North Coast 500 Tour from Edinburgh

As we start our North Coast 500 tour from Edinburgh we  travel North. Your first photo opportunity is the Forth Bridge. The incredible example of Victorian engineering is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As our tour continues, we will visit the marvellous Lochleven Castle, situated in the centre of this Loch. You are taken to the castle in a boat and there you will have time to explore this 700-year-old fortress. The castle is rich in history, most famously due to the fact that this is where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned and forced to hand over her crown.

Our journey moves once again further North. We soon pass over the Highland Line and then onto your first Highland village, Dunkeld. We will enjoy lunch in the quaint little town and you can also take time to visit the ancient cathedral there.

The road know starts to get spectacular as we climb into the mountains and over the Drumochter Pass. Next on the itinerary is a wee dram (a little whisky) with a stop at Dalwhinnie Distillery. You will have the chance to see the wonderful process of how Scotland’s national drink is made.

The final stop of the day is Culloden Moor. This is the location of the last battle to take place on British soil. The visitor centre here is possibly the best in Scotland. It takes you through the journey of the Jacobite’s from the start of the rebellion, led by the famous Bonny Prince Charlie, to its disastrous end on the bleak and eerie moor at Culloden.    

We will then take you to Inverness where we will drop you at your chosen accommodation.

On the second day of our North Coast 500 tour from Edinburgh, we depart Inverness to travel through some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery.

The tour takes us North west as we head for Applecross. On our drive to Applecross we will ascend the incredible mountain pass known as the Bealach na Bà (the pass of the cattle). From the road up to the top it is one breath taking view after another.

We will stop at the pretty little coastal hamlet of Applecross for coffee and then we are off along the coast. We swill have many stops for Photos and a chance to get the sand between you toes on some of the beautiful white sand beaches as we head along the coast to our final location of Ullapool.

This full day journey will take you alongside crystal-clear ocean past beautiful Lochs where occasionally we will find ourselves in the shadows of some incredible and intimidating mountains.

We will reach the amazing little fishing village of Ullapool in the late afternoon and you will be dropped off at your chosen accommodation.

We are on the road again heading for Stoer Point Lighthouse. The drive will take us through some incredible landscapes with a quick stop at the ruins of Ardvreck Castle. Once at Stoer Lighthouse you have the opportunity to take a hike to the Old Man Of Stoer, this takes about 2hr round trip.

The tour continues onto Smoo Cave, a huge cave created by the sea over hundreds of millions of years.

Finally, we move onto Thurso for one night.

First stop this morning is Dunnet Head. These huge and dramatic cliffs are situated at the most northerly point of both mainland Scotland and the whole of Great Britain.

As we travel south the countryside start to change from rugged coasts and huge mountains to soft green rolling hills and wonderful open sea views. Our next stop is Dunrobin Castle.

There has been a castle here for at 700 years. The building you see today is in the style of a French chateau, designed by Sir Charles Barry, who designed London’s Houses of Parliament.

As we travel further south its time to wet our whistle as we pull into to your second distillery, Glenmorangie, for a tasting before the final part of todays journey and back to Inverness for your last night.

This morning it is all about monster hunting as our fist stop is Loch Ness. We will stop first at the village of Dores to stand and marvel at this enormous body of water and then drive the east shore of the Loch until we find ourselves in Fort Augustus. Here you can take the chance for a boat trip and see if you can get your picture of the monster.

We continue heading south and a chance to get a glimpse of the highest mountain in Scotland, Ben Nevis, and also that of the whole of the UK.

Get your cameras ready as we travel through another one of our famous locations, Glencoe. This landscape with be imprinted in your heart and you will never forget.
Southward bound our journey will take us back to where we started in Edinburgh.

Time to bid a sad farewell to our new found tour companions.