Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Edinburgh. Meet your Scottish Chauffeur at Edinburgh airport for private transfer to your hotel.
Your overnight accommodation is The Apex Waterloo Place, a luxury boutique hotel. With a rich history, this landmark building at the east end of Princes Street has been converted to a luxury hotel offering style, comfort and exceptional service and combines contemporary design with innovative amenities.
Overnight: Apex Waterloo Hotel, Edinburgh. (B)

Day 2

Today your first stop is Edinburgh Castle, (entrance included), which holds the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny. Travel down the famous Royal Mile through the Old Town and past The Scottish Parliament building, briefly stopping to visit Greyfriars Bobby, the loyal Skye Terrier who remained by his master's grave for fourteen years. At the bottom of the Royal Mile visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen in Scotland. The palace was home to Mary Queen of Scots for six years and houses beautiful tapestries and paintings. Travel a little further afield to visit Rosslyn Chapel where the Da Vinci code was filmed, the stone carvings are stunning masterpieces of the stonemasons craft and make the church unique. Round off the day with a tour and a dram at Glenkinchie Distillery in the shadow of the Lammermuir Hills. Overnight: Apex Waterloo Hotel. (B)

Day 3

After a hearty breakfast your first stop today is the Church of the Holy Rude, the second oldest building in Stirling after the castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned Queen while still a small baby and where her son was crowned King of Scotland, then round the corner to Stirling Castle, (entrance included), which overlooks the River Forth where William Wallace defeated the army of Edward I. From the ramparts you can see the Wallace Monument, a 220 foot high tower perched high on the Abbey Craig around where Wallace camped before his heroic battle of Stirling Bridge, built in 1869 to commemorate William "Braveheart" Wallace. Continue north west to reach Glencoe, the most scenically beautiful of all Highland glens. This area is steeped in history, and at the visitors centre you will hear about the infamous 1692 massacre of Clan MacDonald. Continue over the Ballachulish bridge and on through Fort William, passing Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain to reach your overnight accommodation, The Glenspean Lodge Hotel, originally built in the 1880s as a private hunting lodge for Laird Macintosh of Macintosh and majestically situated in the Scottish Highlands, within 5 acres of landscaped gardens and woodland.| Overnight: Glenspean Lodge, Spean Bridge, Fort William. (B, D)

Day 4

Leave Fort William travel along Loch Eil stopping briefly at the Glenfinnan Monument, situated at the head of Loch Shiel, erected in 1815 to mark the place where Prince Charles Edward Stuart, ("Bonnie Prince Charlie"), raised his standard, at the beginning of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. The monument also overlooks the Glenfinnan Viaduct famously used in the Harry Potter films. Catch the Mallaig ferry to Skye. Once on Skye, visit the Clan Donald Centre comprised of the ruin of Armadale Castle, the Museum of the Isles and Stables Restaurant, set in the heart of 40 acres of picturesque formal gardens. The museum itself tells the story of the Clan Donald and the inhabitants of the West Highlands through the ages. Travel north to Broadford where you may wish to stop for lunch at Creelers Restaurant one of the best known and most popular seafood restaurants on Skye. In the afternoon travel north past the Old Man of Storr, a 160 ft basalt pillar dominating the local landscape to Mealt Waterfall. The waterfall drops 300 feet into the sea often never reaching the ocean, but getting blown away by the wind. The spot is also a popular viewpoint for the Kilt Rock where columns of dolerite form what appear to be pleats, like a kilt, in the cliff. Continue north through Staffin Bay where Dinosaur footprints were found on the beach in 2002 and in the shadow of The Quiraing, a long ridge of sheer, vertical cliffs offering challenging ascents to climbers and mountaineers. Follow the coast through Flodigarry and Duntulm. Here stand the ruins of Duntulm Castle, for centuries the residence of the MacDonalds - Lords of the Isles. Nearby visit the Skye Museum of Island Life where a township of thatched cottages have been preserved, each one depicting, as closely as possible, the conditions prevailing on the island at the close of the nineteenth century. Return to Portree in the heart of Skye via the west coast road. Your hotel is The Bosville situated in the heart of Portree above the harbour, offering first class Highland customer service and award winning cuisine created using the freshest of local produce from the Isle of Skye and the Highlands of Scotland. Overnight Bosville Hotel, Portree, Skye. (B, D)

Day 5
Skye or in Scots Gaelic 'Eilean A Cheo' meaning Misty Isle, has a wild mountainous interior where the peaked, ridges and pinnacles of the Cuillin Hills are among the most breathtaking in Europe. The coastline, with all its coves and inlets, is said to stretch a thousand miles. Devour the magnificent scenery whilst heading to Kyleakin where you cross the Skye Bridge back to the mainland stopping at Eilean Donan Castle, situated on an island at the point where three great sea lochs meet, and surrounded by some majestic scenery. Travel through some of the most stunning mountain scenery towards Invergarry and north up the west side of Loch Ness stopping at Urquhart Castle which stands on a rocky promontory on the north shore of Loch Ness with stunning views of the glen and a chance to spot the famous Loch Ness Monster. Continue north through Inverness to Culloden Battlefield, a desolate stretch of moorland which looks much as it did on 16 April 1746 when the last hand-to-hand battle was fought on British soil. Stop to see the exhibits at the new visitor centre and interactive exhibition and view the battlefield itself which is now restored to as close as possible as that marched on by the two sides on that fateful day. Time permitting, visit Clava Cairns, or more correctly, Bulnaraun of Clava, one of the best preserved Bronze Age burial sites in Scotland amidst a wonderful wooded setting. Overnight: New Drumossie Hotel, Inverness. (B, D)

Day 6
From Inverness you will travel south through the mountains of the Cairngorms National Park. Your route takes you over the Drumochter Pass (1500ft above sea level). Your first stop is the House of Bruar, nestling at the side of the famous Bruar Falls, for a variety of shopping opportunities in Scotland's most prestigious country store. There is also an extensive range of Scottish foods for the gourmet and a fabulous 'country kitchen' restaurant. Travel through the Highland resort town of Pitlochry, built on Victorian tourism and nestled amongst the mountains of Highland Perthshire. Time permitting, travel a short distance to Edradour Distillery, the smallest and last of the original farm distilleries in Scotland, for a short tour and tasting. Continuing towards Edinburgh stopping at Scone Palace, the crowning place of Scottish Kings, now the cherished family home of the Earl of Mansfield. In the extensive grounds of Scone Palace there is a replica of the Stone of Destiny and the chapel on Moot Hill where the coronations took place. Return to Edinburgh.
Overnight: Apex Waterloo, Edinburgh. (B)

Day 7

Depart Edinburgh. Private transfer to Edinburgh Airport. (B)

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