A Highland Fling

Sunday

We journey north arriving at our hotel in time for dinner.

Monday

Following breakfast today we head into Speyside to beautiful Ballindalloch Castle, one of the finest surviving castles in Scotland with great views of the surrounding Speyside countryside. We have a free flow visit and there is also time to explore the gardens which were laid down in the late 1800’s. In the afternoon we visit the Speyside Cooperage to discover the specialised art of cask making, here we enjoy an informative 4D presentation along with a guided tour to watch the Coopers at work. This 5-star award-winning exhibition will take you on a journey from ‘Acorn to Cask’.

Tuesday

The Strathspey Railway will transport us back in time on a ten-mile-long branch line where little has changed since 1863 when the Victorians first built the railway. The line runs from Broomhill to Boat of Garden (Glenbogle Station in the hit TV series ‘Monarch of the Glen) and then on to Aviemore. In the afternoon we continue south to the Highland Folk Museum, Britain’s first open-air museum. Here we can see how Highland people lived and worked from the 1700’s through to the 1950’s.

Wednesday

This morning, we travel to Inverness Marina and board the Dolphin Spirit boat for a 75-minute wildlife cruise between the Beauly Firth and Inverness Firth. Our guide will provide an interesting commentary and we may see otters, seals, red kites, ospreys, herons and the resident bottlenose dolphins After our cruise we head to Inverness, ‘Capital of the Highlands’ an attractive and historic city on the River Ness for the afternoon at leisure.

Thursday

We have a relaxing start to the day in Grantown before making an afternoon visit to one of the last independent distilleries in Scotland, Glenfiddich. The distillery is one of the few single malt distilleries to remain entirely family owned and is now the World’s Most Awarded Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Friday

Today we are homeward bound.