Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Scotland: Edinburgh, the Highlands and the Isle of Skye
8 days from Edinburgh to Glasgow: Stirling Castle, Pitlochry and a distillery, Culloden and Loch Ness, two nights on Skye with the Quiraing and Neist Point, Glenfinnan, a night in Glencoe and Loch Lomond.
8 days · Edinburgh to Glasgow · up to 12 guests
Loch Ness Photo: Tanya Dedyukhina, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loch_Ness_-_panoramio_(16).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Edinburgh to Glasgow
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
About 2 to 4 hours on foot most days, on cobbled city streets, castle ramps, woodland paths and rough hill paths that are often wet. The Old Man of Storr path (about 3.8 km return with a steady climb) and the steps down to Neist Point lighthouse (about 2 to 4 km return depending on how far you walk, with a steep pull back up) are the hardest parts, and both are optional: there are viewpoints near the road at each. You can sit any walk out and wait in the van or a cafe.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,150 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Edinburgh Castle at the first entry of the morning, then the Old Town closes and wynds with a local guide
- Stirling Castle at opening, and the Hermitage falls at Dunkeld on the road north
- A woodland walk from Pitlochry to Edradour for a distillery tour and tasting
- Culloden battlefield, then a boat on Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle
- The Old Man of Storr before the day tours arrive, the Quiraing and Kilt Rock, and Neist Point lighthouse on Skye's western edge
- Talisker distillery, the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig and the Glenfinnan viaduct
- An evening and a morning walk in Glencoe, then lunch and a boat trip on Loch Lomond
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,150 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Edinburgh
Edinburgh Airport to your hotel in the centre, then an evening walk up Calton Hill
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Edinburgh
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Edinburgh Airport (EDI), about 13 km west of the city, and a driver meets you in arrivals for the ride to our hotel in the centre, within walking distance of the Royal Mile. Land by about 2 pm if you can; coming a day early is easy to arrange and gives you a spare day to get over the flight.
Afternoon
In the late afternoon your See Sight Tours guide takes the group on a gentle first walk: through Princes Street Gardens below the castle rock, along the Georgian streets of the New Town and up Calton Hill, where the unfinished National Monument and the Nelson Monument look over the whole city, from the castle to Arthur's Seat and the Firth of Forth. The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, and this view explains why.
Evening
Then we sit down together for a welcome dinner, with a short briefing on the week: what to pack for Skye, how the days are paced and how the group travels.
Included
- Private transfer from Edinburgh Airport (EDI)
- First walk with your guide: Princes Street Gardens, the New Town and Calton Hill
- Welcome dinner and briefing
Easier option: Ride a taxi up to Calton Hill with your guide and walk only the level top.
Free time: Free until the late-afternoon walk
Activity: About an hour and a half on foot, with a short steep climb up Calton Hill.
Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town
Edinburgh on foot: the castle, the Royal Mile, St Giles', the closes and the Grassmarket
- Breakfast
- Stay in Edinburgh
Morning
We walk up to Edinburgh Castle for the first entry of the morning, before the queues and the tour groups build. The castle sits on an extinct volcanic plug and has been a royal fortress, a barracks and a prison; inside are the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in the city, and the great siege gun Mons Meg. After about two hours there, a local guide walks us down the Royal Mile to St Giles' Cathedral and into the narrow closes and wynds that run off it, where tenements once rose ten storeys high, then down to the Grassmarket and Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Afternoon
The afternoon is yours. The National Museum of Scotland is free and a good place to start; the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Real Mary King's Close are optional extras we book ahead at the price shown.
Evening
The evening is free too, and your guide will suggest pubs with live folk music.
Included
- Edinburgh Castle, first entry of the morning
- Guided walk of the Old Town with a local guide: the Royal Mile, St Giles' Cathedral, the closes, the Grassmarket and Greyfriars Kirkyard
Optional experiences
- Palace of Holyroodhouse (extra, booked ahead, price shown at booking)
- The Real Mary King's Close underground tour (extra, price shown at booking)
- A ceilidh evening with dinner and Scottish dancing (extra, price shown at booking)
Easier option: Leave the walk at St Giles' and rest at the hotel or a cafe before the afternoon.
More active option: Climb Arthur's Seat in the afternoon, 251 m, about 2 hours up and down from Holyrood, with your guide's directions.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Edinburgh
Activity: About 3 hours on foot on cobbles and steep streets, with steps inside the castle.
Stirling Castle, the Hermitage and Pitlochry
Edinburgh to Stirling, then Perth, Dunkeld and Pitlochry
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Pitlochry
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave Edinburgh at about 8:45 and are at Stirling Castle, an hour west, for opening. Stirling guarded the lowest crossing of the River Forth and so the road into the Highlands; Mary Queen of Scots was crowned at the castle in 1543, and the restored Renaissance palace shows how the Stuart court lived. From the ramparts you can see the Wallace Monument and the field of Bannockburn.
Afternoon
We spend about two and a half hours there, then sit down to lunch in Stirling's old town. In the afternoon it is just over an hour north by Perth to Dunkeld, where a short woodland walk at the Hermitage leads to the Black Linn Falls on the River Braan and Ossian's Hall, an 18th-century viewing folly above the water, among tall Douglas firs. Pitlochry is twenty minutes on.
Evening
We arrive at about 4 pm, and the evening is free in this Victorian Highland resort town, with an optional walk with your guide to the dam and its salmon ladder.
Included
- Stirling Castle, at opening
- Sit-down lunch in Stirling
- The Hermitage at Dunkeld: the Black Linn Falls and Ossian's Hall
- Evening walk to the Pitlochry dam and salmon ladder with your guide (optional)
Easier option: Stay on the level path to Ossian's Hall, about 10 minutes from the car park.
More active option: Walk on from the Hermitage along the River Braan to Rumbling Bridge, about 3 km, and meet the van there.
Free time: Evening free in Pitlochry
Activity: About 3 hours on foot, on castle cobbles and ramps and a woodland path with roots and some mud.
Edradour, the Cairngorms and Culloden
Pitlochry on foot to Edradour, then the A9 over Drumochter to Ruthven Barracks, Culloden and Inverness
- Breakfast
- Stay in Inverness
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we walk out of Pitlochry with the guide, up through the oak woods by the Black Spout waterfall to Edradour, a distillery founded in 1825 and one of the smallest in Scotland, where whisky is still made in whitewashed farm buildings. The tour starts at about 10 and ends with a tasting; drivers' drams can be taken away. The van meets us at the distillery for the run north on the A9, over the Pass of Drumochter, at about 460 m one of the highest main roads in Britain, and along the edge of the Cairngorms National Park. We stop at Ruthven Barracks, built after the 1715 rising and burned by the Jacobites in 1746.
Afternoon
We reach Culloden in the early afternoon, well before the visitor centre's last entry, which we confirm for your dates. Lunch is at your choice in its cafe, then about two hours on the battlefield, where the last Jacobite army was defeated on 16 April 1746; the visitor centre tells both sides and flags mark where the clans stood.
Evening
Inverness is ten minutes on, and we arrive at about 5 pm, with the evening free by the River Ness.
Included
- Guided walk from Pitlochry by the Black Spout wood to Edradour
- Edradour distillery tour and tasting
- Ruthven Barracks
- Culloden Battlefield and visitor centre
Easier option: Ride the van to Edradour instead of walking the uphill wood path.
More active option: Walk the full battlefield path at Culloden out to the Field of the English and back, about 3 km.
Free time: Evening free in Inverness
Activity: About 3 hours on foot: the walk to Edradour is about 3 km, uphill on a woodland path, and Culloden is on level grass and gravel paths.
Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle and Eilean Donan to Skye
Inverness to Loch Ness by boat to Urquhart Castle, then Glen Moriston, Glen Shiel, Eilean Donan, the Skye Bridge and Portree
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Portree
- Drive about 3.5 h
We drive about 20 minutes south-west from Inverness to the boat departure at the northern end of Loch Ness and sail down the loch to Urquhart Castle. Loch Ness is about 37 km long and over 200 m deep, and holds more fresh water than any other lake in Britain; from the boat you see both shores and the hills that close it in. Urquhart, a ruin on a rocky point, was blown up in 1692 so the Jacobites could not use it; we have an hour inside, with the visitor centre film, before the van picks us up. The road west climbs through Glen Moriston and down Glen Shiel between steep, bare mountains to Eilean Donan, about an hour and a half away, the castle on a tidal island where three sea lochs meet. Destroyed in 1719 and rebuilt in the early 20th century, it has a banqueting hall, bedrooms and a kitchen laid out inside.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Dornie beside it.
Evening
We cross the Skye Bridge, stop at Sligachan under the Cuillin, and reach Portree at about 5 pm, with the evening free by the harbour.
Included
- Boat trip on Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle
- Urquhart Castle
- Eilean Donan Castle, inside
- Sit-down lunch in Dornie
- Sligachan and the view of the Cuillin
Easier option: Stay in the upper visitor area at Urquhart, which avoids the steep path down to the tower.
More active option: Climb the Grant Tower at Urquhart for the view along Loch Ness.
Free time: Evening free in Portree
Activity: About 2 hours on foot, on steep paths and steps at Urquhart and narrow stairs inside Eilean Donan.
The Storr, the Quiraing and Neist Point
Portree to the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, the Quiraing and Uig, then Dunvegan, Neist Point and back to Portree
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Portree
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
Skye's day tours arrive mid-morning, so we leave Portree at 8 and are at the Old Man of Storr, a basalt pinnacle on the Trotternish ridge, by about 8:20. The path climbs about 3.8 km there and back, and the morning light falls on the rock face. Up the coast we stop at Kilt Rock, where Mealt Falls drops off the cliff into the sea, then take the narrow road over the ridge from Staffin to the Quiraing, a vast landslip of pinnacles and hidden plateaus, for a walk along its path.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal at Uig or Staffin. In the afternoon we cross to the west side by Dunvegan to Neist Point, where a lighthouse from 1909 stands at the end of a long, steep headland, Skye's westernmost point. This is the island's long day: about four hours of driving on single-track roads, broken by four stops and lunch.
Evening
We are back in Portree by about 6:30, with the evening free.
Included
- The Old Man of Storr, early, before the day tours
- Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls
- The Quiraing and the Staffin to Uig ridge road
- Sit-down lunch at Uig or Staffin
- Neist Point and its lighthouse
Easier option: Walk the first ten minutes of the Storr path to the viewpoint over the lochs, and watch Neist Point from the clifftop above the steps.
More active option: Walk the Quiraing loop over the ridge, about 6.8 km and 2.5 hours, while the group takes the shorter path; the van meets you.
Free time: Evening free in Portree
Activity: About 4 hours on foot on rough, often wet hill paths, with a steady climb at the Storr and steep steps at Neist Point. Bring waterproofs.
Talisker, the Mallaig ferry, Glenfinnan and Glencoe
Portree to Talisker at Carbost, then Armadale, the ferry to Mallaig, Glenfinnan, Fort William and Glencoe
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Glencoe
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
We drive south-west to Carbost on Loch Harport for the first tour of the morning at Talisker, founded in 1830 and the oldest working distillery on Skye, with a tasting of its peaty, maritime malt. Then it is about an hour and a quarter across the island to Armadale on the Sleat peninsula for the car ferry to Mallaig, a crossing of about 30 minutes.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Mallaig, a working fishing harbour. The Road to the Isles runs east past silver sands and lochs to Glenfinnan, at the head of Loch Shiel, where Charles Edward Stuart raised his standard in 1745; we walk up to the viewpoint over the 21-arch railway viaduct and visit the monument from 1815. Past Fort William, under Ben Nevis, at 1,345 m the highest mountain in Britain, we reach Glencoe at about 5:30. That is about 3.75 hours of driving in four legs, broken by the distillery, the ferry and lunch. If wind stops the ferry, we leave Skye by the bridge and Glen Shiel, which adds about 1.5 to 2 hours, so Glenfinnan becomes a short stop or is dropped.
Evening
Tonight is our farewell dinner.
Included
- Talisker distillery tour and tasting
- The Armadale to Mallaig car ferry
- Sit-down lunch in Mallaig
- Glenfinnan: the viaduct viewpoint and the Glenfinnan Monument
- Farewell dinner in Glencoe
Easier option: Watch the viaduct from the visitor centre terrace instead of climbing to the upper viewpoint.
Free time: Early evening free in Glencoe before dinner
Activity: About 1.5 hours on foot, with a short steep path to the Glenfinnan viewpoint.
Glencoe in the morning, Loch Lomond and Glasgow
Glencoe on foot, then Rannoch Moor, Tyndrum, Loch Lomond at Luss and Glasgow
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 3 h
We start at 8:45 with a guided walk from the Glencoe Visitor Centre through the woods to Signal Rock, about an hour and a quarter, while the glen is quiet. Your guide tells the story of the massacre of 13 February 1692, when soldiers who had been guests of the MacDonalds turned on them. Then we drive up the glen, stopping at the viewpoint for the Three Sisters and at Altnafeadh under Buachaille Etive Mor, before crossing the open bog and lochans of Rannoch Moor, where red deer often graze by the road. The road runs south by Tyndrum and down the west shore of Loch Lomond, the largest lake in Britain by surface area, to Luss, a conservation village of stone cottages, at about 12:30.
Afternoon
We have our last lunch together there, then a boat trip of 45 minutes to an hour on the loch, in season. Glasgow is about forty minutes on. We drop at Glasgow Airport at about 4 pm and the city centre at about 4:30. Book a flight after about 7 pm, or stay on: we can book a Glasgow hotel.
Included
- Guided morning walk in Glencoe to Signal Rock
- The Three Sisters viewpoint and Buachaille Etive Mor
- Rannoch Moor
- Lunch in Luss
- Boat trip on Loch Lomond from Luss (in season)
- Drop at Glasgow Airport (GLA) or Glasgow city centre
Easier option: Skip the woodland walk and wait at the visitor centre cafe, then join the viewpoint stops.
Free time: Afternoon free in Glasgow after the drop, if you are staying on
Activity: About 2 hours on foot, on woodland paths in Glencoe and level village lanes in Luss. Book a flight leaving Glasgow after about 7 pm.
- Edinburgh2 nights
- Pitlochry1 night
- Inverness1 night
- Portree2 nights
- Glencoe1 night
- Glasgowend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Scottish weather changes by the hour, so the guide may swap the order of the Skye stops to catch clearer spells, and the Loch Ness and Loch Lomond boats or the Armadale ferry can be cancelled in high wind (we then leave Skye by the bridge, which adds about 1.5 to 2 hours of driving and shortens or drops the Glenfinnan stop). Days are long in May to July, with light until about 10 pm in the north. Red deer are often seen on Rannoch Moor and in Glencoe, and seals and sea eagles are possible around Skye. Midges are worst in still, damp weather from June to September.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first visit to Scotland that wants Edinburgh, the Highlands and Skye in one week without a big coach
- Travellers who would rather not drive on the left on single-track Highland roads
- Whisky drinkers and the curious: two distillery tours are in the price
- Mixed groups: optional longer walks for some, a viewpoint and a seat for others
Not for you if you want
- Anyone who wants Orkney, Mull, Harris or the Outer Hebrides: this trip stays on the mainland and Skye
- Travellers who want several days in Glasgow; the trip ends there on day 8
- Sun seekers: rain and wind are likely on some days in any month
- Anyone who cannot manage wet, rocky paths at all, though every hard walk has a shorter option
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Edinburgh2 nights
- Pitlochry1 night
- Inverness1 night
- Portree2 nights
- Glencoe1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: 2 in Edinburgh, 1 in Pitlochry, 1 in Inverness, 2 in Portree on the Isle of Skye and 1 in Glencoe
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, a short walk from restaurants (in Portree, a few minutes from the harbour); we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Private transfer from Edinburgh Airport (EDI) on day 1
- A private minivan and professional driver for the group from day 3 to day 8, sized for 7 to 12 guests and for Skye's single-track roads
- The Armadale to Mallaig car ferry
- A boat on Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle and a boat trip on Loch Lomond (in season)
- Drop at Glasgow Airport (GLA) or Glasgow city centre on day 8
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, from the day 1 walk to the day 8 drop in Glasgow
- A local guide for the Edinburgh Old Town walk, and the site guides at the distilleries
Activities
- Edinburgh: Calton Hill walk, Edinburgh Castle at first entry, and a guided Old Town walk
- Stirling Castle
- The Hermitage at Dunkeld
- Edradour distillery tour and tasting, Pitlochry
- Ruthven Barracks
- Culloden Battlefield and visitor centre
- Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness
- Eilean Donan Castle
- Isle of Skye: Sligachan, the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, the Quiraing and Neist Point
- Talisker distillery tour and tasting, Carbost
- Glenfinnan viaduct viewpoint and the Glenfinnan Monument
- Glencoe guided walk and the Three Sisters viewpoint
- Rannoch Moor and Luss on Loch Lomond
- All parking and site fees for included stops
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 5 lunches, on days 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8
- 2 dinners: a welcome dinner in Edinburgh and a farewell dinner in Glencoe
Not included
- International flights to Edinburgh and from Glasgow
- The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or a visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Lunches on days 2 and 4, and dinners not listed
- Drinks other than the distillery tastings
- Optional activities: the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Real Mary King's Close and a ceilidh evening
- Tips
- Personal expenses
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,150 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the Scotland trip price include?
Seven nights in central hotels, 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 2 dinners, a private minivan and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, the Edinburgh airport transfer and the Glasgow drop, the Skye ferry, the Loch Ness and Loch Lomond boats, and every visit in the day plan, including Edinburgh and Stirling castles, Culloden, Urquhart, Eilean Donan and two distillery tours. Drinks, tips and optional extras are not included.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in a minivan, never a full-size coach. That size fits Skye's single-track roads and the small car parks at Neist Point and the Quiraing, one table at lunch and the smaller distillery tours.
Who leads the trip, and who drives?
A See Sight Tours guide is with the group for the whole trip, from the first walk in Edinburgh to the drop in Glasgow, and a professional driver is at the wheel so the guide can focus on you. A local guide leads the Edinburgh Old Town walk, and distillery guides run the tours.
How fit do I need to be for this Scotland tour?
Moderate fitness is enough. Most days have 2 to 4 hours on foot on cobbles and rough, wet hill paths. The Old Man of Storr climb and the steps at Neist Point are the hardest parts, and both are optional, with viewpoints near the road. You can sit any walk out.
I'm travelling solo. Do I pay a single supplement?
Only if you want a room of your own, which is from CAD 1,150 more and shown before you book. If you share, you pay the base price with no supplement. Tell us when you request to book and we will say whether a same-gender roommate match is possible on your date; if it is not, you choose before paying anything.
When is the best time to visit Scotland and the Isle of Skye?
May, June and September are the best balance: long days, open sights and fewer crowds than July and August. The trip runs April to October, when the Loch Lomond boats and longer opening hours apply. Rain is possible in any month, and midges are out on still days from June to September.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, taxes included: the small group starts from CAD 6,485, and private from CAD 11,675.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels and transfers.
Do I need a visa or an ETA to visit Scotland?
Canadian and US passport holders need no visa for a tourist visit, but they do need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), applied for online before you fly for a small fee. Bring a passport valid for your whole stay. Other nationalities should check the UK rules before booking; we will help.
How do you avoid the crowds on the Isle of Skye?
By timing and by sleeping on the island. Two nights in central Portree let us reach the Old Man of Storr at about 8:20, before the day tours that arrive mid-morning, and visit Neist Point in the late afternoon. A minivan also stops in places coaches cannot.
Does the trip end in Glasgow or Edinburgh?
It starts in Edinburgh and ends in Glasgow, at Glasgow Airport at about 4 pm or the city centre at about 4:30 pm on day 8. Book a flight after about 7 pm, or add a night in Glasgow. Edinburgh is about an hour away by train if you want to fly home from there.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Your guide changes the order of the day to catch drier spells and swaps exposed walks for shorter ones. If wind cancels the Armadale ferry, we leave Skye by the bridge, which adds about 1.5 to 2 hours of driving, so the Glenfinnan stop is shortened or dropped. The Loch Ness and Loch Lomond boats can be replaced by lochside walks.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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