HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS: SCOTLAND

You’ll get a real taste of Scotland on this tour of the stunning Highlands, magnificent coastline and the company of the friendly locals. We avoid the more well trodden routes and mix some must see destinations with some of the beautiful remote locations Scotland has to offer. Our first night is in Edinburgh. The welcome dinner will be in the hotels excellent restaurant serving locally sourced and produced food. Leaving from Edinburgh, Scotland’s iconic capital city we travel northwards to Balmoral Castle with the chance to stop and tour the castle (subject to HM the King not being in residence) and into Speyside, home of some of Scotland’s smoothest whiskies. A night spent in a charming local Inn and then onwards to the rugged North West coast. Your route goes via Loch Ness with the chance to visit Urquhart Castle perched on the banks of the loch. As you ride further north, you’ll see the landscape transform from rolling green hills into huge, towering cliffs, mountains and Lochs. We ride to the very north coast on winding single track roads. The most common road signs you will see are “Passing Place” and “Deer”. A charming remote hotel overlooking a sea loch on the north coast is your home for the night.

Turning south you wind your way down the coast on single track roads and over the Bealach na Ba (pass of the cattle) before crossing over to the Isle of Skye, the largest island of the inner Hebrides, on the last manually operated turntable ferry in Britain. Skye is the home of the castles of Clan MacDonald and Clan MacLeod. Leaving Skye, again by ferry, we cross over to Lochaber with its beautiful forested coastline and lochs. You get to ride some of Scotland’s iconic roads we then head to Inveraray with its castle and historic jail. Our hotel for the night has been in the family for generations and you will no doubt receive a warm welcome. Finally we head homeward, to Edinburgh via Glen Coe and our final night in the Capital. Dinner to celebrate the tour end will be taken in the heart of the city.

This tour will give you a real flavour of the Scottish Highlands and you will ride on a wide variety of roads from small single-track lanes to fast sweeping major roads. The roads in remote areas are largely single track and very quiet. You need to be a confident rider to get the best from them.