£570
Tour Details
What’s included
Not included
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Take a trip north of Edinburgh to picturesque Perthshire. Experience one of Scotland’s best surviving Cathedrals, visit the stunning formal gardens at Drummond Castle and walk through the ancient Hermitage woodland. Our last call of the day is the very castle Mary Queen of Scots Honeymooned with her ill-fated husband Lord Darnley.
Journey past some of Scotland’s best sights along the way, including breathtaking views of Stirling Castle, The Wallace Monument and The Kelpies.
Each one of our private tours is conducted in our premium Mercedes minivans, ensuring your comfort as we venture along the small cobbled streets around Edinburgh and narrow back roads of the highlands.
Your knowledgable kilt-wearing private tour guide will tell you the stories and show you the sights on this tour. We offer flexibility and your time inside and outside the vehicle is up to you.
RECOMMENDED SIGHTS ON THIS TOUR …
Dunblane Cathedral
The Cathedral at Dunblane dates back over 1,000 years and is one of the best examples of a Medieval place of worship in Scotland. The tower dates from the 1100’s and the chancel in the 1400’s. During the religious reformation lead by John Knox, Dunblane Cathedral was stripped of its furnishings and fell into disrepair until it was fully restored in the 1800’s. Today a visit to the Cathedral is a fascinating and often overlooked trip.
Drummond Castle Gardens
Located deep in Perthshire, Drummond Castle is a 15th century keep with a 17th century mansion house extension, set into 12 acres of formal terraced gardens. The Castle has seen a lot of history and is connected to Oliver Cromwell and The Jacobite cause, eventually being seized as a government asset. Today the house is private but the claimed gardens are considered to be the best example of their kind in Scotland and well worth a visit.
Drummond Castle’s Jacobite connections were revived recently when it was made famous in TV series Outlander, as the stand in for the Palace of Versailles in Paris.
Drummond Castle Gardens is only open in the summer
The Hermitage
The Hermitage near Dunkeld is a gentle woodland walk through the ancient Craigvinean forest to Ossian’s Hall, a surprising folly (retreat) overlooking the impressive Black Linn waterfall. The path to the folly traverses ancient Caledonian forrest and is home to some of the tallest trees in the Uk. The folly was built in 1760 for the Third Earl of Breadalbane to honour the blind bard Ossian. It is home to Ossian’s Hall of Mirrors. The building was badly damaged by an explosion in 1869. The early 20th century saw vandalism, decline and dereliction before a further restoration in 1952.
Huntingtower Castle (Ruthven Castle)
A tale of two towers, the arrangement was unusual and is believed to have been for two fractions of the same family. Built simultaneously between 1480 and 1530 ‘cheek by jowl’ next to each other, its design is unique in medieval architecture. It is also notable that a Doocot (dove cot) was built into the west tower rather than as a separate building which would have served as a source of meat during the long winter months. In the east tower is one of the oldest painted ceilings in Scotland.
Mary Queen of Scots honeymooned here with Lord Darnley in 1565. However, the Earl of Gowrie of Clan Ruthven fell out of favour with James VI of Scotland during a turbulent time surrounding the reformation and challenges to the Scottish Crown. It stopped being a grand residence about a century later, and was abandoned in 1767.
The Forth Bridges
On the return leg to Edinburgh we cross the Forth bridges at Queensferry. The famous cantilever designed Forth Railway Bridge, opened in 1890 can be seen spanning the river next to the 1964 road bridge, now replaced by the 2017 Queensferry Crossing.
- Distance Instructions
Tour Gallery
Places this tour visits
No two private tours are the same, but these are popular places to see on this Cathedrals, Castles And Highlands Private Tour From Edinburgh
Recent Customer Testimonials
Alice L
I thoroughly enjoyed The Ancient Orkney tour with Laura MacKenzie as our guide. My stepdaughter and I made it to many of the neolithic sites that I hoped to see as well as other important sites that reflect the culture and history of Orkney. On the first day when our [...]
Luz M
This experience was so amazing! Our driver Laura did an incredible job, she made this a very memorable trip for us and I’m very thankful for her. She took us to see castle and tell us more about the history. She really was so wonderful and we are truly blessed [...]
Jeff K
Amazing private tour. Our tour guide Debbie, was so nice, and knowledgeable about the sites. She really took a great tour to another level with her personality and professionalism! The minivan was clean and comfortable and a great alternative to bus/mini bus crowds. Would highly recommend.
Everett J
Our guide was Rob who was absolutely phenomenal. We were traveling with a newborn baby and a 3 year old toddler who was proving difficult straight from the go when Rob arrived to pick us up. He was very patient and accommodating while we got settled into the van. As [...]
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