Departs Friday 27 April to 21 September and Monday 2 & 16 April  and 1 & 15 October 2012

- Departs 9am from 207 High St, Edinburgh

- Return at 6.30pm (day 5)

Price includes:

• Two night's accommodation in the beautiful town of Inverness, 'Capital' of the Highlands

• Two night's accommodation in the Viking town of Kirkwall, Orkney 

• Choose from 3* or 4* Guest House/B&B/Hotel Accommodation

• Transportation by top of the range Mercedes minicoach

• Services of a professional Rabbie's driver/guide

• Rabbie's Discount Card - money off restaurants, shopping and attractions.

Excludes:

• Lunch, dinner and refreshments

• Entrances to all visitor attractions

• All items of a personal nature, telephone calls etc
  NB:
  Because we believe in time off the bus and give you opportunities to take nature walks we recommend you bring suitable clothing and footwear for your tour. Scotland can be a wet place!!

Day 1 takes you north over the Forth Road Bridge to the charming highland village of Dunkeld on the banks of the river Tay. From here we head into the Cairngorm national park and the ancient pine forests of the Rothiemurchus estate. Lunchtime will be spent on the beautiful shores of Loch Insh before a short forest walk takes us to the ruins of Loch an Eilean castle. During the afternoon you travel through the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest, hugging the Cairngorm mountain range, before reaching Clava Cairns. This prehistoric and stunning Bronze Age burial ground is one of the oldest in Scotland. From here we take a short drive to Culloden Moor, the site of The Battle of Culloden in 1746, one of the bloodiest events in our history and the last battle to have been fought on the British mainland. After Culloden you continue to Inverness, the 'Capital of the Highlands', where you can explore the city at your leisure and where you will spend the first night of your tour.

Day 2 is an early start, leaving behind the 'Capital of the Highlands', crossing over the Black Isle, and past Andrew Carnegie's Skibo Castle. From here we drive the northeast Highland coastline, travelling into some of Scotland's most dramatic scenery, and enjoy amazing views of some of Europe's oldest landscapes and the chance to see wildlife such as Golden Eagles and red deer. Onwards through Scotland's most northerly mainland village, John o' Groats, and then to Gills Bay, where we board the ferry, crossing the Pentland Firth into the Orkney Archipelago. From here we have a short drive to the Viking stronghold of Kirkwall, Capital of Orkney, where you can visit Kirkwall's magnificent Viking Cathedral, and where we shall stay for 2 nights.

Day 3 is our chance to explore this fantastic, ancient island; a land of contrasts where fertile green pastures are fringed by shores of golden sands washed by waters of the North Sea and Atlantic ocean. We will visit the 5000 year old village of Skara Brae (older than the Pyramids of Egypt!), the mystical prehistoric stone circle at Brodgar and the Druidic standing stones of Stenness. We stop in Stromness - one of Scotland’s most picturesque seaboard villages and then travel onto Maeshowe, where in the 12th century the Vikings left one of the largest collections of Norse runic inscriptions. Then its back to Kirkwall for our 2nd night after what is sure to be a memorable day.

Day 4 is an early start as we leave Orkney and sail the Viking waters back to the mainland. From here we travel the old road right across the very top of Scotland, driving past the stunning Ben Loyal and Ben Hope mountains following the rocky cliffs and stunning golden sand beaches of our northern coastline. We then visit the far northwest highlands and the grandeur, expanse and wilderness of the mountains of Assynt before stopping to view the 15th century ruins of Ardvreck Castle. From here we travel to Ullapool, a beautiful whitewashed fishing village, before taking in the drama of the River Droma as it plunges 60m down into the Corrieshalloch Gorge. We finish the day in Inverness for our last night’s accommodation.

Day 5 is where we leave Inverness and travel down the full length of Loch Ness before stopping in the picturesque village of Fort Augustus. From here we will pass Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis, then on to Fort William for lunch. In the afternoon we will take in the stunning views and spectacular landscapes of Glencoe, our own super (extinct) volcano and scene of the infamous massacre of the Clan Macdonald in 1692. Then we head south through the wild desolation of Rannoch Moor and onward to the glorious scenery surrounding Loch Lubnaig before arriving in Edinburgh around 18.30.