£630
Tour Details
What’s included
Not included
Our service
Take a trip north of Edinburgh to picturesque Perthshire. Experience one of Scotland’s best surviving Cathedrals, visit the stunning formal gardens at Drummond Castle and walk through the ancient Hermitage woodland. Our last call of the day is the very castle Mary Queen of Scots Honeymooned with her ill-fated husband Lord Darnley.
Journey past some of Scotland’s best sights along the way, including breathtaking views of Stirling Castle, The Wallace Monument and The Kelpies.
This bespoke luxury private tour of Scotland is hosted by your knowledgable, friendly local tour guide. We'll tell you the history, folklore and stories, really bringing the places and landscapes to life! We offer flexibility and your time inside and outside the vehicle is up to you.
All our tours are conducted in luxury Mercedes-Benz V Class minivans, with great personal space, sumptuous leather seats, A/C and panoramic windows.
RECOMMENDED SIGHTS ON THIS TOUR …
Dunblane Cathedral
The Cathedral at Dunblane dates back over 1,000 years and is one of the best examples of a Medieval place of worship in Scotland. The tower dates from the 1100’s and the chancel in the 1400’s. During the religious reformation lead by John Knox, Dunblane Cathedral was stripped of its furnishings and fell into disrepair until it was fully restored in the 1800’s. Today a visit to the Cathedral is a fascinating and often overlooked trip.
Drummond Castle Gardens
Located deep in Perthshire, Drummond Castle is a 15th century keep with a 17th century mansion house extension, set into 12 acres of formal terraced gardens. The Castle has seen a lot of history and is connected to Oliver Cromwell and The Jacobite cause, eventually being seized as a government asset. Today the house is private but the claimed gardens are considered to be the best example of their kind in Scotland and well worth a visit.
Drummond Castle’s Jacobite connections were revived recently when it was made famous in TV series Outlander, as the stand in for the Palace of Versailles in Paris.
Drummond Castle Gardens is only open in the summer
The Hermitage
The Hermitage near Dunkeld is a gentle woodland walk through the ancient Craigvinean forest to Ossian’s Hall, a surprising folly (retreat) overlooking the impressive Black Linn waterfall. The path to the folly traverses ancient Caledonian forrest and is home to some of the tallest trees in the Uk. The folly was built in 1760 for the Third Earl of Breadalbane to honour the blind bard Ossian. It is home to Ossian’s Hall of Mirrors. The building was badly damaged by an explosion in 1869. The early 20th century saw vandalism, decline and dereliction before a further restoration in 1952.
Huntingtower Castle (Ruthven Castle)
A tale of two towers, the arrangement was unusual and is believed to have been for two fractions of the same family. Built simultaneously between 1480 and 1530 ‘cheek by jowl’ next to each other, its design is unique in medieval architecture. It is also notable that a Doocot (dove cot) was built into the west tower rather than as a separate building which would have served as a source of meat during the long winter months. In the east tower is one of the oldest painted ceilings in Scotland.
Mary Queen of Scots honeymooned here with Lord Darnley in 1565. However, the Earl of Gowrie of Clan Ruthven fell out of favour with James VI of Scotland during a turbulent time surrounding the reformation and challenges to the Scottish Crown. It stopped being a grand residence about a century later, and was abandoned in 1767.
The Forth Bridges
On the return leg to Edinburgh we cross the Forth bridges at Queensferry. The famous cantilever designed Forth Railway Bridge, opened in 1890 can be seen spanning the river next to the 1964 road bridge, now replaced by the 2017 Queensferry Crossing.
Suggested tour route
- Distance Instructions
Tour Gallery
The choir at Dunblane Cathedral
Van interior homepage
Drummond Castle Garden
Dunblane Cathedral
View of the Forth Rail Bridge from North Queensferry
Interior of Dunblane Cathedral
Ossian's Hall of Mirrors at The Hermitage
Huntingtower Castle outside Perth
Places this tour visits
No two tours are the same, but these are popular places to see on the Cathedrals, Castles And Highlands Private Tour From Edinburgh
Frequently Asked Questions
These are some of the frequently asked questions about our Cathedrals, Castles And Highlands Private Tour From Edinburgh, however if you have a specific question please contact us
Absolutely! Almost all of the places we visit have toilets / restrooms. Because this is a private tour, we can stop when you need us to.
For day tours the final balance (plus any extras like admission tickets) is due 24 hours before the tour.
For multi-day tours the final balance is due 30 days before the tour.
Our climate is famous for being unpredictable. We provide umbrellas in our vans but if the weather isn’t working in our favour, just wait 5 minutes and it will change! Please don’t rely on the forecast either, it is invariably wrong!
We recommend that you bring a waterproof jacket and shoes suitable for walking over rough ground / cobbles, especially if visiting rural locations! Other than that, just bring yourself!
Absolutely! Please contact us if you’d like to make an amendment to one of our suggested itineraries or would like a customised tour.
Yes, we can end the tour in a different location from the start point. Please let us know if this is what you need. For locations further than 50 miles from the start point there maybe a charge.
We use Mercedes-Benz V Class minivans. They are modern, luxurious and safe vehicles with a Euro N-Cap rating of 5 stars. They come with privacy glass, a panoramic sunroof, reclining leather seats, dual-zone air conditioning and unlimited high-speed WiFi. Learn more about our vehicles.
Our Mercedes V Class minivans come in two configurations, a 6 passenger version and a 7 passenger version.
Yes, we can meet you at the airport and have plenty of space for baggage.
Yes, most of our tours are suitable for cruise ship shore excursions and we’ll meet you at the quayside.
Yes, our vehicle can accommodate most mobility scoters and wheelchairs. They normally require two people to lift in and out of the vehicle so one of your party will be needed to help. Note that if there is a scooter then the baggage space is limited.
Support animals are welcome onboard however we typically ask for them to stay on the floor of the vehicle.
The total price of your tour includes your tour guide, use of our luxury minivans, the fuel, tolls and parking charges and insurances. Entrance to attractions etc is on top but we can manage that for you and add it to the invoice.
Yes, there are a range of different options on each trip, from a historic tavern to a quaint cafe or bakery. We’ll make reservations to ensure that our lunch stop is quick and tasty!
A few days before the trip we’ll provide the guides contact details encase you need to contact them on the day of your tour
No, all of our tours are private so your party will be the only people on the tour.
Yes, we will guide you through attractions and monuments as part of our service. This is not possible at The Royal Yacht Britannia or Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Recent Customer Testimonials
Peter C
A wonderful day touring the Forth Valley with Calais, our amazing local guide. In addition to the landscape and attractions we were entertained by Calais with his knowledge and insight.
Feedback from April 2026
Trip10642911480
We had a fantastic and informative tour with Calais to Lindisfarne and Alnwick Castle. Calais was knowledgeable, engaging, and made the experience both fun and memorable. The scenery and history were incredible—definitely a highlight of our trip.
Feedback from April 2026
Will W
We booked this tour based on the recommendation of an Edinburgh local. It was easily one of the biggest highlights of our trip. Sandy was extremely helpful and crafted a personalized tour based specifically on our group (2 adults, 3 kids, 2 grandparents). He was very responsive via email and [...]
Feedback from March 2026
Heather
We had a lovely time with our tour. The tour was so informative, and very well suited to our group. The vans were very comfortable. I had trouble walking, and they were fantastic getting us up to each location, ensuring I could see everything. I highly recommend this company.
Feedback from March 2026
Our service
We’re a luxury private tour company, with passionate local guides, Mercedes minivans and customised itineraries
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