5 Day Road to the Isles Coach Tour from Edinburgh (ST)

Day One - Waterfall Walks and Bloody Battles

From Edinburgh and Glasgow we make our way into bonnie Perthshire, a land of scenic valleys, remote glens, rushing rivers and peaceful lochs. We will make a stop amidst this wonderful scenery when we visit Dunkeld.  After time for morning coffee why not visit the attractive cathedral ruins, which sit on the banks of the River Tay?

A short drive will take us to The Hermitage, one of the most picturesque landscapes in Scotland. Here we have a relaxing walk through spectacularly large Douglas Firs to an amazing folly, Ossian's Hall, that overlooks the pretty Black Linn waterfall.

There are fine views of Blair Castle, the seat of the Dukes of Atholl – the only man allowed to have their own private army, The Atholl Highlanders. Wild mountain vistas surround us as we start our ascent of the Drumochter Pass, the main route into the highlands since the earliest of times.

The Cairngorm National Park is an area of stunning natural beauty, as we will discover. As we journey through the Spey Valley the Cairngorm Mountains, which rise to over 4000 feet, provide a striking backdrop.

Desolate Culloden Moor was the site of the last battle ever fought on British soil. The Jacobite troops of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the British Army under the command of the Duke of Cumberland clashed here in a bloody battle. The Jacobites were routed and in the aftermath Highland life changed forever. We'll make a stop so that you can discover more about the battle and its dramatic consequences.

A short drive will take us to Inverness, the Capital of the Highlands, and then to our accommodation nestling by the banks of mysterious Loch Ness.

Overnight: Drumnadrochit (Loch Ness)

Day Two - Nessie and Five Sisters

After a hearty breakfast there's much to enjoy in our Highland surroundings. Why not visit the Loch Ness 2000 Exhibition to get the story of the area's most famous resident or mount a "Nessie" spotting trip of your own by taking a cruise on the loch?

Bonnie Glen Affric is considered by many to be Scotland's most picturesque Glen. It extends over some 15 miles and is the very epitome of a highland glen. Once the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest covered most of Scotland but now the largest surviving part of the forest is to be found here in Glen Affric. During our time in the glen you'll have time to walk amongst the trees and step back in time to the last Ice Age!

The dramatic scenery of Torridon is our next treat. The mountains, which offer possibly the most impressive skyline in the Highlands, attract outdoor sports enthusiasts from all over the World. The craggy peaks of Beinn Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe form a wild backdrop that is sure to amaze you. Wildlife thrives in this part of Scotland so as we drive through this striking scenery keep a watch out for local residents such as red deer, golden eagles and pine martins.

We travel "over the sea to Skye" by the modern road bridge and make our way to nearby Kyleakin, our home for the next two nights.

Overnight: Kyleakin (Isle of Skye)

Day Three  - Hills and Prisons

After breakfast we board our coach for a wonderful day of exploration. From the little villages and gentle scenery of the southern part of the island the views will change dramatically as the Cuillin Hills come into sight. Considered by many to be amongst the finest hills in Britain the Cuillins present a vista that is simply unforgettable.

Set round its natural harbour the picturesque town of Portree is the island's largest community. The name of the town means the "King's Port" following a visit by King James V in 1540. Today the pretty painted houses which surround the harbour give Portree an old fashioned appeal. During our stop there will be time to explore the town and browse the interesting shops that surround Sumerled Square.

The next part of our excursion is to the famed Trotternish Peninsula. From Portree we travel northwards to the little ferry port of Uig from where ferries sail to the Outer Herbrides. At little Kilmuir there is a monument to Flora MacDonald who, famously, assisted Bonnie Prince Charlie to escape the Government Troops who were hunting for him.

We'll stop to explore The Quiraing, a dramatic terrain formed by a landslide. We'll stop so you can walk through a landscape that dates from Jurassic times! See if you can identify the rock formations thatare known asthe "Needle", "Table" and "Prison". A short drive brings us to Kilt Rock, so named because the basalt columns of this rock fall to resemble the pleats of a kilt -we will stop so you can snap an "I was there" photograph!

We retrace our steps back to Kyleakin, our home for tonight.

Overnight: Kyleakin (Isle of Skye)

Day Four - The Great Glen and a Big Ben

Our day starts with a visit to picturesque Eilean Donan Castle. This is, without doubt, one of Scotland's most iconic sights. The castle stands on a little island situated at the confluence of Loch's Alsh and Duich. We'll have time to discover the castle for ourselves during our stop here.

Glen Shiel is home to the "Five Sisters", a range of five mountains of which 4 are over 3,000 feet high. Soon we will pass the site of the 1719 "Battle of Glen Shiel" which strangely involved Spanish troops and highlanders fighting on the same side!

At Invergarry we enter the Great Glen, a valley that extends from east to west through the Highlands. The famous engineer Thomas Telford ingeniously incorporated the three lochs that make the Great Glen so special when he constructed the Caledonian Canal. The canal allows boats to sail between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and we will see large parts of the canal as we head into Lochaber.

Fort William's glorious setting on the banks of Loch Linnhe has made it a popular tourist destination since the arrival of the steamships in the mid-1900's. The town sits in the shadow of Ben Nevis which, at 4,406 feet, is the tallest mountain in the UK. If the weather is kind to us we should hopefully get a good view of "The Ben" on our approach to the town.

Glen Coe is arguably Scotland's most famous Glen partly because of it's awe-inspiring beauty and, more sinisterly, because of the infamous massacre that took place here in 1692. The sad tale will be told as we make a short diversion to explore this special place for ourselves.

The final part of our journey today will take us through the Appin Hills to Loch Etive. We'll catch a glimpse of the Falls of Lora as we cross the Connel Bridge and make our way to Oban, our home for tonight.

Overnight: Oban

Day Five - Cairns and Bonnie Banks

A relaxed start today before we leave Oban behind and take the scenic drive southwards to Kilmelford and then into the Kilmartin Glen. This mysterious Glen has one of the most concentrated areas of prehistoric sites in Scotland including a linear cemetery – a line of burial cairns that stretch for over 2 miles. Nearby is Dunadd , a hill fort that dates from the Iron Age. Dunadd was the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Dalriada so this part of Argyll has played an important part in the creation of modern Scotland!

The 3rd Duke of Argyll built the "new" town of Inveraray at the head of Loch Fyne. The town sits in the shadow of his castle and, as we will discover, this pleasant town retains much of its 18th Century charm.

Our tour continues along the banks of Loch Fyne then we make our descent of the dramatic "Rest and be Thankful" mountain pass to reach the Argyll Forest Park and the banks of Loch Long beyond.

Soon we will reach the "bonnie, bonnie banks" of Loch Lomond – Britain's largest lake and one of Scotland's loveliest. It has 30 islands, including one inhabited by a colony of wallabies!

The Kilpatrick Hills will lead us towards Glasgow and then to journey's end in Edinburgh.

Exclusions

• Admission charges unless otherwise stated in the itinerary
• Meals, snacks or items of a personal nature
• Gratuity to your tour host