$6695
based on double occupancy ($1550 optional single supplement)
$250 extra hotel night before the start of the tour based on double occupancy, $390 for single occupancy

What's included
•   11 breakfasts
•  7 lunches
•  3 dinners
•  Transfers from Edinburgh airport upon arrival and to Inverness airport upon departure
 •  All accommodations from start to end of tour
•  All transportation during the tour (air-conditioned bus or minivans)
•  All included group activities, wine tastings, entry fees as per itinerary
•  A full-time Two Dog Travel tour director with you and available 24/7•  A local professional bi-lingual guide for most activities
•  All local guide, driver and restaurant tips are included per itinerary

What's not included•
  Airfare, airport taxes and other transportation to and from the pickup location
•  Personal charges such as laundry, telephone calls, rooms service, mini-bar, souvenirs
•  Private excursions not mentioned in the itinerary
•  Gratuities for chambermaids or personal porters
•  Gratuities for your Tour Dog Travel tour director (at your discretion)

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Tour Director - Becky Edwards

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Minimum: 6

Maximum: 12

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Day 1 - Overnight Edinburgh - D

After arriving at the Edinburgh airport, you will be transferred to our downtown hotel. In the afternoon we’ll enjoy a walking tour of the city, visiting local sites, learning about its history and getting our first introduction to Scotland. We’ll end the day with a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant where we’ll toast to our adventures ahead.

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Day 2 - Overnight Edinburgh - B

After breakfast we’ll visit the Edinburgh Castle. Here we’ll enjoy a tour and learn about its long-storied history. After free time for lunch and some exploration on your own, we’ll meet up to visit the Real Mary King’s Close. Situated under the Old Town buildings, it is one of the best known closes (alleyways) in Edinburgh. We’ll learn how people lived in these close quarters during the misery and illness which plagued the city throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. The rest of the evening will be free to spend as you'd like.

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Day 3 - Overnight Edinburgh - B

Today we’ll get out of Edinburgh as we visit St Andrews with its famous golf course. Known as the Home of Golf, St. Andrews also has medieval history and local charm. You’ll have time to explore the town and grab a pub lunch. Next we’ll make a stop at Falkland Palace, once home of Mary Queen of Scots and one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture in Scotland. Once back in Edinburgh you’ll have the evening free to spend as you’d like. 

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Day 4 - Overnight Islay - B, L

After breakfast and checking out, we’ll make our way toward the ferry port for Islay (I-luh). On the way we’ll stop to visit Stirling Castle, a Scottish castle steeped in history. Until the Union of the Crowns in 1603, almost every Scottish monarch had either lived in the castle, or been crowned or died here, including William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie. We’ll spend time visiting the castle before enjoying lunch at a local restaurant. Of course, we make a stop to see the Kelpies, huge steel horse head sculptures. Did you know that in Scottish legend a kelpie is a shape-shifting aquatic spirit that lures people to their watery graves?  After our visit we’ll make our way to the port where we’ll ferry to the island of Islay. After checking into our hotel, you'll have free time to explore on your own. 

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Day  5 - Overnight Islay - B, D

Today we’ll start our exploration of Islay with a sea adventure. We’ll board a boat and enjoy seeing the wildlife of Islay from the water. We’ll follow the beautiful coastline, learn about the whiskey history and heritage of the island and keep an eye out for seals, red deer, and perhaps even white-tailed eagles and dolphins. Next we’ll explore the island by land and visit some of its unique sites, stopping in a local village for free time to grab lunch and wander. In the evening, we’ll enjoy dinner as a group at a local restaurant. 

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Day  6 - Overnight Islay - B, L

Today we’ll spend the day walking the whiskey path of Islay, a 3 mile path connecting three of its distilleries. We’ll enjoy tours and tastings at each distillery, Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg. We’ll enjoy lunch as a group at Ardbeg where in the summers they offer the opportunity to sit outside and enjoy the views. After our whiskey tour, you will have the rest of the day to spend as you’d like. 

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Day  7 - Overnight Glencoe - B

After breakfast and checking out, we’ll take the ferry back to Kennacraig and make our way toward Glencoe. We’ll stop along the way to visit Kilmartin Glen. With over 5000 years of human history, this is a very special part of Scotland.  At least 350 ancient monuments, 150 being prehistoric, lie within six miles of the quiet village of Kilmartin, including chambered cairns, round cairns, cists, standing stones and rock carvings. We’ll stop to explore this area, visit the museum and have free time for lunch. Later in the evening we’ll check into our hotel and have time to spend as you’d like. 

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Day  8 - Overnight Glencoe - B, L

Today we’ll spend in Glencoe, known for its nature and beauty. We’ll get out and do some hiking and exploring in the area. Perhaps we’ll walk to the Grey Mares Tale Waterfalls or hike through the Nevis Gorge to the Steal Waterfall. We will determine the routes according to the group’s ability. We might even stop for a picnic lunch along the way. It’ll be a great to day to slow down a bit and enjoy the landscape.

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Day  9 - Overnight Inverness - B

After breakfast and checking out, we’ll make our way toward Inverness. we’ll make a stop at Invergarry Castle for a photo stop before moving on to Urquhart Castle. Here we’ll see one of two important sites of the Jacobite Uprising, a rebellion led by Charles Edward Stuart (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”) to reclaim the British throne for the Stuart dynasty. Sitting on the shores of Loch Ness and once one of Scotland’s largest castles, Urquhart saw great conflict during its 500 years as a medieval fortress. Control of the castle passed back and forth between the Scots and English during the Wars of Independence. The last of the government troops garrisoned here during the Jacobite Risings blew up the castle when they left. We’ll make a stop for free time for lunch before moving on to the site of the Culloden Battlefield, the site of the decisive defeat of the Jacobite army by the British government forces in the Battle of Culloden on April 16, 1746. Next we’ll stop at the Clava Cairns, an ancient necropolis more than 4,000 years old. The cemetery remained a sacred place in the landscape for millennia, and provides many clues to the beliefs of Bronze Age society. After our day of exploration, we’ll check into our hotel where you'll have the rest of the evening free. 

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Day  10 - Overnight Inverness - B, D

After breakfast we'll meet our local guide and enjoy a walking tour of Inverness. We'll learn about the history of this beautiful city, 

From its humble beginnings as a royal city, to Jacobite risings and castle sieges, to modern life in Inverness today (and of course, the loch ness monster!), we will discover why Inverness is officially the happiest city in Scotland. After our tour, you'll have free time to explore the city a bit more on your own. In the evening we'll meet back up as a group for our farewell dinner. We'll toast to our new friends and all of the wonderful memories we've made. 

 

Day  11  - B

Unfortunately, it’s time to say good bye to beautiful Scotland.  After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Inverness airport according to your flight schedule. 

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Note: The itinerary is descriptive, not definitive and is subject to change. In particular our actual itinerary will depend on the ferry and flight schedules, which vary from year to year. There also may be modifications due to weather and availability of local activities and guides.