This 10-day tour, modified from our popular 7-day 'Highland Explorer' programme, will allow those with little more time to explore the glorious Highlands at a slightly more sedate pace and to take in some less visited corners of the country. 

We will collect you from your hotel and chart a course north over the iconic Forth Bridges to Scone Palace; enthronement site for the ancient Kings of Scotland. We will stop at the Blair Athol Distillery for a Highland Malt to start our Highland trip before finishing the day in the picturesque town of Pitlochry. 

Day 2 will start with the short trip to Blair Castle, seat of the Dukes of Atholl and home to the only private army in Scotland before we continue north to Fort Augustus. Here we will wander on the banks of the Caledonian Canal, then drive the length of Loch Ness, taking a cruise en route, before arriving in the Highland Capital of Inverness. 

Our third day we will spend exploring Inverness and the surrounding area, including the emotive Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns (made famous by Diana Gabaldon and Outlander) and Cawdor Castle with its beautiful walled gardens. 

We will start Day 4 by following the North Coast 500 to Poolewe where we will visit an oasis of flower and colour; Inverewe Gardens. After the tranquil beauty of Inverewe, our route south to Torridon will provide views of some of Scotland’s most rugged and spectacular mountains.

The following morning we will follow one of Scotland’s most spectacular driving routes; around the Applecross peninsula and over the dramatic hairpins of the Bealach na Ba. We will have the chance to walk though another delightful highland garden at Attadale House before heading south to Eilean Donan Castle and on to Skye. 

We will take the whole of Day 6 to explore the Isle of Skye, the Inner Hebrides’ largest and most popular island. With so much to see, we will tailor the day to meet your specific interests. Kilt Rock, The Quiraing, Dunvegan Castle, Neist Point and the Cuillin Hills are all possibilities and they all give you a chance to wonder at Skye’s breathtaking scenery. 

Day 7 sees us leaving Skye by the Mallaig Ferry in time to board West Coast Railways’ Jacobite steam train to Fort William. This is one of the most scenic train routes in Scotland but it is the crossing of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, as featured in the Harry Potter movie franchise, for which this journey is most famous. 

Our first stop on Day 8 will in Glencoe, admiring its outstanding beauty and hearing tales of its infamous massacre of 1692. Our drive out the glen may look familiar as we pass filming locations for both James Bond and Harry Potter.  After a visit to the delightful Saint Conan's Kirk on the northern shores of Loch Awe we will head underground! Deep into the hollow mountain of Ben Cruachan, an engineering wonder and still an operational power plant. Back on surface we will head to the harbour town of Oban for the night. 

Day 9:?Today we make the journey to the mystical Isle of Iona, where St Columba brought Christianity to Scotland in 563. We will visit Iona Abbey, stroll to glorious white sand beaches and browse through the local artisan shops. 

The final day of our Highland Adventure will start with an exploration of the wonderful archaeological landscape of Kilmartin Glen; burial cairns, standing stones, and rock art sites. 

Our afternoon will take us to Inveraray Castle, as featured in Downton Abbey and home to the Chiefs of the Clan Campbell. A fitting finale to our travels through the Highlands, before heading back to Edinburgh via the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond.