haggis tours loch ness

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Backpacking in Europe , Backpacking in Scotland , Backpacking in the United Kingdom , Reviews

Scotland tours from edinburgh: an honest haggis adventures review.

I’ve lived in England for most of my life yet haven’t travelled much in the UK.  However, after my trip to Ireland last year, I couldn’t wait to visit Scotland!   I was invited by Haggis Adventures to join them on one of their Highland Fling 5-day tours around Scotland and was excited to see everything on the itinerary.  Here’s my full and honest Haggis Adventures review, including highlights of our Highland Fling tour and what to expect on a Haggis Adventures tour.

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I received a complimentary tour from Haggis Adventures, but as usual all opinions are my own and this is my honest Haggis Adventures review.

About Haggis Adventures

Haggis is the sister company of Shamrocker Adventures , who I travelled around Ireland with in September.  Radical Travel is the parent company, who also own BusAbout.  They run various tours around Scotland of varying lengths, from single day tours to 10-day explorer trips.  The tours are a good combination of budget backpacking tours, mixed with culture, food and drink and incredible Scottish scenery. 

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When is the Best Time to Visit Scotland

Although you can take Haggis Adventures tours throughout the year, I’d say that spring and autumn are the best times to travel around Scotland.  The weather in winter can be very cold and wet, and although that could still happen throughout the year, Spring and Autumn have a mixture of sun and rain, without the crowds that flock here over the summer. 

There are some parts of the Highland Fling itinerary which are only included from late May to Autumn, for example, the Harry Potter Jacobite steam train, so check the dates for that if you want to include that option.

How Haggis Adventures Tours Work

The standard Haggis Adventures tours are aimed at budget or mid-range travellers who want the convenience of having transport included, with a guide and the chance to travel with other like-minded people.  The accommodation is in hostels, usually in dorm rooms of 4 to 12 people, but you can book private rooms for a supplement if you prefer. 

Although I am a solo traveller and love my own space, the shared dorm rooms gave us more chance to get to know each other, even if a good night’s sleep isn’t always guaranteed.  A snooze on the bus is a welcome break if you need it!

All transport on the yellow Haggis Adventures buses is included, as was the ferry crossing to the Isle of Skye.  Some activities such as tree planting and a visit to Culodden National Trust site are included in the package price, whereas other optional activities are payable on top. 

The Loch Ness boat trip, Jacobite Steam train, Ceilidh dance and whisky distillery visit were extra costs, but I loved them all so I’d recommend joining in what you can to get the full Scottish experience!

Our guide was also our bus driver.  Michael did a fabulous job driving us all over Scotland, sharing interesting facts, myths, legends and a varied playlist of music to keep us entertained. 

I was thrilled on the first day when he turned up in a kilt, and although he didn’t wear it every day it was a nice surprise when he had it on again for our final day.  He was calm, fun, friendly and looked after us all very well.

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What was the Tour Group Like?

As with any group tours, you can’t control who you travel with, and the group you get can make or break the tour.  We had a full bus of around 30 people and actually had a great group. 

Although there were smaller sub-groups which formed over the week, and people travelling together didn’t mix as much as other solo travellers, there was a great vibe and we all made friends quickly.  I was on the older end of the age range at 36, I would say that most travellers were in their mid-20s, although we ranged from 18 to 40+. 

I enjoyed the variety, so you could party if you wanted to or just chill out.  I knew I didn’t want a heavy party tour, so this suited me down to the ground.

Haggis Adventures Backpacking Scotland Tour Highlights

We covered a lot of ground on our 5-day Highland Fling tour, crossing Scotland from Edinburgh to the west coast and back again.  I won’t list the full itinerary here as there is too much to mention, but you can check out all the details of the tour on the Haggis Adventures website here .

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Glencoe was absolutely stunning.  We didn’t get to spend too long here which was a shame, although if it was raining I’m sure a quick stop is adequate!  We had the chance to take a short walk to admire the gorgeous scenery and stretch our legs before hopping back on the bus.

A Scottish Ceilidh

The Ceilidh Dance was an unexpected highlight of our first day.  We were led to the venue by a handsome bagpiper, and walking through the streets we certainly got a lot of attention!  At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to take part in the dancing, but after seeing how much fun everyone had on the first dance, I soon joined in. 

Forget any embarrassment and get involved!  Just wear comfy shoes and light clothes – you will get sweaty as you fling each other around the dance floor. 

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Distillery Tour and Whisky Tasting

Scotland wouldn’t be Scotland without whisky!  Although I’m not a fan of the drink myself, visiting a Scottish Whisky Distillery was interesting, and we got to taste the whisky at the end as well.  (I donated mine to someone else!)

The Jacobite Steam Train (aka The Hogwarts Express)

A trip on The Jacobite Steam Train across the Glenfinnan Viaduct is only included in the itinerary during the summer, so if you want to do this make sure you plan your trip accordingly.  The train is most famous for being featured in the Harry Potter films as part of the journey of the Hogwarts Express, and the journey is quite spectacular – especially when crossing the viaduct.

The Isle of Skye

Hiking to the Old Man of Storr was probably my favourite activity on the whole trip.  We were very lucky with the weather on Skye and had glorious sunshine to hike to the top of this incredible viewpoint.  The hike was quite steep but definitely worth the effort!  We spent nearly 2 full days on Skye and also visited a waterfall, a castle and a brewery among other places.

You can’t visit Scotland and not go to Loch Ness .  We stayed in Fort Augustus on the Loch for 2 nights and could take an optional boat tour on the Loch which I highly recommend.  We took the boat tour with Cruise Loch Ness and the guide Shaun pointed out interesting things around the Loch, and we also spotted a couple of deer on the bank. 

The most interesting (and entertaining) part of the tour was the talk given by Shaun about Nessie and the various attempts to find the Loch Ness Monster.  If I wasn’t a believer before, I am now!  You might even be able to snap a photo of Nessie herself if you’re lucky.

Planting Trees

This may seem like an odd highlight, but I really enjoyed this part of the tour.  Haggis Adventures partner with Trees for Life UK to help repopulate an area now known as Haggis Wood.  We planted two trees among the others that previous Haggis tour groups planted, doing a small bit for the environment. 

Trees for Life is a wonderful project, and you can volunteer there to plant trees for a week yourself.  To me, it highlighted that Haggis Adventures really do care about Scotland and the environment and are making a contribution to help.

Culodden probably isn’t somewhere I would have visited by myself but learning about a period in Scottish history I knew nothing about was actually very interesting.  It was sobering to visit the battlefield, which is essentially a mass grave, where thousands of Highlanders were killed in a brutal battle which ended the Jacobite uprising and destroyed the Highland Clan way of life. 

The weather was fitting for the sombre day; grey clouds hung low in the sky and the drizzle fell as we walked around the field. 

Extra Stops Along the Way

There were some fab stops along the way which I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was travelling on my own by public transport.  We visited some hairy coos and could buy some vegetables to feed them, or just snap a few pics.  We also visited the Kelpies, Portree, Kilt Rock on Skye, Eilean Donan Castle and Dunkeld, among others.

What I Loved about Haggis Adventures

What I loved about the Haggis Adventures tours was the varied itinerary, local guides and schedule to help you get the most of a short time in Scotland.  As with any group tour, there are pros and cons with relinquishing control of your itinerary to someone else. 

In this case, I loved the extra stops which were included, things which I wouldn’t have made the effort to visit – or indeed couldn’t have visited at all with public transport.

I also really enjoyed the variety of activities on the tour, it was well thought out and there really was something for everyone.  Hiking, nature, history, cute villages, Scottish dancing, drinking and jaw-dropping scenery really showed us the best of Scotland in a very short time.  If you didn’t want to do anything, you didn’t have to, but the range of activities meant most of us did everything we could! 

Anything I didn’t like?

Checking 30 people into a hostel at the same time isn’t the easiest task, and in the first hostel, there was only one person on the reception who checked us in one at a time as we had to leave a deposit for the room key.  This took longer than it should have done – there must be an easier way, like collecting deposits beforehand or handing out keys in groups. 

The next hostel was quicker, and the final hostel had 2 people working, although the process took a while as most people paid for the option breakfast and dinner as we checked in. 

The hostels were decent, but generally didn’t have enough toilet facilities or showers, especially when we were all aiming to leave around the same time.  However, the overall quality was pretty good, and I slept well each night.  My favourite hostel was Morag’s Lodge in Fort Augustus, we stayed there for two nights so had time to settle in and do the pub quiz there too which was great fun!

Again, it’s hard to balance the right amount of time in each place, there were places I would have happily spent more time like Glencoe and the beautiful Isle of Skye, but that was also due to the gorgeous weather. 

With Scotland’s weather being so unpredictable I guess you have to hedge your bets a bit with where to spend your time – hiking Glencoe in the rain would not have been that tempting!

Would I Recommend Haggis Adventures?

100% YES!  After my Shamrocker Irish Adventures tour, I had no concerns about taking a tour with Haggis Adventures, but the trip really did exceed my expectations. 

That might have been partly due to fabulous weather, our great guide Michael, the lovely bunch of people on the tour and all of the amazing things we saw – all together they made me fall head over heels in deep Scottish love with Scotland!  My only regret was not spending longer here. 

I would love to explore more of Scotland when I can, but the 5-day Highland Fling tour gave me a wonderful taster to really whet my appetite.  Scotland, I’ll be back!

Have you taken a Haggis Adventures backpacking tour of Scotland?  I’d love to hear your review as well, please let me know in the comments below.

Want More Travel Tips for Edinburgh & Scotland?

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Hi! I'm Claire Sturzaker, a 30-something foodie traveller who loves to enjoy the best of a destination without breaking the bank. I'm here to help you and all women backpackers to plan their best budget travel adventure. I am an avid supporter of female solo travel, and took my first solo trip 20 years ago! I love to write about travel, hostels, backpacking and van life.

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Haggis Adventures - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Haggis Adventures

• See all photos

Stirling Castle,Trossachs National and Loch Lomond Day Tour from Edinburgh

Loch Ness, Glen Coe & The Highlands Day Tour from Edinburgh

3-Day Budget Backpacker Isle of Skye and the Highlands Tour from Edinburgh

Southern Highlands Day Tour from Edinburgh with Optional Whisky Tour

5-Day Isle of Skye, Inverness and Loch Ness Tour from Edinburgh

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Haggis Adventures - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

4 Days in Scotland with Haggis Tours

Table of Contents

Falling in Love with Scotland

My 4 days in Scotland were nothing short of magical. Thinking back on Scotland, the thing I remember most is the rugged, untamed terrain, endless mountains, and climbing in worn-out sneakers, attempting not to slip and fall off a cliff and kill myself.  

It was cold in Scotland, there was an endless breeze that had to be battled anytime I stepped outside. I remember hiking and feeling the cold sting of the wind on my face, and feeling invigorated as I looked around on the peak, seeing nothing but gorgeous mountains. I felt alive.

And I fell in love with Scotland. 

I didn’t even expect it. I can’t say exactly when it happened, but one thing is for certain, it happened in the Scottish Highlands, on a Haggis bus tour. Edinburgh was fine, but the real gem of Scotland is the Highlands. And, if you can get a legitimate Highlander to show you around the Highlands, you are in for a treat.

Haggis 3-Day Isle of Skye Tour

I spent one day in Edinburgh. Then, to explore Scotland more in-depth, I opted for a three day Haggis Bus tour called Skye High , which featured trips to the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness, and the Scottish Highlands.  

Why Haggis Tours?

With Haggis Tours, you get a lot of tour for your money. All accommodations are included, as well as transportation. A whiskey distillery tour and tasting are included, and you have a great tour guide as you explore (which in my opinion is priceless!)

Prices start at just over $300 for a three-day tour, and vary depending on what time you go. Rooms are usually shared but you can pay more for a single room.

My Haggis Tour Guide

I had the best tour guide on my Haggis Tour. Joe was a full-blooded highlander, whose first language was Gaelic. His voice, to my tame ears, sounded garbled, and rough, and I had to focus if I wanted to understand a single word that he said.  

But after a few hours, I detected a wildness in his voice, a tough, gritty cadence that reminded me of something from hundreds of years in the past, and made me quite aware that the man who possessed such a voice was no stranger to hardship and hard work, the Scottish highlands and all of Scottish history.

Hearing this man weave Scottish stories and history, stomp around in huge boots up mountains while the rest of us younglings trailed behind him trying to keep up, and wearing a kilt with a Haggis t-shirt, made him the best possible guide that I could have ever hoped for.  

In any case, maybe this legitimate Highlander, quite a rare breed in Scotland these days, was the reason that I fell so hard for the country.

Can I do this Tour on my Own?

Absolutely! One of my best travel hacks is to look at popular tours offered by tour companies in the country that you want to visit and then mimic their itinerary on your own. 

If tours aren’t for you, rent a car in Edinburgh and complete this tour on your own or with a friend or partner!

Day 1: Edinburgh

Haggis’ three day Skye High tour does leave from Edinburgh, but does not include tours of the city. So make sure to budget at least 1 or 2 days to see the capital city. 

Before you embark on your Haggis tour or a personal tour of Scotland, spend one of your 4 days in Scotland exploring Edinburgh.

Arthur’s Seat Hike in Edinburgh

Begin your day in Edinburgh with a small hike. Arthur’s Seat hike is located within Holyrood park, at the end of the Royal Mile. There are several hikes that you can take in the park to reach Arthur’s Seat, I took the less strenuous one, and enjoyed my time out in the fresh air. And the views of the city from above were stunning. 

Click here for trail options to Arthur’s Seat!

Take A Guided Tour 

Edinburgh’s history is fascinating. And unless you’re a history teacher, it is well worth it to spend your late morning on a free guided tour. 

There are several free tours in the city, as well as some specialized tours like ghost tours and Harry Potter tours. I recommend either Sandemans, The Orange Free Tours, or City Explorer Free Tours. You can read about all three tours here .

If you’re a major Harry Potter fan, but don’t have time for the tour, check out some of the famous sites around town relating to the series.

The Edinburgh Royal Mile

Sloped downward from Edinburgh castle, on a once active volcano, the Royal Mile has been a hub of trading and housing for centuries. 

Today, the Royal Mile is packed with restaurants, shops, hostels, castles, old buildings, churches, statues, bagpipers, entertainers, and plenty of tourists. 

After your walking tour, take your time and walk the entirety of the mile, perhaps stopping for a quick lunch and coffee. 

St. Giles Cathedral

Located on the Royal Mile, this church is a showstopper. The modern building was built in the 14th century with additions made in the 16th century. The church is called “the Mother Church of World Presbyterianism” after its role in the Scottish Reformation. 

If you take a walking tour, you’ll most likely stop by this church and learn even more of its history. 

Edinburgh Castle

After lunch, take a tour of Edinburgh Castle. The castle sits at the top of the Royal Mile, and looks like it’s built right into solid rock. Book your ticket online to save some money. A free tour is included in your ticket, so make sure you take advantage of that!

Calton Hill

Spend your early evening visiting one of the most iconic sites in Edinburgh. Calton Hill is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and commonly found in paintings and depictions of the city. This famous site is located off of Princess Street, and easy to get to from the Edinburgh city center. 

Calton Hill is home to some beautiful Scottish monuments. People rave about the sunrises on Calton Hill, I went for sunset and was stunned by the monuments and the views. 

Grass Market

End your night in Edinburgh at the Grassmarket. The Grassmarket is located right behind Edinburgh castle, and is one of the prettiest areas in town. Walk down Victoria Street and take some photos of the beautiful houses. Victoria Street was said to inspire JK Rowling’s Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter Series!

Say hello to the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, a small, loyal dog. Then, do some shopping and grab dinner! You’ll find local artisans by the dozen, and some of the best restaurants in Edinburgh. 

Skye High Tour with Haggis Tours

After your wonderful day in Edinburgh, it’s time to embark on a trip to see some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

My experience with Haggis Tours was amazing. But if group tours aren’t for you, use this as a guide to plan your itinerary in the Scottish highlands.

The itinerary on the Skye High Tour is subject to change (Day 1 would be Day 3 and vice versa) and some activities may be modified due to weather. 

Haggis Tour Day #1 Loch Ness

You’ll leave from Edinburgh early in the morning and make your way towards your first night in Loch Ness. But before you get to search for the sea monster, you’ll stop in at a whiskey distillery. The drive from Edinburgh to Tomatin Distillery is about 3.5 hours, so you may have to stop at least once to stretch your legs. 

Whiskey Distillery

Whiskey, known as the ‘water of life’ is Scotland’s biggest export. 

Visit the famous Tomatin Distillery . Haggis tours include a tour of the facility and a free whiskey tasting. If you go on your own, book a tour in advance to guarantee your spot.

After the distillery, the drive to Loch Ness is about 30 minutes. 

Loch Ness, the home of Nessie. On my tour, I had one crazy friend who insisted she swim with the sea monster. She did swim in the lake, but I recommend taking a boat tour and searching for Nessie instead.

Sadly, when I visited there were no sightings of the famous sea monster, but we did see a rainbow after some light showers.

Haggis tours will plan your boat tour for you. If you journey on your own there are plenty of companies that offer tours of the loch like Cruise Loch Ness or Loch Ness by Jacobite, or Loch Ness Cruises. 

We stayed in the Fort Augustus area of the loch (which I recommend). And there were plenty of pubs and restaurants in town to amuse us at night. 

You can also check out the Calodian canal and Urquhart Castle in and around Fort Augustus.  

Haggis Tour Day #2 Isle of Skye

Old man of storr hike.

This is one of the most famous hikes in Scotland. The Old Man refers to large rock formations that can be seen for miles. The hike itself takes a little over an hour if you don’t stop. But I recommend stopping, taking pictures, and enjoying the beautiful views. 

There is a carpark on the main road about 10 minutes away from the town of Portree. If you visit during the summer, do this hike first thing in the morning as the car park fills up quite quickly. There is an overflow lot available. 

After your hike, spend some time in the cute town of Portree. Take pictures of the colorful houses all lined in a row, grab a bite to eat, and do some shopping.

I wish the tour offered more time in Portree. Other outdoor activities that you can do if you’re on your own are The Lump, Lealt Falls, and Scorrybreac.

Sligachan Magical Waters

This beautiful little bridge and stream has magic powers. The story goes that Scáthach, a famous female warrior was challenged to a fight by Cú Chulainn, a warrior from Ireland. They fought for days and nights. Scáthach was getting frustrated and cried into a river because she didn’t know how to defeat her opponent. Her tears called to the fairies of the river and they told her how to defeat Cú Chulainn. 

She offered Cú Chulainn soup, and as a guest, he knew he could no longer break the rules of hospitality and fight her. 

Today, the fairies still live in the water, and if you dunk your whole head under you will achieve eternal beauty.

The small walk to the river is stunning. Make sure you dunk your whole head in when your guide tells you to!

Eileen Donan Castle

I wasn’t aware of the cult movie classic Highlander until my host Mom in Italy made me watch it. Anthony Hopkins is fantastic, as per usual, and I liked the quirkiness of the movie. The actual castle where Highlander was filmed is called the Eileen Donan Castle.

The castle itself is awesome, the family who owns the castle lives in part of it, and hosts all sorts of weddings and birthday parties. It is not only a piece of history but a family home.

Of course, the best part about the whole experience was when our Highlander guide, Joe, made us recreate the famous scene from Highlander on the bridge, complete with sound effects.

We took a tour of the castle, which you can book online . 

After the castle, stay close by or elect to drive the hour back to your hotel in Fort Augustus. 

Haggis Tour Day #3 The Highlands

Culloden battlefield.

I hadn’t heard of the Battle of Culloden until I watched and read Outlander. Culloden marks the final battle in the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Our tour guide was able to give us a full history of the site, as well as point out some famous markers as we walked the battlefield. You can also book a tour online. 

Perhaps one of the most powerful images was the memorial cairn that serves as the grave for 1,500 Jacobite soldiers. 

Scottish Commando Memorial

Stop by this beautiful memorial dedicated to the men in the British Commando forces during WWII. The statue stands at the Commando Training Depot. 

There are also amazing views of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British isles, and Aonach Mor. 

Glen Etive Road Views

Make sure that you drive this scenic 12-mile highway-named one of the most beautiful drives in Scotland. The James Bond movie, Skyfall, was filmed along this road. Make some side-of-the-road pit stops to get some great photos.

Rannoch Moor Drive

Haggis will also take you through Rannoch Moor, the site of some of the scenes in the Harry Potter movies. Simply driving through Scotland is such a treat. 

Glencoe Mountain Chairlift Rides

Perhaps my favorite stop on the Skye High Tour was for lunch in the Highlands at the Glencoe Mountain Chairlift . We started by grabbing bag lunches from a small restaurant at the base of the mountain.  

Then, we took ski-lifts a bit higher, before hiking a bit and settling down for lunch and some pretty amazing views. The Scottish mountains are not all that big, but they are magnificent.  

Deer at Inveroran Hotel

After the chairlift ride, Joe took us to a field right in front of the Inveroran hotel and let us feed wild deer. For ‘wild’ deer they were pretty accommodating, eating food right out of Joe’s hand. 

Scotland Details

Scotland is a fairly easy country to travel in-although I would recommend renting a car or completing a tour to get around. Rental car prices are reasonable. You’ll be driving on the left side of the road. 

Currency is the pound sterling. 1 pound sterling is about 1.25 US dollars. Credit cards are accepted everywhere, and you can easily get money out of ATMs in cities and small towns. It is not an inexpensive country to visit, but you also won’t be shocked at prices (maybe a bit in Edinburgh), but overall prices are reasonable. 

People speak English in Scotland, few people speak Gaelic. 

Scotland is an extremely safe country. Take normal precautions that you would take visiting any city. 

4 Days in Scotland Final Thoughts

Like every other place I’ve visited, it is impossible to fully appreciate a country through pictures and stories. No matter how hard bloggers and travelers try, you can’t capture the feeling that you get when you’re walking around another country. It is pointless to try and capture everything that you experience when you travel. 

When I returned home to Florida after my trip, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Scottish Highlands. I was ready to trade my bikini and sunscreen for a warm fleece and hiking boots.  

Alas, I probably will not return to Scotland for quite some time. The world is a big place, and I want to see more of it. But I am so thankful to Haggis tours for escorting me around their beautiful country. And, for Highlander Joe who truly is the best guide I could have asked for. Until next time.

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Joe the driver is a grumpy bastard who dislikes skye with a passion, told me himself in saucy Mary’s. Not a great advert for a driver Alan Dick is your man

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The Perfect 5-Day Highlands Tour with Haggis Adventures

If you’re visiting Scotland, you definitely need to include a 5-day Highlands tour as part of your itinerary…if you have the time. While you could rent a car and make your own tour, traveling with a tour company such as Haggis Adventures is a great choice for several reasons.

I’ve always been quite vocal about how Scotland is my favorite country in the world, and that’s primarily because of how gorgeous the landscape is. There are many parts of the country that honestly feel like you’ve left planet Earth. I’m not biased at all, but the Isle of Skye is one of those. I mean, there’s a reason why so many fantasy movies like Stardust and The BFG were filmed on Skye.

If you don’t have a full week in Scotland, you could consider just a one-day Highlands tour, such as up to Loch Ness, or a Harry Potter tour on the Hogwarts Express over the Glenfinnan Viaduct. But all those attractions and many more are included with the Haggis Adventures 5-day Highland Fling.

Table of Contents

5-Day Highlands Tour Itinerary

There are certainly plenty of different 5-day itineraries you could put together for a Highlands tour. In fact, you could easily spend five days just on the North Coast 500. Back in 2016, I went on the 5-day Hebridean Hopper Tour with Haggis Adventures , which focused on the Isle of Lewis and Harris and the Isle of Skye. That’s now a 6-day tour, and one I’d do again in a heartbeat!

The Highland Fling Tour covers quite a bit of ground around Scotland. Nights are spent in Oban, Portree, and Inverness. Some of the attraction highlights of the tour include:

• The Kelpies
• Stalker Castle
• McCaig’s Tower
• Glenfinnan Viaduct
• The Old Man of Storr
• Eileen Donan Castle
• Culloden Battlefield
• Clava Cairns
• Dunkeld Cathedral
• Whisky Tasting

Not all tours make the same stops. Some are weather-dependent, seasonal, or based on availability. For instance, the usual distillery on the tour wasn’t available the day we went, so we had the great honor of visiting the Lindores Abbey Distillery where whisky was first recorded in 1494!

Here’s the map of where my tour went. It’s a nice route to follow if you want to go on your own, or even if you’re on the tour and want an idea of where the bus is headed after each stop. Just remember that not every Highland Fling tour will follow this same route.

My Mom’s First Tour of the Highlands

I’ve already been on several dozen tours of the Highlands, both with bus companies and self-guided tours. This one was a bit different. As a back-story, I wasn’t planning on returning to the US in the near future, so I told my mom in Montana that she should come visit me in Scotland instead.

Of course, no trip to Scotland would be complete without a Highlands tour, so I planned to travel around the country for a few days with my mom. These days, renting a car, paying for gas (petrol), and B&Bs are considerably more pricey than in pre-pandemic times, and such a trip was out of my budget.

Instead, I booked three seats for my mom, Vanesa and me on the Highland Fling Tour with Haggis Adventures. But, as is my nature, I kept it as a surprise for both of them. My mom thought we were renting a car and sleeping in B&Bs, while my girlfriend thought we were going to be wild-camping while my mom slept in the car. They only found out about the bus when we arrived at the tour meeting spot. I can’t say my mom wasn’t disappointed when she didn’t see a car, but I believe she liked the tour in the end.

Making Our Way Across Scotland

The first day of the tour was spent making our way across Scotland from Edinburgh to the west coast. The tour departed at 9 a.m. and by 11:30, after a stop at the Kelpies , we were in Callander. That’s a quintessential, beautiful Scottish town known as the Gateway to the Highlands. For lunch, Vanesa and I went to Mohr Bread where they make some of the best Scottish pies.

Our next stop on the tour was the Falls of Dochart, and then onward to Glencoe, one of the most beautiful valleys in Scotland. The bus stopped twice in the valley, once at the Three Sisters Viewpoint, and then at the bottom along Loch Achtriochtan where there’s a beautiful cottage with a waterfall in the background.

Before reaching Oban, we made an impromptu stop at Stalker Castle. I once found this unique small tower castle on an island by accident on a self-guided tour around Scotland. I was quite happy to return with a guide explaining what I was looking at. The last time I went, it was low tide and I could walk all the way out to the castle. This time the tide was high, but I used the drone for some great aerial shots.

An Evening in Oban

Finally, we made it to Oban, our stop for the night. I had only been to Oban once before. It’s a really beautiful little town where you get the ferry to many of the Inner Hebrides Islands. It’s a relatively small town with a mere 8,500 residents. Along the harborfront are quite a few nice restaurants, mostly serving fresh seafood dishes.

Vanesa, my mom and I went to The Oban Fish and Chips Shop as I’d read they were one of the best chippies (fish and chips shops) in Scotland. I’ll admit they were quite good, but I’ve had better. Apparently, the owner split off to start another chippie called Nories down the street, which was later recommended to us as the better shop.

After dinner, I went up on my own to explore McCaig’s Tower, a folly on the hill overlooking Oban. A folly is essentially a silly structure built on a large estate in Scotland. This one was built by John Stuart McCaig between 1897 and 1902. It was intended to be a recreation of the Colosseum, but his death and lack of funds put an end to the construction after only the outer wall was completed (hence a folly).

It only takes a few minutes of hiking to reach the folly from the harborside, and it’s certainly worth the climb. You’ll get great views of Oban, the Isle of Kerrera in the foreground, and the Isle of Mull in the distance. If you go up at the right time, you’ll also get a gorgeous sunset reflecting off the Sound of Kerrera, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean.

Riding the Jacobite Steam Train, a.k.a. Hogwarts Express

Riding the Hogwarts Express across the Glenfinnan Viaduct is certainly the highlight of any trip to Scotland. As I had already been on the train several times, I opted to ride the bus to the visitor center instead and hike up to the viewpoint where you can see the train go by.

To be fair, riding the train is a bit overrated if you’re trying to get that perfect photo. Sitting at the back of the train and sticking your phone out the window, you’ll just see a long row of phone-holding hands in front of you. If you sit at the front of the train, then you don’t see the train going over the viaduct. But hey, it’s the experience that counts.

After the train passed by, the bus took us to Mallaig where we met the rest of the passengers and had lunch. Mallaig is another quintessential Scottish village where you can take the ferry to Armadale on the Isle of Skye, which is what we did.

Exploring the Isle of Skye

I’m not biased at all; I just think that the Isle of Skye is the most beautiful place in the world. I’ve already written about the island extensively, including my comprehensive guide to spending 48 hours on the Isle of Skye .

Our tour only spent about 24 hours on the island, but nowadays that’s about all you need and can do with a bus tour, as many of the attractions have been blocked off to large vehicles. It was also fully overcast and a bit rainy our whole time on the island, so we didn’t get the best views. If you want to get to the rest of the highlights on the island, you should rent a car and drive to each at your own pace.

It was my second time on the Isle of Skye since the pandemic started, and there were quite a few changes. Many of the attractions had new paid parking lots and no street parking, the free parking lot in Portree (the capital of the island) is now paid, one of my favorite cafes (Single Track Cafe) is permanently closed, and, as I said, many of the best attractions don’t accept bus tours.

When I did the Hebridean Hopper Tour in 2016, we stopped at several of the best attractions on the island, including the Quiraing, the Fairy Pools, etc. On this tour, we only stopped at Sligachan, Portree, the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls, and the Museum of Island Life. Still, just those stops were fantastic, and I was just happy that I finally got my mom to the place she named me after!

Leakey’s Bookshop in Inverness

In all the years I’ve been in Scotland, I’ve only visited Inverness a handful of times, and only once did I actually explore the city. Normally I tell people that Inverness is like a mini Edinburgh – anti-climatic if you’ve already been to the capital. As far as attractions go, most of them are outside the city. However, there was one spot that I made sure to visit after our guide dropped us off for the evening.

Leakey’s Bookshop is one of the most interesting bookstores in the world, along with Powell’s World of Books in Portland , Oregon, São Tiago Church bookstore in Obidos , Portugal, the floating Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, and Carturesti Carusel in Bucharest , Romania. It’s also the largest second-hand bookstore in Scotland with over 100,000 titles in stock.

Charles Leakey started the bookstore in 1979, although the shop moved three times before settling in its current home of the Old Gaelic Church, itself constructed in 1649. The bookshop has a huge fireplace in the center to keep it warm in the winter, which might be terrifying, all things considered.

Understanding the Jacobites at the Culloden Battlefield

The fourth day of the tour was spent visiting several attractions around Inverness, including a cruise on Loch Ness, the village of Beauly for lunch, and two more I somehow didn’t know about.

The first was the Clava Cairns, a 4,000-year-old burial site! There are several cairns built during the Bronze Age you can wander around. Very similar to standing stones in terms of the ancient atmosphere of the place. We just stopped there for a few minutes, and then went on to the Culloden Battlefield, less than a mile down the road.

I’ve been learning about Scottish history since the day I arrived in the country, but there’s just so much to learn. I mean, the country has thousands of years of backstory, and things got really heated in the past millennium. One aspect of the timeline I always struggled to sort out was the Jacobite Uprising. In a nutshell, Jacobites were supporters of James VII of Scotland and II of England, the last Scottish king. Jacobus is the Latin name for James. The uprising was their attempt to put a Scottish king back on the throne.

The Battle of Culloden was the decisive defeat of the Jacobite army, essentially resulting in the dissolution of the clan system of Scotland and the ban against wearing tartan (except in the British army). Of course, the Outlander TV show is also connected to the Battle of Culloden. You can even find a grave for Clan Fraser, although how many members of the clan are actually buried there is hard to determine.

Just a few years ago, the National Trust of Scotland opened a visitor center at the battlefield, reclaiming some of the lands. The fields don’t look anything like the marshes from three centuries ago, but they’ve recreated the layout of the battle nonetheless. The visitor center is also extremely detailed. I particularly enjoyed seeing separate timelines for each opposing force and their unique viewpoints.

Exploring Scotland’s Folk Museum

We left Inverness for the final day of our Highlands tour and first had a stop at Loch Morlich. It was beautiful but drizzling rain. I always say the rain in Scotland just makes the country more magical and mystical, but it also makes it very hard to get a drone in the air. We had a bit of time to grab a latte and some photos of the loch before moving on.

I was completely unaware of the next attraction, even though I had been to the Highland Wildlife Park just a couple miles away. The Highland Folk Museum began initially as a small project on the Isle of Iona in 1935. It moved and expanded several times over the years until 1987 when it settled in its current home. There are three “villages” in the museum, each representing a different period or segment of Scottish history.

The tour guide gave us well over an hour to explore the museum. I split my time between taking photos of most of the building interiors and getting my drone in the air for a lot of aerial shots. Sadly, the third zone of the museum had been damaged by a recent storm, which was the village I wanted to see the most. It’s where they have the old blackhouses which you can also see on the Isle of Lewis and Harris .

Lindores Abbey Distillery

Our final activity on the tour was not a usual stop. Or rather, the Highland Fling always stops at a distillery, but the usual distillery wasn’t available, so we got to visit another one which was super special. Especially as it was at the birthplace of whisky as we know it way back in 1494! A monk named Brother John Cor was commissioned by King James IV to supply the equivalent of 500 Kg of  aqua vitae , the Latin words for “water of life,” which was the forerunner to whisky.

Despite having taken numerous other distillery tours around Scotland, including the Glenturret Distillery tour with Haggis Adventures , and the Talisker Distillery tour several times with various friends, I somehow learned quite a few new facts about whisky at the Lindores Abbey Distillery. Perhaps that was because the co-owner of the distillery personally gave us the tour.

Of course, most distillery tours are fairly similar, but Lindores Abbey Distillery is unique for a couple of reasons. First, it’s built next to the ruins of the 12th-century abbey, which you can wander around. And the whole distillery has a very medieval feel to it matching the abbey, which I loved.

Second, it’s one of the newest distilleries in Scotland. To be called a Scotch, or Scottish whisky, the whisky must be aged for three years and a day (that day is to account for leap years) in an oak cast in Scotland. That means a distillery must be constructed, produce a good batch, and then wait for over three years before it can deliver the first bottles. As such, it’s quite an investment to make a new distillery. Lindores Abbey was only constructed in 2017, and the first bottles were delivered in 2021.

Book a Highland Tour from Edinburgh with Haggis Adventures

Haggis Adventures works with their sister company Highland Explorer Tours. At the time of this writing, many of the tours are combined on the same bus. The tours run year-round, and there are some special occasion tours, such as Up Helly Aa and a puffin tour, as well as festivities like the Edinburgh Fringe and Hogmanay.

The Haggis Adventures tag line is “Wild and Sexy”, and Highland Explorers is  “Passionate About Discovery”. Haggis clients tend to run to the top of mountains and sleep in hostels, while Highland Explorer clients tend to take photos of the mountains and stay at B&Bs.

It was quite funny that my mom, Vanesa and I were three of the only four passengers booked on with Haggis Adventures, while the rest paid for Highland Explorers. As I was taking photos and drone shots of the tour, the company brought out their “Wild and Sexy” tour bus, and the older ladies on the tour got excited about taking photos of it to send to their kids.

Hours, schedules and pricing do tend to change now and then. Make sure to check the Haggis Adventures website for current information, or book directly with GetYourGuide if you feel like giving me a small commission (at no additional cost to yourself) for your tour.

Further Reading

For more information about Edinburgh and Scotland, make sure to check out the rest of my  Scotland articles .

Hi, I'm Skye. Writer, photographer, adventurer, foodie, teacher, masseur, friend, dreamer, etc. I think "normal" sucks. Let's aim for extraordinary. SkyeTravels seeks to find the good around the world, focusing on adventures, food and wellness. Be inspired. Be yourself.

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HAGGIS ADVENTURES (Edinburgh) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

HAGGIS TOURS & NC500 MOTORCYCLE HIRE

01463 800041

The only OFFICIAL motorcycle tour guides for North Coast 500!

Scotland tour.

Come and join us on our Scotland tour and experience Scotlands best biking roads. 

Explore and visit some top attractions and take in the breathtaking panoramic views.

25th - 31st August 2024 - Prices from £2095 *New dates available on request*

Tour highlights.

7 Days of Outstanding touring, visit the Famous Kelpies, the Falkirk wheel and much more.

See the true beauty of scotland and its fantastic biking roads., tour itinerary.

Day 1 : Starting Points are from Inverness & Glasgow. Leaving at 9am sharp for the Inverness group and at 12 noon for the Glasgow group we kick of the tour by making our way towards the Famous Kelpies and The Falkirk Wheel. Here we spend some time learning about The Falkirk Wheel which is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, we also take the opportunity to grab a bite to eat for lunch. After Lunch we make our way to a great little Pass in the area before heading for our first nights stop in The Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.

Day 2:  Starting nice and early again at 9am sharp we make our way through the National Park and enjoy the sheer beauty it offers whilst heading towards Oban where we will take some time off the bikes to stretch our legs and enjoy some lunch. We continue our travels winding our way round some of Scotlands many Lochs following a section of coastal route up the west whilst meandering towards our destination around Mallaig for a nights rest. Time allowing we will visit Ardnamurchan Point, the most Westerly point of the UK Mainland and the Glenfinnan Viaduct (Harry Potter).

Day 3:  We begin our day with a short Ferry crossing to the Isle of Skye to take in some of the many landmarks and sights that are on offer here.  After we have enjoyed Skye we head back to the Mainland over the Skye Bridge and passing Eilean Donan Castle. Heading East alongside Loch Duich and Loch Cluanie we follow the road down towards Glengarry keeping a keen eye out for Stags, Ferral Goats and many other types of wildlife and also where we hopefully will see a lone piper at the roadside. We take the South side of Loch Ness towards Inverness where we will now base ourselves for the remaining days of the Tour allowing you to offload the luggage and make the rest of the tour easier riding and luggage free.

From here on, anybody wishing a day off the bikes to do their own thing can do so at their leisure whilst the rest of us progress with the itinerary detailed below.

Day 4:  The first of our loop days in the Tour.  We take in a nice easy day here to give everyone a bit of a rest after 3 great but long days riding.  We make our way down the North side of Loch Ness to the village of Drumnadrochit.  Here we will take some time off the bikes to allow each of you to do something of your own choosing such as a boat tour on Loch Ness or a visit around the Loch Ness Exhibition centre, Urquhart Castle visitor centre or perhaps just a look around the village. After lunch we begin heading to our secret scenic glen for some views of unspoilt natural Scotland.  Heading back towards Inverness we make a refreshments stop in Beauly, home of the Beauly Priory; A 13th Century abbey ruins. We then take a gentle scenic route back to the accommodation.

Day 5:  This day takes us East along to the Whisky trails, we begin by meandering along some back roads between Inverness and Forres passing Culloden Battlefield, this route offers some nice curves to start your day right.  We make a stop at the Sueno's Stone;  This 7 metre high, glass encased, stone features Pictish art dating from around 800 AD.  After learning a little history about the stone we continue on our day heading further along the East coast visiting a few quaint villages before continuing our journey along some of Scotlands vast whisky trails.  We tour passed several distilleries on this day including Glenfiddich, Macallan, Aberlour, and Tomatin, just a few of the ever popular single malt whisky brands on the market today. This day is a fairly easy paced day with physical distillery tours an option if anyone wishes to do so. We recommend the Aberlour distillery as we can also pick up some world famous Walkers Shortbread next door.

Day 6:  Today we make our way into the Cairngorm National Park to our first stop at the UK's highest funicular railway standing at over 3500 feet, which offers stunning views both from the base and the plateau, we will leave the decision to you whether to journey further up on the railway or not.  After this stop and a coffee if needed, we carry on with our day heading South to Pitlochry to pick up yet another fantastic biking road which offers miles of non stop twists and turns passing Balmoral Castle along the way.  Today is all about the great biking roads through the Cairngorms National Park. 

Day 7:  We begin our last day with a blast straight up to Ullapool with its fast sweeping bends for around 60 miles to really wake us up. We then continue Northbound towards Lochinver to visit one of the best pie shops in Scotland. We head up over the Kylesku bridge picking up a small section of the world famous NC500 route before turning off and heading back inland alongside yet more Lochs.  We make a stop at the Falls of Shin, famous for its leaping salmon and great visitor area, after which we make our way back to your accommodation via some fantastic biking roads and views.

As this is the last day of our tour we always offer an evening farewell meal on us to allow us to say thank you and let everyone have a discussion and laugh  over the best and most memorable bits of the week, after which we will leave you with a final nights accommodation to leave you rested and ready to make your own ways back home to relive the tales of the tour with friends and family alike leaving them in envy of your amazing experience that you will no doubt want to do again and again.

Visit one of many Castles we have to showcase here in Scotland.

The Falkirk Wheel

The only boat lift of its kind in the World.

Scotland has some spectacular waterfalls.

Stunning Villages

With quaint little villages dotted all over you will never struggle to find somewhere you may like to re-visit.

Fantastic BikingRoads

For those who really want to test their riding abilities we have some of the best biking roads on offer.

This is a must tour for any motorcyclists. The experience was awesome and haggis tours handled everything from start to finish with expert hands...

Sarah M - England

Whats Included?

Great  Accommodation   

Fully Guided or Lead Yourself

Fabulous Breakfasts

7 Days of Eye Popping views

GPS Routes Supplied

Access to all Photos taken

Fantastic Farewell Meal

Tour T-Shirt

Tour Sticker

Lunch & Dinner

Entrance  Fees to Attractions

Travel & Breakdown Insurance

Any parking  charges

SINGLE RIDER SHARED ROOM

£2095pp

£2845 pp with Bike Hire Included

SINGLE RIDER SINGLE ROOM

£2395pp

£3145 pp with Bike Hire  Included

RIDER & PILLION SHARED ROOM

We require a deposit of £250  at the Time of Booking and the rest no later than 6 weeks before Tour Date...We can arrange payment plans.

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All Tours Operated By Haggis Adventures

Discover the best Haggis Adventures adventures in one convenient place. TourRadar offers 4 Haggis Adventures tours. You can find the perfect trip spanning across 3 day to 8 day itineraries with prices starting from just EUR 96 per day!

4 Haggis Adventures trips

Highland Fling

It was a great tour and Tom was the best guide we could get!

• €75 deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

• Christmas & New Year

A nice tour guy, know everything about Scotland, talk a lot of about history, made fun for us.

• In-depth Cultural

Wild Skye & Loch Ness Hunter

It was incredible experiencing the amazing land, History, and people! Teigan is so fun and knowledgeable with her story telling y& games she plays with us. She did a great job! I recommend taking off Touradar that meals are included, because they are not. It also would need nice to have that one last night of accommodation too!

Isle of Skye & Hebridean Hopper

Rich, our guide was amazing! There were some great people on the bus which made every stop really enjoyable! We really loved the islands and the highlands and were sad to leave it behind, BUT we have made some cool friends. It was totally worth it. Rich has awesome pub and restaurant recommendations and his knowledge about Scotland and its history are out of this world! So ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars from Suus and Dieuwke