Guided Tours of Scotland
Guided Tours of Scotland
Private Tours With Driver-Guide Greg Kain
Private Tours With Driver-Guide Greg Kain
Grand Tour of Scotland
The Grand Tour of Scotland itinerary takes you around the country in a 10 to 28 day trip taking in the Highlands, the Lowlands, cities, towns, villages, dramatic coastline and at least one island. The following is a sample itinerary for guidance only, I can make up a schedule incorporating the places you want to visit and the sights I think you should not miss! Remember tours can start and/or finish anywhere in Scotland or the UK, in the sample itinerary below I have used Edinburgh purely as an example. I recommend booking this tour well in advance as availability reduces quite early in the year.
Sample Outline Itinerary
DAY 1
Glasgow or Edinburgh - Scottish Borders - Scott's View - Melrose Abbey - Jedburgh Abbey - Hadrian's Wall
DAY 2
Lanercost Priory - Gretna - Caerlaverock Castle - Scottish Riviera - Kirkcudbright (Scotland's Artists Town) - Galloway Forest Park
DAY 3
Wigtown ('Scotland's Book Town') - Isle of Whithorn (birthplace of Christianity in Scotland) - Mull of Galloway Lighthouse (most southerly point in Scotland) - Galloway and Ayrshire Coastal Route - Culzean Castle - Alloway (Robert Burns Birthplace Museum & Heritage Centre)
DAY 4
Glasgow - Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park - Inveraray Castle - Loch Awe (Kilchurn Castle & St Conan's Kirk)- Oban
DAY 5
Oban - Castle Stalker - Glencoe ('Valley of the Weeping') - Fort William (Old Inverlochy Castle, Aonach Mor Mountain Gondola cable car) - Glenfinnan Viaduct - Morar - Mallaig - ferry to Armadale, Skye - Cuillin Mountains - Portree
DAY 6
Isle of Skye South (including some of the following; Armadale Castle Gardens & Museum of the Isles, Dunscaith Castle, Torabhaig Whisky Distillery, Sligachan Bridge, Talisker Whisky Distillry, the Oyster Shed, the Fairy Pools, Dun Beag Broch
DAY 7
Isle of Skye North (including some of thr following; Portree, Dunvegan Castle, Neist Point, Coral Beach, Stein Inn, Fairy Glen, the Quiraing, Museum of Island Life, Brother's Point, Kilt Rock, the Old Man of Storr
DAY 8
Skye Bridge - Eilean Donan Castle -Plockton - Attadale Gardens - Loch Carron - Bealach na Ba (Scotland's highest single track road) - Torridon - Shieldaig - Gairloch
DAY 9
Inverewe House & Gardens - Russian Convoy Museum - Corrieshalloch Gorge - Rogie Falls - Singleton of Glen Ord Whisky Distillery - Ullapool
DAY 10
Achiltibuie - the 'Wee Mad Road' - Kylesku - Wailing Widow Falls - Ardvreck Castle - Kylesku - Handa Island Nature Reserve - Smoo Cave - Scrabster - ferry to Orkney - Stromness
DAY 11
Orkney Mainland North (including some of the following; Skara Brae,Ring of Brodgar,
Maes Howe, St Magnus Cathedral, Brough of Birsay, Broch of Gurness, Bishop's Palace, Earl's Palace
DAY 12
Kirkwall - Italian PoW Chapel - Churchill Barriers - St Margarets Hope - ferry to Gills Bay - Dunnet Head (most northerly point on mainland Scotland) -John O'Groats - Duncansby Head sea stacks- Castle Girnigoe
Whaligoe Steps - Dunrobin Castle - Dalmore Whisky Distillery - Loch Fleet seal colony - Dornoch - Inverness
DAY 13
Inverness - Loch Ness - Culloden Battlefiled and Visitor Centre - Clava Cairns - Cawdor Castle - Nairn - Elgin
DAY 14
Elgin - Speyside Whisky Train - Cairngorm National Park - Balmoral - Braemar -
Glenshee (Cairnwell Pass, highest road in Scotland)
DAY 15
Pitlochry - Dunkeld - Perth - Scone Palace - Dundee - Tentsmuir Nature Reserve - St Andrews (cathedral & castle ruins, beach, golf museum)
DAY 16
Kingsbarns Whisky Distillery - Crail - East Neuk Of Fife fishing villages - Falkland Palace - Forth Bridges - Edinburgh or Glasgow
This sample itinerary can be lengthened or shortened to suit your own criteria. To shorten the itinerary I can remove certain days which can be leapfrogged and to lengthen it I can add in more islands to the schedule or one or two 'free days' (see below).
For every seven booked days (minimum) of touring I offer my clients the option of a free day - ideal if you want to spend a full day in a particular place, to explore on foot, take a boat trip, go shopping, or just to relax. This is effectively a day off for me, and there is no charge to you for this, other than my overnight expenses. Your free day can be taken anytime after the third day of a 7+ multi-day itinerary and the second free day can be taken anytime after the ninth day of a 14+ multi-day trip.
I can recommend and, if required book accommodation and restaurants for you at no extra cost.
Please email me at guidedtoursofscotland@gmail.com or fill out the enquiry form here for a no-obligation quote