Highland Lochs, Glens & Castles Small Group Tour from Edinburgh
Description
On our Highland Lochs, Glens & Castles tour from Edinburgh we will take you to some of the best scenery Scotland has to offer. Majestic mountains tumble down to shimmering lochs and castles, while glens tell tragic tales of centuries gone by. You will have the opportunity to visit a castle or two and we’ll also have the chance to get some photos of castle ruins. We visit the picturesque highland village of Luss which sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond with views to Ben Lomond, Scotland’s most southerly Munro.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We’ll pass Stirling Castle, great royal residence of Stuart Kings and Mary Queen of Scots who acceded to the throne in 1542 when she was only 6 days old.
Our first stop will be at Doune Castle, a magnificent late 14th century stronghold. The castle stood in for Winterfell in Game of Thrones and Castle Leoch in Outlander. It also starred as Swamp Castle, Castle Anthrax and Camelot in the cult comedy movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. You will have time to visit the Castle.
We'll visit the lovely Loch Lubnaig. This small but stunningly located stretch of freshwater nestling between two striking mountains, Ben Ledi and Ben Vane is where we’ll stop for some light refreshments.
Kilchurn Castle stands at the head of Loch Awe, surrounded by mountains. While enjoying the views we'll stop for some photos at this mid-15th century ruined castle.
Inveraray enjoys a picturesque setting on the shores of Loch Fyne and is therefore the perfect place to stop for lunch. With just under 2 hours here, you'll certainly have lots of time to explore. You may choose to visit the 19th century Inveraray Jail (open all year round, tickets purchased on the day), a living museum where you can experience what it was like to be incarcerated behind its bars. While others may opt to have a wander around this lovely little town. On the other hand, during the summer months (April to Oct, Thurs - Mon only) you may consider a visit Inveraray Castle (tickets can be purchased on the day) where the Duke of Argyll and his family live today. Breath in the clear Highland air while you stroll around the parkland, woodland and gardens, which are resplendent with rainbows of the azaleas and rhododendrons that certainly flourish in Argyll in summertime.
We pause for photos at the ‘Rest and Be Thankful’. An iconic Scottish viewpoint, so named thanks to the words carved in stone by weary soldiers who built the original military road in 1753.
Our last stop of the day is at the charming highland village of Luss which sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. Around 1,500 years ago, an Irish missionary, St Kessog, arrived at Loch Lomond, subsequently bringing Christianity to the area. There is time for you to walk around the village and while exploring you should take a walk down to the pier where you’ll see Ben Lomond standing proudly over Loch Lomond.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We cannot accommodate children under the age of 5
Reviews(386)
The tour was fantastic. We really enjoyed the day in the Highlands! Kyle, our guide and driver, was super knowledgeable and funny. He was the best guide! What a lovely country!
Kylie was awesome! He told personal stories and scotland history. He made the tour very personalized.
Sandy was a lovely guide-we learned so much of Scotland history!!! The timing for our stops was perfect!!! Our vehicle was comfortable with charging ability.
Driver / guide was professional and knowledgeable. The bus was clean and in great condition. Loved the historical stories and information about the geology. Thank you Sandy for stopping to see the Scottish Highland Cattle. Also enjoyed the background music, very appropriate and in my opinion added to the experience. Chef's kiss!
Kyle was our guide and he was amazing. He is a wealth of information on Scottish history and landscape
Fantastic tour. Guide shared great info and even though it was raining still attempted to give us all the best views. I would do this tour again.
We are glad you enjoyed your tour, despite some typical Scottish weather! Thank you for the 5 stars and we hope to welcome you back in the future, hopefully with some better weather! - Discover Scotland Tours
What an amazing day! Ron was lovely to listen to and passed along information all day in a storytelling cadence that made me want more. The castles were lovely, the lake gorgeous, and rest and be thankful provided the best views of the entire trip.
Thank you for your 5 star review! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed Ron's information and story telling. We are glad that you got to appreciate some of the best views Scotland has to offer! We hope to welcome you back soon! - Discover Scotland Tours
We loved this tour of Scotland! Kyle was a wonderful tour guide, extremely knowledgeable and so warm and friendly. We saw so much of the stunning county of Scotty: lowlands, highlands, the west shore, lots of lochs. We stopped at a lovely small town up in the highlands where we had a lovely lunch and time to shop a bit. The bus was very comfortable and it only held 14, so a perfect size for a more intimate tour. We highly recommend!!
Thank you for your recommendation and 5 star review! It is great to see how much you loved all the places that you visited and travelled through on the tour. We're glad you were comfortable on the bus and enjoyed the smaller group size and we'll be sure to pass on your kind words to Kyle. We hope to help you discover more of Scotland in the Future! - Discover Scotland Tours
If you are on limited time in Scotland and have a day to see the countryside, this tour is great. The day is long but seeing the different villages, a couple castles, lochs, etc in one shot is very efficient. There were about 12 of us in the van which was great. Brian, our guide, was very nice, drove safely and was great with answers but for me who is a bit hard of hearing, a bit soft spoken so was not always easy to understand.
Thank you for your great review! We are delighted to see that you enjoyed the tour and all the places you are able to see along the way. We will be sure to pass your kind words on to Brian. We hope to help you discover more of Scotland another time! - Discover Scotland Tours
I had high hopes and it beat all my expectations! Our guide Ron was so entertaining and knowledgeable and took great care of us. I feel like I got the whole Scotland experience in one day!
We are glad we could exceed your expectations! We will be sure to let Ron know your kind words regarding his knowledge and entertaining guiding, he will be delighted. Thank you for the 5 stars and we hope to see you again in the future to discover more of Scotland! - Discover Scotland Tours
