Hebridean Explorer Small Group Tour - 5 day tour

Day 2 - Inverness - Arnol Blackhouse - Stornoway (Isle of Lewis)

After leaving Inverness behind, we enjoy grandstand views of the Moray Firth as we cross the Kessock Bridge and travel through the Black Isle. 

The fishing port of Ullapool sits on Loch Broom and is where our ferry awaits to sail across The Minch to reach Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. The sailing will take 2 hours 45 minutes, and our cruise ferry boasts extensive lounge and dining facilities. 

On arrival, we reboard our coach to explore our new island surroundings. The Arnol Blackhouse is a fully furnished, traditional Lewis thatched house that was once the residence of a Hebridean crofting family and their animals. Today, as we will discover, it is preserved almost as the family left it in 1965. 

These islands are famed for the production of Harris Tweed, so the last visit of the day is to a weaver to see the fabric being woven using traditional methods - a truly fascinating process. 

Later, we make the short journey back to Stornoway, our home, for the next two nights. 

Overnight: Stornoway (2 nights)

Day 3 - Exploring Lewis and Harris

We start the day by driving to Dun Carloway Broch, which sits overlooking Loch an Duin. This impressive ruin is thought to have been an ancient stronghold dating from around 200 BC. 

Continue time-travelling with a stop to admire the ancient Callanish Standing Stones. This remarkable arrangement of standing stones dates back over 5,000 years. The exact purpose of the stones is a mystery, but experts think the site was probably an astronomical observatory. 

After lunch, we will concentrate on the neighbouring island of Harris. We'll travel through the imposing hills of North Harris to reach the little village of Tarbert, the island's main port. 

The little island of Taransay has found fame as the setting for the popular TV programme Castaway and the movie "The Rocket Post". We'll stop so you can admire the views and take a stroll along the never-ending sands of Luskentyre Beach. This is a great place to enjoy some beach combing. Look out for the machairs that sit behind the beach - these green grassy plains are covered in a mass of wildflowers in the summer. 

St Clement's church in the little village of Rodel was built around 1520 by Alexander MacLeod of Dunvegan and Harris. It's widely regarded as the most magnificent medieval structure in the Western Isles. After exploring this impressive building, we return to Stornoway along the scenic "Golden Road".

* Due to planned facility closures, tours departing in September 2024 will be unable to visit Callanish Standing Stones.

Day 4 - Stornoway - Butt of Lewis - Inverness

After breakfast, we travel westwards to see the Butt of Lewis lighthouse and to experience fantastic clifftop views over the Atlantic Ocean. This remote location has the record for the windiest place in Britain, and due west from here, there is nothing but wild sea until the next landfall in North America! 

We return to Stornoway for some free time to explore this bustling port before our island interlude comes to an end, and we catch the ferry back to the mainland. 

After sailing past the Summer Isles, the ferry cruises up Loch Broom to berth back in Ullapool. 

The road south takes past Loch Droma and its picturesque countryside. Crossing the northern Highlands, we head across the Black Isle again to reach Inverness, our home for tonight.

Overnight: Inverness

Day 5 - Inverness - Cairngorms National Park - Edinburgh

There’s time to explore Inverness, the Capital of the Highlands, before travelling the short distance to visit tragic Culloden Moor. Here, Government troops routed the Jacobite army of Bonnie Prince Charlie in a bloody battle in 1746.

We’ll stop at Dalwhinnie Malt Whisky Distillery so that you can discover how our National drink is lovingly produced. After our tour, you can sample a "wee nip” and shop for souvenirs. The Cairngorms National Park is Britain’s largest and contains five of Scotland’s six highest peaks. The park provides a stunning backdrop to our travels through the Spey Valley. Then, we descend through the Drumochter Pass to reach the pleasant Victorian tourist town of Pitlochry, where we will stop for refreshments.

The dramatic scenery of Highland Perthshire gives way to rolling farmland as we reach the "Fair City” of Perth, and then we join the motorway for our journey through the ancient Kingdom of Fife. The final part of our drive offers wonderful views of the Forth Bridge as we make our way into Edinburgh.