A Scottish Christmas

We meet at our hotel in the Scottish capital, after which you're free to begin exploring. Make your way to the city's Old Town to see the most historic sights including Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile. There are plenty of other attractions well worth visiting too, such as Holyrood Palace, home to the royal residence of the Palace of Holyrood house and the seat of Scotland's new Parliament, Arthur's Seat viewpoint, the Royal Yacht Britannia and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

• Dinner

Today is Christmas Eve and we enjoy a festive journey on the exceptional Kyle Line, a quintessentially Scottish railway that takes us alongside misty lochs and looming mountains. Originating in the historic market town of Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands, work on the single track Kyle of the Lochalsh Railway Line, to give it it's full name, began in 1870 and took twenty-seven years to complete. A magnificent feat of engineering, the route required the manual construction of twenty-nine separate bridges to traverse its mountainous setting and transports us through some of Scotland's most dramatic and spectacular natural landscapes, including the Torridon Hills and gorgeous Highland scenery, all the way to the shores of Loch Alsh. From here, it's a short drive to Eilean Donan Castle, a 13th-century fortress perched atop a tiny island at the confluence of Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh. Back at our hotel, we enjoy a sherry reception accompanied by live entertainment to get us in the Christmas spirit.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our Boxing day excursion takes us by coach to the scenic shores of Loch Ness, part of the Great Glen, a scar-like fault line that runs over 60 miles from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south. We stop off at the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre which details the long history and complex geology of the area, as well as a section dedicated to Nessie herself, the world-famous Loch Ness Monster. We return to Inverness via Fort Augustus and Urquart Castle, set on a headland looking over the loch.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We return to Edinburgh this morning, travelling through the spectacular scenery of the Cairngorms once again. After checking into our hotel, you have free time to go sightseeing, discovering famed attractions still decked out in their festive regalia or enjoying a walk through the streets of the Georgian New Town. Afterwards, you might like to warm up in a traditional pub. We sit down to a final evening meal on our last night.

• Breakfast, Dinner