Heart of Scotland Tours

My sisters and I took that tour last year. All 3 of us highly recommend it. The Highlands are beautiful, the tour guide is very knowledgeable, and the tour groups are small. You are guaranteed not to get bored. When you get to Loch Ness, I recommend taking the boat tour of the loch. The price of the boat ride is not included in the price of the tour giving you the option to do that or walk around the town. There's also a stop for lunch (also not included) among your many other stops (you'll have plenty of opportunities to take pics and stretch your legs).

Thanks Sarah!
I'm glad to hear that the highlands trip is so good! We're going to reserve our spots soon.

ONE MORE QUESTION - to tip the guides or not?

We're taking the Loch Ness & Legends tour on Sept 3rd!

You don't have to tip the guide, but everybody does anyway. Have a great trip!

Thanks for the info! We were going to add Inverness into our trip just for Loch Ness (well, and for the scenery in the highlands). But most of the reading I've done on here leads me to believe Inverness is less than impressive. So if we can add two days to Edinburgh and do a tour to the area instead, that's ideal! Thanks again!

I know Toni will chime in here, but I have to say that Inverness is a wonderful little city. True, there is not a lot to see in the city itself per se, but it's real Scotland and is the main city of the highlands. Locally, you can go out to Culloden Battlefield which has brand new visitor center. Not far from there is Fort George which is an active base as well as a historical site. There are spectacular views of the Moray Firth. You could also take boat ride out into the Firth and look for Dolphins, or just admire the beautiful scenery of the Black Isle. Speaking of the Black Isle, you could go out to Fortrose and walk near the light house and look for the elusive dolphins from the shore. You could go to Cawdor Castle which is short ride from Inverness. You could decide to walk by the Culbin Sands and work on your Scottish Suntan. And, of course, you could take a tour to Loch Ness and see Urquhart Castle. You could take a drive up the coast to Dornoch and see the Golf Course and cathedral and drive bit further north and check out a Broch and Dunrobin Castle. But get back to Inverness in time for dinner, so maybe save Dunrobin for another time. You'll want to stop by the Hootenanny to hear some traditional music. Or check out the local theater and see what's playing. And save a bit of time for shopping. If you look hard you'll find little tiny shops. I found a jewelry designer that made beautiful necklaces. All this is said by someone who adores Edinburgh.

Pam

Thanks for the input Pamela! I will consider Inverness again. Are the prices in Inverness reasonable? I found that Edinburgh was quite reasonable in comparison to Ireland and England when searching for B&B's. If we were to stay in Inverness, is it recommended to just go to Loch Ness on our own and then maybe take the boat ride? Or do you suggest an organized tour?

We took Heart of Scotland's Wizards and Warriors Tour last month and it was a highlight of our whole trip. Our guide, Tim, was terrific and hilarious. We learned a lot and had a great time. I would not hesitate to book another of their tours.

Inverness is not only worth a "look" it is worth a whole trip! We have been there many, many times and I would still go back and stay at least 5 to 7 days! Yes, the town (city) itself is small and somewhat limited. The walks down the river are beautiful and the Victoria Arcade shopping area is fun- upscale jewlerly to a magic shop selling fake vomit. What I love is that is a perfect place to base yourself for day trips to explore the highlands. You can go to Skye and Ellan Donnan, see Culloden and Clava Cairns, do a (long) day trip to the Orkneys, do whiskey trips, see the great glen or glen coe. Take the bus up to Drumnadrochit and travel along the river and up Loch Ness, there are some cute shops there and you can see the kitchsy Loch Ness moster stuff if you like. I have to encourage you to "try" Inverness! Feel free to PM me!

I completely agree with others recommending Heart of Scotland Tours. We were fortunate enough to have Bill as our tour guide on the Lochs and Legends tour a month ago. He was incredible, not only for the information and stories, but also for his passion about his subject matter and about Scotland! If all the guides are of his calliber, you can't miss. We booked online well ahead of time, and they do honor the L3 discount per person if you write in that you heard about it through Rick Steves.

Thanks Pam and Toni! I will be sure to send you guys messages if I have any more questions as the time gets closer. I'll probably ask for more suggestions about both Inverness and Edinburgh -- things that I won't be able to find in Rick Steve's books!