Shore Tour from Invergordon Highland Highlights
Description
Our shore tours from the Port of Invergordon enable you to explore the very best of the local area. We are a local Highland company, with highly experienced tour guides and well-appointed mini-coaches. We don’t just offer tours, we offer an opportunity to fall in love with the place we call home. Join one of our tours to find out why we love the Highlands so much! As the only Visit Scotland 5 star accredited tour operator in Invergordon, a quality experience is guaranteed.
Tour Options
Itinerary
With turreted towers, elegant interiors and fairytale gardens, this atmospheric 14th-century Scottish castle blends legend, history and breathtaking scenery. Set among ancient woodland, it’s a must-visit for guests exploring the Scottish Highlands. On arrival, pick up an audio guide in your choice of language and tour at your own pace. Inside, step through centuries of aristocratic life—from the grand Drawing Room with Renaissance portraits and ornate plasterwork to the Tapestry Bedroom with striking 17th-century Flemish wall hangings. Don’t miss the famous Thorn Tree Room, where an ancient tree rises dramatically through the floorboards. Outside, enjoy beautiful gardens: the formal Flower Garden, the Walled Garden with exotic plants and winding paths, and the Wild Garden leading into 750 acres of forest walks. You have around 90 minutes to explore, visit the café and browse the gift shops. WOW guests can also pick up a packed lunch. Entrance & audio guide included in tour price.
Our first stop is at Culloden Battlefield, one of the most important battlefields in the UK. Here, your guide will bring the landscape to life on a 30-minute walking tour, as he enthralls you with the story of the last pitched battle on British soil; the Jacobite uprising of 1746. As you stand upon the windswept moor, it’s easy to imagine the bravery, sacrifice, and heartbreak that unfolded here, with echoes of the past lingering in the stillness. The haunting beauty of the landscape, combined with its tragic history, creates a deeply moving experience that will stay with you long after you leave.
Clava Cairns is a remarkably well-preserved Bronze Age cemetery, built around 4,000 years ago. Scattered across the site you’ll find an array of fascinating structures – passage graves, ring cairns, a kerb cairn, and atmospheric standing stones. While the history alone makes this a captivating stop, it’s also a must-see for Outlander fans. Diana Gabaldon has described Clava Cairns as the “spiritual home of Craigh na Dun”, and many visitors say it feels like stepping straight into the world of Claire and Jamie.
Our next stop is the beautiful Dores Beach, on the tranquil south shores of Loch Ness — home to one of the most breathtaking views in the whole of the UK! Take a stroll along the pebbled shore and soak up the stunning panorama or, if he’s not off on a Nessie-hunting mission, you might even meet resident monster hunter Steve Feltham, who has been searching for the Loch Ness Monster here for over 30 years and sells some very memorable souvenirs. There’s also a traditional Scottish pub right on the loch’s edge, where you may wish to enjoy a local beer or a wee dram of whisky (subject to opening hours).
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- If your ship fails to dock we will give you a full refund
Reviews(27)
We had such an amazing day with Andrew our guide and the sights on our itinerary. Andrew, an amazing historian, taught us so much in a light hearted way.
We had a wonderful day exploring the Scottish Highlands on the Highland Highlights Tour from Invergordon with our driver and guide, Colin. There was only one other couple on our tour, which made for a very comfortable and personal experience. Our first stop was **Cawdor Castle**, where we enjoyed walking through the beautiful rooms and exploring the lovely gardens. From there, we visited Clava Cairns, with its fascinating 4,000-year-old Bronze Age burial cairns and standing stones. We also stopped at **Culloden Battlefield**, where Colin shared a great deal of information about the Jacobites and the history surrounding the battle. He was clearly very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Scottish history and provided a very detailed explanation for those interested in learning more. Unfortunately, it began to rain while we were there, so we took the opportunity to warm up with a cup of coffee. My favorite stop of the day was Dores Beach on Loch Ness. Sadly, Nessie did not make an appearance, but the spectacular scenery and wildlife more than made up for it. This was exactly the type of beautiful Scottish landscape I had hoped to see. Our final stop was **Inverness**, where we had a short amount of time to walk around and see the town before beginning the trip back to our cruise ship. The entire tour lasted about seven hours and allowed us to see a tremendous amount of the countryside in a single day. Colin was knowledgeable and informative, and the small group made the experience especially enjoyable. Overall, this was a great day in the Scottish Highlands—even the Scottish rain added to the experience!
Ross MacArthur is fantasic! An unmatched authentic, courteous, professional guide/driver combo. He customized our tour, accommodated our requests, and answered our unending questions. Sooo highly recommend!
We had a great tour with Murdoch AKA Mr Fabulous. The sights were amazing and the story telling even better. I'd definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Invergordon.
Colin was a great tour guide. We did the tour from the cruise terminal at Invergordon and had a great tour of the local area. Would definit
Our guide, Murdoch, was great. Very knowledgeable & a great story teller. We got to visit all the places on the itinerary & it didn't feel too rushed although a little more time at each place would have been great, we were constrained by the early sailing time of our cruise ship. The pick up point was easy to find at Invergordon - just follow the signs for non-cruise ship tours & cross the road & they were waiting with signs & WOW t-shirts. The trip was good value as it included entry to Cawdor Castle in the price
Colin, our guide, and the staff of WOW made our visit to Inverness and Scotland very special. It was beautiful and Colin shared the historical aspects of each stop. He also accommodated us so we could visit Inverness. It was a great day.
Yes, this is a shore excursion that delivered what was promised in the itinerary. I was annoyed by the fact that the meetup point provided by Get your guide was wrong. Ended up having to walk back to the port area and asked several people until I saw a staff wearing the company's vest. If I had waited at the wrong location provided, I'd have had missed the tour entirely. I told the staff and also the guide later on about the issue, and as I'm writing this review, it is still wrong. The company also nickel and dime you on their seating arrangement, you need to pay from 7.50 pounds to 20 pounds extra to get a 2nd row or extra legroom or front row seat. Honestly, I didn't realize that I was going on a budget airline. This was the first time I had pre-assigned seating on a day tour and not on first-come-first-serve. The seat pitch also seemed narrower than a typical family mini-van, seat was stiff with not much legroom. Not a very comfortable coach overall especially if seated on the last row seat like me.
Fantastic experience with the guide and driver Colin. He managed the excursion very well. He provided information and news in an engaging and passionate manner. Excursion to take and ask for Colin.
Colin was fantastic! This was a great trip from start to finish. Very comfortable coach. Perfect timing. Lots of great information. Happily the rain held off for the entire trip.
