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Cairngorms; Highest Mountains, Bonnie Lochs & Ancient Forests

5.01 reviewTomatin Distillery

  • 8–9 hours
  • Free cancellation up to 24h before
  • Guided in English
  • Instant confirmation

Highlights

We'll head south from Inverness over The Slochd Summit from where we see our first view of The Cairngorm Mountains. We continue on to the Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore where you can discover the history and heritage of The Scottish Highlands. From here we will enjoy a lovely tour along the quieter back roads of Badenoch & Strathspey. We'll visit Ruthven Barracks before passing through Rothiemurchus and Loch Morlich. Our journey then takes us up to Cairngorm ski area and UK’s highest mountain railway. Experience Cairngorm Mountain and enjoy wonderful panoramic views from UK’s highest restaurant, over 1000 metres up. Back down in Strathspey we can go looking for red squirrels and perhaps Ospreys amid our indigenous Caledonian Pine Forest by Loch Garten and Nethy Bridge. Our tour takes us on to Grantown-on-Spey and, if time allows, we can enjoy an envigorating dram or two on our way home at either Tomatin or the new Cairn Distillery.

Inclusions

What's included

  • Private transportation
  • Bottled water
  • Snacks
  • Air-conditioned vehicle

What's not

  • Cairngorm Mountain Railway; Adult £22.00, Child £12.50 (under 6 free), Family £38.00 - £55.00
  • Highland Folk Museum. Admission is free but a donation is requested
  • Whisky tastings at Tomatin can be paid for at the time.
  • Lunch

Itinerary

  1. Magnificent views of some of Scotland's highest mountains with the opportunity to travel up the Cairngorm Mountain Railway. We will be travelling through the National Park throughout the day

    Passes by

  2. Step back in time and experience life in the Highlands from 1700s to the 1950s. We have over 35 historical buildings onsite for you to explore and discover how people in the Highlands lived, worked, went to school, enjoyed their leisure time.

    1 hAdmission included

  3. Ruthven Barracks were built by George II’s government in the early 1700s after the failed Jacobite uprising of 1715. The troops stationed there were to maintain law and order and enforce the Disarming Act of 1716. The barracks saw action twice. A 300-strong Jacobite attack failed to take the barracks in 1745, but a more heavily-armed attack the next year forced the barracks’ surrender. The Jacobites rallied here after their defeat at Culloden before conceding.

    30 min

  4. Loch Morlich enjoys one of the finest settings of any loch in the country. It is surrounded by forests and fringed by beaches, with the stunning backdrop of the often snow-clad peaks of the northern Cairngorms.

    Passes by

  5. Enjoy a breath-taking trip on Scotland’s only funicular railway, the highest in the UK reaching the Ptarmigan building at over 1,097m above sea level. The 2km funicular railway runs a regular service taking customers to the top of the slopes in around 5 – 8 minutes. Once at the Top Station you can enjoy a unique visitor experience: Ptarmigan Restaurant with panoramic views Cairngorm Gin Bar Viewing terrace 270 degrees immersive exhibition Cairngorm Learning Zone with interactive sandboxes The Shop at the Top serving a wide range of gifts, clothing and local products NB In order to protect the unique plateau all funicular passengers are not permitted to exit the Top Station to go out onto the mountain

    1.5 h

  6. Nestled in Abernethy, the Loch Garten Nature Centre is the perfect spot to experience this amazing forest. Our team are on hand to help with CCTV screens, binoculars and telescopes to help you to get great views. An exhibition, daily talks and family activities ensure there’s something for everyone.

    1 h

  7. The town was founded in 1765 as a planned settlement and was originally called simply Grantown after Sir James Grant.[4] The addition 'on Spey' was added by the burgh council in 1898. The town has several listed 18th and 19th century buildings, including several large hotels and serves as a regional centre for tourism and services in the Strathspey region. The town is twinned with Notre-Dame-de-Monts in the Vendée, Pays de la Loire, France.

    30 min

  8. The Scottish Highlands. Full of stories, of open arms and warm welcomes. Full of hidden depths and of the love of families spanning generations. Full of what matters. This is our home. This is us. This is our whisky. Each one a memento of a passion and knowledge that only comes from making whisky over several lifetimes. Each one a toast to the very landscape in which we live, to our community bonded by shared purpose and in everything we do. Quite simply, our whiskies reflect us. Always have and always will. Tomatin. To what matters.

    1 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

5.0

  • 51
  • 40
  • 30
  • 20
  • 10

Ratings come from 1 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

Pickup
Pickup is included for everyone.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Operated by
Grant Driving Tours; Scotland
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Specialized infant seats are available
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Travel and transportation through our beautiful scenery is included in the total time duration of this tour
  • This tour is not available for cruise ship passengers at Invergordon Cruise Port

How it compares in Inverness

  • Its from-price is 72% above the median of the 319 experiences we list in Inverness.
  • Its length is typical for the group.
  • By number of reviews it ranks 223 of 319.
  • The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Inverness

Inverness is the Highland capital on the River Ness, close to Loch Ness, Culloden battlefield, ancient cairns and the dolphins of the Moray Firth.

Inverness stands where the River Ness meets the Moray Firth, with a red sandstone castle on a bluff above the river and the wooded Ness Islands, linked by footbridges, a short stroll upstream. The city is the capital of the Highlands and the northern end of the Great Glen, the fault valley that runs south-west to Fort William. The Victorian cathedral of St Andrew stands on the river bank.

Top-ranked sights in Inverness: Loch Ness, Fort Augustus, Isle of Skye.

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Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.

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