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Inverness Private Tour: Loch Ness, Cawdor Castle, Culloden Exploration
4.9
18 Ratings
Scottish Highlands
We offer exclusive, customized tours. Having been residents here throughout our lives, we understand the Highlands from a local’s perspective. Over the years, we’ve led tourists to the most breathtaking, picturesque locations in the Highlands. This land we regard as home is a source of pride for us and we can’t wait to let you experience it.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Loch Ness - Loch Ness is 23 miles long and at its widest point it is just 1.5 miles wide. Nessie was first seen by St. Columba in 564 AD. Every year people are reporting sightings - in 2017 there were 11 sightings, and in 2018 there were 13 sightings. Keep your eyes peeled as we journey around the loch.
Our first stop is at the Wellington lay-by where on the 31st December 1939 a Wellington Bomber from RAF Lossiemouth was forced to ditch after suffering engine failure. The remains of the bomber were recovered in 1985 and it has been fully restored and is now in Brooklands Museum in Weybridge in Surrey.
- Urquhart Castle - Carrying on through Drumnadrochit we come to Urquhart Castle sitting on a rocky promontory with fantastic views over Loch Ness. This 800 year old castle has had a turbulent and bloody history. Explore the ruins and visitor centre.
- Beauly Priory - Leaving Urquhart Castle, we head back to Drumnadrochit and take the Culnakirk Hill Road towards Beauly and our next stop, the Beauly Priory. The priory was founded in the 13th century for monks of the Valliscaulian order. In the grounds of the priory you will find the Beauly Elm Tree, this tree is 800 years old and is the oldest elm tree in Europe.
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Cawdor Castle - Cawdor Castle re-opens on the 29th April 2023
Cawdor Castle, has been home to the Thanes of Cawdor since 1370. The castle is set in stunning grounds and gardens and is surrounded by the magnificent Cawdor Big Wood, one of the finest woodland areas in Europe. - Clava Cairns - We head back towards Inverness to the Clava Cairns. The Clava Cairns are 4000 years old and the area is an ancient cemetery. The sites contain a range of prehistoric burial monuments and the remains of a medieval chapel.
The Clava Cairns provided inspiration for Creag Na Dun in the Outlander series and the Cleft Stone can be found here.
- Culloden Battlefield - Less than a mile from Clava Cairns is Culloden Battlefield where on the 16th April 1746 the last battle on British soil was fought and the final Jacobite Rising came to a brutal end. In less than one hour, 1600 men were slain, 1500 of them Jacobites. This was to change the way of life in the Highlands forever.
Walk round the battlefield and see the memorial cairn and the clan burial stones, and visit the visitor centre.
- Inverness Castle - We pass by Inverness Castle where you will see in the grounds of the castle a statue of Flora Macdonald who was famous for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after the Battle of Culloden.
- Inverness Cathedral - Inverness Cathedral is the most northerly Anglican Cathedral in the UK. The Cathedral was commissioned by Bishop Eden and was completed in 1866.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Complimentary bottled water
- Tasty snacks included
- Convenient free pick-up & drop-off service
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Alcoholic Beverages
Additional Information
- Alcohol is not served to underaged
Location
Loch Ness
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(18 Ratings)
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Emily_t
Mar 9, 2024
A must Do - and Ask for Billy!! - We booked the “From Inverness to Loch Ness, Cawdor Castle, Culloden, and more through Viator, and they used the local company Highlander Private Tours. Our guide was Billy – and he was absolutely amazing! It was just the four of us (my sister, husband, and niece, whom we were visiting on her break from university in St. Andrews). From his pick up at our hotel to our drop off – Billy was so much fun! He listened to our interests and completely catered our tour to ensure we saw everything and a ton of extras! He personally walked with us through Culloden and gave us stories and the history – while 2 of us were Outlander fans and 2 not so much – it didn’t even matter! The Outlander fans were so thrilled with how Billy wove that into our tour, and the 2 who weren’t, were absolutely spellbound by the history. There were some places that weren’t open (Cawdor Castle), and on our journey, we discovered the Beauly Priory was closed due to renovations, but Billy ensured we were not disappointed by taking us to other fascinating sights, including old cemeteries and mausoleums (because I love them and the history he told of the occupants) to visit James Mackenzie Fraser – the gorgeous Highland Cow. Billy went above and beyond for us; once he heard we were driving to the Isle of Skye the next day (without a plan – we were just going to put the Fairy Pools in the GPS and go), while we were getting a wee dram at a distillery, Billy spent his downtime creating a stop-by-stop itinerary for us for the next two days, handwritten on two sides of a large notebook paper. We are so appreciative; without it, we would have missed so much! He even recommended the ferry to us (that we didn’t even know about), and it cut off a good chunk of our driving time and allowed us to check off everything on our “must-see” list!
We plan on going back in 2026 for my niece's graduation and will be making it a large family trip – and Billy will be the one I reach out to for all touring for my family. There is no one else I would trust my family to – and I know he will make that trip as memorable as he did this tour for us. Well done, sir – and THANK you so much!
Review provided by Viator
Colleenr944
Sep 1, 2023
Excellent Tour and Guide - Awesome tour with a great guide. Larry picked us up and returned use to the cruise port. We covered nearly all of the highlands. The van for transportation was clean and comfortable. Larry curated the tour to our needs and what we wanted to cover. He provided us with refreshments. Thanks Larry for the warm Scottish welcome.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pared55
Sep 1, 2023
Great time on Lochness with Lawerence - Lawrence picked us up from the cruise dock to start our day. He tailored our trip to what we were interested in and made sure to tell us the history and sights along the way. Gave us plenty of time at each location and allowing us to view highlights at our leisure. We really enjoyed his knowledge and company for the full day tour. I highly recommend using him for your Scotland tour needs
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stepheninwseattle
Aug 30, 2023
Lawrence and the Highlands - Lawrence picked us up at our AirBN and we were off on our journey. He provided an overview of what we would see and shared a number of facts and stories throughout the day.
Lawrence was a fan tree attic guide. He provided water and shared great suggestions for restaurants, pubs with Trad & and whisky tours. We had a great day of learning more about the history of Lock Ness and the Scottish Highlands.
We had a group of five and we were very comfortable his amazing van. It was clean and provided a great ride.
If you plan to visit Inverness, and you should! Schedule this tour with Lawrence, you will have an amazing day. We have also taken a couple of other tours with Lawrence and they were exceptional as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jade0008
Aug 30, 2023
Top Tour and Tour Guide - I had the most amazing experience with our Scottish tour guide Lawrence! We were planning this trip for two years and we cannot be happier with the choice of this tour. His knowledge of the history and culture was truly impressive, and he shared it all with such enthusiasm. We loved his boisterous laugh and it was like traveling with a long lost family member who was an expert in Scottish culture. He also had water and Scottish snacks and crisps at the ready and was very considerate for my mother and her interest in learning about her Fraser roots. From the stunning landscapes to the hidden gems, every moment was captivating. Their storytelling made the trip unforgettable, and I can’t wait to explore more of Scotland with Lawerence in the future. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cruiser54588306638
Aug 27, 2023
Highland..perfect tour! - We had a wonderfull day, spent with Lawrence. Visited Inverness, Urquhart castle, Culloden Battlefield. Had a lot of knowledge about the history of Scotland, Highland and place. Perfect day!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Henry_s
Aug 21, 2023
Best Inverness and Highlander Trip Ever - Lawrence, from Highlander Private Tours, is one of if not the best guides we have ever had. For Inverness tours and to learn about the Highlanders way of life he can tell you firsthand because he has lived his entire life in this area. You will learn more about the history of this section of Scotland than you could ever imagine. Among many other sites you will see the real Outlander stones and get a chance to touch them in person. Careful, not to have any gems in your pockets. He will take you to the site of the Battle of Culloden and explain the slaughter the jackovytes endured, and what happened afterwards to survivors. You will learn of the proud highlanders and the different clans thru out this part of Scotland If you book a tour with Highlander Private Tours, with either Lawrence or his brother Bill, guaranteed it will be a highlight of your trip!!
Review provided by Viator
856sylvial
Aug 14, 2023
The Perfect Day - Lawrence treated us to a wonderful, fact-filled day accommodating our time constraints. A wonderful day visiting Beauly Priory, Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness, and Inverness. With highland cows thrown in for good measure. We can’t wait to come back and let Lawrence show us more! It was a perfect day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathy
Aug 8, 2023
Amazing experience!!! - This was one of my all time favorite tours! Lawrence spent the day catering to our tourist needs and let me tell you, he did not disappoint!!! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Myrna_s
Aug 1, 2023
Busy day - Our tour guide was good but not great. We had trouble hearing him in the back of the bus. He knew a lot and was great about answering questions. He took us to so many stops more than I was expecting.
Review provided by Viator
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