Highland Explorer: Skye & Far North

View Photos

View Map

On this page:

Overview

Itinerary

What's Included?

Why Book a Small Group Tour?

Accommodation & Prices

Overview

Small Group Tours

7 Nights

Prices from: £1025 per person
Start: Edinburgh
Finish: Edinburgh
Tour duration: 5 days
Availability: April - October
Transport: Luxury mini-coach and tour guide

Highlights

Isle of Skye

The Isle of Skye is popular for its stunning and dramatic volcanic scenery, including the Cuillin Mountain Range, the iconic Storr, spectacular Quiraing and Portree as its colourful capital.

Mysterious Loch Ness

Located near Inverness, Loch Ness is shrouded in mystery. Visit the iconic loch and keep an eye out for ‘Nessie’, the Loch Ness Monster.

Eilean Donan Castle

On the shores of Loch Duich, Eilean Donan is one of Scotland’s most beautiful and photographed castle.

Atmospheric Glencoe

Glencoe is Scotland’s most famous and mystical glen, site of the infamous massacre of Clan Macdonald. Enjoy the great outdoors and spectacular views of the Mountains of Glencoe.

Ullapool and Assynt

The North West Highlands of Scotland has some of the most spectacular, unspoiled scenery in the world, with undiscovered beaches, ancient forests, mighty mountains and cascading waterfalls.

Bealach na Bà

Experience a thrilling journey over the Bealach na Bà with spectacular views and hairpin bends. Bealach na Bà meaning pass of the cattle, has become well known and is a must if you’re passing through the Applecross Mountains.

A Bucket List Tour of North West Scotland

This 5 day tour shows off some of Scotland’s best and most varied scenery – with rugged mountain scenery, secluded sandy beaches, ancient pine forests, loch views and castles. From famous destinations to remote villages and Scotland’s highest road, this tour has a bit of everything!

Your trip begins in Edinburgh, Scotland’s ancient capital city and a hub for culture and creativity. Take time to visit the historic Edinburgh Castle, the picturesque Royal Mile and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and enjoy the culinary delights of this wonderful city.

From here, your tour will depart for the wilderness of the Highlands. The tranquil Cairngorms National Park and calm waters of Loch Ness are a contrast to the romantic beauty of the Isle of Skye and the dramatic mountains of Assynt. Between these locations, cosy and traditional towns and villages will provide welcoming havens for you to spend your evenings.

Visit Loch an Eilein Castle, Ardvreck Castle and Eilean Donan Castle for an insight into Scottish history, and experience the thrill of travelling along the hairpin turns of Scotland’s highest road, giving impressive views across Applecross and the West Coast.

Itinerary

This is our suggested itinerary for our Highland Explorer: Skye & Far North small group tour. This tour combines a five day group guided experience with independent sightseeing days in Edinburgh to make the most of your time in Scotland.

We love the opportunity to use our first-hand knowledge and experience to design and deliver the perfect, bespoke holiday experience for you.

You may wish to extend your holiday before or after your small group tour, or combine it with another of our tours.

Day 1: Arrive in Edinburgh

Arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland’s majestic Capital City. Edinburgh is a great place to wander – narrow alleys, flights of stairs and hidden courtyards tempt you off the main streets at every turn and for a spectacular view of the city take a walk up Arthur’s Seat.
Overnight – Edinburgh

Day 2: Edinburgh Sightseeing

The sightseeing options in Edinburgh are endless, enjoy a City Sightseeing Bus Tour, a visit to Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyrood House and explore the many attractions of this beautiful city.
Overnight – Edinburgh

Day 3: Edinburgh to Ullapool

Your tour begins by departing Edinburgh and taking you north to historic Dunkeld, on the banks of the River Tay, before exploring the grandeur of the Cairngorms National Park and its ancient pine forests.

Spend the afternoon here before your tour takes you onto the back-roads overlooking mysterious Loch Ness before arriving in Ullapool, your destination for 2 nights.
Overnight – Ullapool

Day 4: Far North Sightseeing

A day spent in the far northern wilderness of Assynt with its mixture of cliffs, rocky inlets and unspoilt beaches. In the afternoon you will visit Ardvreck Castle’s 15th century ruins, the beautiful white sand beach at Achmelvich Bay, and the quaint fishing village of Lochinver.
Overnight – Ullapool

Day 5: Ullapool to the Isle of Skye

Travel south to Corrieshalloch Gorge and west to the dramatic nature reserve of Torridon, and along the wild coastline to the remote community of Applecross, before travelling along Britain’s highest road to the “tropical” palm tree lined village of Plockton. After this, you will head over to the Isle of Skye, where your base is the picturesque harbour town of Portee for 2 nights.
Overnight – Portree, Isle of Skye

Day 6: Isle of Skye Sightseeing

Enjoy a day of flexible sightseeing on the Isle of Skye, with options to visit the wild north of the island, the Old Man of Storr, the mountain pass of the Quiraing, Skye’s most westerly point at Neist or Talisker Distillery.
Overnight – Portree, Isle of Skye

Day 7: Isle of Skye to Edinburgh

Leave the Isle of Skye behind and return to the mainland to visit the famous Eilean Donan Castle (featured in the movie “Highlander”), before travelling through the rugged and wild scenery of the Five Sisters of Kintail and past Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain.

Your afternoon highlight will be the wilderness of Glencoe before returning to Edinburgh at approximately 19.00.
Overnight – Edinburgh

Day 8: Depart Edinburgh

After breakfast your unforgettable holiday will come to an end.

What's Included?

Your holiday includes:

Carefully selected en-suite accommodation for 7 nights including traditional Scottish breakfast
5 day Skye & Far North Tour by top of the range Mercedes mini-coach with a maximum of 16 passengers
Services of a professional driver-guide
Comprehensive information pack
Personalised itinerary with our recommendations for the best places to eat and drink and sightseeing suggestions
Map of Scotland
Tickets for the Edinburgh City Sightseeing Tour
All ferry crossings (as per your itinerary)
24-hour emergency contact number
Full financial protection

Your holiday doesn't include:

Travel insurance
Flights
Lunches and evening meals
Entry to visitor attractions

Why Book a Small Group Tour?

Your Tour Company

We work closely with an award-winning company whose expert guides truly take you beyond the guidebooks to explore the stunning scenery and extraordinary history of this country.

Some guides are history geeks and can tell you who owned every castle, others are geologists and know the age of every mountain. All of them are friendly, passionate people who are dedicated to making you fall in love with their home country.

Explore Scotland in a modern, air-conditioned mini-coach. You will never get lost, always take the scenic route and have great views, and you are free to sample the local tipple without worrying about driving.

Touring with a maximum of 16 passengers will allow you to meet people from all over the world and make friends for life. Knowing all of the arrangements are taken care of means you can sit back and relax. It’s an experience you will treasure for a lifetime.

Accommodation & Prices

Standard

Budget

We know that after a busy day of sightseeing an exceptional place to stay makes all the difference. That’s why the accommodation we select is hand-picked using our first-hand knowledge of the best places to stay. We specifically choose accommodation suitable for your tour, close to local attractions, pubs and restaurants.

Our discerning team have a wealth of experience, and we extensively research and regularly review all of the accommodation we select for our clients.

Please choose from one of our accommodation categories below.

5 Reasons to Visit the Isle of Skye

With recently discovered dinosaur footprints the size of dustbin lids, and new movies ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and ‘Macbeth’ both using the island as a backdrop, there’s never been a better time to experience the magic of Skye. Scott from the Absolute Escapes team spent some time exploring the island during a gloriously warm October weekend. Read on for his top 5 reasons why you should experience Skye for yourself ... Read more