Haggis Adventures - Orkney Raider (5 day)

To book call us on 0845 859 1006 or email info@visitscotland.com

Highlights:

Tour Includes:

*  4 nights in shared hostel dormitory accommodation

*  Transport on one of the famous yellow Haggis buses

*  All taxes & ferries (where applicable)

*  Your legendary local guide

*  FREE Lonely Planet Guidebook

Free time:

*  Have a night out in Inverness, capital of the Highlands

*  Taste great fish and chips in Kirkwall

*  Learn a ’peedie’ bit of Orcadian dialect

* Try whisky at an optional Highland distillery visit

Tour Excludes:

*  Meals

*  Entrance Fees

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Edinburgh to Inverness

Heading north we cross the River Forth with views of its famous rail bridge and into Perthshire, surrounded by mountains, forests and salmon packed rivers. We stop in Dunkeld, in heart of Macbeth country, before heading north to lonely Culloden Battlefield where you will hear tales of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the bitter end of the 18th Century Jacobite uprisings. The Highland Capital of Inverness is our home for the night

Day 2: Inverness to Orkney

We continue our journey north passing over the Moray Firth, home to Bottlenose dolphins and Minke whales, and on to the tip of the British mainland, John O'Groats. We board the ferry to sail over the Pentland Firth to the Orkney Islands, home to more archaeological ruins in one area than anywhere else in Europe. We visit the Tomb of the Eagles, a Stone Age chamber that was filled with thousands of human bones and the remains of sea eagles many millennia ago.

Day 3: Orkney

Today we head off to explore Skara Brae, dating from the late Neolithic period and inhabited between 3,200BC and 2,200BC. This incredible stone village is made up of eight dwellings (some still containing original furniture) linked together by a series of low alleyways and is a marvel of ancient building techniques. There will also be time to visit the magnificent standing stones at the Ring of Brodgar before the chance to head to a whisky distillery to sample some of the local single malt (and a very good drop it is too).

Day 4: Orkney to Inverness

First we visit the Italian Chapel, a place of worship was built by 550 Italian POW's in the Second World War. We then bid Orkney farewell and make the ferry crossing back to the mainland and a journey south through Scotland’s rugged terrain. We travel through the sparsely populated wilderness of Sutherland and Caithness, via glens left deserted as a result of the Highland Clearances.

Day 5: Inverness to Edinburgh

Winding our way down the west of Scotland, we'll visit monstrous Loch Ness and the mysterious and haunting Glencoe, areas that formed the backdrop to the 'Harry Potter' movies, 'Braveheart' and 'Rob Roy'. We cross the wilds of Rannoch Moor (watch out for stags) and south, past historic Stirling, arriving back in Edinburgh at approximately 5pm.

Additional Information:

Passengers must be 18 years and over to go on this tour.  There is no upper age restriction. This can be at the discretion of Haggis Adventures

Average age group 18-35

Edinburgh Departure: Haggis Office, 60 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1TB - 8.45am

Please arrive 15 minutes before scheduled departure time to check in for tour

Haggis Adventures Terms & Conditions

Cancellation Policy – minimum 28 days (working days Mon- Fri) 40% will be retained by VisitScotland.com.  Less than 28 days 100% will be retained and no refund will apply.