Scottish Highlands Explorer

Itinerary

Day 1 (Saturday): Edinburgh

• We leave home early and drive up to Edinburgh in the morning, with loads of stories to tell you en-route.
• We arrive in Edinburgh's Old Town at lunchtime, grab some food and show you the sights of Edinburgh (with a few gruesome stories thrown in!).
• There’s some free time in the afternoon - we've got more ideas than Scotland has legends!
• In the evening, hang out with the group at dinner on the Royal Mile, have a night out partying in the Old Town, or chill out in our hostel. 

Day 2:  Edinburgh to Inverness, Scottish Highlands

• After breakfast we leave Edinburgh for our adventure north into the Highlands.
• We drive up through the mountains with stories and stops at:
  - Killiecrankie (setting of the 17th Century Jacobite uprising)
  - Cairngorms National Park (our first experience of big mountains)
  - Culloden Moor (the scene of a bloody battle)
• We arrive at our accommodation in Inverness, the most northerly city in Britain & capital of the Highlands where we spend the night - good local food and maybe some live music.

Day 3: Inverness to Oban, West Coast       

• After breakfast we continue our adventure deeper into the Highlands stopping at:
  - Loch Ness (to search for Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster!)
  - Urquhart Castle (the beautiful ruins overlooking Loch Ness)
  - Glen Shiel (beautiful setting for a terrible battle)
  - Clachan Duich (ancient church and burial grounds)
  - Eilean Donan Castle (stunning castle on Loch Duich)
  - Five Sisters mountain range
  - Inverlochy Castle (13th century castle near Fort William)
  - Ben Nevis (highest mountain in Britain)
  - Loch Laich (15th Century Castle Stalker)
• We arrive at our accommodation in Oban on the West Coast where we settle for the night. Grab some fish n chips from the harbour, then out for some live Scottish music!

Day 4: Oban to Edinburgh

• We spend the morning in Oban with plenty of time to explore the town & harbour before we leave to venture back through the mountains and Rob Roy country stopping at:
  - Glen Coe (the most stunning mountain valley in Scotland!)
  - Loch Laich (15th Century Castle Stalker)
  - Loch Tay (stunning views)
  - Bannockburn (the scene of yet another bloody battle in Scottish history)
• We arrive back in Edinburgh in time for dinner and our last night in Scotland.
• Head out for traditional Scottish dishes for dinner in the Old Town, go for a whisky, to a late café, do a ghost tour or head back to our hostel to relax. 

Day 5: Edinburgh 

• After breakfast on our final day in Scotland, come with us to the top of Arthur’s Seat (an extinct volcano) for the best city views.
• There’s some free time to explore more of Edinburgh – and we’ve got more ideas!
• We meet up back at our hostel at the end of the afternoon and leave Edinburgh to drive back south over the border.
• We arrive home late evening.

Pickups

Sheffield Hallam - 06.30
The HUB, Paternoster Row

University of Bradford - 07.00
Great Horton Road

Leeds City Centre - 07.30
Wellington Street

University of Leeds - 07.40
Parkinson Steps

Dropoffs

University of Leeds - 19.50
Parkinson Steps

Leeds City Centre - 20.00
Wellington Street

University of Bradford - 20.30
Great Horton Road

Sheffield Hallam - 21.00
The HUB, Paternoster Row

What's Included

5 days & 4 nights in Scotland.

• Executive coach travel - private, comfy, air con. & friendly driver!
• Accommodation - 4 nights in the best locations in Scotland!
• Breakfast - continental (toast, cereal, fruit, coffee, etc)
• Our legendary Scottish guide - passionate about Scotland & full of stories!
• Loads of activities - see the 'Activities' tab above.

What's Not Included

• Entrance fees (places we visit are free to see, but you may have to pay if you want to enter. We'll tell you which are free and how to get discount in the others)
• Lunch & dinner (we make regular stops to buy food & drink and know lots of inexpensive places to buy food & drink)

Accommodation

Our hostels in are the best locations – Edinburgh (next to the castle), Inverness (over looking the river) & Oban (near the harbour). All are warm, comfortable, clean, safe, secure, good fun, super-friendly and have the following facilities:

• Bedrooms - single-sex dorm rooms shared between people from our group
• Bedding is provided
• Continental breakfast
• Guest kitchen – with cookers, microwaves, fridges, pots, pans, etc
• Dining Room
• Comfy lounge – sofas, TV, DVD, satellite
• Internet access

Activities

Destinations

Scottish Highlands

Rugged mountains, ancient and mysterious lochs, Scots pine forests, castles, bloody battles, Loch Ness monster....