One of our most popular one day tours from Edinburgh is our tour to Loch Ness and Glencoe; a full day taking in some of the most dramatic scenery of the Scottish Highlands. Our 1 day Loch Ness tour will visit Glencoe and offer options for a cruise across Loch Ness
Departing from Edinburgh, our Loch Ness tour travels northwest, passing the imposing Stirling Castle, before making our first stop at Kilmahog in the highlands for some light refreshments, with the possibility of seeing a Highland coo depending on the time of year. We travel on through Rob Roy Country of Clans MacGregor and Campbell then over the dramatic landscape of Rannoch Moor and the Black Mount to Glencoe, one of Scotland’s most famous glens, site of the 1692 massacre of the Clan MacDonald. Here we pause for a photo stop, and to soak up the atmosphere in this haunting glen.
Continuing via Loch Linnhe, our Loch Ness tour will stop in the Fort William area for lunch then continue into the natural beauty of the Great Glen as we pass beneath Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Travelling on, we will pass though the pretty village of Fort Augustus before reaching Urquhart Castle - here, choose to take part in a cruise and castle excursion (optional, payable extra).
If not, we will continue up to the Clansman Hotel where you will have an hour of free time before we begin our return journey to Edinburgh. Here, you can relax in the hotel with an option to take part in a gin tasting provided by Great Glen Gins and receive a 10% shop voucher on our behalf, or, spend your time exploring the area - such as the Old Coffin Road walk that begins at the hotel car park. There is also the option to take a one-hour round trip cruise along the loch, with stunning views of Urquhart Castle.
Loch Ness, 24 miles long and over 700 feet deep, is most famous for its sightings of the Loch Ness monster, affectionately known as “Nessie”. Spend time at Loch Ness, where you can choose to take a wonderful cruise on the loch.
The Loch Ness tour will start its return for home, journeying through the Cairngorms National Park and the woodland scenery of Perthshire, including the Forest of Atholl, with an evening refreshment stop at the Victorian resort town of Pitlochry, en route back to Edinburgh, where the Loch Ness tour ends.