Cawdor Castle, Inverness, Culloden, Outlander and Loch Ness Tour

Visit Culloden Battlefield. Site of bloody last battle of Jacobite Rising, with visitor centre

Picturesque Cawdor Castle - Scottish castle with large maze

Culloden Viaduct. Historical engineering marvel - photo opportunity

See Inverness, the capital of the Highlands

Katie-Morag highland cow at Robertson’s farm near Beauly

Duration6h - 8h

Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before

Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away

TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted

LanguagesEnglish

Group sizeUp to 53 travelers

Overview

Return journey:

We WILL have you back to your ship around 1 hour prior to its departure time. We nearly always arrive back BEFORE the ship’s own buses. We’re very efficient and have been doing this for 7 years, serving thousands of cruise passengers every summer season.
This bus tour from Invergordon features highlights from Outlander, Culloden, Castles, Loch Ness & Nessie! It packs in a lot for one day's tour and is very affordable and good value for money. Entrance to castle is INCLUDED.

Our tours are specially put together after taking feedback from YOU. We have surveyed your desires and requests and put them together in our tours. We provide a quality experience and a guide or driver guide on our minibuses or buses. Our guides are always excellent.

Please check the tour times on our website, as the times listed here are approximate. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to start.

This tour is usually in a large bus unless it’s a small ship then it may be in an 8 seater minivan.

What's included

Entrance to Cawdor Castle is included

Clava cairns is excluded due to bus and weak bridge

What to expect

Culloden Battlefield
45m

We will travel to the Culloden Battlefield, where the Jacobites lost many a soul in the 1946 uprising. This was the last battle to be fought on British soil. If time allows we will give guests a chance to walk on the battlefield. Depending on tour we may not stop but just drive by.
Culloden Viaduct
Pass by

After a half hour visit at Clava Cairns, we will pop around the corner to see the famous Culloden or Nairn viaduct, designed by Murdoch Paterson and opened as a railway crossing in 1898. It is a spectacle to behold – there will be photo opportunities.
Cawdor Castle
1h 30m · Admission ticket included

Cawdor Castle is a lived in castle which is written about in Shakespear's MacBeth, when he refers to the Thane of Cawdor and the prediction. It has spectacular gardens and guided audio tours in your own language.
Inverness
45m

Drop off in the city for shopping or seeing the historical churches and streets. It can vary between 30-90 minutes for this stop.
Beauly Priory
Pass by

We will leave the urquhart castle around 2-2.30pm to journey via a scenic route to Beauly to drive by the historic priory, now a ruin, built in 1230 by a little-known French order of monks. It is also the location where Claire of Outlander fame, is supposed to have met Mairi. It is the true site of the burial ground for the chiefs of Clan Fraser of which the fictional character from Outlander, Jamie Fraser is related.

If time allows we will stop.
The Inverness Castle Experience
Pass by

Journeying onwards through the city of Inverness we will pass the historic town hall and the Inverness Castle. There will be photo opportunities for the castle and Inverness Cathedral. You’ll be able to visit the castle viewing gallery and the shops, cafes or historic bars.

Photos only until 2024 as castle is being renovated.
Loch Ness
10m

Going over the River Ness onto Loch Ness, where you need to be ready to spot our legend, Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. Enjoy the comfortable ride by Loch Ness, which takes just around 30 minutes , searching for a sighting of Nessie herself. The last famous recorded sighting of her was a few decades ago, but we live in hope she will be photographed again soon. The scenery is second to none, so have your cameras ready. In recent months there has been footage circulated online of video recordings of an animal similar to Nessie playing in Loch Ness. We will stop at the Loch Ness lay-by for photos but it isn’t possible to paddle in Loch Ness due to the steep hillside location. You’ll travel past Loch Ness for 30 minutes enjoying it and waiting for a glimpse of Nessie.

Drive by for 30 minutes. We will try to stop for photos
Robertson's - The Larder & Highland Cows - Beauly
20m

Go see a local farm shop but most of all see the two Highland cows Jamie and Katie-Morag

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

In 2025 the cruise ships will dock at Quay West. Passengers disembark and get onto a shuttle bus which takes them to our meeting location on Shore Road. We are the first stop. All the independent tour guides wait there so look for our Thistle Guides.

End point

In 2025 the cruise ships will dock at Quay West. Passengers disembark and get onto a shuttle bus which takes them to our meeting location on Shore Road. We are the first stop. All the independent tour guides wait there so look for our Thistle Guides.

Additional information

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Wheelchair travellers difficult

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Reviews

4.5 (383)