Explore Scotland as few people have on an enchanting voyage to the region’s highlights and some seldom-seen wildness. Purpose-built for these waters, our gracious ship, Lord of the Glens, is able to fit through narrow canals and stepped locks in the heart of the country and also navigate among the islands and their small communities along the coast. The result is a panoramic voyage, a rare expedition that offers an immersive, in-depth experience at a comfortable pace. Named a National Geographic Traveler magazine "Tour of a Lifetime" for its authenticity, immersion, sustainability, and connection, our Highlands and Islands expedition offers the most encompassing way to explore Scotland. You’ll walk among ancient stone monuments, weave your way through ruins of fantastic castles, and stroll through a sacred abbey. Learn the legacy of 1,300-year-old clans and visit the cemetery of Scottish monarchs. Experience the charm of modern Scotland through live music on board and a special visit to the tiny Isle of Eigg, home to about 90 souls.
Sail the Caledonian Canal, which bisects the country, plus explore the beautiful outlying islands of the Inner Hebrides
Kayak Loch Linnhe, see the storied battlefield of Culloden, beautiful Glenfinnan, the historic Isle of Iona, and the isles of Mull, Eigg, and Skye
Travel to hauntingly beautiful moorlands, grand castles, sacred abbeys, and sweeping mountains
Wave to the locals who turn out to watch Lord of the Glens descend Neptune's Staircase, a set of eight interconnected locks that the ship is perfectly sized to squeeze into
Each Scottish Highlands expedition aboard Lord of the Glens is crafted to offer a holistic, panoramic experience of the sweep of Scottish history and the beauty of its moorlands and islands. To get the most out of the experience, you’ll travel in the company of a veteran Scotland expedition leader, a historian, and a naturalist/certified photo instructor. Flexibility is a hallmark of our expeditions, and our daily itineraries will sometimes adjust to take advantage of unique opportunities.
Each Scottish Highlands expedition aboard Lord of the Glens is crafted to offer a holistic, panoramic experience of the sweep of Scottish history and the beauty of its moorlands and islands. To get the most out of the experience, you’ll travel in the company of a veteran Scotland expedition leader, a historian, and a naturalist/certified photo instructor. Flexibility is a hallmark of our expeditions, and our daily itineraries will sometimes adjust to take advantage of unique opportunities.
Travel aboard Lord of the Glens on any voyage and we will cover your bar tab and all tips for the crew.
BRINGING THE KIDS
Special Offers
We believe sharing an expedition with your kids or grandkids is a life-enhancing experience. So take $500 off for each child under the age of 18.
COMBINING OFFERS
Special Offers
Certain offers may be combinable, up to two savings opportunities, except where noted otherwise. For example, travel with a group of 8 or more on back-to-back expeditions, and take advantage of both savings.
BACK-TO-BACK SAVINGS
Special Offers
Save 10% on any consecutive journeys taken on board one of our expedition ships. This savings is applicable on voyage fares only, and are not valid on extensions or airfare.
TRAVELING AS A GROUP
Special Offers
Save 5% when traveling as a group of 8 or more people. Take advantage of these great savings, while enjoying traveling with your friends and family. This savings is applicable to voyage fares only, and is not valid on extensions or airfare. Deposit, final payments, and cancellation policies for group travel vary from our regular policies.
Dates, Rates & Cabins
Travel on this itinerary from $8,660 per person
Browse our team directory to discover the full cast of expedition staff
From the ancient castle and historic houses of the Royal Mile to the elegant Georgian terraces and crescents of the New Town, Edinburgh embodies much of Scotland’s history and culture. In the words of the historian Murdo Macdonald, “Edinburgh is a city that makes you think about what a city should be." Visit the ancient Edinburgh Castle and see the Stone of Destiny—an oblong block of red sandstone used for centuries in the coronation of monarchs of Scotland. Enjoy the spectacular Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a celebration of music and culture set against the famous backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. You’ll also see the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Palace of Holyrood House, The Royal Yacht Britannia, and we’ll make sure you have time to explore on your own.
We awoke to clear skies and light air with the sure prospect of a fine day ahead. As we sailed “over the sea to Skye” during breakfast, out of Loch Nevis, with the town of Mallaig on the mainland and the Isle of Eigg on our port quarter, we experienced exceptional visibility. An hour’s sailing brought us to the pierhead at Armadale on the Isle of Skye, the largest of the Hebridean islands, rich in history and with a varied landscape that has made it a mecca for hillwalkers. From our mooring, we could walk to the Clan Donald Centre, an excellent museum that offered a revision course in some of the major themes in Scottish history covered on our voyage: the arrival of the Gaels from northern Ireland in the middle of the first millennium; the coming of Christianity, also from Ireland; the establishment of the medieval thassalocracy, known as the Lordship of the Isles. There was time to enjoy the gardens, containing many specimens brought back to Scotland by the Scottish plant hunters of the early nineteenth century.
Over lunch we sailed between Skye and the mainland, navigating the treacherous tidal race of the Kyle of Lochalsh, the narrowest point between Skye and the mainland where, before the Skye bridge was opened in 1992, a short ferry ride connected Skye with the mainland. In 1897 a railway was constructed from Inverness to Lochalsh—quite an engineering feat, particularly in its latter stages, when the railway had to be chiseled through hard rock to enter the town. At Kyle, we had two afternoon options for activities. One group visited the much-photographed Eilean Donan Castle, the ancestral home of the McCrae clan, that was attacked from the sea during the short-lived Jacobite rebellion of 1719. A second group hiked on the trail in the direction of Plockton for spectacular views of the Cuillin Mountains.
We gathered in the evening sunshine for a group photograph followed by our Farewell Dinner, enlivened by the piping in of the haggis and the traditional “Address to the Haggis” composed by the Scots poet, Robert Burns. After dinner, we were entertained by two traditional musicians playing the fiddle and the concertina. An entrancing end to a wonderful voyage.
We woke in Tobermory to a showery day, with the morning to explore this colorful waterfront town. Despite the rain, a group walked out to a nearby lighthouse, following a trail through the Celtic rainforest, with moss, lichen, and ferns coating the trees along the way. Our endpoint was a picturesque Stevenson lighthouse, designed by the family of Robert Louis Stevenson. Those who didn’t take the walk spent the morning shopping in town, perusing offerings from chocolates to books.
Our afternoon sail was a wee bit rough, but our views were spectacular as we rounded Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly point on mainland Scotland where an Egyptian-style lighthouse stands on the rocky shore. Though the captain tried, we unfortunately couldn’t put in at the Isle of Eigg due to the winds and waves. We did get a good view of Eigg, with its imposing peak named An Sgurr (Gaelic for “The Rocky Crag”) dominating the island’s skyline. An Sgurr was formed around 50 million years ago during a volcanic period. A flow of lava filled an ancient riverbed and the surrounding rock subsequently eroded down, leaving the peak as it stands today.
After viewing Eigg, we ventured straight to Inverie, on the Knoydart peninsula, our berth for the night. Inverie is a small village accessible only by foot or boat, and has the feel of a distant, inaccessible island. The rain let up, and the evening light made for wonderful atmosphere as we disembarked to stroll along the shore. A few even ventured into the Old Forge Inn, the most remote on mainland Scotland.
As dinner was served, a local bagpiper played a few traditional tunes, and thus ended another eventful day aboard
Lord of the Glens
.
The high winds of yesterday that had led to widespread ferry cancelations in the
Hebrides had died away, enabling us to venture out of the sheltered anchorage
of Oban bay to make for the Isle of Mull, the second largest of the Inner
Hebridean islands and one with an exceptionally long, highly indented
coastline. It is an island celebrated for its wildlife, golden and white-tailed
eagles, shorebirds, and rich marine life, including minke whales, orcas, and
seasonal basking sharks. We disembarked at Craignure and drove in a long
diagonal across the island, along a single-track road with passing places, to
Fionnphort where we met the ferry for Iona.
Iona
has emblematic significance in northwest Europe. It was
there in 563AD that Columba brought Celtic Christianity to Scotland from
Ireland. He established a monastic community on the island that was famed for
its learning and its craftsmanship. The Book of Kells, one the treasures of
modern Ireland that is today housed in the library of Dublin’s Trinity College,
was produced on Iona and taken to Kells Abbey in Ireland to preserve it from
Viking raids in the eigth century. We walked to the restored Benedictine abbey,
passing one of Britain’s best-preserved mediaeval nunneries and one of
Thomas Telford’s ‘Parliamentary Kirks’ on the way, to view St Martin’s Cross. In
situ since the eighth century, this is the original Celtic Cross from which all
others derived their distinctive design. We also explored the abbey, its
cloister, a
museum of high crosses, and numerous craft shops. A highlight
of the day was a performance in the abbey by the Doric String Quartet, part of
the 2019 Mendelssohn on Mull Festival.
After
a hearty lunch at the St Columba Hotel, we took the ferry back to Fionnphort
and recrossed the Isle of Mull, passing the island’s two munroes, Ben Talla and
Ben Mhor, both meeting the requirement of being more than 3,000 feet tall.
Detouring to Duart, we visited the ancestral pile of the Clan Maclean, a
filmset of a Scottish castle perched on a rocky crag strategically situated
overlooking the Sound of Mull. We took a tour of the castle, complete with a prisoner
in the dungeon, sound effects, and a stroll around the site that includes a
burial ground for Hanoverian soldiers billeted at Duart after the 1745 Jacobite
Rebellion. Then we drove to Tobermory to rejoin the ship.
Before
dinner, we heard a lively presentation from a member of staff of the Hebridean
Whale and Dolphin Trust.
We left the Caledonian Canal and ventured into the sea, passing through the last lock of the trip. For the remainder of our week we will be sailing through saltwater, exploring the Inner Hebrides on our way over to the Kyle of Lochalsh. As we traveled from Corpach to Oban along Loch Linnhe, we were still within the Great Glen Fault, though beyond the stretch of the canal. As we sailed to our day’s destination of Oban, we heard a talk on the different populations that came into the country and the advent of Celtic Christianity to Scotland, preparing us for our eventual trip to Iona.
At midday, we arrived at the bustling town of Oban in a burst of beautiful sunshine. Oban is a transport hub and service area for the region. Ferries, trains, and buses meet here, and shops and stores provide for the surrounding area. Shortly after arriving in Oban, a distillery tour was offered—a wonderful chance to learn about the creation of Scotland’s iconic whisky. The distillery is one of the oldest in Scotland, established in 1794. The buildings remain much the same as they were in the 1890s when the business was renovated and updated. The tour ended with a delicious sample.
It was a windy day, with blustery breezes raising whitecaps on the sea. But the sun was out, and so it was a good afternoon to explore the town. A few walkers ventured up to McCaig’s Tower. Also known as McCaig’s Folly, the construction looks like a ruined Roman coliseum. The building was constructed by the wealthy banker John Stuart McCaig starting in 1895 but was left unfinished upon McCaig’s death in 1902.
Before dinner, there was more whisky on the schedule, along with a tasting led by a local expert. With clear skies and drifting clouds, it was an atmospheric evening to end the day.
Over breakfast we cast off at the top of the flight of locks in Fort Augustus in sunshine and heavy showers, completing our transit of the Caledonian Canal. Although we were held up at Laggan Locks which were under repair, we enjoyed a few presentations by staff as we advanced along the canal to its highest point at Loch Oich before crossing the shallow Loch Lochy over lunch. By early afternoon we had arrived at the top of Neptune’s Staircase—an impressive flight of eight locks that lowers the canal down to the Atlantic sea lock at Corpach. We overnighted in the Corpach basin beneath the great massif of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain on mainland Britain.
Our afternoon activities were centered on Glenfinnan where a National Trust for Scotland visitor center was established to commemorate the place where ‘Bonnie’ Prince Charlie first raised his standard on the Scottish mainland at the start of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. Today the site has been re-branded to celebrate Harry Potter, for the railway viaduct behind the center is the one over which the Hogwarts Express travels in the movies. One group took a longer hike which approached the viaduct from above before passing beneath it to return to the visitor center. A gentler walk was offered from the center itself over a boardwalk viewing wetland flora: birch, willow, alder, and a variety of ferns. So much rain had fallen over the past week that whole sections of the boardwalk were underwater. After dinner we were privileged to hear a presentation by Alasdair Gibson, the Glenfinnan estate manager who enthralled and amused by turns with his accounts of deer stalking on the estate.
