Inverness: Culloden, Loch Ness, and Beauly Tour｜United Kingdom

Explore the Scottish Highlands on a guided tour from Inverness. Visit the Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield, and Urquhart Castle. Stop at the Clootie Well and the Glen Ord Distillery, and take a walk by the shores of Loch Ness.

Start your day with a visit to the Clava Cairns, a magnificent example of reverence for the dead in a civilization from 2,000 to 6,000 years ago. These cairns and the associated standing stone circles were ceremonially used but unfortunately the hows and whys can only be imagined by us today.

Next, head to the Culloden Battlefield, the site of the last great battle and the end of the Highland way of life. Learn about the battle and the events that led to the end of the Highland way of life.

Stop for a photo opportunity at Loch Ness. Watch a Beastie whisperer call the Loch Ness Monster out for a wee £1M photograph. Learn about the geological event that created the loch, how the beasties survived all this time, and the scientists and enthusiasts who are still searching for Nessie. Also, hear a raft of other facts and legends including an introduction to the Legends of the Fae.

Stop for a short walk down to the shores of Loch Ness, take some photos of the fantastic scenery, and maybe even catch the monster hunting its breakfast.

Onwards to Urquhart Castle, on the shore of Loch Ness. Admire the military or financial setting of the castle, on a rocky promontory with an open outlook up and down Loch Ness which was the only way to travel when the castle was built.

Who fought over its ownership? Who destroyed it? (Please note this is a viewpoint visit not a walk round the ruin which would eat up your time and incur entrance costs.)

Now, climb over the Aird on to Beauly and visit the Monastery there which was robbed of much of its stonework to build Cromwell’s Citadel in Inverness.

Stop at the Glen Ord Distillery for a tour if you can book one, or a tasting at the bar and shop. Finally, move to the Clootie Well, an ancient tradition with origins back in time amongst the culture of the Fae we no longer understand but can still empathize with.