Explore the Heart of Scotland with Justine Shera

Your Scotland adventure begins the moment you land in Edinburgh, a city where medieval closes and castle silhouettes announce themselves before you’ve even found your hotel. Make your own way in and settle into the city at your own pace, ready to meet the group as the day unfolds.

If you’re arriving by early afternoon, join Justine for a walk around her favourite corners of the city, taking in glorious views up to Edinburgh Castle and out across the wider skyline. If your flight lands later, don’t worry, you’ll catch up with Justine and your fellow travellers this evening instead. The whole group comes together for a welcome meeting followed by dinner at The Dome, an Edinburgh institution since 1996, where Corinthian columns and a Graeco-Roman facade set the scene for simple, produce-led Scottish cooking from Head Chef Sue Snider’s kitchen.

🏨 Accommodation

• Apex Grassmarket Hotel or Similar, Edinburgh (City View Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Dinner

✅ Activities

• Suggestion: Afternoon Walk with Justine in Edinburgh (For Guests Arriving by Early Afternoon)
• Welcome Meeting
• Welcome Dinner at The Dome, Edinburgh

💸 Local City/Tourist Taxes

• Some destinations charge a local city or tourist tax or entry fee that is not included in your trip payment. Whether this applies, how it’s collected, and the amount can vary by destination and is subject to change. Please check the destination guide(s) linked in the Important Notes section to confirm whether this applies to your trip and how to prepare for it.

Start the day on foot, tracing the layers of Edinburgh’s history through the atmospheric heart of the Old Town. Beginning at Grassmarket, once a bustling market square and public execution site and now a lively strip of pubs and historic facades, the walking tour winds through Greyfriars Bobby Cemetery, home to the touching tale of the devoted Skye Terrier who guarded his master’s grave for fourteen years. From there the route follows the winding path to the Royal Mile, the medieval spine of the city, passing centuries-old architecture including St Giles’ Cathedral and slipping into hidden closes and wynds along the way.

In the afternoon, step inside the fortress that watches over it all. Edinburgh Castle entry is included, giving you access to the Royal Palace, the Honours of Scotland, Mons Meg, and the Scottish National War Memorial, with sweeping views across the city from the castle grounds to finish the day on a high.

🏨 Accommodation

• Apex Grassmarket Hotel or Similar, Edinburgh (City View Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Guided Walking Tour of Edinburgh (Grassmarket, Greyfriars Bobby Cemetery and the Royal Mile)
• Edinburgh Castle Entry

Leave the city behind on a scenic drive north, watching Edinburgh’s rooftops give way to rolling farmland and lush green hills. The route takes in the iconic Forth Bridges and the historic town of Perth, known as the Gateway to the Highlands, before the landscape turns rugged and wooded on the approach to Pitlochry, a Highland village loved for its cosy cafes, quaint shops and famous Dam and Fish Ladder.

Continuing on to Inverness, the day’s centrepiece is a visit to Clava Cairns, an evocative prehistoric burial complex built around 4,000 years ago on a terrace above the River Nairn, followed by a guided tour of Culloden Battlefield. Restored as closely as possible to how it appeared on the day, with over 1,200 lives lost in a single hour, Culloden was the last battle fought on British soil, and the award-winning visitor centre brings the events of April 1746 vividly to life.

🏨 Accommodation

• Glen Mhor Hotel and Apartments or Similar, Inverness (Standard Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Guided Scenic Drive from Edinburgh to Inverness via Pitlochry
• Clava Cairns
• Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre
• Suggestion: Highland Folk Museum (Time Permitting)
• Suggestion: Free Time in Inverness

Set out from Dochgarroch Lock for an hour-long cruise through the Caledonian Canal and onto the legendary waters of Loch Ness, with calming views across the Highlands and onboard audio bringing the loch’s stories to life. As Urquhart Castle comes into view, disembark directly into the castle grounds, with entry included so you can wander the ruins at your own pace.

From there, head north to the Fyrish Monument, where a 6km walk climbs through Highland scenery to sweeping views before the descent back down. The rest of the day is yours to explore the coastal villages of Golspie, Dornoch and Brora, with the option to round it off with fish and chips by the sea.

🏨 Accommodation

• Glen Mhor Hotel and Apartments or Similar, Inverness (Standard Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Loch Ness Cruise Along the Caledonian Canal
• Urquhart Castle Entry
• Fyrish Monument Walk (Approximately 6km)
• Free Time in Golspie, Dornoch and Brora
• Suggestion: Fish and Chips by the Sea (Own Cost)

Trade the city for the wild west coast today, following the NC500 through some of Scotland’s most rewarding scenery. The drive takes in Rogie Falls, Loch Garve and the dramatic Corrieshalloch Gorge on the way to the coastal village of Ullapool, before the mighty Stac Pollaidh rises into view beyond it.

The rest of the day belongs to the road itself, covering approximately 145km through a remote stretch of the north west Highlands where every bend reveals another mountain, loch or glen worth stopping for.

🏨 Accommodation

• Glen Mhor Hotel and Apartments or Similar, Inverness (Standard Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Guided Scenic Drive from Inverness to Ullapool via Rogie Falls, Loch Garve and Corrieshalloch Gorge
• Stac Pollaidh Viewpoint

Today’s drive south unfolds at a slower, more dramatic pace, hugging the southern shore of Loch Ness with long shimmering views across dark water framed by forested hills. A stop at Dores brings the loch right to your feet at its pebbled beach, before the Falls of Foyers reveals a spectacular cascade at the end of a short woodland walk.

The route continues to Fort Augustus, where the Caledonian Canal meets Loch Ness through its historic lock system, then draws west as the mountains of the Great Glen close in around you, arriving in Fort William beneath the shadow of Ben Nevis. From there it’s a short, scenic run to Glencoe, with the rest of the afternoon free to settle in and soak up the surroundings.

🏨 Accommodation

• Clachaig Inn or Similar, Glencoe (Standard Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Guided Scenic Drive via South Loch Ness, Falls of Foyers and Fort Augustus
• Dores (Loch Ness Beach Stop)
• Falls of Foyers Woodland Walk
• Fort Augustus and the Caledonian Canal Locks
• Scenic Drive to Glencoe via Fort William
• Free Time in Glencoe

Few drives in Scotland match the Skyfall Road for sheer drama, with sweeping views and winding routes cutting through rugged mountain scenery as it carries you deeper into Glencoe itself. The road offers some of the most striking mountain vistas of the whole trip, with rugged peaks rising sharply on either side and hardly a moment where the scenery doesn’t demand a second look.

Continue through one of Scotland’s most breathtaking glens to the Three Sisters, a striking trio of mountain ridges that towers above the valley and forms one of the most photographed views in the Highlands. For those keen to get closer to the scenery, an optional afternoon walk offers viewpoints looking directly over the Sisters of Glencoe.

🏨 Accommodation

• Clachaig Inn or Similar, Glencoe (Standard Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Guided Skyfall Road Drive
• Three Sisters Viewpoint
• Suggestion: Afternoon Walk with Viewpoints Over the Sisters of Glencoe

Spend the morning at your own pace in the harbour town of Oban, with plenty to fill the hours. Climb to McCaig’s Tower for spectacular views across Oban Bay to the Atlantic Islands, wander the peaceful gardens below, or simply browse the local shops and sample some fresh seafood by the water.

By afternoon, board the ferry across to Craignure on the Isle of Mull, then head straight to Duart Castle, a striking 13th century fortress perched on a cliff above the Sound of Mull. Long held by the MacLean family, Justine’s own clan, its imposing stone walls and sweeping views make for a memorable introduction to island life.

🏨 Accommodation

• Isle of Mull Hotel and Spa or Similar, Craignure (Standard Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Free Time in Oban
• Ferry from Oban to Craignure
• Duart Castle Entry

The Isle of Mull rewards a slower pace, its rugged coastline, hidden beaches and dramatic cliffs home to rich birdlife and a deeply Gaelic sense of place. Today, though, the island itself is a stepping stone to somewhere even more special.

A visit to Iona Abbey and Nunnery brings centuries of history into focus, from St Columba’s original monastery through to the Benedictine abbey founded around 1200 and the Book of Kells, thought to have been created here. With an audio guide included, wander among the four iconic high crosses, the abbey church spanning the 13th to 16th centuries, St Oran’s Chapel and Reilig Odhrain, resting place of ancient Scottish kings, and the remarkably preserved Augustinian nunnery nearby.

🏨 Accommodation

• Isle of Mull Hotel and Spa or Similar, Craignure (Standard Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Ferry to Iona
• Iona Abbey and Nunnery Entry with Audio Guide

Leave the island behind on the ferry back to Oban, then trace the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond as you make your way towards Glasgow. The drive passes through the Trossachs National Park and the picture-perfect village of Luss, covering approximately 150km of some of Scotland’s most photographed scenery on the way to the city.

Settle into your final night with a farewell dinner in Glasgow, a fitting send-off after eleven days of castles, canals and coastline, and the perfect chance to raise a glass with your fellow travellers before the trip draws to a close.

🏨 Accommodation

• voco Grand Central Hotel or Similar, Glasgow (Standard Room)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast
• Dinner

✅ Activities

• Ferry from Craignure to Oban
• Guided Scenic Drive via Trossachs National Park, Loch Lomond and Luss
• Farewell Dinner, Glasgow

Your Scotland journey comes to an end today. From Edinburgh’s castle views to the wild roads of the Highlands and the island crossings to Mull and Iona, it’s been eleven days of the very best this country has to offer. Turas math dhuibh, have a good journey, wherever it takes you next.

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast