Coach Tours of the Scottish Highlands
- Loch Ness cruises to look for the monster are options on Highland tours.Loch Ness image by John Mitchell from Fotolia.com
The Scottish Highlands, inhabited for at least six thousand years, possess a rich history, along with stunning highland scenery. The Highlands are dotted with castles, left over from Scottish royalty and from wars with next-door neighbor, England. Loch Ness, with its legendary elusive monster Nessie, is regularly visited as part of a Highland tour. - Highland Explorer Tours offers a range of coach tours led by local guides. Their Loch Ness two-day tour leaves on Saturday, April through October, from the High Street on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. On the way the coach passes the Forth Bridge and visits Killiecrankie Pass, the ruins of Ruthven Barracks, Culloden Battlefield, and Inverness before stopping for the night at Fort Augustus village. There is then an option to take a cruise on Loch Ness for an extra fee. The next day the coach tours Fort William, Glen Nevis, Gelncoe, Rannoch Moor, Doun Castle, and Stirling Castle, before returning to Edinburgh. Accommodation and visitor attraction fees are not included in the price of 65 pounds per adult and 55 pounds for children as of September 2010.
Highland Explorer Tours
60 High St. (The Royal Mile)
Edinburgh
Scotland
+44-131-558-3738
highlandexplorertours.com - The Heart of Scotland Tours' Misty Isle and Mountains Tour lasts three days and visits the Highlands and the Isle of Skye. Tickets, as of September 2010, cost 89 pounds per person, with a 10-pound discount for kids under 12, students, and people over 60 years of age. The tour, which leaves Edinburgh on Friday mornings and returns Sunday evening, runs weekly from 29 March through 31 October. Stop one on the tour is Dunkeld village with its cathedral. Then the coach passes through the Pass of Killiecrankie, Cairngorm National Park, and Laggan, stopping at Ben Nevis and Eilean Donan castle. Next day the coach stops at Dun Beag roundhouse, Dunvegan Castle, Kilt Rock, the Quiraing, and Duntulm Castle. The final day visits Loch Ness, Glencoe, and the William Wallace national monument before returning to Edinburgh. Accommodation is not included in the price.
Heart of Scotland Tours
Hill House
Beech Hill Rd., Coupar Angus
Perthshire, PH13 9AZ
+44-1828-627-799
heartofscotlandtours.com - Rabbies Trail Burners offer a one-day tour from Glasgow that visits the national parks and beauty of the Highlands, ending the day with a visit to a whisky distillery to warm the cockles of the tourists' hearts. The tour, which consists of a small group of 16 people in a mini-coach, leaves daily from the Tourist Information Office in George's Square, Glasgow, all year round. The first stop is Stirling Castle, where Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned. Then the coach visits Loch Lomond, where visitors can walk along part of the West Highland way to get the best views of the Loch. Finally, the tour visits Glengoyne whisky distillery for a tour and a wee dram before heading back to Glasgow. As of September 2010, the tour cost from 29 pounds per adult and does not include entry to Stirling Castle.
Rabbie's Trail Burners Ltd.
207 High St.
Edinburgh
EH1 1PE
Scotland.
+44-131-226-3133
rabbies.com
