Compare West Highlands and the Isle of Skye (self-drive tour) by Audley Travel vs Elegance of Great Britain - Start Edinburgh, Small Group by Insight Vacations
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Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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Duration | 10 days | 13 days |
Price From | $ 2,995 | $ 4,550 |
Price Per Day | $ 300 | $ 350 |
Highlights |
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Trip Style | Self-guided tour | Small group tour |
Lodging Level | Standard | Standard |
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Countries Visited | ||
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Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Airfare included |
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Meals Included | N/A | N/A |
Description |
Our Scottish travel guides reflect the recent findings of our specialists who travel regularly to Scotland to seek out new places to stay and visit as well as imaginative ways of discovering the well-known highlights. The guides give tips on everything from Edinburgh for first timers to the culture and history of Scotland, so that you can get the most out of your time there. Our Scotland specialists can guide you along the way using personal experience and in-depth knowledge on pursuits from touring the region's whisky distilleries or its medieval castles, to exploring the Isle of Skye or hiking through untouched valley |
Follow in the footsteps of historical figures and literary giants on a 12-day guided tour of Scotland and England. In Edinburgh be dazzled by the jewels of Scottish royalty and join a Local Expert as you explore the best the city has to offer. Dine with Sir Ludovic, a Scottish Baronet, on his 10,000-acre coastal home - Ardgowan Castle. He’ll tell you about the castle's history and surrounding area as you enjoy traditional tea and scones. Cruise the English Lake District, and visit William Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Plus, marvel at Stonehenge's monoliths and indulge in a home-hosted meal at York's Thrisk Hall, an 18th-century town house renovated by English architect John Carr. |
Day 1: Loch Lomond
Make your own way to Loch Lomond. From here, you’ll take a privately guided kayaking tour out onto the loch, surrounded by the Trossachs mountain range, known as the gateway to the Highlands. Tonight, stay in a picturesque lochside village.
Accommodation While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, this itinerary is 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Day 2: Glencoe
Leave Loch Lomond and drive further north to Glencoe, where you'll meet your private guide for the next three days. You’ll then head into the heart of Glencoe for a short but fairly steep hike to the Lost Valley, where the MacDonald clan used to hide their rustled cattle. A picnic lunch is included.
Accommodation options While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, this itinerary is 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Day 3: Glencoe
Spend most of the day hiking. You’ll head up and over the highest pass of the West Highland Way. Weather allowing, you'll have fantastic views across the surrounding mountains, including toward Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. A picnic lunch is included. On reaching a small village at the head of Loch Leven, you'll be collected and driven back toward your hotel. En route, stop at a climbers' inn to meet a local storyteller, who'll regale you with tales about Glencoe.
Accommodation options While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, this itinerary is 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Day 4: Glencoe
Enjoy another day of hiking, deciding for yourself on the length and difficulty of your route, which will also depend on the weather. You could aim to hike one of Glencoe's summits to finish your three-day walking trip on a literal high. A picnic lunch is included.
Accommodation options While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, this itinerary is 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Day 5: Glencoe
Make your way to Fort William today to board the Jacobite Steam Train, better known as the Hogwarts Express! You'll cross over the Glenfinnan Viaduct while taking in impressive views. The roundtrip journey will return you to Fort William and you will make your way back to your hotel in Glencoe.
Accommodation options While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, this itinerary is 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Day 6: Isleornsay
Leave Glencoe and drive on the 'road to the Isles' out to Mallaig this morning, to board the ferry across to Skye. Once you've checked into your waterfront hotel, which has views across to the mountains, you have the rest of the day to begin exploring the island by yourself. Portree, the main town on Skye, isn't far away, or you could head into the Cuillin Hills for some hiking.
Accommodation While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, this itinerary is 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Day 7: Isleornsay
Explore Skye’s northern peninsula, which has some of the island's most eye-catching rock formations and best views. Following the area’s extensive trails, you'll pass the distinctive rocky outcrops of Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing, which are popular filming locations, and see a waterfall cascading directly into the sea, as well as a beach where dinosaur footprints are visible at low tide. As you round the north of the peninsula, make your way to Dunvegan Castle. Here, you can take a short boat trip out to spot seals and take in views of the castle from the water, as invaders would once have done. Back on land, explore the castle and its gardens and meet the estate manager for a wee dram of whisky in the Great Hall.
Accommodation While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, this itinerary is 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Day 8: Isleornsay
Meet your private guide this morning for a hike through Skye's spectacular landscapes. In the afternoon, meet the Eilean Donan's master distiller to learn about the art and process of gin distilling, before returning to label your own bottle.
Accommodation While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, this itinerary is 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Day 9: Methven
Drive across the Skye Bridge this morning to the waterside village of Plockton. Here, you’ll meet your private kayaking guide and head out into the bay to explore the surrounding coves and beaches, with a backdrop of islands and mountains across the water. Later, drive through the central Highlands to Methven Castle, your home for the night. Dinner is included tonight.
Accommodation While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodation, this itinerary is 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.
Day 10: Return home
Leave Methven and make your way home.
Day 1: Welcome to Edinburgh
Welcome to Scotland - land of legends and romance, from the great cultural cities in the south, to the dramatic mountains and misty lochs of the Highlands. On arrival at Edinburgh Airport, transfers depart for your hotel at 09:00, 11:00 and 13:00. Then the rest of the day is yours to relax before joining your Travel Director and fellow travellers at 16:30 for a Welcome Dinner of modern European cuisine and wine at a chic bistro tucked away in the New Town.
Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh.
Dinner with Wine
Day 2: Edinburgh, The Capital of Culture
Join a Local Expert to see the highlights of the city. Enjoy a drive along Princes Street to the ornate Scott Memorial and see the 18th century New Town with its neoclassical Adam facades. Over in the Old Town, see the Palace of Holyroodhouse - the official Scottish residence of Her Majesty, the Queen and visit the castle, home of Mons Meg, the Stone of Destiny and the Honours of Scotland, Scotland's glittering Crown Jewels. With the afternoon at leisure, why not visit the art treasures in the National Gallery? On select departures, you will also attend The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo — a colourful mix of pipes and drums, dance and display, set against the floodlit backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh.
Breakfast
Day 3: Ardgowan and Gretna Green
Depart the majestic Scottish capital and journey to Ardgowan, set on a stunning 10,000-acre coastal estate. Sir Ludovic Shaw Stewart welcomes you to his family castle. Learn the history of the area, the Shaw Stewart family and the conservation efforts to protect the land on this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, followed by a degustation of traditional Scottish tea and scones. Continue to Gretna Green to see the famous spot where runaway lovers were married over the anvil at the blacksmith's shop. Your travels continues to the picturesque English Lake District and dinner is served at your hotel in Kendal.
Castle Green Hotel, Kendal.
Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, Dinner with Wine
Day 4: English Poets and the Lake District Experience Relaxed Start
Devote the day to a scenic wonderland of rugged mountains and tranquil waters - inspiration to a host of English poets.Visit Wordsworth’s grave in the small churchyard at Grasmere.Appreciate the scenic beauty of the English Lake District on a relaxing cruise admiring the magnificent views of rugged mountains, secluded bays and wooded islands. Then, embark on a nostalgic steam train ride along the banks of the beautiful River Leven.
Castle Green Hotel, Kendal.
Breakfast
Day 5: Windermere to York Relaxed Start
Enjoy a morning at leisure before travelling through the Yorkshire Dales to arrive at the charming village of Haworth. Visit the Brontë Parsonage Museum, created within the actual home of the Brontë family. Learn about the family's literary legacy and what inspired them from the surroundings of their own home. Your journey continues to York, one of the oldest cities in England. In the evening join a family for a home-hosted meal at the historic Thirsk Hall. This grade II* listed three-storey town house was built in 1720 and extended in 1770 by York architect John Carr.
Hilton York.
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 6: The Viking City of York Relaxed Start
Enjoy an exploration of one of Britain’s most historic cities, controlled by the Vikings during the 9th and 10th century and now renowned for its exquisite architecture. Walk within the town walls with a Local Expert to see the huge York Minster, Britain’s largest medieval cathedral. Explore the tangle of quaint, narrow, cobbled streets and see the Shambles. There is plenty of time to further explore on you own, perhaps visit the National Railway Museum housing over 300 years of history, or continue wandering the well-preserved city walls?
Hilton York.
Breakfast
Day 7: Lincoln’s Magna Carta
Explore Lincoln with Insight Choice. Visit Lincoln Castle, one of the finest Norman castles in England, for a chance to see one of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta. Alternatively, Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience to visit a local café fighting against poverty, for delicious tea and cakes. Continue to pretty Stratford, beautifully situated on the River Avon. Your hotel is set in its own private grounds, just a short walk from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the town's wealth of black and white timber-framed buildings.
DoubleTree by Hilton Stratford-upon-Avon.
Breakfast
Day 8: Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon Relaxed Start
Discover how William Shakespeare and his incredible works continue to delight audiences today when you visit his birthplace, full of interesting memorabilia and artefacts relating to his life. Later, join your Travel Director for a traditional Sunday roast dinner, served with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings.
DoubleTree by Hilton Stratford-upon-Avon.
Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9: The Cotswolds, Blenheim Palace and Bath
An enchanting day awaits in the morning. Cross the beautiful Cotswold hills, a chocolate box scene of golden stone villages with roses round the doors. Visit the magnificent stately home and gardens of Blenheim Palace, the greatest building of the English Baroque, and learn more about Churchill's life at Blenheim during a talk by a historian. Continue to the elegant Georgian city of Bath, built in amphitheatre style on the surrounding hills. Your Travel Director introduces you to the Pulteney Bridge, built in mellow local stone. See the angels climbing Jacob's Ladder on Bath Abbey.
Bailbrook House Hotel, Bath.
Breakfast
Day 10: Bath Relaxed Start
The City of Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built above one of Britain's thermal, mineral springs. Enjoy a visit to its incredibly well-preserved Roman Baths. With the rest of the day at leisure, why not soak and relax with a visit to Thermae Spa? In the evening, join your Travel Director and fellow travellers at Brasserie Blanc. Raise a glass over your Celebration Dinner to commend your wonderful journey, while enjoying a delicious French-inspired meal accompanied with wine.
Bailbrook House Hotel, Bath.
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 11: Ancient Stonehenge to London
Travel across Salisbury Plain to visit the prehistoric and mysterious Stonehenge, where the strange and awe-inspiring monoliths are reputed to be up to 5,000 years old. Continue into the heart of Wiltshire to reach the city of Salisbury where you have time at leisure to enjoy lunch and explore the city. See the tallest spire in England, atop the medieval cathedral and walk the streets to observe an architectural timeline from the city's medieval walls and half-timbered Tudor town houses to Georgian mansions and Victorian villas. Upon arrival in London you are at leisure for the rest of the afternoon.
The Clermont Victoria, London., Thistle Marble Arch, London.
Breakfast
Day 12: Homeward Bound
Your journey comes to an end after breakfast.
Breakfast