Cawdor Castle, Standing Stones, Culloden en Loch Ness

We really enjoyed this tour overall, but there were several communication issues that affected our experience. The biggest surprise was that we believed we had booked a private tour for just the two of us. We only discovered when we arrived that it was actually a group tour. Normally that wouldn’t be a major issue, but I have asthma that is triggered by perfumes and cigarette smoke. The guide, who was also the driver, kindly let us sit in the front seat to minimize my exposure to other passengers’ fragrances, which I appreciated. Unfortunately, I later realized she was a smoker, and the lingering cigarette smoke made breathing difficult for me throughout the day, even while wearing a mask and keeping the window open. We also understood the tour to be a half-day excursion, but it turned out to be a full-day tour. Spending many additional hours in the van made the breathing issues much more challenging than I had anticipated. The destinations themselves were excellent. Clava Cairns and the standing stones were fascinating, and our guide shared engaging stories that brought the sites to life. We also enjoyed visiting Culloden Battlefield. However, there was another communication mix-up regarding admission tickets. We were told to purchase tickets for the battlefield tour, only to discover that our guide was providing the tour herself. We only needed the less expensive admission ticket, so we ended up paying for something we didn’t use. The highlight of the day for us was Cawdor Castle. The castle is beautiful, and the grounds are absolutely spectacular. Our only disappointment with the itinerary was the drive to Loch Ness. It involved several additional hours in the van, and because it was raining, there wasn’t much opportunity to appreciate the scenery. We stopped at a viewpoint that required walking along a busy highway just to catch a glimpse of the loch. It felt stressful rather than enjoyable and made for an already long, tiring day. Personally, we would have preferred spending more time at the historic sites instead of adding the extra drive to Loch Ness. Despite these issues, we did enjoy the tour and especially appreciated our guide’s knowledge of Scottish history. With clearer communication about the tour format, duration, ticketing, and itinerary, this could have been an outstanding experience.

This was a great tour, and George was quite the character. We loved that it was a small group tour as it provides a much better experience than large group tours. I booked this for Cawdor Castle, but we were able to see a lot more, including Clava Cairns and the Culloden battlefields. While it says Loch Ness is included (Cawdor Castle, Standing Stones, Culloden, and Loch Ness), it is just a drive-by. We didn't have any issues with this, but be aware.

The other guests didn’t show up, so it ended up being just my husband, my daughter and I. George catered to us all day, making sure we saw what we were most excited about. He was very knowledgeable about everything Scottish, and told lots of interesting stories. Big thumbs up for this tour!

Alastair Kennedy was a personable and informative tour guide. His engaging descriptive narrative of the Culloden Battlefield added to our walk through of the historical site. We drove through the back roads of the country side that allowed us to view the live stock, sheep and the highlander cows which were a memorable sight. Cawdor Castle and gardens were beautiful historical sites.

This was a wonderful tour, full of information and Alistair kept us moving and informed regarding what we were seeing and doing ….time flew by and before you knew it we were heading back to port at end of day..would recommend this tour to all

George was fantastic in making sure we visited all sights in spite of our late ship arrival. He is entertaining too!!

Alister was an excellent and knowledgeable guide. We really enjoyed the day. Cruise was delayed by a couple of hours but he made the best of it. The car was very comfortable . Would recommend this tour.

Alastair Kennedy tour operator is a genuine Scotchman! Professional with innate knowledge of Scotland its history and traditions. He memorized all of his clients names which is difficult when you have seven travelers. Thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Al and all the knowledge he shared. He was very concerned about our comfort and needs. Would wholeheartedly recommend him for your Scottish tour.

This tour was fabulous. The guide was knowledgeable and very personable. George's knowledge of the history of the area was impressive. I highly recommend this tour.

Alastair was a great tour guide and overall great guy! Very knowledgeable and had great insight. Sights were lovely. We would totally book with Go Highlands again!