1-Day FREE Scottish Highlands Tour

Itinerary

8:45am – Departing Edinburgh, we travel to the village of South Queensferry. Gaze at the Forth Bridge, it is a magnificent 8094 ft engineering masterpiece. The bridge opened in March 1890 and has recently been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. “And you think that’s impressive?” says your guide. “Wait until you see what’s next…”

On to the Wallace Monument in Stirling and the stunning views of Stirling Castle! This is the same ground where William Wallace sprung his trap, slaughtered Edward I’s armies as they crossed the perilous Stirling Bridge and took Stirling back from the English.

We then visit The Lake of Menteith, the only lake in Scotland. The lonely island in the middle of the lake was the final refuge for the 4 year old Mary ‘Queen of Scots’, as Henry VIII’s armies marched by unknowingly. This was also the final resting place of one of the most interesting men in Scottish history, Robert Cunninghame Graham aka ‘Don Roberto’, a friend of ‘Buffalo Bill’.

We will stop for lunch in the highland village of Aberfoyle and the scenes that inspired ‘Don Roberto’. There are some fabulous cafes, pubs and restaurants here, however, if you’re anything like us, you’ll prefer a haggis and cheesy mash pie from the local bakery, and a park bench to take in the views.

After lunch, ramble the Glen of Trossachs before meeting a few of the ‘locals‘. Now, when we say ‘locals’, we mean Hairy Coos! These magnificent creatures are symbolic to Scotland and they love a good selfie. Depending on the season and the weather you might take a short forest walk to see a little-known, but absolutely stunning local waterfall.

Next, we step into Sir Walter Scott’s poem ‘The Lady of the Lake’, which was inspired by the beautiful Loch Katrine. The loch derives its name from the term cateran from the Scots’ Gaelic ceathairne, a collective word meaning “cattle-thief”, the most famous of all, was ‘Rob Roy MacGregor’, the Scottish ‘Robin Hood’. Your Driver Guide will tell you all about this Scottish hero/villain (depending on whose version of history you believe!)

Finally, step back in time at Doune Castle. This 14th Century Castle has been a setting on ‘Outlander’, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ and ‘Game of Thrones’. Almost all of the stonework is original and if you venture inside, you’ll see one of the best-preserved Great Halls in Scotland.

By approximately 6.30pm we arrive back in Edinburgh city centre, having seen mountains, lochs, castles, waterfalls and of course Hairy Coos!