Vacation Overview
Tour Details
Country Roads Of Scotland - Small GroupTravel through Scotland in a Small Group, discovering destinations shaped by legend, landscape and local craft. You’ll feel the energy of Edinburgh’s cultural districts, wander Glasgow’s stately Georgian streets and cross the water to the Isle of Skye, where lochs and misty ridgelines set a wilder scene. Slow the pace in the Orkney Islands as you explore Kirkwall’s Norse heritage and the windswept Ring of Brodgar. Discover Wick with a whisky tasting or a visit to the Heritage Museum. Plus, you’ll savor afternoon tea at Atholl Palace, join a bagpiping class in Edinburgh and even spend time around the legendary Loch Lomond.
Dining Summary- 6 Dinner (D)
- 8 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Afternoon Tea (AT)
Well-being- Enjoy the comfort of the luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
Additional Included Highlights- Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with us, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Authentic Dining- Edinburgh: Enjoy a relaxing dinner at a local restaurant and get to know your fellow travelers.
- Pitlochry: Atholl Palace, built as a Victorian Baronial retreat over 130 years ago, hosts your afternoon tea. You’ll be welcomed into the banqueting room to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea accompanied by sandwiches, scones, Scottish shortbread and traditional Scottish tablet.
- Glencoe: Your adventure culminates with a wonderful evening enjoying the best Highland hospitality and market-fresh ingredients.
Top Rated Highlights- Edinburgh: A hush descends and eyes turn to the castle. The skirl of the pipes rises and drums crack the night air as a tide of tunics and tartan flood from the drawbridge. For a limited time in August, witness the incredible spectacle of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
- Edinburgh: Explore Edinburgh Castle with your Local Expert to see the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Mons Meg up close.
- Edinburgh: Explore the city with your Local Specialist as you travel along Princes Street to see the Scott Memorial, the neoclassical Adam facades of New Town and the official Scottish residence of the King, Palace of Holyroodhouse.
- St. Andrews: Spend time in St Andrews, a coastal university town shaped by old quadrangles, sea air and open links. Walk to the stretch of West Sands Beach where Chariots of Fire filmed its iconic scene, then look across the Old Course, regarded as the birthplace of modern golf.
- Inverness: With your Travel Director, see the River Ness, Inverness Castle and beautiful scenery as you explore the history of this Highland city.
- Loch Ness: Travel along the shores of Loch Ness, taking in wide views and hearing stories of the legendary creature said to lurk beneath its dark water.
- Inverness: At the Culloden Visitor Center, you’ll discover why the Battle of Culloden lasted only an hour yet changed the Highland way of life forever.
- Orkney Islands: Visit the Italian Chapel, Kirkwall, the prehistoric homes of Skara Brae and the stone circle of Brodgar on a full day across the islands.
- Isle of Skye: Take in the wild beauty, from the jagged Cuillin Hills to the harbor village of Broadford.
- Fort William: Stop at the World War II Commando Memorial near Fort William, where bronze figures stand against a sweep of Highland landscape. From this quiet hillside, you get one of the clearest views of Ben Nevis, its ridges rising sharply above the glen.
- Glencoe: Join your Travel Director for a gentle introduction to Glencoe, a Highland village set on the edge of Loch Leven. As you walk, mountain ridges rise on all sides and the stories of the glen help you understand the landscape that shaped them.
- Loch Lomond: Spend time along the shores of Loch Lomond, where wooded islands, mirrored water and soft Highland light earn it the title ‘Queen of Scottish Lochs’. Wander the lakeside paths, take in the mountain views or simply pause to enjoy the stillness that settles over this iconic landscape.
- Glasgow: Led by your Travel Director, take an easy orientation through Glasgow, where broad streets and bold Victorian architecture set the tone. Pause in George Square to take in its statues and grand civic buildings before continuing to St Mungo’s Cathedral, its dark stone and soaring interior hinting at the city’s medieval roots.
Brendan Experiences- Edinburgh: Step up to Scotland’s stirring musical tradition in a hands-on masterclass with Roddy the Piper or one of his expert musicians. Practise fingerwork and ornamentation on a practice chanter,
Daily Itinerary
Brendan Vacations: Country Roads of Scotland - Small Group
Day 1 - Welcome to Edinburgh
Arrive in Edinburgh to meet your Travel Director and small group over dinner at a local restaurant. It’s an easy, warm first evening with Scottish flavors and relaxed conversation. On select departures, your first night on tour includes the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, where performers sweep across the esplanade in a powerful mix of movement, music and color — a memorable introduction to Scotland’s capital.
Accommodations: Malmaison Hotel Edinburgh Leith
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 - Edinburgh, The Capital of Culture
Join a Local Expert for a guided tour of Edinburgh. In the Old Town, see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the King. Drive along Princes Street to the Scott Monument, a Victorian Gothic tribute to Sir Walter Scott whose stories helped shape Scotland’s global image, then take in the 18th-century New Town with its neoclassical Georgian facades. Venture up the Royal Mile to visit Edinburgh Castle, home of Mons Meg and Scotland’s Crown Jewels. Later, enjoy a Highland bagpiping masterclass before time at leisure.
Accommodations: Malmaison Hotel Edinburgh Leith
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 - St Andrews and the Highland Capital of Inverness
Cross the Firth of Forth into Fife and journey to St Andrews. You’ll pass by the Old Course — the home of golf since its creation in the 15th century. With some free time to explore, perhaps stroll to West Sands Beach where the famous Chariots of Fire scene was filmed. For a royal connection, wander to St Andrews University where the current Prince and Princess of Wales first met. Next, you’ll travel to Pitlochry and stop at Atholl Palace and Gardens for a delicious Victorian-style afternoon tea. Finally, you’ll continue through Blair Atholl and the shadow of the Grampian Mountains before the landscape opens into Spey Valley and the Highland capital of Inverness.
Accommodations: Kingsmills, Inverness
Meals: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, Dinner
Day 4 - Culloden, Loch Ness and On to Thurso
Follow the length of Loch Ness, keeping your eyes peeled for the monster, and watching dark water and steep hills roll past as your Travel Director shares the loch’s legends. At Culloden Battlefield, the Visitor Center will bring the final Jacobite uprising in 1746 into clear focus. Next, continue to Wick for a choice of activity — visit Old Pulteney Distillery for a coastal-style whisky tasting, or join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience at the Wick Heritage Museum to explore the stories of this once-thriving fishing port. End the day in Thurso for dinner with your fellow travelers by the northern coast.
Accommodations: The Pentland, Thurso
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 - A Day in the Orkney Islands
Start the day by boarding the ferry to the beautiful Orkney Islands, where open skies and green fields meet a slower rhythm of life. Here the hardy locals say they live ‘below the wind and above the water’. With your Travel Director, you’ll explore the Italian Chapel, built by WWII prisoners, then continue to Kirkwall for a look at its Norse heritage. Visit Skara Brae, a 5,000-year-old village, and walk among the standing stones of Brodgar. Finally, return to Thurso for dinner.
Accommodations: The Pentland, Thurso
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 - Over the Sea to Skye
Travel west along Scotland’s northern edge, where pale beaches give way to moorland, deep glens and winding rivers. Cross ‘Over the Sea to Skye’, where the island opens in a sweep of rugged slopes and quiet lochs. On the way to Broadford, hear the tale of Flora MacDonald and Bonnie Prince Charlie as the Cuillin Hills rise ahead, before settling in for a Highland evening.
Accommodations: The Dunollie Hotel, Broadford
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 - Through the Scottish Highlands to Glencoe
Start the morning at leisure on Skye before crossing back to the mainland. Pause for photos at Eilean Donan Castle, reflected perfectly in still water when the light is right. Next, you’ll continue to the WWII Commando Memorial, where bronze figures gaze towards Ben Nevis. Continue through Fort William to absorb the dramatic scenery of Glencoe, the Valley of the Weeping, where the dreadful massacre of the MacDonald's took place in 1692. In the evening, get together with your newfound friends for a sumptuous Highland dinner made with market-fresh Scottish ingredients.
Accommodations: Ballachulish, Glencoe
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 - Along the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond to Glasgow
Spend time around Loch Lomond, ‘Queen of Scottish Lochs’ according to Sir Walter Scott, where wooded islands and quiet water create one of Scotland’s most peaceful scenes. If you choose, take an optional cruise to see the loch from the waterline. Continue to Glasgow for an orientation drive past its grand public buildings, George Square and St Mungo’s Cathedral. Enjoy the rest of the evening at your leisure, exploring the city’s creative, confident character.
Accommodations: Radisson Blu, Glasgow
Meals: Breakfast
Day 9 - Depart Glasgow
Today, bid farewell to your journey along the country roads of Scotland as you transfer to the airport.
Meals: Breakfast