Secret Loch Ness, Inverness Castle visit, Culloden, Clava Cairns
Description
Return journey: We WILL have you back to your ship around 1 hour prior to its departure time. We nearly always arrive back BEFORE the ship’s own buses. We’re very efficient and have been doing this for 7 years, serving thousands of cruise passengers every summer season. Check out special offers at Thistle Excursions too - save, save, save! This tour is DIFFERENT as it takes you to the very edge of Loch Ness where you can touch it or walk in, unlike nearly every other tour company who visit Loch Ness on the steep side, only stopping in a lay-by for photos. This minibus tour from Invergordon features highlights from Outlander, Culloden, Castles, Loch Ness & Nessie! It packs in a lot for one day's tour and is very affordable and good value for money. Our website contains full details of all tours and booking. Please check the tour times on our website, as the times listed here are approximate. We try to take this tour in a 4, 8 or 16 or 33 seater vehicle. Thank you
Tour Options
Itinerary
Visit the famous historic battlefield featured in Outlander series and book plus the visitor centre.
We may sometimes visit Clava cairns which was the inspiration for the book and tv series Outlander
You’ll look around the city seeing the old churches, shops, river Ness, castle, cathedral etc. - if you’re interested in Outlander the guide will point out these locations. Try local bars dating back to the 1800s. The Gellions and Black Friars.
Key Features • Striking red sandstone towers above the river. • North and South Towers, with commanding views over Inverness and the Great Glen. • A statue of Flora MacDonald, heroine of the Jacobite Rising, stands outside, facing the River Ness. Undergo the castle experience and Inverness shopping or history sites for 3 hours. Split your time between the two. Entry included into this magical new experience costing £40 million to refurbish.
See south Loch Ness and paddle in the clear waters. Stop off the beaten track at Dores which is a quaint village on the banks of Loch Ness. Bonus if you get to chat to Steve, the local Nessie hunter.
Visit a quaint farm shop near Beauly. Touch or feed Highland cows. Jamie and Katie-Morag wait you.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Wheelchair travellers difficult
Reviews(147)
We had an excellent tour with Thistle Excursions, Danny was our guide and driver.we thorougly enjoyed our day. It was well worth the $
Thank you so much.
My wife and I went on a tour with June and had a great time! She was delightful and knowledgeable about the area and its history. We really enjoyed how personable she was and how easy she made everything on our trip. Would highly recommend for anybody wanting to learn more about the area in a fun and accessible way!
Thank you so Much.
Danny did a wonderful job on this tour! I would highly recommend it. Seeing the countryside and hearing about it from Danny was a great experience.
Thank you for the kind comments.
With our tour guide Mo, we had an absolutely perfect day – a solid 10/10! She created an unforgettable and wonderfully varied experience for us. We were especially impressed by her warm and friendly nature. As we were traveling as a family, she was very considerate of our two-year-old daughter, which we truly appreciated. Mo was not only highly entertaining and pleasantly relaxed, but also shared a wealth of interesting and informative insights. She made the entire day a truly memorable experience for all of us. We can wholeheartedly recommend this tour to anyone!
Thank you so much for writing this. Mo will be so pleased. She’s great.
We were surprised about the size of the tour group. It was my family and another couple so the tour was very relaxed. And since it was a small group, we spent more time at each place. Our tour guide, Mike, was awesome! He was funny and anecdotal. He checked on us regularly making sure we were comfortable in the van. It felt like a friend was doing the tour. Our favorite part was the stop at a small beach at Lochness. There were no crowds so we were able to get beautiful photos of the loch. I would highly recommend this tour! It was a perfect blend of small and well known spots in Scotland.
Thank you Noreen for your kind review from a tour you took with us last season in 2025. Hope to see you again one day.
Cawdor Castle was really nice. The gardens were especially beautiful to walk around and enjoy. We didn't spend much time at Loch Ness, but there wasn't much to see anyway, no Nessie to be found. The tour guide did a nice job.
Thank you so much for taking the time to give Thistle a great review. It helps the guides feel really appreciated and gives them huge job satisfaction. It also helps the company know we’re getting it right. So very kind of you.
Tour was good but I have to say it was OVERPRICED!!! When comparing to other tours we did did with both you and Discover Scotland it was steep. You did include Ticket to Cawdor Castle but overall not worth the cost. More like I would have paid to Princess Cruise lines.
Our tours are far cheaper than the ships and we give you they’ve as long (6-8 hours). Most people comment on our value for money plus we include entry fees.
Great coordination in the port. Good stop timing. The bus was equipped with toilet. The guide was well prepared and even gave us each a local candy bag.
Thank you so much for taking the time to give Thistle a great review. It helps the guides feel really appreciated and gives them huge job satisfaction. It also helps the company know we’re getting it right. So very kind of you.
We had a wonderful time with our guide, June. She was very kind and loved to share local information. It wasn’t just the tourist spot info, there were lots of local stories as well. She knew everyone in town and they knew her, and it was so charming and cute. We saw so much wonderful stuff in Inverness and I only wish we had more time there because it was such a lovely area! Also coos…love love love the coos. We were most excited about seeing these darling shaggy coos, and thought we might get to pet them, but alas, we were not allowed. That was the one slight disappointment, but just a very very minor one.
Thank you so much for taking the time to give Thistle a great review. It helps the guides feel really appreciated and gives them huge job satisfaction. It also helps the company know we’re getting it right. So very kind of you.
Packed full of wonderful experiences! The guide was delightful and so knowledgeable. A full day of memories made!
Thank you so much for taking the time to give Thistle a great review. It helps the guides feel really appreciated and gives them huge job satisfaction. It also helps the company know we’re getting it right. So very kind of you.
