Need help as a first time visitor to Scotland. We will be boarding a cruise in Southampton UK this summer that will take us all around the British isles. One of our stops is in Invergordon (Inverness) and unfortunately the cruise excursions are booked but this was our most anticipated destination. Our ship will only be in port from 10am-10pm but I have only been able to find tours that start much earlier. We were hoping to travel to Isle of Skye or Loch Ness if possible, but ultimately we'd like to see the best that Scotland has to offer for our limited time there. I welcome any suggestions.
Posted by
Lake District, England
5805 posts
The problem is that Invergordon is as much "Inverness" as Southampton is "London".
As regards tour timings any on shore provider knows what time a ship is due in, and will adjust their timings accordingly.
Please, oh please, don't go to Skye. Even if you can find a tour or rental car that is AT LEAST 3 hours each way so you will only get a maximum of 3 to 4 hours on Skye and if anything happens on the road (like an RTA or other incident) you are up a creek without a paddle as there are few diversionary routes.
A tour provider will have time to take you to Culloden etc (people on this forum will tell you that you can't do it by public transit but you can). There is also time for a tour provider to take you to Speyside and at least one distillery (there is also at least one distillery close to Invergordon). They can certainly get you to Loch Ness- again you can absolutely also do Loch Ness by public transit.
You also have time to do the far north railway line to Thurso and back. Given that your next port call is probably Kirkwall or Lerwick then if the train went really horribly wrong you could catch your ship up via the ferry from Scrabster (Thurso). In reality you would have 2 or 3 hours in hand- time enough for Scotrail to fund taxis or buses to work round a line problem.
The Black Isle would also be a good and easy day. It could be tied in with Dornoch and the Falls of Shin to make a good tour.
Essentially look at the tours provided both by the ship and by independent providers. Those tell you what is sensible and prudent ground to cover in a day from the port.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23275 posts
Our extensive experience with cruises is that there are dozens of excursions offered at the dock. Sometimes more interesting than the ship. Since the ship doesn't leave until 10 pm you would have min risk of returning to the ship on time. Sometimes you can hire a taxi for all day for a very reasonable price. Just ask. Also look for a TI as they will have local tours at very reasonable prices.
Posted by
El Dorado Hills, CA
58 posts
Last year we were on a ship that ported in Invergordon. We booked a Thistle Tour. It was fabulous! It is geared towards ship arrivals.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all very much for the advice. This helped immensely!!
Posted by
2 posts
You could look into private tour operators, they'll be able to tailor your itinerary round your timings and create a custom itinerary. Theres a few with good reviews
https://www.wowscotlandtours.com/
https://www.heartlandtravel.co.uk/
https://stravaigin-scotland.com/
Hope this helps