The Hairy Coo 3-Day Isle of Skye, Glenfinnan Viaduct, Inverness & Highlands Tour

Scotland is a big place and with so many amazing places to explore you’ll be right to be excited about your 3 day Isle of Skye, Inverness & Highlands tour. With a guarantee of discovering new and interesting things and seeing breathtaking scenery and landscapes around every turn. You’ll see why so many movie locations were based and filmed here in Scotland, with views that inspired the likes of Harry Potter (Glenfinnan Viaduct) and James Bond (Glencoe), and more. 

You’ll be spoilt for choice for getting that perfect picture, especially in the Isle of Skye where many of Scotland’s myths and legends come from. See mountains created by giants, enchanted waters that will give you eternal youth, and hear songs of the faerie folk in the wind. 

This is a tour that will fill you with joy and leave you with a feeling that can only come from being truly immersed in the moment - something truly priceless. 

Day 1

8.30AM – Departing Edinburgh, we travel up the Forth Valley towards the historic city of Stirling, where you’ll catch a glimpse of Stirling Castle and The Wallace Monument (weather permitting!). Be inspired by tales from your guide of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. We make our way North, passing the Kelpies.

Continuing north, into the ‘Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park‘, it’s time to meet a few of the locals, by meeting some of our famous Scottish Highland Cows (Hairy Coos)!!!! Native to Scotland, these magnificent yak-like creatures love to pose for your photos!

Enjoy your first taste of the Highlands as we drive along the banks of picturesque Loch Lubnaig and further into the rugged Highlands. Admire the scenery as your tour guide explains the remarkable tribal ‘Clan’ history of the Highlands, and you hear about the most famous Highlander of them all, ‘Rob Rob MacGregor’.

Follow in the footsteps of James Bond (Skyfall) and Harry Potter (Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban), as you discover the beautiful and haunting ‘Glencoe’, the most magnificent and famous valley in Scotland. The spectacular scenery will stay with you forever. Your guide will recount the tale of the infamous ‘Massacre of Glencoe’ that took place here in 1692, a tragic story of murder, politics and tribal hatred. Here you’ll go for a short nature walk, take some photos, and soak up the eerie atmosphere.

You’ll follow the beautiful ‘Road to the Isles‘ to the magnificent Glenfinnan Viaduct. If you're lucky, you'll even get to watch as the Hogwarts’ Express (Jacobite Steam Train) passes by. Historically this stunning viewpoint also marks the spot where Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) landed in Scotland and raised his standard prior to the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. Go to the top of the monument for the best views of the Glen, as your guide entertains you with the dramatic story of how this event changed the course of European history.

We travel north to the Southern banks of Loch Ness, in the charming village of Fort Augustus. Get your cameras ready to get some pictures of the infamous ‘Nessie’ Monster! We drive the full length of Loch Ness, stopping to take in the views of Urquhart Castle, then we arrive in Inverness, the Capital of the Scottish Highlands, where your guide will drop you at your accommodation where you’ll stay for 2 nights.

The evening is your own to explore the city. Meet up with your fellow travellers and enjoy a meal in a local restaurant or traditional Highland pub. Inverness has a huge variety of establishments to choose from, whether you’d like to try our national dish of Haggis, Neeps & Tatties, washed down with a wee dram of Scotch Whisky or a Local Beer. After dinner, head to the world-famous Hootenanny’s bar which has traditional Scottish musicians playing every night.

If local beer and whisky isn't your scene, you can enjoy an evening stroll along the banks of the famous River Ness, where you’ll find Inverness Castle, and Inverness Cathedral.

Day 2

The magical Isle of Skye! Today is all about exploring this breathtaking landscape, known once by the Vikings as the ‘Winged Isle’ or by Scots, romantically, as ‘The Misty Isle’, it was voted 4th best island in the world to visit by National Geographic Magazine! We believe the Isle of Skye is THE BEST island in the World, and we’re sure you’ll agree on this tour.

After breakfast at your accommodation, you’ll depart Inverness. The tour will cross the Kessock Bridge and begin our journey to Skye, via The Black Isle. Travelling through some of the most remote communities of mainland Britain, you will marvel at the spectacular scenery of Achnasheen and Loch Carron.

We stop for photographs of the famous Skye Bridge. Opened in 1995, this bridge has a remarkable history. With views of Skye’s Cuillin Mountain range in the distance, it’s a beautiful backdrop.

The Sligachan River flows majestically from the Black Cuillin Mountains, a truly magical location for your guide to introduce you to the local folklore of the island’s Faeries and Giants!

Enjoy lunch in the picturesque harbour town of Portree, the largest town on Skye. It has interesting pubs, restaurants and bakeries for you to try Fish and Chips (and other local foods) to give you enough energy for an afternoon exploring the rest of the island.

We explore the dramatic Trotternish Peninsula, with iconic rock formations which have made this area the perfect backdrop for recent movies such as B.F.G, Prometheus and Stardust. Highlights this afternoon will include the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, The Quiraing and Uig.

Having explored Skye, we head back towards the mainland, arriving at Eilean Donan Castle, which is thought to be the most beautiful castle in Scotland! Built upon a rocky island at the head of three Sea Lochs (similar to Fjords), you will be struck by this iconic Scottish landmark and the beautiful mountains and glistening waters that surround it. Your guide will show you the best spot to get that ‘postcard-perfect photograph! Our journey continues past the Five Sisters of Kintail before arriving back into Inverness at approx. 8 pm.

Day 3

You depart Inverness to begin your journey south, and on this day you’ll see waterfalls, visit the site of one of the most important battles in Scotland’s history, neolithic standing-stones, visit an authentic Scotch Whisky-Distillery, and journey through the stunning Cairngorms National Park.

Your guide shows you the fields of Culloden Moor/Battlefield, and you’ll hear the story of this infamous battle, which in 1746 was the last battle to be fought on British soil. This marked the end of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s hopes of becoming King. This battle changed Scotland, Britain and Europe forever. Walking on the site where many thousands of Highlanders died, One of the most sombre sites in the country, for many Scots, this is where “…the old Scotland died”.

It's then a short journey to Clava Cairns, where Diana Gabaldon found inspiration for ‘Craig Na Dun’ in the Outlander series. These fascinating Bronze-Age Standing-Stones, and burial chambers, are thought to be over 4,000 years old! Walk between the stones, and hear from your guide about who built this intriguing place, and why.

You’ll then experience Highland life in the 18th century, and visit authentic Highland blackhouses, at the ‘Highland Folk Museum’ (free entry) in Newtonmore. You’ll see the homes people lived in 300 years ago, the clothes they wore, and how they went about their daily lives. The folk museum also has an on-site cafe where you can have lunch during our 90-minute visit. Also used as a filming location for Outlander, this place gives you a unique insight into the lives and struggles of the Highland people.**

Our final stop on our 3-day adventure is in the Highland village of Dunkeld, which sits on the longest river in Scotland, the River Tay. You’ll take a short walk to the town’s beautiful Dunkeld Cathedral. This cathedral, with a history stretching back over 1,200 years provides a final chance for photographs, before we depart for Edinburgh, arriving back in the city centre around 6.00pm.

Accommodation

For this tour, you will require a two-night stay in the City of Inverness.

Accommodation is not included in our tour price, however, we are more than happy to give you some recommendations for your stay in Inverness. Please find these below: 

Hostel: Black Isle Bar Hostel

B&B: Roseneath Guesthouse or Adrians' Guesthouse (01463 232953)

Hotel: Penta Hotel Inverness

If you would like to research other places to stay, then we would kindly ask that you use our city centre drop off point as a reference of which location in Inverness you should book. The drop off is located at 26 Queensgate, Inverness IV1 1DJ. 

Once you have booked your accommodation, we kindly ask that you get in touch to advise us of the address. All accommodation should be booked under a fully flexible policy, with the option to cancel in the event the tour cannot go ahead.

Covid Update

In light of us significantly reducing capacity on all of our tours, departures must now meet a minimum number of passengers in order to operate. Passengers affected by cancellations will be contacted one week before departure to discuss a full refund or transfer to another operator.