Scotland
& Iceland

Welcome to Scotland. Everyone is arriving on different flights, so please arrange your own private driver from Edinburgh Airport to The Hoxton. The drive into the city is roughly 25 minutes.

The evening is simply about getting in and checking in. Because everyone is arriving at different times today, dinner is on your own.

Breakfast at the hotel, then a free morning to explore Edinburgh on your own, perhaps the Royal Mile and a few other highlights, at whatever pace suits you. At 1:00pm we meet our tour guides at the hotel, and they stay with us for the rest of the Highland journey.

• 1:00pm Pick up from The Hoxton.
• 2:15 to 4:15pm Stirling Castle. One of Scotland's grandest fortresses, set atop a volcanic crag, with restored royal apartments and sweeping views. (About 1 hour drive from Edinburgh.)
• 5:30pm Arrive at Cameron House, or earlier if Stirling runs short.

A morning at a distillery on the River Clyde, then lunch and a Highland farm in the afternoon, back at Cameron House with time to relax before dinner.

• 10:00am Pick up from Cameron House.
• 11:00am to 12:15pm Clydeside Distillery. A tour and tasting at this striking distillery on the River Clyde in Glasgow, set in a former pump house.
• 1:00 to 3:30pm Ardardan Estate. Lunch and a farm visit at this working estate near Cardross, with friendly Highland animals, gardens and a tearoom. Lovely for the children.
• 4:00pm Arrive at Cameron House.

The most scenic driving day of the trip, ending at your private castle on Loch Ness.

• 9:00am Pick up from Cameron House.
• Glencoe & Fort William. Travel north through Glencoe and on to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, with scenic stops and lunch along the way.
• 3:00 to 4:00pm Boat cruise on Loch Ness. A cruise along the Great Glen, with live sonar and an eye out for Nessie.
• 5:30pm Arrive at Aldourie Castle.

After breakfast, you travel along the shores of Loch Ness, following the dramatic line of the Great Glen Fault, with an eye out for Nessie and time to pause for photos along the way.

• 9:15am Pick up from Aldourie Castle.
• 10:00 to 11:30am Culloden Battlefield & Visitor Centre. One of Scotland's most important historic sites, where the final Jacobite Rising of 1745 came to its decisive end. Walk the haunting moor where the clans once faced each other and explore the powerful interactive exhibits.
• 11:45am to 12:00pm Clava Cairns. A remarkable Bronze Age burial site ringed by standing stones, steeped in mystery and said to have inspired scenes from Outlander.
• 12:30 to 2:30pm Inverness. The capital of the Highlands, with lunch and free time to stroll along the River Ness, take in the castle viewpoints, or browse the shops.
• 3:00pm Arrive at Aldourie Castle, or earlier if you take less time at Culloden or in Inverness.

South through the mountains toward the home of golf.

• 8:30am Pick up from Aldourie Castle.
• 10:00 to 11:30am Highland Wildlife Park. A drive through reserve and walking areas in the Cairngorms, home to wildcats, bison, snow leopards, polar bears and more. A favourite with the children.
• Perth. We drop our guide at Perth train station to make her way back to Edinburgh, then continue to St Andrews.
• 2:30pm Arrive in St Andrews.

After breakfast at Rusacks, we leave the hotel for a private transfer to Glasgow Airport and the early afternoon flight to Iceland.

• 9:30am Pick up from Rusacks Hotel.
• 12:00pm Arrive at Glasgow Airport.
• 2:20pm Icelandair FI431. Glasgow (GLA) to Keflavik (KEF), landing 3:45pm.
• On arrival, collect vehicles and begin the drive toward your first night in Iceland.

Landing in the afternoon, with dinner on the road and an overnight at Hotel Loa before the longer drive east the next day.

• Land at Keflavik, around 3:45pm.
• Dinner en route at Ingólfsskáli Viking Restaurant, around 6:00pm.
• Check in at Hotel Loa, Hvolsvöllur.

A scenic drive east along the south coast, about two and a half hours before stops, ending at your base for the next three nights.

• Reynisfjara. The famous black sand beach near Vik, with basalt columns and sea stacks.
• Yoda Cave. Hjörleifshöfði, just east of Vik, a striking cave with a Star Wars likeness.
• Fjaðrárgljúfur. A dramatic, winding canyon with walking paths along the rim.
• Lunch at Kirkjubæjarklaustur, right by the canyon.
• On to Jökulsárlón and check in.

A day at the lagoon, with icebergs drifting out to sea and the black sands just beyond.

• Boat tour out among the icebergs on the lagoon.
• Diamond Beach. Ice boulders scattered across the black sand at the water's edge.

A day among waterfalls, glacier tongues and national park trails.

• Skaftafell National Park. Part of Vatnajökull, with trails for all levels.
• Svartifoss. The waterfall framed by black basalt columns, about a 1.5 hour round trip, with easier alternate trails for anyone skipping the full walk.
• Fjallsárlón. A smaller, quieter glacier lagoon, with a glacier buggy tour, not yet booked.
• Puffin tour.

The long drive back west to the capital, broken up with waterfalls and a coffee stop, and a final night in the city.

• Reynisfjara black sand beach.
• Skógafoss. One of Iceland's grandest waterfalls, which you can walk right up to.
• Urriðafoss. A wide, powerful falls on the way west.
• Hveragerði. A bakery and coffee stop, the closest to Reykjavik.
• Arrive at The Edition, around 4:00pm, then time to explore the city.

A group transfer will take us from The Edition to Keflavik Airport, timed for the 10:30am departures that most of the group is on. If your flight leaves earlier or later, please arrange your own transportation to the airport.