Loch Ness, Clava Cairns and Outlander Sites from Inverness

Embark on a captivating half-day tour from Inverness to explore the historic and scenic wonders of Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Beauly Priory, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, and Ness Islands.

Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Inverness Cathedral, dedicated to St Andrew - St Andrews Cathedral
    The tour starts in Inverness where we drive past St. Andrew’s Cathedral, a stunning church dating back to 1869, located near the city center. This Anglican Cathedral is the northernmost in the UK and is a prime example of local Gothic architecture. Take a moment to admire the beautiful stained glass windows and intricately carved stonework.

  • Ness Islands - The River Ness flows from the northern end of Loch Ness, through Loch Dochfour, and through the heart of Inverness. Contrary to popular belief, Inverness gets its name from the Scottish Gaelic ‘Inbhir Nis,’ meaning ‘Mouth of the River Ness,’ not from Loch Ness.

Legend has it that the first sighting of the Loch Ness monster occurred in the River Ness, where Saint Columba reportedly banished a ‘water monster’ back into the river after it tried to attack one of his disciples.

The river attracts many visitors, with numerous buildings like St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Eden Court Theatre, and various popular restaurants and hotels lining its banks. Nature enthusiasts should look out for common and grey seals, several bat species, and birds such as dippers, goosanders, and occasionally ospreys.

  • Loch Ness Region - From Ness Islands in Inverness, we will travel towards Loch Ness, offering plenty of photo opportunities at some of the most scenic vantage points. You’ll also have a chance to touch the waters of Loch Ness before heading to the village of Drumnadrochit for shopping and gin tasting.

  • Great Glen Distillery - Scotland’s Smallest Craft Distillery - Great Glen gin captures the essence of its birthplace, balancing sweet herbal honeysuckle notes of Scottish heather with the subtle tartness of Red Sorrel and aromatic pine tones of Frankincense. Enhanced by the purity of our own base spirit, this complex and rewarding gin offers deep, lasting flavors that linger like timeless tales. Pull up a chair, pour a glass, and start your own story.

  • Beauly Priory - Take your time exploring the historic ruins and learning about its fascinating history before the tour continues to Beauly Priory, an ancient monastery now in ruins but still exuding an air of reverence and mystery.

  • Robertson’s Farm Shop Beauly - Highland cows, goats, and alpacas can be seen here. The farm shop is filled with a wide range of treats to tempt all tastes, as well as gifts and goodies for the whole family. Open all year round.

  • The Singleton Distillery - FROM GRAIN TO GLASS
    A true product of its place of birth, Great Glen balances the sweet herbal honeysuckle notes of Scottish heather with the subtle tartness of Red Sorrel and the aromatic pine tones of Frankincense. Elevated by the purity of our own base spirit, this complex and rewarding gin has deep, lasting flavors that stay with you like the tales that transcend generations. Pull up a chair, pour a glass, and start your own story.

  • Clava Cairns - This sacred site in the Highlands is rich in history, with its first usage dating back over 4000 years. Set in a beautiful forested area, ancient peoples returned here repeatedly; there are even ruins of a medieval chapel. Clava Cairns inspired the fictitious Craigh na Dun standing stones in the book and TV series Outlander, including the famous ‘cleft stone’ that transports the main character Claire back in time.

  • Culloden Battlefield - Culloden was the site of the bloody Battle of Culloden, which had far-reaching consequences and is thoroughly documented at the visitor center. Engage with the history through artifacts, re-enactments, and talks by local historians before heading to Clava Cairns, an ancient Bronze Age cemetery.

What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • Snacks
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Live commentary on board
  • Free tasting at Great Glen Distillery
What's Not Included
  • GLEN ORD DISTILLERY TASTING FROM £15 FOR A FLIGHT ., THATS 3 DRAMS
Additional Information

HISTORIC AND SCENIC TOURS
Whether you are looking for DAY tours from Inverness or simply trying to take in as many of the beautiful sights as possible on your Highland adventure, our .loch Ness, Clava Cairns and outlander sites from from INVERNESS . is sure to captivate like no other. Our friendly guide will pick from your place of stay ie hotel, guesthouse, air b.b or apartment and take you on a tour to remember around some of the most famous, historic and culturally significant sites anywhere in Scotland.
From Inverness we will travel to Loch Ness, (as well as a certain legendary monster!) The tour then turns towards the historic Beauly Priory , robertson farm Then on to the historic and dramatic Culloden Battlefield and Clava Cairns, Round off your tour in Inverness with St. Andrew’s Cathedral and Ness Islands, before being dropped off at your place of stay . What are you waiting for

Location
Inverness Cathedral, dedicated to St Andrew
Ardross Street
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(32 Ratings)
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Mark_p
Jun 29, 2024
Great tour guide - Iqbal was a great guide, he was very informative and very kind and patient when our two year old was fussy. We could not have asked for a better tour guide. We had a great day even the the rain showers.
Review provided by Viator
Sinead_t
May 6, 2024
Excellent Tour & Tour Guide! - My friends and I enjoyed a Half-Day tour with Iqbal. And may I say it was absolutely amazing!!! He was the most knowledgeable tour guide ever! He told us so much about the history and culture of beautiful Scotland! It is so obvious he enjoys what he does and truly loves passing on his vast knowledge and experience to his clients. Iqbal was also friendly, flexible, and most patient with our group when we made him wait almost an hour so we could finish shopping! He kindly picked us up from our hotel to start the tour and was on time at arrival. And he helped us take some great photos of our group during the tour, giving us precious memories to look back on. It was truly an incredible experience my friends and I won't soon forget!! Thank you again, Iqbal, for giving us this opportunity. We would do it again if we ever have to chance to do so.
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Jill_s
Apr 25, 2024
Lewis was an amazing tour... - Lewis was an amazing tour guide! We were the only people on the tour and he personalized it to our preferences. He was easy going/personable, very knowledgeable and such a delight to be around! Would do this tour again for sure as long as he was our guide. We were only here for a short time but we were able to squeeze in a lot of the “must-sees”, making it all more memorable!
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Kathryn_g
Dec 24, 2023
Rainy and beautiful sights - We loved the scenery, even on a cold and rainy day. Our guide, Richie, did a wonderful job keeping us out of the rain and cold as much as possible. We really appreciated his flexibility, friendliness, and knowledge. Highlights included the priory at Beauly, the Loch Ness Exhibition, and the Clava Cairns. We would definitely recommend this trip.
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Laurenwt7084zk
Oct 20, 2023
Amazing tour of the Scottish Highlands - We had an amazing time on our private tour with Tony! He was prompt picking us up and curated our day to fit our interests, even going out of the way to show us some great local spots and giving us recommendations for local restaurants to try. Our Highlands tour was the highlight of our ten day trip in Scotland, and a must book if you are visiting the Inverness area!! Thank you Tony for the best tour!
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Laureen_r
Sep 18, 2023
Mike is the best 😀 - Mike was great. Spent extra time with us. Very knowledgeable about the area, funny and continually checked to see if we needed breaks or wanted to do anything else
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Kathy_v
Sep 17, 2023
Scottish history and culture - Mike was w wonderful guide who was willing to cater to our desired stops since we were the only 4 who booked that day. Love learning the history of the Inverness region
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Janet_k
Sep 13, 2023
Wonderful tour - We had a lovely day with Tony. He was very accommodating and made sure we saw the things that we needed to see—castles, Loch Ness, hairy coos, Clava Cairns, the battlefield, gin and whisky tasting and lunch at a local pub where we could try haggis and tatties. He was a lot of fun and filled us in on the history of the places we went. All four of us agree that this was the best of the eight tours we took on this trip. And a shout out to Mike who I texted many times ahead of the trip to ask questions. He always responded quickly and I really appreciated his help. I didn’t realize how far Inverness was from the port and Mike was very helpful in taking care of us. I definitely recommend this company.
Review provided by Viator
Steven_s
Sep 12, 2023
The Best Tour of our 12 day British Isles cruise - We are so grateful for the experience we had today with our driver/guide Johnny. He was absolutely fantastic. We were able to see everything we wanted to see at our pace — Black Rock Gorge, Highland Cows, Urquhart Castle, Condor Castle, the Cairns, Culloden Battlefied, and the Singleton scotch whiskey tasting room. The tour operator and our guide were by far the best we encountered on our British Isles cruise and we highly recommend them.
Review provided by Viator
Jan_h
Aug 18, 2023
Tony was Awesome!!! - Tony was such a great and knowledgeable tour guide! We had an amazing time and appreciate the detail that Tony was able to prove at every spot.
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up to 8 guests
3 Adult
September 2024
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