Essential Scotland, private tour

We leave Edinburgh early in the morning and head for Stirling. Here we make our first stop of the day.

On arrival, we will visit Abbey Craig Hill where the William Wallace monument tower is located. Here we will learn about his life and review the famous Battle of Stirling Bridge where he defeated the English army and became a national hero.

Abbey Craig is the best place to look out over the city of Stirling and its castle.

We continue our way to the Highlands. In Killin we will stop to visit the Docharts Falls and enjoy a coffee or a Scottish beer. This is a magical place.

We continue northwards through Rannoch Moor to the spectacular Glencoe Valley. We will stop to admire this natural wonder and stroll through the valley. Glencoe hides a past with clan stories that our guide will tell you about.

We then arrive to Fort William where we will stop for lunch. Fort William has a variety of shops and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Free time.

After lunch, we will drive to Loch Ness. We will make several stops along its 37kms. Fort Augustus is a small village situated just on the south shore of the loch where we will be able to photograph the famous Loch Ness sign.

We continue along the loch until we reach Urquhart Castle. The guide will explain its history from the viewing point. This is probably the most beautiful spot on the loch.

We continue north along the loch until we reach the city of Inverness and capital of the Highlands. Situated on the north shore of the loch, this is the city where we will spend the night in a hotel in the city centre. We will take advantage of the evening to wander around and explore the city centre on our own. Free time.

We head south after a hearty breakfast at the hotel.

We drive through the backbone of Scotland to the Victorian town of Pitlochry. After a short break we will visit one of the most beautiful distilleries in Scotland where they have been producing Single Malt since 1798 - Blair Athol. Our guide will explain all about the distilling process as well as the significance of whisky in the Scottish culture. Of course, we will have the opportunity to taste the house single malt.

Afterwards, we will take a walk in the Hermitage forest. We will once again step into the nature of the highlands and walk under the tallest trees in the UK along the Braam River which will lead us to some fabulous waterfalls in the forest.

After this beautiful walk we will arrive in Dunkeld, a beautiful village on the River Tay where we will have the opportunity to taste the local gastronomy. Dunkeld is recognised as the first capital of Scotland.

With our batteries recharged, we move to the east coast to visit Scotland's most important town - St Andrews. On arrival our guide will take us on a walking tour of the history and sights of St Andrews.

This town is well-known for having a big number of tourist attractions as well as being the birthplace of golf, home to Scotland's oldest university where Prince William met his current wife Kate Middleton and much more!

In the evening, before arriving in Edinburgh, we will stop at South Queesferry to see 3 engineering masterpieces - the Forth Bridges. Among the three bridges we highlight the railway bridge built in 1890 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an icon of the country.

In just over 20 minutes we will be back in Edinburgh after 2 exciting days full of culture, history and nature throughout Scotland.