Personal Highlands Experience Limited Tadis House, 455, Whalley New Road, Blackburn, United Kingdom, BB1 4LB Tel: 01254889627 Mobile: 07858137468 1 Day Western Highlands Experience from Edinburgh Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, Rannoch Moor, Glen Etive, Glencoe, Ben Nevis, The Great Glen, Laggan Valley, Cairngorms National Park, Blair Castle, Queensferry Bridge 8am - We leave the vibrant city of Edinburgh via the motorway and head towards our first stop of the day, the historic city of Stirling 9am - We arrive at our first destination, Stirling. We drive through to visit the world famous Stirling Castle (12 th century), and the Wallace Monument. This commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish hero, and was completed in 1869 to the designs of architect John Thomas Rochead Personal Highlands Experience Limited, Company Registration Number: 10686893 Web: www.personalhighlandsexperience.com Invoice queries please email: enquiries@personalhighlandsexperience.com
10am We leave Stirling via the A84 and head towards Callander, the first town we encounter within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Callander is a popular tourist destination within the highlands, and lies on the River Teith 10.30am - Our drive through experience of the Trossachs takes us in a north-westerly direction towards the village of Crianlarich, which lies within Glen Strathfillan. We pass the very beautiful Loch Lubnaig along this route. The national park is the fourth largest in the British Isles, with a total area of 1,865 km2 (720 sq mi) and a boundary of some 350 km (220 mi) in length. It includes 21 Munros (including Ben Lomond, Ben Lui, Beinn Challuim, Ben More and two peaks called Ben Vorlich), 19 Corbetts, two forest parks (Queen Elizabeth, and Argyll) and 57 designated special nature conservation sites 11.30am - Refreshment stop at one of Scotland gold panning towns, Tyndrum option to eat at the famous Green Welly Stop, or the Real food cafe. Tyndrum is a small village in Scotland whose Gaelic name translates as "the house on the ridge". It also lies in Strathfillan, at the southern edge of Rannoch Moor. The village is notable mainly for being at a junction of transport routes. The West Highland Line railway from Glasgow splits approximately 5 miles (8 km) to the south at Crianlarich, with one branch heading to Fort William and the other to Oban. Tyndrum has a station on each: Upper Tyndrum on the Fort William line and Tyndrum Lower on the Oban line. Thus unusually there are two stations serving the same small village, only a few hundred yards apart, but about 10 miles (16 km) apart by rail. Indeed, Tyndrum is the smallest settlement in the UK with more than one railway station Page 2
12pm - Time to ascend towards the very baron lands of Rannoch Moor. Rannoch Moor is perfect deer habitat, with various different species to be seen. Witness an immense barren landscape, with views of mountains and lochs which can be seen as far as the eye can see 12.30pm As we approach the end of Rannoch Moor we turn off briefly towards Glen Etive and the Dalness estate. Alongside the river Etive we will stop to take in the stunning scenery and waterfalls before returning to the main road where we witness stunning views of Buachaille Etive Mòr. James Bond fans will love and recognise this area. Look out for the many deer that thrive in this magical glen Page 3
1pm - Only a few minutes after we leave Glen Etive we stop again to wonder in amazement at Bidean nam Bian, the highest munro in Argyll and whose dramatic northerly points are known as the Three Sisters of Glencoe for obvious reasons. Between the most easterly of the two large ridges is Coire Gabhail (The Lost Valley or Hidden Valley), which is famous for being the place where the MacDonalds hid their stolen cattle. Well worth returning one day to enjoy a breathtaking scenic walk, which can be tricky in parts. Allow 2 hours minimum for this 1.10pm - Depart and descend into Glencoe. We pass the turn off to the Clachaig Inn to your right, famous for its hospitality and their selection of over 300 single malts by the glass. Option to stop for a wee dram if we have enough time 1.15pm - Arrival at the famous village of Glencoe, where we take a short stop at the Glencoe visitor s centre to learn a little bit about the history of the area, the massacre in 1692, the area s rich wildlife and make use of the facilities if required. Glencoe and Dalness have been used as a backdrop for scenes in many films, such as Harry Potter, Braveheart, Rob Roy and James Bond Skyfall Page 4
1.45pm - We then head north out of Glencoe and over the Ballachulish bridge towards Fort William. The bridge offers amazing 360 degree views of Loch Leven, Loch Linnhe and the surrounding munros 2.15pm Transit through Fort William, the outdoor capital of the UK, which sits neatly at the feet of the mighty Ben Nevis, incidentally the highest peak in the UK at 1,345 metres above sea level Page 5
2.30pm - Spean Bridge Mill refreshment break. Explore their whisky shop and chance to grab a quick bite to eat before we head east towards the Cairngorms National Park 3pm We head towards the Cairngorms via the Laggan Valley, where we pass the very scenic Loch Laggan and to your left Creag Meagaidh can be seen. Creag Meagaidh is a magnificent massif, a bare plateau fringed by some of the grandest cliffs in Scotland 4pm - Transit through the fabulous Cairngorms National Park towards Blair Atholl where we stop to visit the stunning Blair Castle. Twice the size of the Lake District, the Cairngorms National Park has more mountains, forest paths, rivers, lochs, wildlife hotspots, friendly villages and distilleries than you can possibly imagine Page 6
4.30 approx - Blair Castle house and gardens self guided tour. Approx 1 hour required. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their chief, the Duke of Atholl, though the current (12th) Duke, Bruce Murray, lives in South Africa 5.30pm We depart Blair Castle and carry on heading down the A9 towards Edinburgh where we follow the path of the famous salmon fishing river, the River Tay which runs through the city of Perth Page 7
7.15pm We enter Edinburgh via the brand new Queensferry Crossing. It took 6 years to build and was built alongside the famous Forth Road Bridge, which can be clearly seen running parallel. It carries the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth 7.30pm - Arrival back in Edinburgh Page 8
Total experience cost, not including any extras ONLY 499..!! We can recommend, and we are also happy to book on your behalf, suitable accommodation pending your available budget Pricing is for the service and vehicle/transport for up to 4 persons max Accommodation and attraction entry fees are not included unless specified Meals when on tour are not included unless specified, or unless included at your hotel/b&b Should you decide not to go ahead with the itinerary exactly as advertised, please let us know and we will be happy to change it to make it more personal to you, and we will advise you of any additional costs if applicable We are unable to accept liability for any instances whereby your trip is affected for reasons which would be beyond our control, for example: road closures/delays, ferry cancellations, bad weather, Skye bridge closure. Due to this we cannot absolutely guarantee a return time. Whilst we do not accept responsibility for any extra accommodation, food or other costs that may be incurred due to ferry delays, road closures/delays and/or cancellations, we will make every effort to adapt the experience to reduce your disruption. Please note that no refunds will be given for any itinerary changes due to any of the above reasons Page 9