Whisky Coast & Loch Lomond

Edinburgh - Trossnachs National Park - Oban - Islay. Departing Edinburgh this morning, we head west, first visiting Trossnachs National Park. Admire some of the country's famous scenery and perhaps taste some regional delicacies. We then make our way through the mountainous Western Highlands to Oban, a port town once the strategic heartland of great feuding clans.

Modern Oban is known for two things, seafood and whisky. We have the opportunity to taste both, including a dram of locally produced whisky and an optional seafood lunch.

We then make our way through the Kilmartin Glen, home to standing stones and historic fortified strongholds dating back more than 1,500 years. At Kennacraig, we catch the ferry to the island of Islay. The crossing takes around 2 hours, and you can see the Paps of Jura as we sail past the island of Jura. Landing at Islay, we make our way to our accommodation in Bowmore.

Please note: Check-in closes at 08:15 on day 1 (tour departs at 08:30) at Edinburgh Bus Station Pick Up, Gate J and Gate K, inside Edinburgh Bus Station, St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH1 3DQ.

Tuck into breakfast at the accommodation before we depart on a day of whisky adventures! We are visiting three distilleries today, starting with Bowmore, one of the oldest distilleries in the whole of Scotland. There's an included tour and whisky tasting before we continue to Kilchoman Distillery*, for a tour and enjoy a lunch of Scottish specialities. We then travel through the beautiful countryside of Islay to our third distillery. Here we enjoy an included tasting of the unpeated and salty notes of Bunnahabhain in the most remote distillery on Islay. Feeling slightly light-headed, we then head back to Bowmore, where the evening is at leisure.

Please Note:*Tours departing on Fridays will no longer visit Kilchoman Distilery, and will instead will stop by Ardnahoe Distillery for a shop/bar visit (lunch no longer provided). There will also be a tour and tasting included at Bunnahabin Distillery (instead of just a tasting).

Today we are exploring the southern half of Islay, one of the most beautiful of the Scottish Isles. First we visit the distillery at Ardbeg, owned by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy! There's an included tour and tasting here.

Depending on the departure date, the final distillery of our tour is Laphroaig, a 200-year-old distiller known to be a favourite of the British Royal Family. Monday departures will visit Lagavulin distillery instead.

Throughout the day, we will also stop at some of the island's main highlights. See the historic ruins of Kildalton church and Dunyvaig Castle, which was once held by the chiefs of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg. We then return to Bowmore for our last night.

Please Note:If your tour departs on Friday, your visit to Ardbeg will not include a full tour of the distillery facilities, instead it will include a visit to the still house and four drams of whisky.

Islay - Loch Lomond - Edinburgh. Say goodbye to Islay as we take the return ferry back to the mainland. We then make our way back to Edinburgh, stopping on the way in the pretty town of Inveraray, on the banks of Loch Fyne. Admire the historic buildings, boats and an old whisky shop. Our final stop is at Loch Lomond, where you can admire Great Britain's largest body of water by surface area. We then complete our drive to Edinburgh, where our tour comes to an end.

Please note: This tour ends at 19:00 - Edinburgh Bus Station Drop Off, George St / St. Andrews Square area, (Within 5 mins of Edinburgh Bus Station), Edinburgh,