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| » Loch
Ness, Glencoe & the Highlands |
| Highlights;
Our Scotland in a day tour covering the magnificent beauty
of Rannoch moor, Glencoe, the Great Glen, Loch Ness and
Pitlochry. |
Depart
Edinburgh 8.30am and travel northwest past Linlithgow
palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, and Stirling
Castle.
Stirling castle is also known as the 'Key of Scotland',
as it controlled most of the north/south movement of goods
and people throughout Scotland.
It was Stirling castle
that William Wallace fought for when he beat the English
in 1297, and again by Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn
in 1314, guaranteeing Scotland's freedom. The Wallace
monument is also clear on the opposite side of the valley. |
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A little further on we will make a short stop for coffee
at Callander, the gateway to the Trossachs. This area
of Scotland where the Highlands and Lowlands meet was
made famous by Sir Walter Scott in his epic poem 'Lady
of the Lake'. After Callander we cross the Highland boundary
fault line, leaving the rolling fields for forests, mountain
and moor.
As we wind our way through the tough knot of hills known
as Breadalbane (meaning 'Heights of Scotland), once owned
by the mighty Clan Campbell, we arrive at one of the last
wilderness areas in Western Europe - Rannoch Moor. Surrounded
by high mountains the moor is something of a soupbowl
in shape. 10,000 years ago the last of Scotland's glaciers
melted here to be replaced by a vast pineforest. Several
hundred years ago the climate cooled and the trees gave
way to a course heather moorland, strewn with huge boulders.
It is little wonder than no-one lives here. Beyond Rannoch
moor lies Scotland's most famous valley, Glencoe. Stunningly
beautiful, with its dramatic cliff faces and steep slopes,
Glencoe is also infamous as the site of the Glencoe massacre.
In 1689 King James VII was replaced by his nephew William
of Orange, who demanded that the Highlanders loyal to
the exiled James swear an oath of allegiance to him instead.
His agent in Scotland, who hated the Highlanders, drafted
the oath, which he hoped would give him the excuse to
unleash the full power of the army on the 'barbarian'
Highlanders. The deadline to sign was 31st December 1691,
unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond his control
the Chief of the Macdonalds of Glencoe was late. Glencoe
was a small tribe, and would make a good example to the
larger, rebellious clans. In mid February 1692, the soldiers
of the Scottish army, who had been living with the people
of Glencoe for 2 weeks, led by Robert Campbell, awoke
in the middle of the night and began an indiscriminate
slaughter of the Macdonalds. In the morning 38 men, women
and children lay dead in the snow. No-one was ever punished
for this crime, as the King himself had signed the order,
but because it was murder under trust, the Highlands would
never be the same again.
Beyond Glencoe we will enter the Great Glen, a deep
glacial trough leading to Inverness, and pass under
Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis and pass through
Fort William, before arriving at Fort Augustus on the
southern shore of Loch Ness. Here you will get the chance
to take a boat trip onto the Loch, and you never know
what you will see ! Also worth seeing are the locks
on the Caledonian canal. Built by Thomas Telford, the
canal meant that shipping no longer needed to take the
tortuous route around Cape Wrath. We will give you nearly
2 hours to explore the area. From Loch Ness we head
south again, making a short stop to taste some whisky,
before heading through the mountains to the Highland
resort town of Pitlochry. On the way you will see Ardverikie
house - Glenbogle in the BBC drama ' Monarch of the
Glen', and Blair Castle. This whitewashed castle is
the seat of the Duke of Atholl, the last man in Europe
allowed his own Private army - The Atholl Highlanders.
After Pitlochry, we continue south through the forests
of Perthshire, famous as Macbeth country, and past Perth
itself. Perth was the medieval capital of Scotland,
and is the 'Spiritual' home of Scotch Whisky. South
of Perth we drive past Loch leven where Mary Queen of
Scots was imprisoned by her Protestant nobles, before
escape to England where she was eventually excecuted
by her cousin Elizabeth I. Then it is over the famous
Forth Bridge to Edinburgh
Return time - Approx 8.00pm.
This full day tour departs
daily from Central Edinburgh. 8.30am - 8.00pm.
Adult Price:
£40
Child Price:
£37 (3 - 16 yrs)
Inclusions
Transportation by top of the range 16 seat Mercedes
minicoaches for a more personal service.
Forced air ventilation as standard.
Services of a professional driver/guide
Your chance to see "Nessie"
Exclusions
Lunch and refreshments.
Loch Ness boat cruise.
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The
word loch means lake or fjord. Loch Ness is enclosed by land,
Loch Linnhe is open to the sea. |
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”`I
have to say that travelling in a smaller tour group was most
enjoyable.
Chuck Fisher, |
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