West Coast Whisky & Castles - 7 Days | Overview
Day 1 is a fabulous introduction to the Scottish landscape, exploring the mountains, glens, lochs and rivers or Argyll Forest Park & beautiful Loch Lomond and a visit to Auchentoshan distillery.
Day 2 takes in the wonderful lochside village of Inveraray and its famous Castle, a visit to Oban with a distillery tour, followed by an incredible archaeological treat to see Kilmartin Glen, often referred to as the birthplace of Scotland.
Day 3 we travel via ferry to Islay. With their heavy peat-smoked flavour, the Islay malts really are in a class of their own and with over seven distilleries to choose from, you will be spoiled for choice on this delightful island.
Day 4 we travel to the Isle of Skye via fabulous Glencoe, steeped in history with dramatic scenery. On the way, we stop over in the charming town of Fort Augustus on the shores of Loch Ness before heading for a visit to the iconic 13th century Eilean Donan Castle and onwards to Skye.
Day 5 is a full tour of the Island of Skye, passing through Broadford and on to the Island capital, Portree. Heading North we take in Uig, Kilt Rock Falls and Dunvegan Castle with a visit to Talisker Distillery.
Day 6 we head south via Invergarry, passing Dalwhinnie distillery and stopping for a tour of Blair Castle followed by a visit to Edradour Distillery which probably houses one of the finest single malts you can find.
Day 7 with a visit to Tullibardine distillery and explores Stirling Castle with a full tour to take in the castle's long and turbulent history. We also visit Edinburgh Castle and then enjoy a walk down the Royal Mile, with its charming medieval architecture and the opportunity to do some last minute whisky shopping.
West Coast Whisky & Castles - 7 Days |
Day 1: Argyll Forest Park & Auchentoshan
Your tour begins when your tour driver collects you from the arranged location. Today we head deep into the ancient Argyll Forest Park via the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch lomond.
Loch Lomond is Britain's largest freshwater loch and is also, in the opinion of many, it's most beautiful. We simply cannot pass Glasgow by without a visit to the excellent Auchentoshan Distillery. Triple distilled and matured solely in American bourbon casks resulting in a Lowland Single Malt Whisky with the sweet aromas of vanilla and coconut - along with the signature smooth, delicate, Auchentoshan taste.
From here we travel over the Rest and Be Thankfull and into the rugged Argyll Forest Park. This magnificent stretch of rugged hill country was the very first Forest Park for public enjoyment to be established in Britain, back in 1935. Many visitors who have come to know the Argyll Forest Park, its mountains, glens, lochs and woodlands, claim that this first park is also the finest of them all. After an exhilarating first day in Scotland we make our way to our chosen hotel for dinner, bed and full Scottish breakfast.
West Coast Whisky & Castles - 7 Days |
Day 2: Inveraray, Oban & Kilmartin Glen
After breakfast we travel into Clan Campbell territory visiting Inveraray Castle, home of The Duke & Duchess of Argyll. The Campbell Clan arrived in Argyll as part of a royal expedition around 1220.
From here we make our way to the coastal town of Oban - The Gateway to the Isles - where we can visit the Oban distillery which produces one of Scotland's oldest sources of single malt whisky. Here you will see the distillers at work crafting a rich, sweet malt whisky with a subtle hint of sea salt and peaty smokiness. We will finish with a sample of Oban 14 year old single malt with some crystalised ginger – a taste sensation!
After a walk along Oban's shopping promenade we will travel to Tarbert via Kilmartin. The Prehistoric centre of the region is Kilmartin Glen. With its numerous standing stones and burial cairns it is one of the richest archaeological landscapes in Scotland. We finish the day with dinner at our chosen accommodation.
West Coast Whisky & Castles - 7 Days |
Day 3: Islay
After breakfast we head to the ferry port and venture onto the Island of Islay. Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland known as "The Queen of the Hebrides". It is the fifth largest Scottish island and from here we are only 25 miles from the Irish coast. Whisky lovers are in their element here with no less than seven distilleries producing peaty malts.
You may find it remarkable that an island only 25 miles long can support seven distilleries but at one time the island supported up to twenty one distilleries. The distilleries in the south of the island, Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Laphroaig, produce the most strongly flavoured, phenolic whiskies in Scotland. The distilleries to the north, Bunnahabhain, Bowmore, Caol Ila and Bruichladdich, tend to be of a lighter character. Which ones we visit will be up to you!
We finish the day with dinner at our chosen accommodation.
West Coast Whisky & Castles - 7 Days |
Day 4: Glencoe and Loch Ness
After breakfast we travel north to the Isle of Skye via the stunning Glencoe landscape. Much of Scotland's early recorded history is full of violence - battles, feuds, murders, treachery but the incident which to this day still arouses the strongest passions was the massacre of the MacIans of Glen Coe in 1692. Glencoe is also nationally important for its landscape, wildlife, history and geology, as well as being the home of Scottish climbing.
We pass through Spean Bridge on our way to Fort Augustus on the shores of Loch Ness where we may take a cruise on this lovely loch - keep your eyes peeled for the legend of Nessie. We will be able to view The Five Sisters Of Kintail which are a high ridge range of some 8 km (5 miles) long rising steeply to a maximum height of 1,067 metres (3,501 feet).
After this we head for Eilean Donan Castle, sitting where three lochs meet and probably Scotland's most photographed castle. The original castle was built in the early 13th century as a defence against the Vikings who raided, settled and controlled much of the north of Scotland and the Western Isles between 800 and 1266. From here we take the short trip to our chosen accommodation in time for dinner.
West Coast Whisky & Castles - 7 Days |
Day 5: The Isle of Skye & Talisker
This morning we wake to the spendid scenery of the Isle of Skye, commonly known as "The misty Isle". The stark rise of the jagged Cuillin ridge drops to the gentle white of a soft sand beach and the tiny white crofts that dot the Island are fascinating. This is a place where time means nothing and beneath every footstep lies 500 million years of history.
We will do a full tour of the Island, passing through Broadford and on to the Island capital, Portree, which has an old fashioned appeal with colourful houses and traditional harbour. We will take time out to visit the only distillery on the Isle of Skye, Talisker, set on the shores of Loch Harport with dramatic views of the Cuillins. This alluring, sweet, full-bodied single malt is so easy to enjoy, and like Skye itself, so hard to leave.
Heading further North we visit Uig, Kilt Rock Falls and Dunvegan Castle. On a clear day the views to the Outer Hebrides are truly spectacular. We return to our chosen accommodation for dinner, bed and full Scottish breakfast.
West Coast Whisky & Castles - 7 Days |
Day 6: Blair Castle & Edradour Distillery
After breakfast we head south via Invergarry. The scenery quickly changes from the challenging and rugged mountain terrain of Skye to the gently rolling heather clad hills of Perthshire. Known as the "big county", Perthshire has a wide variety of landscapes, from the rich agricultural straths in the east, to the high mountains of the southern Highlands.
We can visit Dalwhinne distillery, one of the highest in Scotland at 1073 feet on the upper reaches of the Spey River. Its name means “meeting place” and it lies on the main whisky smuggling route from the highlands to the Lowlands. We will stop at the House of Bruar for lunch and afterwards take a tour of Blair Castle.
Blair Castle is the home of Clan Murray, who hold the title of Duke of Atholl and is well worth a visit. Contained within the castle are the pipes of Bonnie Prince Charlie. If time permits we will also take a tour of Edradour Distillery which probably houses one of the finest single malts you can find. This evening we will stay in Pitlochry giving us time to enjoy the "Town in Bloom".
West Coast Whisky & Castles - 7 Days |
Day 7: Stirling Castle & Edinburgh
As we leave Pitlochry and head south we can visit Tullibardine distillery which has plenty of history. In 1488, King James IV purchased beer from the brewery which stood on the site of what is now the Tullibardine Distillery following his coronation at Scone Palace. From here we head further south to take in the colourful history of Stirling.
We can view The National Wallace Monument which commemorates Scotland's greatest national hero, Sir William Wallace, who defeated the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in the year 1297. Wallace was later betrayed and captured. He was hung, drawn and quartered in London in 1305 and has since become a symbol for Scotland and Freedom.
Visiting Stirling castle we will learn of the castles' long and turbulent history that is associated with great figures from Scotland's past such as William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Mary Queen of Scots. After a full tour of the castle we will take time out to have lunch before making our way to the spectacular Edinburgh Castle.
Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland's most important castles and here we can view the Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish regalia and the Scottish Crown Jewels. Dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries these are the oldest set of crown jewels in the British Isles. We shall finish the day with a walk down the Royal Mile for some last minute whisky shopping. We will then travel to our chosen accommodation in time for dinner.