The Highland Odyssey
The train pulls out of Waverley and Edinburgh falls away behind you. What's ahead is three days that belong entirely to you: no one else's schedule, no one else's itinerary, nothing shared. By the time the mountains rise on either side of the carriage, the version of the Highlands most people never get close to starts to open up, castles with no one else standing in front of them, glens with no one else's voice in them, a country that, for three days, behaves as though it was arranged for you alone.
This isn't a schedule of stops. It's a journey, built the way you'd want the Highlands told to you, by someone who genuinely knows the country, with three days to do it properly. Eilean Donan, the most photographed castle in Scotland. Glen Coe, and the road into Glen Etive where Bond pulls over the Aston Martin in Skyfall. A full day on the Isle of Skye. Two nights at Inverlochy Castle, one of Scotland's most celebrated five-star hotels, its restaurant overseen by Michel Roux Jr, where Queen Victoria once stayed a week and called it the loveliest spot she'd seen. Afternoon tea overlooking the Old Course at St Andrews on the way home.
A private chauffeured vehicle throughout. First-class rail from Edinburgh. A guide who stays with you the entire journey, there for whatever you're curious about, whenever you're curious about it. Every reservation arranged before you arrive, so the only thing left for you to do is be there.
This isn't a trip; it’s an opportunity to experience the best of Scotland!
Experience Details
Private Guided.
Tour Type
Trip Duration
3 days 2 nights
Pricing
From £3,698pp (based on two sharing)
Tour Itinerary
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Day One: The Great Glen and the West Coast
We start at Edinburgh Waverley with a first-class train north through the Cairngorms, crossing Drumochter Pass at 1,484 feet, the highest point on Britain's rail network. A private car meets us at Inverness and takes us down the shore of Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle, then west through Glen Shiel, one of the best hours of driving in Scotland, to Eilean Donan Castle, the most photographed castle in the country and the reason for it. We finish the day at Inverlochy Castle, beneath Ben Nevis.
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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)
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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.
Day Two: The Isle of Skye
A full day on Skye: crossing the bridge onto the island itself, the Cuillin rising ahead, a stop at Sligachan and the Fairy Pools, up to the Old Man of Storr for one of the best viewpoints in Scotland, then into Portree for lunch and time to explore on your own before we head back to Inverlochy for a second night. This is the day the extra time is really for, unhurried, with room to actually take Skye in rather than rushing through it.
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Isle of Skye
Sligachan and the Cuillin
Portree
Inverlochy Castle, Fort William (overnight)
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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.
Day Three: 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.
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Glen Coe
Rannoch Moor (scenic drive)
St Andrews — afternoon tea, Old Course Hotel
Return to Edinburgh
Inclusions
Rail First-class, Edinburgh to Inverness.
Transport: Private chauffeured vehicle, all 3 days.
Storyled Guide travelling with you throughout.
Accommodation: 2 nights, Inverlochy Castle, double occupancy.
Meals: Breakfast both mornings.
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
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.
[ FAQ ]Common Questions
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Paying
A 25% deposit confirms your dates. It isn’t refundable.
The balance is due 60 days before departure.
Bookings made within 60 days of departure are paid in full at the time of booking.
If you cancel
Cancellations must be made by email. The charge depends on the notice given, counted from the day StoryLed Tours receives it.
60 days or more before departure: the deposit is kept.
59 to 31 days: 50% of the total price.
30 days or less, or if you don’t arrive: the full price.
These dates follow the hotel and rail bookings made on your behalf. Inside 30 days, that money is already committed and can’t be recovered.
Changing your dates
More than 60 days before departure, you can move to a new date once, free of charge, subject to availability. Your deposit carries over. Within 60 days, a change of date counts as a cancellation. It’s still worth asking. If the hotel can move the booking, StoryLed Tours will.
Passing your booking on
You can transfer your booking to someone else up to 7 days before departure. StoryLed Tours makes no charge for this. Any rail tickets that need reissuing are charged at cost.
If StoryLed Tours cancels
If StoryLed Tours has to cancel for any reason, including the guide’s illness, you can choose a full refund or a new date.
Weather
If conditions make part of the route unsafe, the plan will change on the day to the best available alternative. This isn’t a cancellation and isn’t refunded. If severe weather stops the trip going ahead at all, you can choose a new date or a full refund.
Refunds
Refunds are paid within 14 days, to the card used for payment.
Insurance
Please take out travel insurance that covers cancellation as soon as your deposit is paid
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Yes, let us know at the time of booking and I'll pass this on to the hotel and restaurant in advance.
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The journey is priced for a minimum of two guests. Solo travellers are very welcome, with a single-room supplement. Ask us for further details.
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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.
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Very possibly. Enquire with what you have in mind and we'll talk through whether it fits within the three days.
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No, the trip begins and ends at Waverley Station however, do ask its something we can arrange.