Compare Scottish Isles & Glens by CIE Tours vs Country Roads of Scotland - Small Group by Insight Vacations
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| Trip |
4.5 | Great
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 13 days | 10 days |
| Price From | $ 2,541 | $ 4,370 |
| Price Per Day | $ 195 | $ 437 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Group tour | Small group tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Standard |
| Physical Level |
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| Travel Themes |
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N/A |
| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Airfare included |
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| Meals Included |
12 Breakfasts and 9 Dinners |
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| Description |
Experience the “real Scotland” as you journey off the beaten track to explore the northernmost part of the Highlands. Explore the Isles of Arran and Skye and stay two nights in Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney isles. Fairy-tale castles, falconry, Loch Ness, Glencoe and Edinburgh makes this a great in-depth tour. |
Set foot on the stomping grounds of the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, see the grand Georgian architecture of Glasgow and sail across the sea to the Isle of Skye—the most beautiful island of the Inner Hebrides. Join Local Experts on this grand Gaelic tour as you pass Britain’s northernmost point at John O’Groats and board a ferry to the Orkney Islands. Enjoy a quieter pace of life on these tranquil isles as you explore the 5000-year-old village of Skara Brae and the mysterious Ring of Brodgar. In Wick, whet your whistle with a wee dram of whisky at the Old Pulteney Distillery or visit the fascinating Heritage Museum on this Insight Choice. After exploring the charming cobbled streets of St. Andrews, take afternoon tea at Blair Castle—the historic home of the Atholl family for over seven centuries. |
Day 1: Glasgow Arrival & Loch Katrine Cruise
Meals: Dinner
Your Scottish trip starts at 3:00 pm when you meet your tour director at your hotel, located in the village of Drymen, 20 miles north of Glasgow. Set out from your hotel and take a short drive through part of the Trossachs, often called “The Highlands in Miniature”. Embark on the steamboat “Sir Walter Scott” for a short cruise on Loch Katrine to admire lovely scenery. Return to your hotel and relax for a time before joining your tour director and travel companions for a welcome drink before dinner.
Day 2: Isle of Bute & Mount Stuart House
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Journey across a scenic Highland route and over the mountain pass of “Rest & Be Thankful.” A short ferry ride will bring you to the Isle of Bute where a drive around the coast will reveal stunning sea and island scenery. Take a guided tour of the highly-decorated chambers of Mount Stuart House, built in the late 1870s for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. See the many Victorian comforts that were highly innovative for the era. Spend some time in Rothesay, the main town on the island. Return to your hotel for free time to relax before dining in your hotel once more.
Day 3: Loch Lomond & Eilean Donan Castle
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Travel alongside the famous Loch Lomond, renowned for its unsurpassed beauty. Journey through Glen Coe, often considered one of Scotland’s most spectacular and beautiful places. Drive through Fort William and stop at a woolen mill for some refreshment and shop for Scottish goods. Continue your journey north to visit the romantic Eilean Donan Castle. The first fortified castle was built in the 13th century, rebuilt several times and partially ruined in 1719. Check in to your charming family-owned hotel near Kyle of Lochalsh.
Day 4: Isle of Skye & Dunvegan Castle
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Today explore the Isle of Skye and its Bonnie Prince Charlie associations. He fled to the island after his defeat at Culloden Moor. Travel to Dunvegan Castle, stronghold of the Chiefs of MacLeod for nearly 800 years, making it the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland. View priceless family heirlooms and stroll through formal gardens. Stop in Portree for a look at brightly-painted houses that cluster around the bay. Return to your hotel for free time before dinner.
Day 5: Inverewe Gardens & Ullapool
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Enjoy Highland scenery as you drive north along the west coast to visit Inverewe Gardens, where a haven of trees and shrubs was created from 50 acres of bleak headland in 1862. The varied plantings thrive due to the warmth of the Gulf Stream. Continue to Ullapool, an active fishing and ferry port that was built in 1788 to provide a living for the people in this region. Take a brief drive around the town and check in to your hotel.
Day 6: Highland Scenery & Isle of Orkney
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Today explore the northernmost section of the Highlands which is sparsely populated with remote hamlets. See huge tracts of bogland, rugged mountains, coastline and vast areas of open land. Learn about the Highland Clearances, a tragic period of history when many peasants were forced off the land and emigrated to the United States, Australia and other countries. Continue to John O’Groats, the most northern place on the British mainland and take a nearby ferry to the Isles of Orkney, enjoying dinner on board. Check in to your hotel in central Kirkwall.
Day 7: Orkney Sights & Skara Brae
Meals: Breakfast
Today explore the Isles of Orkney. Drive across the Churchill Barriers, created during World War II to deter German submarines. Discover the charm of the tiny Italian Chapel, built from two Nissen huts with elaborate paintings. View the Ring of Brodgar, a group of prehistoric standing stones. Visit Skara Brae, a 5,000-year-old village with remains of dwellings and then return to Kirkwall to see 12th century St Magnus Cathedral. Enjoy leisure time in the afternoon and evening to browse around the town and dine independently.
Day 8: Dunrobin Castle & Inverness
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Return by ferry to the mainland and drive down the east coast to visit Dunrobin Castle, dating to 1275 but renovated in the mid-1800s. With 189 rooms this is the largest mansion in northern Scotland. Visit chambers containing priceless artifacts, including the dining room, music room and library with over 10,000 volumes. Take a walk through the well-tended castle gardens. Continue south to your hotel in the center of Inverness, the principal town in the Highlands.
Day 9: Urquhart Castle & Culloden Battlefield
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Cruise into Loch Ness to visit the picturesque ruins of Urquhart Castle, once Scotland’s largest castle which was destroyed in Jacobite wars. Stop at the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre to learn about the conflict where Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated in 1746, which ended the clan system in Scotland. Walk around the moor and see monuments to the various regiments who lost men. Stop for photos at Clava Cairns, a prehistoric burial place with a circle of standing stones that inspired the “Outlander” books. Return to Inverness in time to relax, shop or walk alongside the River Ness in front of your hotel.
Day 10: Sheepdog Trials & Whisky Tasting
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Drive past the majestic scenery of the Cairngorm Mountains to visit Leault Farm where skilled dogs obey commands to round up sheep. Continue south to Pitlochry to visit Blair Athol Distillery, Scotland’s smallest, which is set in a picturesque location outside the town. See how whisky is distilled and enjoy a tasting at the end of the tour. Drive to your hotel in Edinburgh and then head to a Scottish Evening where you’ll dine on excellent Scottish cuisine followed by a lively show.
Day 11: Edinburgh Castle & City Tour
Meals: Breakfast
This morning discover Edinburgh on a sightseeing tour. See the wide streets and elegant mansions of the 200-year-old Georgian “New Town” and walk along a section of the Royal Mile, the oldest part of the city where some houses reach 11 stories tall. Tour the imposing Edinburgh Castle to see historic buildings, the Stone of Scone and the Scottish Crown Jewels. Also appreciate great panoramic views over the city from the ramparts. The afternoon and evening are free. On July 29 to August 14 departures enjoy the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle.
Day 12: Extend your Stay in Edinburgh
Meals: Breakfast
spend the day on an independent hop-on hop-off bus tour of Edinburgh. Also enjoy a walking tour around parts of the city’s historic areas – you will have a selection of different tours and routes.
Day 13: Depart Edinburgh for Home
Meals: Breakfast
Your tour ends after breakfast.
Day 1: Welcome to Edinburgh
Welcome to Scotland - land of legends and romance, from the great cultural cities in the south, to the dramatic mountains and misty lochs of the Highlands. On arrival at Edinburgh airport, transfers depart for your hotel at 09:00, 11:00 and 13:00. Then the rest of the day is yours to relax before joining your Travel Director at 16:30 for a Welcome Dinner with wine at a local restaurant. On select departures, during your time in Edinburgh you will also attend The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo — a colourful mix of pipes and drums, dance and display, set against the floodlit backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
Malmaison Hotel Edinburgh.
Dinner with Wine
Day 2: Edinburgh, The Capital of Culture
Join a Local Expert to see the highlights of the city. In the Old Town, see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the Queen. Drive along Princes Street to the ornate Scott Memorial, then see the 18th century New Town with its neoclassical Georgian facades. Venture up the Royal Mile to visit Edinburgh Castle, home of Mons Meg, the Stone of Destiny and Scotland’s Crown Jewels.The rest of the day is at leisure; why not visit the art treasures in the National Gallery?
Malmaison Hotel Edinburgh.
Breakfast
Day 3: To St. Andrews and the Highland Capital of Inverness
Cross the Firth of Forth into Fife and journey to St. Andrews, passing the Old Course, home of golf since its creation in the 15th century. Enjoy free time to explore. Perhaps stroll to West Sands Beach where the famous 'Chariots of Fire' scene was filmed? Alternatively, wander to St. Andrews University where the love story of Kate Middleton meeting her Prince Charming began. Cross the Tay and journey to the charming Victorian resort town of Pitlochry, famous for its salmon run. Continue via Blair Atholl and pass the Grampian Mountains on the way to the sparkling Spey Valley. Stop at Blair Castle and Gardens, which has been home to the Atholl family for over seven centuries. Tour the magnificent ballroom and learn about the history of the estate. During your visit relish a delicious cream tea. Continue to Inverness, where your luxury hotel is set within four acres of manicured grounds.
Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness.
Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, Dinner with Wine
Day 4: Culloden, Loch Ness and onto Thurso
See Culloden Moor in the morning, where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite army was crushed in 1746. Visit the Culloden Visitor Centre before continuing along the shores of Loch Ness. Keep your eyes peeled for the legendary monster! Next, follow the rugged coast north to the fishing port of Wick. Explore Wick with Insight Choice. Choose to visit the Old Pulteney Distillery to taste a wee dram of its award-winning whiskeys. Alternatively, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience with a visit to the highly rated Wick Heritage Museum and hear about the past of this once thriving fishing community.
The Pentland Hotel, Thurso.
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 5: A Day in the Orkney Islands
Start the day by driving to the most northern point of the British mainland, John O’Groats. Board the ferry to the beautiful Orkney Islands where the countryside is breathtakingly majestic and the tranquillity supports a quieter pace of life. Here the hardy locals say they live ‘below the wind and above the water.’ Your Local Expert accompanies you as you visit the 5,000-year-old village of Skara Brae, the mysterious Ring of Brodgar, Kirkwall and the small chapel built by Italian prisoners during World War II.
The Pentland Hotel, Thurso.
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 6: Over the Sea to Skye
Travel through stunning, pristine landscapes along the northern coast with its white sandy beaches, and further inland to misty valleys and glens, lochs and rushing waters. Then it’s ‘Over the Sea to Skye,’ the largest and most beautiful island of the Inner Hebrides. On the way to Broadford, hear romantic tales of how young Flora MacDonald helped rescue Bonnie Prince Charlie and see the dramatic Cuillin Hills.
The Dunollie Hotel, Broadford.
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 7: Through the Scottish Highlands to Glencoe Relaxed Start
Explore this wild and beautiful island on your own, before crossing to the Kyle of Lochalsh. Stop for a photo at remote Eilean Donan Castle, which under a clear sky offers a perfect reflection in its loch. Move on to the WWII Commando Memorial where there is a fine view of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. Enjoy spectacular scenery en route to the Valley of Glencoe. Join a ranger for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, learn about the protection of this rare ecosystem and the important work reintroducing lost indigenous species to its flora and fauna. In the evening, enjoy market-fresh Scottish ingredients and wine, as you get together with your newfound friends for a sumptuous Celebration Dinner. Don't be surprised if, by the end of the evening, you're 'Toasting to the Lassies' or singing 'Auld Lang Syne'.
Ballachulish Hotel, Glencoe., Isle of Glencoe Hotel & Leisure Centre.
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 8: Along the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond to Glasgow Relaxed Start
Spend time around peaceful Loch Lomond, ‘Queen of Scottish Lochs’ according to Sir Walter Scott and the largest in Great Britain. Perhaps experience the beauty and tranquillity of the loch with an optional cruise before continuing to Glasgow? An orientation drive through the city will show you the grand public buildings, including George Square and St. Mungo’s Cathedral. Then the rest of the afternoon is at your leisure.
Holiday Inn Glasgow - City Centre Theatreland.
Breakfast
Day 9: Depart Glasgow
Your travels come to an end after breakfast. Departure transfers arrive at Glasgow airport at 06:30 and 09:00.
Breakfast
