Discover the beauty of Scotland on a 7-day getaway cruise aboard the elegant barge hotel Spirit of Scotland. Take an evening stroll at Banavie before the start of the tour. Cruise along Lochs Lochy, Oich and the famous Loch Ness and perhaps a chance to see "Nessie". Take a stop at one of the finest sceneries in Scotland and the most photographed castle, Eilean Donan, which has been featured in movies such as "Highlander" and James Bond's "The World Is Not Enough". Tour Cawdow Castle and gardens, a setting that is forever immortalized in Shakespeare's "Scottish Play", Macbeth. Explore the mysterious battlefield in Glencoe, famed for one of the darkest days in Scottish history.
Highlights
Tour of Cawdor Castle and gardens, home of Shakespeare’s Scottish Play
Cruise Lochs Lochy, Oich, Ness and Dochfour
Visit to Culloden Moor, scene of the last battle on British soil in 1746
Activity options vary depending on destination and operator. Activity level is determined by the range and intensity of activities you choose to participate in. Discuss with your Trip Planner which options are best for you.
Guests are met at the Glenmoriston Townhouse Hotel in Inverness and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Spirit of Scotland. A champagne welcome by the Captain and crew and perhaps an early evening stroll before our first dinner on board.
Your excursion today will take you to the mystical area of Glencoe, renowned for its geographical beauty and famed for one of the darkest days in Scottish history. Alternatively, you can enjoy some breath-taking panoramic views on a cable car ride to the summit of Aonach Mor mountain. If time permits you can visit the ruins of the 13th century, Old Inverlochy Castle, before embarking on your first cruise, through Moy Bridge, the last hand-operated bridge of its type on the Caledonian Canal. En route, you may visit the Clan Cameron Museum, before crossing Loch Lochy. As you approach our mooring at Laggan, a Highland Piper may be there to greet you with a stirring rendition of traditional Scottish music. Dinner on board.
This morning, you will take in some of the finest scenery Scotland has to offer as you drive to one of its best known and most photographed castles, Eilean Donan, which has been featured in movies such as “Highlander” and James Bond’s “The World Is Not Enough” and overlooks three sea lochs.
Our afternoon cruise today takes you across the very scenic Loch Oich, perhaps stopping en route for a spot of fishing and enjoying a walk, then onto a pretty mooring at Cullochy. Dinner on board.
This morning you will cruise to Fort Augustus and down the “flight” as the locals call it, to moor opposite the Benedictine Abbey at the entrance to Loch Ness. There is time to explore this pretty village, then after lunch on board, you can take a gentle drive through stunning scenery to see the falls of Foyers, set in a dramatic gorge leading to Loch Ness and made famous in a 1787 poem by Robbie Burns. This evening you will have dinner ashore at a local restaurant.
This morning you will enjoy a picturesque cruise across world-famous Loch Ness, with perhaps a chance of spotting “Nessie”, where en route you will visit Urquhart Castle, mooring right below its spectacular ruins, before continuing your cruise to moor at the hamlet of Dochgarroch. After lunch you can visit Cawdor Castle, forever immortalized in Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play”, Macbeth. The picturesque gardens have been listed as being amongst the top 100 in the UK. The castle contains a superb collection of tapestries, pictures and furnishings and is still in use as a home for the Dowager Countess of Cawdor who resides there for several months of the year. Then you can visit Culloden Moor, scene of the last major battle on British soil in 1746 and end your tour at the Clava Cairns, a pre-historic clan chieftain burial site dating back to 2000 B.C. Dinner on board.
This morning, your final cruise will take you through Tomnahurich swing bridge and through the locks to Muirtown, where there will be the opportunity to take a bicycle ride or walk to the sea lock with wonderful views over the Moray and Beauly Firths. After lunch, you can visit the Glen Ord distillery, founded in 1838 on the Black Isle by the Mackenzies of Ord. You will be given a fascinating description of the maturing and aging process of their whiskeys, each with its distinctive characteristics, followed by our special tasting of several single malts, including The Singleton. Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.
Day 7: Muirtown | Disembark
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to their choice of location in Inverness.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$6,0902-3 travelers
Rates are subject to change without notice. Book early to get the best rate.
Stateroom
The 130 sq ft air-conditioned cabins offer a choice of twin or double beds and are complemented by well-designed en-suite shower rooms. Each room has porthole windows, TV with DVD player.
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by Credit card, check, and bank transfer. All final payments by credit card subject to a surcharge of 2.5% and maximum of $20,000 charge
Kate was great to work with in the planning stage. She was prompt, helpful, and efficient. Our tour guide, Edwin, was knowledgeable and passionate. We were very happy to have traveled with Adventure Life, it made the trip easy and a true pleasure. We could concentrate on enjoying the experience rather than the details of travel.
Lisa Bridge
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
2 days ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.