1 Day Loch Ness, Whisky, Glencoe & Scottish Highlands Tour





Description
Set off from Edinburgh on an exhilarating one-day adventure through the stunning Scottish Highlands. This unforgettable tour combines the rich heritage of Scotland's whisky making with spectacular landscapes and historic sites. From the world-renowned Deanston Distillery to the rugged beauty of Glencoe and the tranquillity of Loch Ness, this tour showcases the best of Scotland in a single day
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our journey begins with a visit to Deanston Distillery, nestled on the banks of the River Teith. Housed in a former cotton mill, the distillery produces a range of premium single malt whiskies. Enjoy an optional guided tour through the distillery (tickets not included, purchased on-site), where you’ll learn about the traditional whisky-making process and the history behind this unique location. Finish with a tasting of Deanston's finest malts, guided by an expert who will explain the distinct flavours and characteristics of their whiskies.
We stop for a short visit to Glencoe, which was the scene of one of Scotland’s most shocking massacres. As you gaze at the haunting hills, you notice the Glen is eerily silent. In the 17th century one of the worst acts of betrayal occurred here. Your guide will recount the details of this betrayal for you. You can almost feel the sorrow in the mountains of the ‘weeping valley’. Above all though, Glencoe is one of Scotland’s most beautiful landscapes. A highlight of any tour to the Scottish Highlands!
The tour then takes you through Fort William and past the spectacular Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the British Isles. The Nevis Range towers over the winding road as you continue your journey to Loch Ness.
Desperate for a glimpse of ‘Nessie’? Fort Augustus, a charming, postcard-perfect, Highland village on the Southern shores of the Loch. You will have time to explore the village and its beautiful Caledonian Canal lock system, built by the famous engineer Thomas Telford in the 19th century, that descends through the heart of the village into Loch Ness. Walk further along the canal and into the surrounding countryside to enjoy mountainous views and sights of farm animals and possibly red deer.
Along the route, we’ll stop at the Commando Memorial. In 1942, this setting became the training ground for Britain’s Special Forces. Harsh, unforgiving, and breathtakingly beautiful. A statue of our heroes overlooks the Nevis range. Bring a camera – this is undoubtedly one of our favourite photo-stops in all of Scotland. Here, weather permitting, you could also spot Ben Nevis. The tallest mountain in The United Kingdom.
Heading south we travel through the Cairngorm National Park where Red squirrels, roe deer, red deer, soaring buzzards, pine martens, golden eagles and osprey can be found. Our final stop of the day is Pitlochry
On our way south, we stop by the town of Pitlochry to stretch our legs and enjoy the fresh air. This picturesque town is situated in the heart of the stunning scenery of Highland Perthshire. It sits below Beinn Bhracaigh (Ben Vrackie), the speckled mountain and beside the River Tummel, in some of the most magnificent scenery in Scotland. With a backdrop of surrounding hills and beautiful woodlands, it is wonderful walking country.
As we re-enter Edinburgh from the North, you will be met with views of Scotland’s greatest piece of engineering, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Forth Bridge. This 19th century engineering marvel was at one point the World’s longest cantilever bridge. Today it neighbours the 20th century Forth Road Bridge and the 21st century Queensferry Crossing which opened in 2017. Three spectacular bridges, from three different centuries, span the Firth of Forth connecting our Capital city and the Kingdom of Fife.
We drop you off in the city centre, our estimated arrival time is 8:30 PM. Please note that during the winter season, we may be arriving earlier than estimated. We recommend leaving 2 hours between the expected arrival time and any onward travel or reservations in case of delayed, and that we are not able to offer individual drop-offs.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- There are regular stops on tour for comfort breaks, as we do not have toilets onboard the coaches
- No animals allowed on tour, including guide dogs
- Minimum age to travel is 8 years old. Photo ID, such as a passport, may be required. Children (8-17) must be accompanied by an adult.
- For insurance purposes, passengers must not be unaccompanied on our buses during tour stops. Drivers take legally required breaks and cannot stay with the vehicle.
- Foldable wheelchairs can be stored in the hold of the bus during transit, bear in mind that staff cannot assist during boarding. Please note that the optional tour at Deanston Distillery involves multiple stairs and is not wheelchair accessible.
- Please note that the optional distillery tour is not included, and that tickets can be purchased upon arrival
Reviews(352)
A terrific day. Ryan was both knowledgeable and hilarious.
Amazing tour and Craig is the best! He is hallaroius and very knowledgeable and kept us very entertained the whole ride with his stories, information and great jokes! Give that man a raise immediately!!!
Super tour and what a beautiful Scotland and all in one day! Despite being flattened with the range of tours on offer. We went for this one because of the offer in 1 day and that was a good choice! We were able to see everything in one day. The kelpies artworks (you drive by) and also the horses that have been models for this artwork. A local distilery tour (is optional) ,local highlanders (cows) We are also along various film locations such as Skyfall, harry Potter and the deadline holows ridden. Several lochs and other lakes seen Seen the three sisters mountains. The lich ness lake where we visited the log ness monster, with optional boat tour. Had 2 more stops on the way back. Everywhere a successful day, with nice enthusiastic guide and the nature of Scotland is beautiful! The pick-up location is easily accessible. Downside is you have to go there, which in our case was the other side of town and we had to take a taxi.
I couldn’t recommend The Hairy Coo enough. Our tour guide Ewan was absolutely brilliant. He clearly has a great knowledge of the roads and local areas of interest. I always felt safe and always in cable hands even on some of the more challenging roads. When I went slightly over our return time as I was waiting on the team at the distillery to fulfil my order he was super friendly and understanding. The bus itself was really nice, modern and comfortable. The message on the back was hilarious and resulted in a lot of honks for all the right reasons. All of our stops were fantastic with amazing scenery, shops and places to eat. The Deanston distillery was a highlight as was our stop in Lochness. The scenery is absolutely stunning and I we couldn’t hope for a better driver/ tour guide than Ewan. 11/10 experience. Will definitely be on another of their tours soon hoping our guide is Ewan.
Very nice Tour and our driver Ewan did a great Job
Had a great time. Saw some great views of the Scottish Highlands. Would definitely recommend!
Awesome experience, great timing of every stop.Colin, our guide, was a really good storyteller!
Out guide&driver Russ is fantastic! The Coos are great! The tour is worth if you have only one day and want to get a general understanding of the land. But the nature is so unique that I feel I should return and spend more time here!
It was great! We had Marco as our driver and he was amazing. He was funny and pointed out stuff along the way, as well as made an unscheduled stop so we could feed and pet som Highland Cows. The size of the crowd was great, not to big and not to small, just perfect. It was a full day trip, which made it so you had plenty of time to experience the Highlands and take photographs. My gosh, I love the Highlands, the atmosphere was top tier and Marco just made it better and more fun. The best part was getting to meet the Highland cows as well as seeing the Highlands.
Marco was such a great and nice guide - we learned and laughed a lot :D



