Scotland’s Highlands & Islands

Arrive in Inverness and transfer from the airport to Lord of the Glens. Embark the ship mid-afternoon and settle into your cabin. Gather for a reception, dinner, followed by traditional Scottish music by local musicians.

Visit Culloden, where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite forces met defeat in an infamous 1746 battle that had decisive consequences for life in the Highlands. See the Bronze Age standing stones and tombs of Clava Cairns. Set sail on the Caledonian Canal, built in the early 1800s to connect disparate lochs that thread across the Great Glen. Traverse Loch Ness, steeped in monstrous legend, then ascend impressive locks to moor at Fort Augustus village, where an evening hike awaits.

Continue along the Caledonian, gliding along a tree-lined canal known as Laggan Avenue, then onward across picturesque Lochs Oich and Lochy before descending Neptune’s Staircase—eight interconnected locks that drop 64 feet to the sea loch at Corpach. Opt for a drive to spectacularly scenic Glenfinnan, its famous 21-arch viaduct made even more so by the Harry Potter movies. Or enjoy a bracing paddle along Loch Linnhe with Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, as your backdrop.

Sail through Loch Linnhe to reach Oban, a lively town whose name is revered in whisky circles. Consider visiting a distillery or scoping out the panoramic Oban Bay views from McCaig’s Folly, a hilltop monument with inner gardens whose circular design and arches mimic the Colosseum. This evening, enjoy a Scotch whisky tasting aboard the ship.

Having reached Atlantic waters and the Hebrides, we disembark for a drive across the Isle of Mull and ferry-crossing to Iona, a picturesque island long revered as a Christian pilgrimage site. Stroll through St. Oran’s Chapel and the royal cemetery where Scottish kings, including the actual Macbeth, are buried. Back on Mull, tour Duart Castle, home and stronghold of Clan MacLean for the past eight centuries with the dungeons to prove it. Sail on to quaint Tobermory, where we overnight and learn about the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust’s efforts to protect marine life in these waters.

Depart for either Eigg or Rum, depending on weather conditions. Each island is home to fewer than 100 souls but and is teeming with wildlife. Among the possible sightings: Atlantic seals, minke and humpback whales, dolphins, harbor porpoises, and Manx shearwaters. If on Eigg, a hike or bike around the islet reveals views of the imposing crag of Sgurr. If on Rum, the marquee attraction is fanciful Kinloch Castle, completed in 1900 by textile baron who clearly did not know when to stop decorating. We then sail to the tiny village of Inverie and stop at the community-owned and operated Old Forge, the most remote pub in the British Isles, where you can chat with Inverie’s residents over a pint of local ale.

Continue north to the Isle of Skye. At the Museum of the Isles, trace the legacy of the 1,300-year-old Clan MacDonald, the Lords of the Isles, who once ruled the west coast of Scotland. See the ruins of Armadale Castle, ancestral home of the MacDonalds, and take a walk through the beautiful woodlands and gardens.

Then sail for Kyle of Lochalsh. Set out on a guided walk on the Balmacara Estate, affording spectacular coastal and mountain views. Alternatively, explore nearby Eilean Donan Castle, which sites on a tidal island at the confluence of three lochs, and is connected by causeway to the mainland. A Jacobite stronghold, it was destroyed by government forces in 1719 but restored in the early 20th century. Celebrate the voyage with a farewell dinner on board.

Following breakfast on board, disembark in Kyle of Lochalsh and drive through the highlands to Inverness. Then transfer to the airport for your return flight home.

Arrive at the Scottish Highlands City of Inverness and transfer to Kyle of Lochalsh to embark Lord of the Glens overlooking the Isle of Skye. Tonight, enjoy a reception and welcome dinner on board, followed by a concert of Scottish traditional music by local musicians.

This morning, explore Kyle of Lochalsh. Set out on a guided walk on the Balmacara Estate, affording spectacular coastal and mountain views. Alternatively, explore nearby Eilean Donan Castle, which sites on a tidal island at the confluence of three lochs, and is connected by a causeway to the mainland. A Jacobite stronghold, it was destroyed by government forces in 1719 but restored in the early 20th century. Return to the ship for lunch while sailing over the sea to the Isle of Skye.

This afternoon, visit the Museum of the Isles, tracing the legacy of the 1,300-year-old Clan MacDonald, the Lords of the Isles who once ruled the west coast of Scotland. See the ruins of Armadale Castle, the ancestral home of the MacDonalds, and take a walk through the beautiful woodlands and gardens. Then sail to the tiny village of Inverie and stop at the Old Forge, the most remote pub in the British Isles, where you can chat with Inverie’s residents over a pint of local ale.

Depart for the picturesque town of Tobermory, a village established in 1788, which is famous for its brightly painted houses that line its waterfront. Along the way, cruise the coast along the Isle of Eigg, keeping an eye out for Atlantic seals, minke and humpback whales, dolphins, harbor porpoises and Manx shearwaters. After exploring the geological history of Tobermory and tasting its world-renowned whiskey, the ship will stop in Craignure for the night. Members of the local Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT), will join you on board for the evening. The HWDT team is always thrilled to share their efforts to protect marine life in these waters, shedding light on citizen science opportunities during your voyage, and recounting why whales and dolphins have been so culturally significant in this region since the Iron Age.

This morning, disembark and set out on a drive across the Isle of Mull and ferry-crossing to Iona, a picturesque island long revered as a Christian pilgrimage site. Stroll through St. Oran’s Chapel and the royal cemetery where Scottish kings, including the actual Macbeth, are buried. Back on Mull, tour Duart Castle, home and stronghold of Clan MacLean for the past eight centuries with the dungeons to prove it. Then, sail across the Sound of Mull to the bustling town of Oban, set on a picturesque bay on the Firth of Lorn, where we stay for the evening. If you wish, walk all the way up to McCaig’s Folly, a hilltop monument with inner gardens whose circular design and arches mimic the Colosseum. This evening, enjoy a whisky tasting onboard.

This morning, sail to Corpach and enter the Caledonian Canal, built between 1803 and 1822 to connect Loch Linnhe with the three other lochs that lie in the slip fault of the Great Glen. Kayak from the Corpach moorings in the shadow of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. Or choose to drive to beautiful Glenfinnan, along Loch Sheil and surrounded by mountains, where Bonnie Prince Charlie first raised the Jacobite standard on mainland Britain in 1745. Explore the spectacularly scenic location, home to the Glenfinnan Railway Viaduct on the West Highland Railway line, made famous in the Harry Potter movies. Moor at Corpach for the night.

From Corpach, ascend Neptune’s Staircase, a set of eight interconnected locks rising 64 feet from the sea lock at Corpach. Sail into Loch Lochy, glide along the tree-lined canal known as Laggan Avenue, sail across picturesque Lochs Lochy and Oich, and descend an impressive flight of locks that run through the heart of Fort Augustus. Seeing the process of getting the ship through the locks is always exciting, and Lord of the Glens is purpose-built to fit in the locks’ narrow confines. The ship is always an object of curiosity among local residents and other visitors as she transits. This evening, moor at Fort Augustus, with a chance to take an exploratory hike through the surrounding countryside.

Enter Loch Ness, cruise past the romantic ruins of Urquhart Castle, a Norman castle on an Iron Age site, and learn about the legendary Loch Ness Monster, which is said to inhabit the loch in this vicinity. Continue through Loch Dochfour to Inverness.

This afternoon, visit Culloden, the infamous battlefield where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite forces were defeated on April 16, 1746. Visit both the battlefield and the award-winning visitor center, the National Trust for Scotland’s flagship site. Continue to the evocative burial chambers and standing stones of Clava Cairns, dating from the early Bronze Age. The impressive structures of this sacred site were developed for over a thousand years.

Tonight, enjoy a reception and dinner on board, with a special after-dinner performance in the lounge by a local troupe of junior Scottish dancers.

Following breakfast on board, disembark in Inverness this morning after breakfast and transfer to the airport for your flight home.