Legendary Tour of the Black Isle from Inverness or Invergordon
Description
You will enjoy a relaxing few hours while you travel around the Black isle in comfort. Your Guide, Johnny will thrill you with stories of old while he takes you to visit some amazing historical sites, like the Old Priory (Which dates back to the13th century) in the beautiful village of Beauly. You will also see and hear the history and culture behind The Black Isle's villages and towns. You will even get to decide which version of just why this piece of land has become known as the Black Isle... intrigued? Book this tour and find out :)
Tour Options
Itinerary
Home to the Valliscaulian Monks whom lived here happily since around 1230 to 1510. It was visited in 1564 by Mary Queen of Scots and on arrival she said what a BEAU LEU or beautiful place. After the reformation the priory fell into disuse and the lead was removed in 1582. In 1652 Oliver Cromwell took some materials to build a fort in Inverness. This is where Jamie left Scotland for France in the Outlander TV Series
The Ord distillery dates back to 1838 it is the only single malt distillery on the Black Isle. The water for the mashing was taken from the Cuckoo Well and employed 18 people in the early days. Now it has 7 was stills and is owned by Diageo now the water come from the White Burn.
The Black Isle Brewery offers a short free tour and the Black Isle is another place I can highly recommend. Not a lot of the tours end up on the Black Isle which is a real shame as it is absolutely beautiful and has some great walks and an interesting history.
Chanonry Point is one of the best spots in the UK to view bottlenose dolphin from theshore. The dolphins are often visible off Chanonry point, particularly on an incoming tide when they play and fish in the strong currents. Other wildlife, including porpoises and grey seals, can also regularly be spotted. European otters are occasional visitors too.
Hugh Miller was a tall (nearly 6ft) man with a great mass of flaming red hair and "sapphire" blue eyes (according to his wife, Lydia). He possessed immense physical strength, and most importantly a questing intellect of extraordinary range. He was a self-taught geologist, and wrote about the history of the earth with an eloquence, breadth of imagination and descriptive power like no one else has then or since. His fossil collection of over 6,000 specimens became the founding core of what is today's Scottish national collection in the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh. His books, such as The Old Red Sandstone, The Cruise of the Betsey, Footprints of the Creator, Testimony of the Rocks, Scenes and Legends of the North of Scotland, and My Schools and Schoolmasters (autobiography) became bestsellers in many editions. Hugh Miller was an evangelical Christian. He could be ferociously aggressive in debate with his religious opponents, via the columns of his newspaper, The Witness. He helped to found a new Presbyterian Church, and gave it its name, the Free Church of Scotland. For all his ferocity in print, he was intensely shy, introverted, humble, prone to melacholy, and plagued with silicosis all his life because of his toils in his youth as a stonemason. In the end he was to die by his own hand - a single shot in the chest - in the early hours of Christmas Eve, at his home in Shrub Mount, Portobello, just outside Edinburgh. By then his brain was "burning," tormented by nightmares and fears of approaching insanity. He left a widow, Lydia, herself a writer, who edited and secured posthumous publication of some of his books, and four children, Harriet, William, Bessie and Hugh Junior, who became a geologist like his father. MILLER HOUSE opened to great acclaim on 8th April 2004.
This elegant Grade A listed former courthouse, built in 1773, now houses fascinating exhibitions about the historic town of Cromarty and the neigbouring parish of Resolis, which are FREE to visit.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(10)
We had an incredible day with Johnny showing us the Black Isle! He tailored the day to activities we were interested in, beginning with a hike up Knock Farril for sweeping views of the land and firth. Beauly Priory has a fascinating history as does the Clootie Well. We stopped to see some highland ‘coos’ and saw dolphins frolicking at Chanory Point. There were too many charming towns to keep track of! We finished up in Inverness before heading back to the town of Invergorden. The whole time, Johnny kept us entertained with stories and tales of the region.
Johnny was an excellent guide around the Black Isle. We made numerous stops along the way to see little hamlets. Saw some Scottish highland cows up close, tasted a wee dram of whiskey, saw some dolphins and walked the rocky shores. We learned more about Johnny’s town and the economy of the region. All in all it was time and money well spent.
Trevor was fantastic! Very knowledgeable and wonderful guide around Inverness and surrounding area..
Yes I'm very proud to have Trevor on the team. He also spoke very highly of you. Thank you. Johnny
Our tour was off the beaten track and very pleasant. There were only 3 of us and our guide - Trevor. He was excellent. We had a relaxing and educational day. Trevor was clearly attentive to our desires and we had a flexible and interesting day. It was a great day!
We were picked up on time as agreed directly at the Invergordon Cruise Port and then got an impression of the Black Island with a great landscape in almost 6 hours and drove to beautiful spots for photography. In between there was also the opportunity to test and buy Glen Ord whisky on site at the distillery.
Our cruise had an impromptu stop in Invergordon, which left few options for us for excursions. As we had already visited both Invergordon (Dornoch, Dunrobin Castle) and Inverness (Culloden), we wanted to explore the Black Isle but found only one tour - Highland Premium Tours. We couldn't be more pleased with our choice as our driver, John "Johnnie" Mackay Bremner, delivered beyond our expectations. We climbed the Knockfarrel Vitrified Fort (aka The Cat's Back) for fantastic 360 views; took in the magnifience of Rogie Falls; tasted whiskey at Singleton's Glen Ord Distillery; explored both the Beuly Priory and Fortrose Cathedral; fun at Robertson's Larder & Highland Cows; attempted to count all the clooties left at Clootie Well; looked for dolphins at Chanonry Point; toured Hugh Miller's Birthplace Cottage in Cromarty - doing and seeing more with Johnnie today than any three cruiseship excursion we've ever taken. Do we recommend Highland Premium Tours and John Mackay Bremner? - ABSOLUTELY.
Thank you very much Mr and Mrs Ruiz it was my privilege and it was a pleasure to have on board you were very pleasant and great to work with. Haste ye Back.
It was an amazing day trip. Jonny offered this unique tour to black isle which had yet been discovered by tourist. We saw Highlands great nature. The spring, the forest, the waterfall. Even caught a glimpse of salmon swam again the stream. Highly recommended for everyone enjoys nature and fresh air
Thank you so much for this lovely review it was a pleasure to take you off the beaten track to see some Scottish Highland wildlife. Kindest regards Johnny
Our Black Isle trip was guided by Johnny Bremner and we enjoyed to travel under his guidance. Johnny was on time to pick us from our hotel in Inverness, was extremely polite and a happy-go man and enjoyed our day with him thoroughly. He never rushed , was caring for our kids and was well versed with places we went. I would highly recommend his service to anyone travelling to highlands and definitely visit the black isle without fail.
Johnny looked after us and accommodated my mobility needs. Only 4 stars as we didn't get to see any dolphins or seals.
The whole trip was excellent, Johny was a skilled guide who knew a lot of history about the area. He took us to all the places mentioned and more, and was concerned about our comfort and safety throughout the trip.
