in Inverness.

DAY THREE
First stop today is Fort George, this is the mightiest artilliery fortification in Britain if not Europe, it was built after the 1746 defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden. Nowadays it would cost £1 billion to construct. It has nearly 1 mile of defensive stone boundary walls.

We will head south through the beautiful Royal Deeside and stop for lunch at Ballater.
Behind the Victorian town of Ballater stands the majestic Lochnagar, one of the great mountains within the Cairngorms National Park. The river Dee runs through the town and it’s easy to see why the Royal family love spending time here.

We’ll head on south to Stirling where we will spend our last night.

DAY FOUR
Stirling Castle, set on a volcanic outcrop at the head of Stirling’s old town, Stirling Castle is very much like its counterpart in Edinburgh. Its strategic position at the heart of Scotland ensured it’s place in History as it was besieged time after time involving among others William Wallace and King Robert The Bruce.
Films such as Braveheart and The Bruce have ensured that the castle is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Scotland. Visit the kitchens and see what life would have been like for a commoner living at the castle.
Historic Scotland often put on re-enactments and other events during the summer months, we will endeavour to arrive at the castle to coincide with these events.
It’s back on the bus for our last visit of the tour, the Wallace Monument, built in 1860 to commemorate the” Guardian of Scotland, William Wallace”.
Find out about the controversy surrounding the building of this grand structure.
You can either, walk up from the car park and appreciate the fine views, or you can hop aboard the shuttle bus which will ferry you up to the top. Learn all about the great man who struggled to liberate his fellow Scots from the Tyranny of the English Oppressors.
We will now take you on to Edinburgh for a 1 hour tour of the city pointing out all the places of interest before dropping you off at your hotel. We aim to drop you off at around 13.00/13.30 and the rest of your time is free to explore this beautiful city.