| Scottish Dream Tours presents My Heart is in the Highlands May 19th - June 2nd, 2013 2 weeks in the Highlands with one week at a Historic Hunting Lodge nestled in Royal Deeside in the Cairngorms National Park. The lodge was built in 1750 and enjoys a peaceful and idyllic setting. The second week will be spent at a remote Historic Sporting Estate less than an hour northwest of Inverness. Gairnshiel Lodge in the Cairngorms was built in approximately 1750 by the Garden family of Troup and was originally called Garden Shiel (shiel meaning shelter). It came into the ownership of neighbouring Invercauld Estate during the 1800's and was greatly extended during the Victorian era to be used as a hunting lodge. The lodge has many royal connections and is mentioned in Queen Victoria's Highland Journal, as she often passed by on one of her many excursions. Nearby is a keeper's cottage that was originally an inn where she stopped after an outing up to Loch Builg. The lodge sits in 2.5 acres of grounds, bounded along its longest side by the River Gairn. There is a large decked area overlooking the famous humpbacked bridge - built in 1745. Still standing in the garden and by the bridge is the 'sentry post' from the mid 1700's. There is permanent, sheltered seating and a fire-pit in the garden: ideal for gathering round to tell of the day's activities and raise a glass or two! The towns of Ballater and Braemar are very close by as is Balmoral Castle. The lodge is spacious and accommodating with bedrooms and shower rooms all equally well appointed and comfortable and the roaring log fires add that essential Highland ambiance. There is a great games room with a 'run your own' bar providing wonderful evening entertaining or a quiet drink on your own. Kildermorie Estate offers guests an unparalleled experience in a stunningly beautiful environment in the Ross-Shire region of Scotland. With a generous 19,000 acres to explore there is something for everyone, whether it be walking, bird watching or photography. The estate has hills, lochs and rivers. Challenging hills include the highest, Carn Chuinneagh which rises to 2,749 feet and of the seven lochs, Loch Morie, the largest is within easy walking distance of Meall Mor Lodge. Loch Morie is approximately 2.2 miles long and offers fishing for salmon, brown and sea trout, arctic charr and the elusive ferox trout. Close by the lodge is the River Glasa which runs into Loch Morie, from which it flows to the sea as the River Alness. The estate owns a mile stretch of the River Alness. Meall Mor Lodge house style is a blend of old and new. Much of the furniture came from the original Kildermorie Lodge which was furnished by James Shoolbred & Co. in the last quarter of the 19th Century. Other furnishings, including the Broadwood boudoir grand piano in the drawing room came from the owners’ former family home in Buckinghamshire when they moved to Kildermorie. With 10 bedrooms there is ample room to stretch out and really enjoy the lodge. $4995 per person double occupancy. Ask about our single supplement. Click here to make your deposit of $500 per person. |
This tour will be quite different to what we usually offer as we will be staying at two different Highland Lodges for a week at each place. We will
take advantage of the local pub one night and at a favorite restaurant on another but the rest of the evenings will have meals prepared by myself.
Having owned a wee Scottish Restaurant for 10 years prior to doing tours this gives me the opportunity to not only conduct a tour but display my
culinary skills as well. On of our regular customers who have been both on our traditional tours and also only one of these tours asked me how I
liked doing this kind of tour? I told him that it was a lot more work but very rewarding. So I asked home what he thought about the difference and
he said he thought the food on this tour was better! One of the best compliments I have ever received.
We will meet you upon your arrival into Glasgow International Airport on May 19th and make our way to the Cairngorms and
Gairnshiel Lodge with a few stops along the way. As we leave Glasgow behind we will drive along the western shore of Loch Lomond with a
stop at Luss on the shores of the loch on the way. We will also stop at Killin and the Falls of Dochart. A bridge crosses over the Dochart
River just as you enter the village of Killin giving a fabulous view of the falls as they cascade down over the rocks and around the Island of
Inchbuie, which is the traditional burial place of the MacNab Clan. If not the most impressive falls in Scotland there are easily the most
accessible. We will then find some lunch before we head further north through Blairgowrie, The Spittal of Glenshee, The Cairngorms
and to our home for 6 night sat Gairnshiel Lodge about 6 miles past Braemar.
There is so much to see and do in this area that we will be kept quite busy. We will explore Royal Deeside as well as journey to Aberdeen. We will
visit Castles and Whisky Distilleries while in the area as we are on top of the Whisky Trail and the Castle Trail. Castles we will visit will
include - Braemar Castle, Corgarff Castle, Kildrummy Castle Hotel for Afternoon Tea, Craigievar Castle, Crathes Castle, Drum Castle, Castle
Fraser and Dunnottar Castle at Stonehaven. We will visit Royal Lochnagar Distillery as well as Ardmore Distillery.
We will also visit historic sites with prehistoric remains that date back as far as the 4th century BC. Perhaps the oldest of these ancient sites is the
Blue Cairn of Balnagowan near Aboyne - this long burial mound cairn is believed to be nearly 6,000 years old! Our area has numerous
recumbent stone circles that were erected around 5,000 years ago to celebrate the seasonal movements of the sun and the moon. These circles
were places of ritual and worship and there is evidence of fire festivals being held at many of them. One of the best examples is the Tomnaverie
Stone Circle on the outskirts of Tarland, from where there are outstanding views across the countryside towards Balnagowan Hill. We will
also visit the Pictish Kinord Stone, a 9th century symbol stone that sits on the shores of Loch Kinord at Dinnet. This was not its original
position - the stone was moved in the 1820s to protect it. However, it's thought to now occupy a site very close to its original location. And my
favorite Recumbent Stone Circle on Sun Honey Farm!
We will take a day and explore This morning we take in Banffshire and the Dolphin Coast. The Banffshire Coastline is a place of undisturbed
natural beauty where dolphins, gannets, porpoises, puffins, and the occasional whale, make their home. We will explore the coastline taking in
Buckie, Findochty, Portknockie, Cullen, Portsoy, Banff and Macduff. We will stop for lunch along the way and then board a Puffin
Cruises Wildlife Trip. On these trips you often see Bottlenose Dolphins, Seals and Harbour Porpoise and sometimes Minke
Whale. The bottlenose dolphins of the Moray Firth are the most northerly resident group of bottlenose dolphins in the world and a vital part of
Scotland’s natural heritage. On the 3 hour birdwatching trip we will sail to Troup Head which is home to 4,000 plus gannets and is the only
gannet colony in mainland Scotland. In Summer, approximately 22,000 guillemots, 2,000 razorbills, 15,000 pairs of kittiwakes and 2,000 pairs
of fulmars are present along with smaller numbers of puffins and shags as well as seals.
You will have one dinner on your own and one lunch and the rest of your meals will be provided. In the evenings we will have a Murder
Mystery, a Games Night, a Whisky Tasting, a Musical Evening and an evening to just relax and enjoy the house.
On the way to our second home we will make a few stops as well as an overnight. Along the way we will stop at Grantown-on-Spey and also the
Speyside Heather Centre. We will continue further past Aviemore and to Kincraig where we will stop for a Sheepdog Demonstration on a
working sheepdog farm. We will continue to the southern end of Loch Ness to Fort Augustus. The Caledonian Canal runs through the
centre of Fort Augustus and it is constantly busy with boats of all types and sizes. While in Fort Augustus we will lunch at the 200 year old
Bothy Bar before we take an hour long Cruise on the Loch for a possible Nessie Sighting. We will then get settled into our accommodation for
the night near Fort Augustus. Dinner and Overnight Fort Augustus.
This morning we make our way to Meall Mor Lodge in Ross-Shire driving through spectacular scenery along Loch Cluanie and the Loch
Duich where we find Scotland's most photographed castle, Eilean Donan. After a visit to the castle we will find some lunch on the lovely wee town
of Plockton before driving through the splendors of Lochcarron, Loch Dughaill and Luichart. We continue on through Strathpeffar,
Dingwall, Evanton and Alness to our home at Kildermorie.
I really love this area and we will be kept very much entertained with all there is to see and do and we will be awash in unbelievable scenery! On
one day we will spend the morning in Inverness followed by a visit to Culloden Battlefield, the site of the last battle to be fought on British soil
and then to the lovely seaside village of Nairn. On another day we will visit Dingwall and Strathpeffar where we visit the Spa Pavilion which
has recently been beautifully restored and also next door to the Pavilion, you can taste the spa waters in the Pump Room, also recently restored.
The Pump Room houses a fascinating exhibition of Strathpeffer's spa history. We will continue to Beauly for Dinner out and then a treat of
Highland Dancing and the Beauly Firth and Glens Pipe Band.
We will also spend a day taking in Ullapool, Loch Broom, Loch Ewe, Gairloch and Loch Maree. We will stop at Inverewe Gardens at
Poolewe and also the Rua Reidh Lighthouse. This dramatic coast will be full of photo ops and will delight you from beginning to end. We will not
want for things to do and our days will be kept full of wonderful things to do. As we will be on a huge estate, we will take one day to explore the
estate or just relax. We will have a garden barbecue in the afternoon to set you up for an afternoon of doing as little or as much as you want. A light
dinner at home will round the day off!
We will also spend a day taking Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston crisscrossing along the Caledonian
Canal System as we go. We will also explore the lesser known but equally as lovely east side of Loch Ness with Foyers, Aldour and Dores.
One of our favorite places to eat is at the north end of Loch Ness and the food is some of the best in Scotland. We will visit the Corrimony
Chambered Cairn as well as Balnuaran of Clava. We will also spend a day visiting the Black Isle, Fortrose and Cromarty. We drive north on
the Black Isle where our first stop will be the Black Isle Brewery for a brief tour. This small, intensely independent brewer is committed to the
production of innovative and ground breaking beer. We continue further along the Moray Firth to Fortrose and Fortrose Cathedral. This
serenely beautiful red sandstone building has two sections, the chapter house and the nave's south aisle, still standing on location. These buildings
went on to serve as Fortrose's Tolbooth after the rest of the cathedral was removed, and the first floor room continued in use as a meeting place
for Fortrose Burgh Council until 1939. There is a small ferry that will take us across the Cromarty Firth and then we will continue a bit further
north to Tain and then to the Glenmorangie Distillery for a tour and a taste! We will also have a Musical Evening, a Cooking Class, a Games
Night and a Highland Bagpiper while at this house.
This is a lovely tour that will give you the opportunity to live in two separate communities in Scotland and get a real feel of the country. We will
introduce you to several locals and enjoy the small local spots and take in everything that these Highlands areas of Scotland have to offer.
Join us for an adventure you will not ever forget!
On June 1st we will make our way toward Glasgow with a stop at the lovely Highland town of Fort William and also at Oban. We will
continue on to Glencoe where we stop at the site of the infamous Glencoe Massacre of 1692. The mountains are formed from some of the
oldest sedimentary and volcanic strata in the world. Against a backdrop of craggy peaks and the tumbling River Coe, the Glen offers some of
Scotland's most spectacular scenery but has also seen one of the most violent acts in Scottish history when in 1692 the Clan McDonald were
massacred on this very spot! The southern region is an assemblage of peaks, ridges and valleys which rise up above the peat hags and scattered
lochans of Rannoch Moor. The waters which tumble from these high mountains give rise to a series of spectacular waterfalls that gather initially
at the 'Meeting of the Three Waters' to form the River Coe. Our final night and Farewell Dinner will be spent just outside of Glasgow
and on the morning of June 2nd we will return you to Glasgow International Airport.
take advantage of the local pub one night and at a favorite restaurant on another but the rest of the evenings will have meals prepared by myself.
Having owned a wee Scottish Restaurant for 10 years prior to doing tours this gives me the opportunity to not only conduct a tour but display my
culinary skills as well. On of our regular customers who have been both on our traditional tours and also only one of these tours asked me how I
liked doing this kind of tour? I told him that it was a lot more work but very rewarding. So I asked home what he thought about the difference and
he said he thought the food on this tour was better! One of the best compliments I have ever received.
We will meet you upon your arrival into Glasgow International Airport on May 19th and make our way to the Cairngorms and
Gairnshiel Lodge with a few stops along the way. As we leave Glasgow behind we will drive along the western shore of Loch Lomond with a
stop at Luss on the shores of the loch on the way. We will also stop at Killin and the Falls of Dochart. A bridge crosses over the Dochart
River just as you enter the village of Killin giving a fabulous view of the falls as they cascade down over the rocks and around the Island of
Inchbuie, which is the traditional burial place of the MacNab Clan. If not the most impressive falls in Scotland there are easily the most
accessible. We will then find some lunch before we head further north through Blairgowrie, The Spittal of Glenshee, The Cairngorms
and to our home for 6 night sat Gairnshiel Lodge about 6 miles past Braemar.
There is so much to see and do in this area that we will be kept quite busy. We will explore Royal Deeside as well as journey to Aberdeen. We will
visit Castles and Whisky Distilleries while in the area as we are on top of the Whisky Trail and the Castle Trail. Castles we will visit will
include - Braemar Castle, Corgarff Castle, Kildrummy Castle Hotel for Afternoon Tea, Craigievar Castle, Crathes Castle, Drum Castle, Castle
Fraser and Dunnottar Castle at Stonehaven. We will visit Royal Lochnagar Distillery as well as Ardmore Distillery.
We will also visit historic sites with prehistoric remains that date back as far as the 4th century BC. Perhaps the oldest of these ancient sites is the
Blue Cairn of Balnagowan near Aboyne - this long burial mound cairn is believed to be nearly 6,000 years old! Our area has numerous
recumbent stone circles that were erected around 5,000 years ago to celebrate the seasonal movements of the sun and the moon. These circles
were places of ritual and worship and there is evidence of fire festivals being held at many of them. One of the best examples is the Tomnaverie
Stone Circle on the outskirts of Tarland, from where there are outstanding views across the countryside towards Balnagowan Hill. We will
also visit the Pictish Kinord Stone, a 9th century symbol stone that sits on the shores of Loch Kinord at Dinnet. This was not its original
position - the stone was moved in the 1820s to protect it. However, it's thought to now occupy a site very close to its original location. And my
favorite Recumbent Stone Circle on Sun Honey Farm!
We will take a day and explore This morning we take in Banffshire and the Dolphin Coast. The Banffshire Coastline is a place of undisturbed
natural beauty where dolphins, gannets, porpoises, puffins, and the occasional whale, make their home. We will explore the coastline taking in
Buckie, Findochty, Portknockie, Cullen, Portsoy, Banff and Macduff. We will stop for lunch along the way and then board a Puffin
Cruises Wildlife Trip. On these trips you often see Bottlenose Dolphins, Seals and Harbour Porpoise and sometimes Minke
Whale. The bottlenose dolphins of the Moray Firth are the most northerly resident group of bottlenose dolphins in the world and a vital part of
Scotland’s natural heritage. On the 3 hour birdwatching trip we will sail to Troup Head which is home to 4,000 plus gannets and is the only
gannet colony in mainland Scotland. In Summer, approximately 22,000 guillemots, 2,000 razorbills, 15,000 pairs of kittiwakes and 2,000 pairs
of fulmars are present along with smaller numbers of puffins and shags as well as seals.
You will have one dinner on your own and one lunch and the rest of your meals will be provided. In the evenings we will have a Murder
Mystery, a Games Night, a Whisky Tasting, a Musical Evening and an evening to just relax and enjoy the house.
On the way to our second home we will make a few stops as well as an overnight. Along the way we will stop at Grantown-on-Spey and also the
Speyside Heather Centre. We will continue further past Aviemore and to Kincraig where we will stop for a Sheepdog Demonstration on a
working sheepdog farm. We will continue to the southern end of Loch Ness to Fort Augustus. The Caledonian Canal runs through the
centre of Fort Augustus and it is constantly busy with boats of all types and sizes. While in Fort Augustus we will lunch at the 200 year old
Bothy Bar before we take an hour long Cruise on the Loch for a possible Nessie Sighting. We will then get settled into our accommodation for
the night near Fort Augustus. Dinner and Overnight Fort Augustus.
This morning we make our way to Meall Mor Lodge in Ross-Shire driving through spectacular scenery along Loch Cluanie and the Loch
Duich where we find Scotland's most photographed castle, Eilean Donan. After a visit to the castle we will find some lunch on the lovely wee town
of Plockton before driving through the splendors of Lochcarron, Loch Dughaill and Luichart. We continue on through Strathpeffar,
Dingwall, Evanton and Alness to our home at Kildermorie.
I really love this area and we will be kept very much entertained with all there is to see and do and we will be awash in unbelievable scenery! On
one day we will spend the morning in Inverness followed by a visit to Culloden Battlefield, the site of the last battle to be fought on British soil
and then to the lovely seaside village of Nairn. On another day we will visit Dingwall and Strathpeffar where we visit the Spa Pavilion which
has recently been beautifully restored and also next door to the Pavilion, you can taste the spa waters in the Pump Room, also recently restored.
The Pump Room houses a fascinating exhibition of Strathpeffer's spa history. We will continue to Beauly for Dinner out and then a treat of
Highland Dancing and the Beauly Firth and Glens Pipe Band.
We will also spend a day taking in Ullapool, Loch Broom, Loch Ewe, Gairloch and Loch Maree. We will stop at Inverewe Gardens at
Poolewe and also the Rua Reidh Lighthouse. This dramatic coast will be full of photo ops and will delight you from beginning to end. We will not
want for things to do and our days will be kept full of wonderful things to do. As we will be on a huge estate, we will take one day to explore the
estate or just relax. We will have a garden barbecue in the afternoon to set you up for an afternoon of doing as little or as much as you want. A light
dinner at home will round the day off!
We will also spend a day taking Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston crisscrossing along the Caledonian
Canal System as we go. We will also explore the lesser known but equally as lovely east side of Loch Ness with Foyers, Aldour and Dores.
One of our favorite places to eat is at the north end of Loch Ness and the food is some of the best in Scotland. We will visit the Corrimony
Chambered Cairn as well as Balnuaran of Clava. We will also spend a day visiting the Black Isle, Fortrose and Cromarty. We drive north on
the Black Isle where our first stop will be the Black Isle Brewery for a brief tour. This small, intensely independent brewer is committed to the
production of innovative and ground breaking beer. We continue further along the Moray Firth to Fortrose and Fortrose Cathedral. This
serenely beautiful red sandstone building has two sections, the chapter house and the nave's south aisle, still standing on location. These buildings
went on to serve as Fortrose's Tolbooth after the rest of the cathedral was removed, and the first floor room continued in use as a meeting place
for Fortrose Burgh Council until 1939. There is a small ferry that will take us across the Cromarty Firth and then we will continue a bit further
north to Tain and then to the Glenmorangie Distillery for a tour and a taste! We will also have a Musical Evening, a Cooking Class, a Games
Night and a Highland Bagpiper while at this house.
This is a lovely tour that will give you the opportunity to live in two separate communities in Scotland and get a real feel of the country. We will
introduce you to several locals and enjoy the small local spots and take in everything that these Highlands areas of Scotland have to offer.
Join us for an adventure you will not ever forget!
On June 1st we will make our way toward Glasgow with a stop at the lovely Highland town of Fort William and also at Oban. We will
continue on to Glencoe where we stop at the site of the infamous Glencoe Massacre of 1692. The mountains are formed from some of the
oldest sedimentary and volcanic strata in the world. Against a backdrop of craggy peaks and the tumbling River Coe, the Glen offers some of
Scotland's most spectacular scenery but has also seen one of the most violent acts in Scottish history when in 1692 the Clan McDonald were
massacred on this very spot! The southern region is an assemblage of peaks, ridges and valleys which rise up above the peat hags and scattered
lochans of Rannoch Moor. The waters which tumble from these high mountains give rise to a series of spectacular waterfalls that gather initially
at the 'Meeting of the Three Waters' to form the River Coe. Our final night and Farewell Dinner will be spent just outside of Glasgow
and on the morning of June 2nd we will return you to Glasgow International Airport.
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