Loch Ness, Inverness & The Highlands - 2 Day Tour from Edinburgh
4.6
89 Ratings
Edinburgh

Enjoy a relaxed two-day journey through the Highlands, guided by your Driver-Guide. Witness stunning rivers, lakes and mountains; immerse yourself in the abundant history of the Highlands and stay overnight in its capital, Inverness.

Duration: 2 days
Cancellation: 6 days learn more
Highlights

From Edinburgh to Inverness

Luss Pier - Our first stop is the charming conservation village of Luss, located on the picturesque ‘Bonny Bonny Banks’ of Loch Lomond.

Glencoe Lochan - We descend into the vast and dramatic Rannoch Moor, passing the Black Mount, to reach the striking Glencoe, the site of the 1692 massacre of the MacDonald Clan. Here, we take a leisurely walk to absorb the atmosphere of this haunting glen.

Old Fort of Fort William - We then drive north towards Fort William for lunch and a view of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis.

Fort Augustus - After lunch in the Fort William area, our two-day Inverness tour from Edinburgh follows the 24-mile shoreline of Loch Ness, passing by Urquhart Castle.

From Inverness to Edinburgh

Culloden Battlefield - Our first stop is the Culloden Battlefield, where the Jacobites and Bonnie Prince Charlie were defeated by the Duke of Cumberland.

Clava Cairns - Catch a glimpse of the ancient stones of the Neolithic Clava Cairns.

Ruthven Barracks - After a lunch stop at Aviemore, we head south to visit the historic military garrison of Ruthven Barracks, built by General Wade.

The Hermitage Woodland Walk - We continue our return journey via The Hermitage, stopping for a gentle forest walk (this option is available only in the summer months).

Forth Road Bridge - Opened in 1890, the Forth Bridge is a Scottish icon recognized worldwide as the most famous cantilever design.

What's Included
  • 1 night accommodation (unless ‘no accommodation’ option is selected)
  • Driver/guide
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Live commentary on board
  • Digital Downloadable Translations on request
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Accommodation, unless chosen
  • Attraction Tickets
  • Gratuities
  • On-board restrooms
Additional Information
  • Minimum age is 4 years.
  • Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark.
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
  • Digital translations in English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian & Mandarin available on request.
  • Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or a full refund.
  • Please arrive a minimum of 15 minutes before your tour’s departure time.
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult.
  • If you book your own accommodation, it must be within 2km of Inverness city centre.
  • Luggage is restricted to one medium sized suitcase per person. For guidance: a medium sized suitcase is considered 60-69cm high and roughly 45cm in width.
Location
521 Lawnmarket
Lawnmarket
In front of the Ensign Ewart Pub
Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 7 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(89 Ratings)
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John_d
Jun 9, 2024
Excellent Tour - I booked this trip so my brothers and I could see the Highlands. The tour was excellent. David was a great driver and guide and had good recommendations. He also proved to be a deer whisperer. The accommodations in Inverness were fine and close to restaurants. It was a great trip.
Review provided by Viator
Md9333
Apr 29, 2024
Highly recommended this tour - I did the overnight trip to Inverness with stops along the way in the highlands. It was such a great time and SHUG was a great tour guide. He gave us great commentary during our drive to give the history of the area we were looking at, he has a great sense of humor too. He made sure we made it to the Loch Ness boat ride in time and knew how to avoid the crowds. I really enjoyed feeding the “hairy coos” aka hairy cows. The stop to look at the 3 sisters mountains in the highlands was stunning, only wish we had time to hike it. I’m a fan of outlander so was happy that he pointed out the spots that were featured on the show. The battle of culloden was a site to see as well as the standing stones. We stopped to see a few castles and other picture worthy sites along the way. He gave us time to eat in a few different beautiful towns and would make rest room stops as well. I booked my own accommodations in Inverness as well as the others on my tour, and he was right on time in the morning picking us all up at the various locations. I do feel like we all got the most out of this two day trip. You really need an overnight trip to see the highlands. I got a ton of photos to take back with me.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabeth_c
Apr 22, 2024
Excellent 2-day trip to Highlands - I had a really great time during this trip. It was my first time in Scotland ever, and this trip made me want to come back to see Scotland again to see the rest of it! The itinerary was well-planned, and the bus was clean, new, and well-equipped, making it a pleasant driving time. My guide, Mark, was especially great, making this trip a superb experience - He was a very knowledgeable, considerate, and wonderful guide in all aspects. Thank you so much, Mark!! I love and appreciate Scotland more, thanks to you! Especially to those who are new to Scotland and plan to travel alone, and are unsure about taking a bus tour - you won't regret taking this trip. I recommend this trip in a heartbeat. You will love it.
Review provided by Viator
Heinzgunnar_w
Apr 19, 2024
Splendid guide - The story’s that our guide Paul Santa told us. A very enthusiastic guide. A beautiful country and we will most certain come back to Scotland.
Review provided by Viator
Lauraks6956rd
Mar 13, 2024
Just a few highlights - Just a few highlights: the personal approach by tour guide Tom - literally going the extra mile, the qualitative information and history received during the rides (including tips on where to go during stops), the safety measures were well in place, ambiance was very calm and respectful, the Scottish music (we have Skipinnish still on repeat), and a two-day trip felt like a week away on adventure!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
989martinak
Mar 10, 2024
Caledonia is in my heart - This tour was great. I really enjoyed the ride, the spectacular views, highlands, stories. The tour guide, Tom, provided the authentic experience - let us listen to the Scottish music, provided the information regarding the history of Scotland, current life in Scotland - he is a really good story teller and has a sense of humor similar to Ricky Gervais :) He provided us the advice which restaurants or bars to see in Edinburgh and Inverness -> I followed his advice and visited eg Highlander, which I really enjoyed - talked to local Scottish people, listened to the local music. I fell in love with Caledonia :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
136shivamk
Mar 10, 2024
Amazing Trip, Cheers to our guide JACK - It was an amazing journey specially because of our guide JACK, he is an amazing person with thorough knowledge of each place and great way of presentation
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anieka_c
Feb 18, 2024
Fantastic Experience! - We were on the tour with Neil from Timberbush Tours and he was great! Incredibly knowledgeable about Scotland as a whole, very friendly and a pleasure to listen to for 2 days on the road. We were able to stop at a few extra places thanks to him, which really made the trip unique. We really enjoyed ourselves and would travel with Neil and Timberbush again in a heartbeat.
Review provided by Viator
430dl
Nov 7, 2023
A Fantastic Tour to Lochness - Our tour guide Brian was amazing! Not only was her personable, he was accurate about the history of Scotland and the various locales we went to. The tour group really enjoyed his stories and he is quite funny. I have taken a few of the Timberbush Tours and this one was by far the bus. The guide really makes or breaks the tour, and Brian was the best leader we have experienced! We would definitely book another trip from Canada based on just the tour alone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yaraa851
Sep 28, 2023
Terrible Tour Experience. Avoid at All Costs - If you're considering Timberbush Tours for your next tour, I urge you to think twice. We were there for the 2-day Loch Ness, Inverness and the Highlands tour, and it was the worst experience we've had in Scotland. Let's start with our tour guide, Callum, who was a letdown from the very beginning. It was evident that he was ill-suited for his role. His lack of enthusiasm, grumpy demeanor, and lack of humor set a bleak tone for the entire journey. But that's not the worst of it. The real disappointment was the lack of meaningful commentary. We visited historically significant sites such as Culloden Battlefield and Urquhart Castle, only to be met with a few lackluster sentences or, even worse, deafening silence. Extracting information from our guide was akin to pulling teeth. We were left feeling like a bothersome inconvenience rather than valued customers. Learning about Scotland's rich history and culture? Forget about it. Now, let's talk about the Scottish music that is supposed to be played during the tour. Yes, it was there, technically. However, don't get your hopes up about actually hearing it. The music was played at a volume so abysmally low that even those seated closest to the front of the bus couldn't make out much of anything. The rushed pace of the tour added further frustration. While some level of haste is expected given the distance the tour covers, we arrived back in Edinburgh at a baffling 5 pm instead of the scheduled 7:30 pm. Timberbush Tours attempted to justify this with an excuse about lack of traffic, but this contradicted their driver's statement earlier in the day that he planned to be back in Edinburgh at 6pm. Now, let's address the real issue here—the blatant dishonesty and condescending attitude displayed by Timberbush Tours. When I raised concerns, they resorted to falsehoods: 1) They fabricated a story about me moving to the front of the moving vehicle to seek more information from the guide and labeled this as 'disruptive.' This is a complete lie, as I was already seated at the front and had no reason to change my position to ask a question. I merely asked for more information about the sites, which should be everyone's right during a tour. The implication that asking questions is considered disruptive by this company speaks volumes about their lackluster tours (as I mentioned, you feel like an annoyance just for asking questions). I even suggested they check the CCTV to verify the truth about me walking to the front of the moving vehicle, but conveniently, they claimed it was not available. 2) They claimed that I had my headphones with me as a way to dismiss my complaint about the barely audible music. In reality, I resorted to using my headphones later in the last few hours of the tour when it was clear that nothing was going to change about the music and commentary. And how did Timberbush Tours respond to all this? With a measly 10% refund as a supposed "gesture of goodwill." It's a slap in the face to customers who expected a worthwhile experience. In summary, this tour with Timberbush was a total disappointment. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this tour operator unless you enjoy wasting your time and money on a soulless, subpar experience. FYI, after the tour, they send around an email for people to rate them. If you choose 4 or 5 stars, it asks you to post a TripAdvisor review. But if you choose 3 stars or less, it redirects you to their website so that you can send them an email, instead of posting a review. So, their rating system is dishonest. I would recommend to take their online rating with a grain of salt
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 10 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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