Inverness Private Highlands Driving Tour

Discover the best of Inverness and the surrounding area with your own private Driving Tour! Treat yourself to an unforgettable full-day experience. Let our local guide to the area and qualified guide, take you on a unique guided journey through the Highlands of Scotland.
Visit Inverness, Loch Ness, Culloden, and a whisky distillery. Explore Cawdor castle which has been lived in for over 600 years and wander around picturesque Highland villages.

On your day get to more about tartan, clans, and folklore, and visit Highland cows. You'll get a once-in-a-lifetime experience, making memories to remember!

If you are an Outlander fan, we can share with you how Diana Gabaldon came to use the Fraser Clan and the Battle of Culloden as the basis for her books and TV series. While visiting many areas , we will point out the links between the two.

Meeting Point

Inverness Cathedral, dedicated to St Andrew

Ardross St, Inverness IV3 5NN, UK

Tour guide will be wearing a red tartan hat and will meet you outside the front door of Inverness Cathedral.

Not included:

• Admission to Cawdor Castle £16 per adult
• Whisky Distillery Visit - £22 per Adult (Children must be over 8)
• Culloden Battlefield Exhibition (buy on site)

What to expect:

Duration: 8 hours

Culloden Battlefield

Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Culloden Moor, IV2 5EU

Travel from our pick-up point through the heart of Inverness. Hear about the early beginnings of the town of Inverness to the city it is today. Heading east you will take a moving trip to the last pitched battleground on mainland Britain, Culloden Battlefield. This would be a walking tour of the battlefield site, sharing with you her family links to the Culloden in 1746. You will find out why there was such a devastating loss of life during the battle, causing an end to the Jacobite era.
There is also a visitor center, cafe, and shop for you to explore. Culloden was featured in the Outlander books and TV series. If you are a fan Cath can point out the links between the two.

1 hour, 30 minutes

Clava Cairns

Balnuaran of Clava, Scottish Highlands, IV2 5EU

A short journey down into the valley behind Culloden Battlefield you will visit the 4,0000-year-old chambered burial ground of Clava Cairns or Balnuaran as it is also known. There are many theories as to why the stones were positioned here. Cath will share with you some of the folklore and legends of the place.
The cairns were the original stones that became Craigh Na Dun in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series of books and TV shows.

30 minutes

Cawdor Castle

Nairn, IV12 5RD

Visit Cawdor Castle a Highland Castle and Gardens. Enter the Castle via its gate, moat & drawbridge. Cawdor Castle is known for its turrets, turnpike stairs, and vaulted 16th-century kitchen.
The medieval tower was built for the 3rd Thane of Cawdor. Twenty-three generations of the Cawdor family have made it their home.

The Castle has twelve rooms to discover, full of art, tapestries, and sculptures. There are also magnificent gardens, a maze, and woods to explore.

1 hour, 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Loch Ness

, , Scottish Highlands

A drive along Loch Ness side includes a stop to take photos of Loch Ness. Hopefully, we will catch a glimpse of Scotland's most famous resident the Loch Ness monster. Hear tales of the many mysteries that surround the loch.

1 hour

Drumnadrochit

Drumnadrochit

Visit the pretty Highland village of Drumnadrochit. It sits on Urquhart Bay and is surrounded by Glen Urquhart and Glen Moriston on the north side of Loch Ness. Grab a bite to eat in one of the local cafes or go souvenir hunting for your own Nessie!

1 hour

Belladrum

Belladrum

Take the scenic route amongst the highland landscapes of ancient trees and peat bogs. Passing through Lovat Estates, which have been in the Fraser family for 700 years. Belladrum is now a well-loved festival venue that hosts the Tartan Heart Festival every summer.

Pass by without stopping

Beauly Priory

Beauly IV4 7DY Beauly IV4, Beauly

Our next stop takes in a visit to the 13th Century priory, and burial chamber of some of the Fraser, Mackenzie, and MacRae clans. The village of Beauly has a range of interesting shops to explore and has a large monument to the Fraser clan in the center of the village.

30 minutes

Robertson’s Farm Shop Beauly

11/13 Tomich, Beauly, IV4 7AS

Meet the Highlanders, that's Jamie Fraser and Katie Morag, the farm Highland cows. Get those all-important Instagram shots with this gorgeous pair. Alpacas are also residents of the farm, there's also gift shop.

30 minutes

The Singleton Distillery

A832, Muir of Ord, IV6 7UJ

Situated on the Black Isle, the Singleton distillery is known for its single malt aged 12, 15, and 18 years. The area has been growing barley for centuries which is used in the malting process.
On a trip to the newly refurbished distillery visitor center, you can purchase the whisky to taste at the bar or grab yourself a coffee and a bite to eat. There is a gift shop where you can purchase the Singleton merchandise, or even bottle your own whisky.

After we will head back to Inverness via the Black Isle. Passing over the Kessock Bridge you might be lucky enough to spot one of the many dolphins that live in the Moray Firth.

You will then be dropped off at an agreed point either at your original meeting spot or in the city itself. You will now be equipped with information on the best restaurants, bars, and entertainment to enjoy the rest of your stay in Inverness.

1 hour, 30 minutes