Enchanting Scotland: A Tauck Travel Experience

Day 1: Glasgow

Arrive a day early in Glasgow is always a good idea to overcome jet lag. Tauck provides hop-on hop-off bus tickets, a great way to explore the city. In the afternoon, we enjoyed a pub tour sampling Scottish ales. The Tauck reception and dinner offered a chance to connect with the other travelers, setting a warm tone for the tour.

Day 2: Expore gardens & distelleries

Our visit to Stirling Castle was captivating, with its gardens and architecture. For families, there are many engaging activities. A Scotland visit isn’t complete without a distillery tour; Glenturret Distillery was a highlight. After lunch at Crieff Hydro Hotel, we enjoyed a falconry demonstration. The meal at Crieff Hydro was mediocre, so I wouldn’t recommend dining there.

Left: Stirling Castle and Gardens; Right: Bagpiper and haggis to sample

Day 3: Loch Lomond & Inverness

Cruising on Loch Lomond, although misty and foggy, revealed the green and lush countryside of Scotland. We arrived in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, for our stay at the Kingsmill Hotel. Our dinner “surprise” was an accomplished bagpiper and dancer, who explained everything one always wanted to know about the bagpipe and highland dances. The evening continued with a kilt-making demonstration and explanation of those clan tartans. The Kingsmill is a wonderful location for traveling around the Highlands.

Day 4: Cawdor Castle

First stop was Cawdor Castle, with its gorgeous gardens and connection to Shakespeare's Macbeth. The best part was yet to come for me. As a fan of the series, “Outlander,” to visit the actual locations where Scottish history was made was a highlight. We drove to Culloden Battlefield, to the famous fields where the Battle of Culloden in 1746 took place. Allow as much time as you can spare. Tonight’s dinner was in the hotel’s restaurant and anything on the menu was included.

Day 5: Edinburgh

Today was our day to travel to Edinburgh, where we would spend our last three nights. A visit to Blair Castle and a stop along the route for a sheepdog demonstration filled our day. Although arranged through Tauck for their tours, other suppliers are available and I am more than happy to arrange for your trip to Scotland; this is true for any activity mentioned in this trip report. Plan to have dinner at Brown’s which is located very near the hotel — it's delicious.

Day 6 - 8: Castle excursions

While in Edinburgh, one must see two of the following castles: Holyhoodhouse and Edinburgh Castle. Plan your visits accordingly as many tourists visit, and it can be crowded. After visiting Edinburgh Castle, walk downhill the Royal Mile. Again, use the hop-on hop-off bus to see as much of Edinburgh as possible, making the Grassmarket one of your stops to step off and explore. We ate the best fish and chips at Berties.

Tauck tours are comprehensive and, other than one or two afternoons and evenings on your own, everything is well-planned and kept on a tight schedule. Personally, spending at least two nights in a hotel allows one to "settle in" versus one night here and one night there. We traveled on the “small group” option which is never more than 24 guests; this particular tour only had 17. Most of the guests are older but active.

The motor coach used was always sparkling clean and our driver more than friendly and helpful. The tour director was young, informative and always available with the small details of the trip. You will need to add gratuities for your trip director and motor coach driver as these are not included on Scotland’s land tour.
There are many amazing Tauck tours and cruises I can help you to plan and enjoy.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Scotland. In need of further inspiration? Check out Gail Collins' guide, Traveling with Tauck: Sicily.