The Highland Fling

Historic stone castle with a curved stone bridge leading to it, surrounded by green hills and a river, under a cloudy sky.

The train pulls out of Waverley and Edinburgh falls away behind you. Two days, and for once, none of them belong to anyone's schedule but yours, no itinerary to share, no pace but your own. By the time the Cairngorms rise up on either side of the carriage, something in the pace of things has already changed, and the country most people only ever glimpse from a coach window starts to open up properly, glens with no one else's voice in them, roads that feel like they were built for exactly one car.

This is the Highlands compressed into their finest hour, not a shorter version of something bigger, but its own complete thing. Eilean Donan, rising out of three lochs. Glen Coe, the glen that opened Skyfall, and one of the most storied landscapes in Scotland. A night at Inverlochy Castle, restaurant overseen by Michel Roux Jr, the kind of place people remember long after they've forgotten most hotels they've stayed in. Afternoon tea overlooking the Old Course at St Andrews, on the way back.

A guide with you throughout, there to tell you what you're actually looking at, not just point you toward it. Every detail arranged before you arrive.

This is what a weekend away is supposed to feel like.

Experience Details

Trip Duration

2 days 1 night

Pricing

From £2,355 pp (based on two sharing)

Private Guided.

Tour Type

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Tour Itinerary

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Day One: The Great Glen and the West Coast

First-class rail from Edinburgh Waverley to Inverness, through the Cairngorms and over Drumochter Pass, the highest point on Britain's railway. A private car takes us south along Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle, then west through Glen Shiel to Eilean Donan Castle, before we finish the day at Inverlochy Castle beneath Ben Nevis.

    • Edinburgh Waverley Station (departure)

    • Inverness (rail arrival, private car meets you)

    • Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness

    • Glen Shiel (scenic drive)

    • Eilean Donan Castle

    • Inverlochy Castle, Fort William (overnight)

  • Inverlochy Castle Hotel.

    The first sight of Inverlochy Castle Hotel, rising at the foot of Ben Nevis, tends to stay with people. It's a nineteenth-century castle hotel that knows exactly what it is: quietly grand rather than showy, full of storied antiques and the kind of atmosphere that doesn't need to try. Queen Victoria stayed a week here in 1873 and called it the loveliest spot she'd ever seen.

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Day Two: Glen Coe and the road home

We begin in Glen Coe, standing in the glen itself for the story of 1692, before the drive southeast across the emptiness of Rannoch Moor and through Perthshire to St Andrews, for afternoon tea overlooking the Old Course. Home to Edinburgh by early evening.

    • Glen Coe

    • Rannoch Moor (scenic drive)

    • St Andrews — afternoon tea, Old Course Hotel

    • Return to Edinburgh

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Inclusions

  • Rail First-class, Edinburgh to Inverness

  • Transport: Private chauffeured vehicle, both days

  • Guide: Jonathan, travelling with you throughout

  • Accommodation 1 night, Inverlochy Castle, double occupancy

  • Meals: Breakfast

  • Afternoon tea: Old Course Hotel, St Andrews

  • Entries: Urquhart Castle, Eilean Donan Castle

Exclusions

  • Dinner (reservations made on request)

  • Lunch on day two

  • Travel insurance

  • Personal spending money

  • Gratuities

  • Flights or travel to/from Edinburgh

  • Any activities not listed in the itinerary

A historic Eilean Donan castle situated on a small island, connected by a stone bridge, with mountains and a partly cloudy sky in the background, reflected in a calm body of water.
A scenic view of green mountains under a partly cloudy sky with a winding road through a valley.

Your Guide

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Jonathan Ellenor

Jonathan leads every StoryLed journey personally and travels with you the whole way, from Waverley and back again. He’s lived in Edinburgh for twelve years, in Stockbridge, and builds each journey around the stories he’d want told to him.

His background is in marketing rather than academic history, which shapes how he guides more than you’d expect. He’s less interested in reciting dates than in finding the shape of a good story: a hook, a build, a payoff. Over two or three days, there’s time to find out what you’re curious about and bend the journey to suit. Ask him about the Jacobites or ask him about Outlander. He’s happy either way.

A few things worth knowing about Jonathan on the road north:

  • His favourite stretch of road in Scotland is Glen Shiel, from Loch Cluanie down to Loch Duich. It’s the hour before Eilean Donan, and it’s the best hour of driving in the country.

  • At Sligachan, legend says seven seconds with your face in the river gives you eternal beauty. He’ll hold the stopwatch.

  • The story he tells best is Glen Coe, 13 February 1692. He tells it standing in the glen, not from the car.

  • His dram after a day in the glens is a Ben Nevis 10, from the distillery a couple of miles from Inverlochy.

  • What to read before you go: Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson. You’ll cross Rannoch Moor, the same moor Davie Balfour and Alan Breck crossed, on day two of the Fling or day three of the Odyssey.

  • His packing tip from May to September: midge repellent. Smidge is the one that works.

Jonathan is fully insured, first aid trained, and currently working toward formal tourist guide accreditation.

Black and white portrait of a smiling man wearing a dark suit jacket and white shirt, against a plain background. 
[ FAQ ]

Common Questions

  • A 25% deposit secures your dates, with the balance due 14 days before departure. Free cancellation up to 7 days before departure.

  • Scottish weather is unpredictable in every season. If road conditions require it, the itinerary may be adjusted on the day for safety, always with the best available alternative in place.

  • Yes, let us know at the time of booking and I'll pass this on to the hotel and restaurant in advance.

  • The journey is priced for a minimum of two guests. Solo travellers are very welcome with a single room suplement TBA.

  • It isn't included, but we'd strongly recommend it for a trip of this value, particularly given multi-day travel and weather-dependent routes in the Highlands.

  • Layers, and a proper waterproof, regardless of season. Comfortable shoes for uneven ground at castle sites and viewpoints. Scottish weather can shift quickly, even in summer.

  • Very possibly. Enquire with what you have in mind and we'll talk through whether it fits within the two days.

  • No, the trip begins and ends at Waverley Station however, do ask its something we can arrange.