Cliffs & Castles 9 Day Driving Tour

9 Day car tour that reaches deep into Scotland including time in Fife, the castle country around Balmoral and the wilds of Wester Ross. 


Fishing villages of Fife - St Andrews - Castles of Deeside - Wild Wester Ross - Applecross - Skye - Eilean Donan Castle - Ben Nevis - Kilchurn Castle - Trossachs - Stirling


This tour operates on: Every Day

Day 1

After arrival at Edinburgh airport, cross the impressive suspension bridge over the Forth Estuary and head into the ancient Kingdom of Fife.

Following the East Coast pass through the quaint small fishing villages of Largo, Pittenweem, Anstruther and Crail in the East Neuk. (1)

Overnight in Fife.

Tip: Anstruther is famous for Fish & Chips but the locals would choose Pittenweem Fish and Chip Shop instead!

Day 2

Take some time this morning to discover St Andrews (2), Scotland’s famous university town and centre of golfing history.

Continue to travel north via Dundee on to Coupar Angus, where you may want to visit 17th century Glamis Castle, (2) childhood home of the Queen Mother.

Later travel via Blairgowrie and the Pass of Glenshee to Braemar (3), where the Royal Highland Games take place each year, attended by the Royal Family.

Overnight in the Royal Deeside area.

Day 3

For a day excursion in the area follow the A92 coastal road to Stonehaven. Take a walk and visit nearby Dunnottar Castle (4), a ruined fortress perched on a rocky cliff 160 feet above the sea. Return inland towards Banchory. (5)

Here you could visit Crathes Castles which is famous for its beautiful gardens, before you follow the A93 road, pass Aboyne and arrive in Ballater.

If open, see nearby Balmoral Castle, (6) the family holiday home of the Royal Family for over a century.

Returning back to your hotel in the area later in the afternoon. Overnight as day 2.

Day 4

This morning it is time to leave the Royal Deeside and travel through the Spey Valley, with its many famous Malt whisky distilleries, such as Cardhu, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Tamdhu, to name only a few.

Continue via Nairn, (7) popular seaside resort famous for its golf course and beautiful sandy beaches, to Inverness.

Heading further northwest from here and into Wester Ross. You will pass beautiful Loch Maree, if time allows stop for a short nature walk here.

Later arrival at Gairloch for overnight.

Day 5

Today you have all day to spend in this beautiful part of the world.

You can drive through Badaco on the B8056 to Red Point beach (9) where you can go for a walk between the beautiful high sand dunes. On a clear day you will be able to look over to the Isle of Skye.

Or visit Rua Reidh Lighthouse – leave the car behind at the signposted parking spot and walk the last 3 miles to the lighthouse. There is a small visitor centre and the option to look over the Atlantic from the viewing area.

Overnight in the Gairloch area.

Tip: The seafood platter at the Old Inn in Gairloch is excellent and comes straight off the ships from the harbour across the road. There is also a good selection of beers available!

Day 6

Time to leave Wester Ross and travel through some spectacular scenery this morning. You head back to Loch Maree and turn onto the A896 to Torridon and Shieldaig. Travelling along the A896 there is a turnoff to Appelcross (A), a beautiful little highland village worth visiting. Be careful though, the single track road leading there is not for the faint hearted.

Later continue to Loch Carron and to Dornie. Here you can visit Eilean Donan Castle (C) which has been made famous by the film ‘the Highlander’.

Continue on to Fort William, which lies in the shadow of Ben Nevis (D) - Britain’s highest mountain at 1344 metres. If you travel via Invermoriston and Fort Augustus you can also take a glance at the south end of famous Loch Ness!

Overnight in Fort William area.

Day 7

After breakfast, take the A861 road towards the West Coast, passing Glenfinnan Monument. (E) Onto Arisaig and Mallaig where you take the ferry (F) to Armadale on the Isle of Skye, the largest of the Inner Hebrides islands.

Return to Fort William for overnight.

Day 8

Leaving Fort William today, follow the A828 which takes a winding route through beautiful coastal scenery. Stop at Castle Stalker (F). At Connel turn off to travel over the Pass of Brander. At the north side of Loch Awe is Kilchurn Castle (G) which is worth a visit!

Continue past Tyndrum and later follow the banks of Loch Lomond on at the A82, Scotland’s largest and probably most beautiful loch. Make a stop at the conservation village of Luss. (H)

Overnight in the Stirling area.

Day 9

Depending on departure time there might be time to pay a visit to Stirling this morning and see Stirling castle. (I)

Later transfer to Edinburgh airport for check in and departure.

Accommodation:

  • 1 night in Fife
  • 2 nights in Grampian/ Royal Deeside area
  • 2 night in Gairloch/ Wester Ross area
  • 2 night in Fort William area
  • 1 night in Stirling area

Tour includes 1 overnight in a castle style hotel!

Inclusions

  • 7 nights accommodation in hotels as per category given, in rooms with private facilities;
  • 1 night in a castle style hotel;
  • Breakfast daily, Scottish or Continental depending on hotel;
  • o Service charge and VAT at 20%;

** Please note that there are no 4 star hotels in the Gairloch area, therefore a 3 star will be included in the package instead.

Exclusions

  • Entrances,
  • car hire.
  • Ferry booking to Skye is not included but can be booked by in advance if required.

The Little Details

  • Months of Operation: All Year

Ask for a Quote

Rates & Dates

Rates for the periods below. Please note that tours can vary vary depending on accommodation

priced per personThree StarFour Star
Oct 15 - Mar 16* 397.9 495.65
April 16 430.1 573.85
May, June & Sept 16 443.9 593.4
July 16 457.7 611.8
August 16 472.65 622.15
Oct 16 – Mar 17* 416.3 557.75
Sole occupancy supplement 212.75 247.25

Booking Notes

The Booking Process

  • Send Request

    Start the booking process by sending in a request for a quotation. We will provide a detailed costing for the tour/break.
  • Ask Questions

    If you need to ask questions - go ahead! Some questions cannot be definatively answered before booking. For example, we use many smaller hotels and availability varies until a booking is made and we hold the rooms for you. That is why we describe a hotel as 3 star at this stage.
  • Book It!

    We will send you a deposit request/payment request which you can pay via Paypal either by credit card or using your paypal account if you have one. The full details of the tour with any vouchers required will be sent to you on completion of full payment.

    Please note that exact hotel accommodation cannot be guaranteed before booking as we use small hotels where availability varies. If you have a specific request we can take that into account but overall tour prices may vary

    Castle Visited

    • Dunnottar Castle

      Striking position overlooking the sea near Stonehaven makes this one of the most inspiring and exciting castles to visit whatever the weather or season!

    • Balmoral Castle

      Eight miles west of Ballater is the area's main attraction, Balmoral Castle. You can visit the gardens and some of the castle between April and July during the year...

    • Eilean Donan Castle

      One of the world's quintessential castles: Eilean Donan is familiar from films and stunning in its romantic location. Open daily.

    • Kilchurn Castle

      One of the most photographed castles in Scotland and in a strong position on the loch.  A stronghold for the Campbells of Glenorchy. Used between 1475 to 1745

    • Stirling Castle

      Scotland's most strategic castle with a dominating position over the gateway to the North of Scotland.

    • Doune Castle

      Built for the Regent Albany, Doune Castle is a magnificent late 14th century courtyard castle that is familiar to film buffs for its role in Monty Python's Life of Brian.

    • Glamis Castle

      Family home to the Queen Mother and ancestral home to the Countess of Strathmore and family. It is open to the public throughout the summer. Won Best Attraction in the UK 2015!

    Similar Tours

    • 10 Day Shetland & Orkney Car Tour

      A wonderful car tour of the stunning Shetland and Orkney Isles off the far north coast of Scotland, plus some of Scotland's finest castles and gardens on the way. Includes 9 nights accommodation (2 of which will be on the ferry to and from Shetland) and ferry costs. Available from April to October.

      • Prices From: £770
      • Runs : Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
    • 8 Day Highlands and Whisky Driving Tour

      This 8 day self-drive car tour provides you with the best of the Highlands and a visit to Speyside, Scotland's famous whisky producing area.

      • Prices From: £340
      • Runs : Every Day
    • Roam Around Scotland 8 Day Car Tour

      This very popular 8 day car tour of Scotland provides visitors with the best of Scotland with visits to the west coast islands of Mull, Iona and Skye, plus the stunning Highlands of Scotland. Now available all year!

      • Prices From: £325
      • Runs : Every Day
    • Taste of Scotland 4 Day Car Tour

      This 4 day car tour will provide you with a real taste of Scotland and the delights on offer. With a choice of accommodation in 3 beautiful areas of Scotland including Oban, Loch Ness and beautiful Perthshire, it'll make you want to come back for more! Now available all year!

      • Prices From: £144
      • Runs : Every Day
    • The North 500 Driving Tour

      5 day 500 mile drive that starts in Edinburgh/Inverness and provides you with the drive of your life as you experience the wild and forlorn far north coast of Scotland. Includes 3 star accommodation.

      • Prices From: £250
      • Runs : Every Day
    • The Outlander Car Tour

      You've watched the series, you've dreamt of those locations, now visit them on this 8 day/7night tour of Outlander Scotland. April to October B&B - 4 star

      • Runs : Every Day