Private Tour: Loch Ness, Culloden Battlefield, Clava and Cawdor

Embark on a private tour of Loch Ness, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Cawdor Castle, and more. Explore the stunning landscapes and historical sites of Inverness with your own personal guide.

Duration: 8 hours, 40 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Loch Ness - Loch Ness stretches for 23 miles and is 1.5 miles wide at its broadest point. The first sighting of Nessie was by St. Columba in 564 AD. Sightings continue to be reported annually, with 11 in 2017 and 13 in 2018. Keep a lookout as we explore the loch.

Our initial stop is at the Wellington lay-by, where on December 31, 1939, a Wellington Bomber from RAF Lossiemouth had to make an emergency landing due to engine failure. The bomber’s remains were recovered in 1985, fully restored, and are now displayed at Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey.

  • Urquhart Castle - Continuing through Drumnadrochit, we arrive at Urquhart Castle, perched on a rocky promontory with stunning views over Loch Ness. This 800-year-old castle has a tumultuous and bloody history. Explore the ruins and the visitor center.
  • Beauly Priory - Beauly Priory is currently closed due to recent high winds causing masonry to fall. The reopening date is unknown. However, we will still visit Beauly, where you can view The Priory from the gate.

Leaving Urquhart Castle, we return to Drumnadrochit and take the Culnakirk Hill Road towards Beauly, our next stop, Beauly Priory. Founded in the 13th century for monks of the Valliscaulian order, the priory grounds feature the Beauly Elm Tree, which is 800 years old and the oldest elm tree in Europe.

  • Cawdor Castle - Cawdor Castle reopens on April 27, 2024. Since 1370, Cawdor Castle has been home to the Thanes of Cawdor. The castle is set in beautiful grounds and gardens, surrounded by the magnificent Cawdor Big Wood, one of Europe’s finest woodland areas.
  • Clava Cairns - We head back towards Inverness to visit the Clava Cairns, a 4000-year-old ancient cemetery. The site includes various prehistoric burial monuments and the remains of a medieval chapel.

The Clava Cairns inspired Creag Na Dun in the Outlander series, and the Cleft Stone can be found here.

  • Culloden Battlefield - Less than a mile from Clava Cairns is Culloden Battlefield, where the last battle on British soil was fought on April 16, 1746, marking the end of the final Jacobite Rising. In less than an hour, 1600 men were killed, 1500 of them Jacobites, forever altering Highland life.

Walk around the battlefield to see the memorial cairn and clan burial stones, and visit the visitor center.

  • Inverness Castle - We pass by Inverness Castle, where you will see a statue of Flora Macdonald, famous for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after the Battle of Culloden, in the castle grounds.
  • Inverness Cathedral - Inverness Cathedral is the northernmost Anglican Cathedral in the UK. Commissioned by Bishop Eden, it was completed in 1866.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • WiFi onboard
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • Assorted snacks provided
  • Convenient pick-up and drop-off included
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Lunch
  • Admission Fees to Urquhart Castle of $14
  • Admission to Cawdor Castle $14
  • Culloden visitor centre $16
Additional Information

This tour is an exclusive experience customized for you and your group alone. We will travel to the locations of your choice. Destinations may include Loch Ness alongside Urquhart Castle, the historical Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Cawdor Castle, and Beauly Priory. You can visit the cultural hub of Inverness City, where you’ll see landmarks such as Inverness Castle and Inverness Cathedral, as well as Abertarff House- the city’s oldest house. We’ll also make a stop at the old High church - a site associated with the tragic fate of Jacobite prisoners after the Battle of Culloden.

  • Alcohol is not served to underaged
Location
Loch Ness
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(18 Ratings)
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Sue
Jul 23, 2024
Brilliant Day of touring - Kevin our guide tailored the day to our must sees, following up with what we didn’t know we needed to see! His knowledge of the Battle of Culloden was very extensive, the Cava Cairns information was fascinating and if you are an Outlander fan the stones connection at the Cairns gives more perspective on where the story was conceived. Our views over the highlands and Kevin’s knowledge of the area and the social history of Inverness was really interesting as well. An all round edifying and enjoyable day, well worth doing!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marshall_b
Jul 8, 2024
Lock Ness - Bobby is an excellent guide his stories and vast knowledge made for a fun day and learning experience. The tour wad trailed to our family request's
Review provided by Viator
Ptonkowicz
Jul 5, 2024
Great day with Kevin - Kevin was fantastic! Very accommodative and informative. He focused on the things in which we were interested. Great recommendations for dinner - the Waterfront restaurant. Would definitely hire him again. Thanks, Kevin!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G3558fikristib
Jun 29, 2024
Inverness Experience of a Lifetime! - Outstanding experience! Outstanding service! Outstanding Guide! We spent our day with Billy and fell in love with the Inverness area! Billy made sure we had a great time, saw everything we could see and accommodated our every need. He made our vacation experience one in a lifetime! Our kids are already hoping to see him again! Book with them!!! HIGHLY Recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sheryl
May 4, 2024
What a treat! Lawrence exceeded our expectations! - We had a wonderful day with Lawrence Macleod. He picked us up at our hotel in Aberdeen and our first stop was the Glenfidditch Distillery for a tasting His car was clean and comfortable and he had water for us. He took us through beautiful scenery and was very flexible. My husband thoroughly enjoyed the tastings and we continued on to Cowdor castle for lunch at the tavern and a tour. Lawrence found out we were Outlander fans; so, he added taking us to the “Craigh Na Dun” stones. He gave us a personal tour of the Cullodon battlefield, as well. We finished our day with feeding the Highlander cows, a highlight for me, and driving over to Loch Ness and the Urquhart castle. A very busy but fun filled day. Lawrence is a history buff so he had many a story or tale to tell which enriched our experience even more. We cant recommend him enough!
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Cmb6028
Feb 22, 2024
Best experience in all of Scotland - Our multi day tours were customized. We removed Loch Ness and went to a castle and some special places recommended along the way. This company is great for that reason. They aim to please, giving you the experience you want. We planned our bespoke trip in advance and these guys (Larry and Billy) were so helpful with dining and entertainment suggestions. They exceeded our expectations. We plan to go back to see other areas of Scotland and will have them assist us again with our sightseeing journey.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thomas_k
Jan 24, 2024
Billy was great. ... - Billy was great. Wonderful knowledge of the area and very flexible service. Wind and rain was horrendous but we still had great tour.
Review provided by Viator
H2581vldianav
Sep 15, 2023
Fantastic tour! - We had a wonderfull day! Our driver and guide Billy was super!! He told us a lot about the historie and the surroundings!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daniel
Sep 7, 2023
Phenomenal Service - Lawrence was phenomenal, very knowledgeable and easy to talk to, we had a 7 month old baby with us and he accommodated us no problem. Highly recommend their services if you want to tour the highlands
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chargen2017
Sep 4, 2023
A+ Perfect day in Scotland - Creating a customized tour was easy with the great knowledge and good communication from Lawrence. Tour guide Billy was great!! Funny, Informative and very good at navigating the sites to save us time. Highly, highly recommend Highlander Private Tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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