Orkney, Shetland and the Highlands

Our Tour Manager greets us in Edinburgh at our hotel, where we enjoy dinner this evening. On Day 2 we travel by rail to Inverness, our base for the next 2 nights.

• Day 1 - Dinner
• Day 2 - Breakfast, Dinner

Today, we visit Loch Ness for a cruise across this fabled body of water. We then visit 13th-century Urquhart Castle, set on a headland looking over the loch. On Day 4 we travel by rail from Inverness to Dunrobin Castle, where there's time at leisure. After exploring the beautiful stately home, you could relax in the popular tea room, or catch the daily falcon display. We continue to Dornoch where we check into our hotel. We head to Carnegie Court house this evening to indulge in a quintessential Scottish activity - a dram of whisky - before taking a leisurely stroll back to our hotel, enjoying views of the sea.

• Day 3 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 4 - Breakfast, Dinner

We transfer by coach to Scrabster to board the MV Hamnavoe for our journey to the Orkney Islands. On arrival, we enjoy a guided coach tour that features Skara Brae and Scapa Flow, the area's natural harbour. After dinner in a local restaurant, we board either the MV Hrossey or the MV Hjaltland to begin our 2-night cruise of the Shetland Isles and coastal Scotland.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We arrive in Lerwick for a guided tour of this port town and other parts of Shetland. In the evening, we sail to Aberdeen, where we arrive on Day 7. After disembarking, we transfer to Crathes and join the Royal Deeside Railway. Our charming train trundles its way alongside the pretty river Dee, granting an unspoilt look at rural Scotland. We continue by coach to Balmoral, the holiday home of the Royal Family, spending 2 nights in Pitlochry at the Fishers Hotel.

• Day 6 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 7 - Breakfast, Dinner

We enjoy a day at leisure before a farewell meal at our hotel. We return to Edinburgh on Day 9, where our holiday ends.

• Days 8 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 9 - Breakfast