Journey from Culloden to Edinbugh featuring the natural beauty and places which bring the moving history of Scotland to life

We rendezvous early in the afternoon and settle in our first hotel, the historic Culloden House near Inverness, where Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed before the Battle of Culloden. Our visit to Culloden will set the scene for a deeper understanding of the historical context and development of the nation of Scotland as we progress from the Highlands through to the the capital, Edinburgh. We take a walking tour of the Culloden Battle site to learn more about this landmark struggle between the Highland Clans and English Government rule which pitted father against son and ended in what was tantamount to civil war. We visit Clava Cairns, an iron age burial site, and return to the hotel for our Welcome Talk and Dinner.

This morning our journey through the heart of Scotland begins. We transfer to Aviemore and the Cairngorms, a mountainous region and National Park beloved by locals for its wildlife and outdoor pursuits. If weather permits, we take a funicular from the Cairngorm base station to the Ptarmigan top station. (Those who would like, may make the hike on foot.) We walk to the summit with a mountain guide to learn about the local ecology. We lunch at the observation platform with stunning panoramic views. Our afternoon walk offers the chance to enjoy the woodlands, lochs and trails of Glenmore. We arrive at our hotel for dinner and overnight.

We transfer to Glen Tilt and walk to Blair Castle, the ancestral home of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl. We have lunch and then a tour of the 740 year old Castle and grounds, all in the midst of one of the most spectacular settings of Highland Perthshire. We arrive to a warm welcome at Killiecrankie House Hotel, our base for the next three nights.
 

We walk out from our hotel and walk the banks of the Garry River, passing the famous spot where a soldier is said to have made a superhuman leap right across to the other side during the battle of Killiecrankie in 1689.

We arrive in Pitlochry for lunch and time to look around before taking an afternoon walk past the Black Spout waterfall to Edradour, Scotland’s smallest distillery, for a whisky tour. We return to Killiecrankie House for dinner and overnight.
 

Today our walking takes us to the Dunkeld area. We see the remains of an ancient forest including the Birnam Oak, so memorable for Shakespeare that he wrote it into ‘Macbeth’. We visit Dunkeld Cathedral, once the center of Christianity in Scotland, and spend time in this delightful village.
 

We leave Killicrankie for our final destination. Edinburgh, like Rome, is set on seven hills and we explore several of them in an invigorating walk up to the highest point, Arthur’s Seat, which affords us stunning views of the city and surrounding country. We stop for lunch and in the afternoon have the option of a walking tour of the Old City ending at the Castle with Morag Dunbar, our Walk Manager and Scottish Blue Badge Guide, or the chance to do independent sight seeing in the city. We gather in the evening for a Single Malt Whisky tasting and Farewell Supper in a private club.
 

The Walk is finished, but we recommend spending the weekend in Edinburgh taking in some of the many sights including the Palace of Holyrood House and the Royal Yacht Britannia. Our Edinburgh Hotel is centrally located near the train station and for airport coach transfers.