Day One

Depart Edinburgh 9.00am

From Edinburgh we will head north over the famous Forth Bridge, past the City of Perth and on into the Scottish Highlands. The first stop of the day will be the picturesque Cathedral City of Dunkeld on the banks of the shimmering River Tay. After a visit to the 700 year old cathedral church we will continue north to Blair Castle, the seat of the Dukes of Atholl and their Private Army, the Atholl Highlanders. Then it is on through the Grampian Mountains to the Cairngorms, where we will go for a walk in the ancient Caledonian Pineforest. After lunch we will visit the haunting Culloden Battlefield, before crossing the Kessock Bridge to the Black Isle and north through the dark lands of Sutherland to the northern edge of Scotland.

Overnight – Helmsdale or Thurso

Day Two

We have an early start to catch the 8.45am ferry taking us from Scabster to the Orkneys, passing en-route the Old Man of Hoy, Europe’s tallest sea-stack. We arrive into the port of Stromness, and we will have a little time to wander round this old Arctic whaling station. The Orkney archipelago is littered with Neolithic and Viking remains and our first port of call will be Skara Brae, the best preserved Neolithic village in Northern Europe. Nearby, is the old Earl’s Palace from the days of Viking rule, and a little further on we will see the 27 standing stones of the 4500 year old Ring of Brodgar and the Iron Age fortress of Gurness. This area is so important that is has UNESCO World Heritage Status, and we cover a staggering 5000 years of history before we finish the day in the Kirkwall, the island capital.

Overnight – Kirkwall

Day Three

The day begins with a walking tour round Kirkwall, and a visit to the impressive 12th century Cathedral of St Magnus, built at the very zenith of Viking power. Then we get back in our time machine and head back to the Stone Age and visit the 5100 year old Stones of Stenness and Neolithic burial chamber of Maes Howe – the finest in Northern Europe. After this taste of the ancient it is time for a taste of a different kind as we take a tour of the island’s distillery – Highland Park. Then we will drive over the Churchill Barriers and past the remnants of the First World War German fleet scuttled in Scapa Flow to the exquisite and moving Italian Chapel, built by POWs in the Second World War. From here it is a short drive to the Island of South Ronaldsay, where we will go for a walk along the cliffs to the unique Tomb of the Eagles and then it’s back to Kirkwall

Overnight – Kirkwall

Day Four

We will depart Stromness on the 11.00am ferry and head back to the Mainland and south to Helmsdale. Sutherland is a country strongly associated with the worst excesses of the Highland Clearances, and we will go for a walk to the abandoned village of Badbea, where the ghosts of the past abound. There will also be time to visit the museum in Helmsdale where you can find out about the gold-rush here in the 19th century. There will also be a chance to grab a couple of pictures of the fairy-tale castle of Dunrobin. At Loch Fleet the tour will turn inland to the remote Braes of Sutherland to Lairg and beautiful Loch Shin. At the Falls of Shin you might catch a glimpse of the salmon leaping up to their spawning grounds. Then it is on over the Struie Hill to the Black Isle and a visit to Chanonry Point to hear tales of Highland second sight, and possibly sight the resident dolphins, before we finish the day in Inverness

Overnight – Inverness

Day Five

From Inverness it is a fairly short run down to the world famous Loch Ness, where we will stop for photos at Urquhart Castle before heading down the Great Glen to Fort William in the shadow of Britain’s highest peak – the 4409ft high Ben Nevis. We will go for a great walk in Glen Nevis, where Braveheart was filmed. Then it is on to Glencoe and Rannoch Moor, one of the last true wilderness areas left in Western Europe, before we make our way through the mountains of Breadalbane to Stirling for photos of the castle. Then it is quick run back into Edinburgh.

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