A day out sampling Scotland's finest assets - its whisky, its scenery and its history - including a tour of the Famous Grouse Experience, formerly the Glenturret Distillery, a stunning nature walk through a gorge at the Birks of Aberfeldy and a stop in the historic medieval city of Dunkeld.
Departure Time 10.00
Return Time 18.30 approx
Adult Prices
From £23 to £32
Discount Prices
From £23 to £29
Departure Days Tuesday & Saturday (All year)
Full Details & Itinerary
Depart Edinburgh 10.00am and travel northwest past Linlithgow palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, and Stirling Castle. Stirling castle was once known as the 'Key to Scotland', with its imposing position in the centre of the country. To the north is the 220ft high tower of the National Wallace Monument commemorating Scotland's great hero William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson in the Oscar-winning movie Braveheart.
Continuing north we come to the town of Crieff, once the main centre of the cattle trade in Scotland. During the October Tryst (as the cattle sales were known) Crieff turned into a real 'Wild West' town, full of cattle, horse thieves, bandits and drunken drovers. A mile outside town is the Glenturret Distillery, the oldest in Scotland, dating back to 1775 and home of the Famous Grouse Experience. Arriving here around 11.30, you will be taken on a tour of the distillery and find out the secret to making Scotland's national drink. No visit to Scotland is complete without sampling a 'wee dram' and you will get the chance to taste some of the finished product. Known in the Gaelic as Uisge Beatha (or 'water of life') whisky has been produced for centuries in Scotland and the art is now close to perfection. We will also have our lunch here at the distillery.
Leaving at 13.30 we continue north over the Highland line, through the beautiful Sma' Glen and onto Aberfeldy. You will notice the immediate change in scenery from rolling farmland to mountain and moor as we cross over the fault line separating Lowland Scotland from the Highlands. On this route we will follow very closely the road built by General Wade in the 1720s to connect Stirling with Inverness. These roads were constructed to connect important strategic points, garrisons and forts built by the British Government to subdue and curb the warlike tendencies of the wild Highland clans. At Aberfeldy, Wade's road crosses the wide River Tay, and the old bridge (dating from 1733) is still there to see.
For those who like a good walk your guide will take you up the stunning tree lined gorge with crashing waterfalls, known as the 'Birks of Aberfeldy'. It is truly impressive place, and inspired our national Bard, Robert Burns to write a song of the same name. The walk will take about an hour. Alternatively, you can take the time to explore the town.
We will leave at approx. 15.30 and head down the wide valley of Strathtay to the small cathedral town of Dunkeld. Set against tree clad hills and on the banks of the silvery Tay, Dunkeld was for many centuries the capital of the Christian Celtic Church, and its 13th century Cathedral reflects the once great importance of this picturesque Highland village. The town was destroyed in 1689 during the Battle of Dunkeld, but the beautiful whitewashed cottages around the square were built in the aftermath and have now been fully restored by the National Trust for Scotland. We will stop here before returning to Edinburgh past Perth and over the Forth Bridge.
Return approx - 18.30 Departure Point 207 High St, Edinburgh. Click here to see map.
Inclusions Transportation by top of the range 16 seat Mercedes minicoach for a more personal experience. Beware other operators claiming to deliver "small group tours" in 29-39 seat midi-coaches. We know it makes a big difference, because we tried touring in larger coaches and your experience wasn't the same and you told us so. That's why we stopped using larger coaches and we are the only 5 star operator in Scotland, who can truly claim to provide you a small group tour experience with a maximum of 16 passengers on tour.Forced air ventilation as standard. Services of a professional Rabbie's driver/guide. Rabbie's Discount Card - money off restaurants, shopping and attractions. Exclusions Lunch and refreshments. Entrance to Glenturret Distillery - but heavily discounted with Rabbie's discount card. Discount Price Students, Seniors over 60 and Children between 5 and 16. Important Information Because we believe in time off the bus and give you opportunities to take nature walks we recommend you bring suitable clothing and footwear for your tour. Scotland can be a wet place!!
Customer comments about this tour
Tour Date:
09/03/2008
The tour leaders anecdotes about Scottish history were gtreat
Tour Date:
01/04/2008
Guides were very nice and informative. They really seemed to enjoy themselves. It didn't seem like a job to them!
Tour Date:
02/04/2008
The guides were great! All three were very different, but equally friendly.
