Inverness Highlands: Clava Cairns, Culloden & Loch Ness Tour

Four Thousand Years of Stone, Battle and Castle on One Moor

You visit four major Highlands sites in one day: a 4,000-year-old burial complex, a 1746 battlefield where you walk the actual ground, Loch Ness with time to look for the monster, a distillery with a free gin tasting, and a thousand-year-old castle with views over the water. Your guide handles the route and stories, lunch is included, and you return to Inverness in the evening without arranging transport or timing yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Clava Cairns30m
2. Culloden Battlefield1h 20m
3. Loch Ness15m
4. Urquhart Castle1h 5m

Explore Highlands historic sites and distillery

• Visit Clava Cairns standing stones
• Tour Culloden Battlefield and graves
• Eat at An Talla cafe
• Drive along Loch Ness banks
• Visit Urquhart Castle ruins
• Sample gin at Great Glen Distillery

The experience

You walk up to Clava Cairns and realize the standing stones are older than you thought, 4,000 years older. They're not just rocks arranged in a circle. They're a Bronze Age burial complex, passage graves and ring cairns that have survived millennia on this Scottish moor. Your guide walks you through the site and explains why Diana Gabaldon set Outlander scenes here, but also what the stones actually meant to the people who built them. It's the kind of place where you can stand still for a moment and feel the weight of that much time.

Then you drive to Culloden, where the mood shifts. This is where the last major battle on British soil happened in April 1746-1,500 Jacobite soldiers and 50 Government troops died here on a cold, wet moor. Flags mark the front lines of both armies, and clan markers show where the fallen were buried. Walking the battlefield, you see the scale of it, and your guide explains what changed for the Highlands after that day. The land has been restored to look as it would have in the 18th century, with Shetland cows and goats grazing just like they did back then. It's sobering and real in a way that photographs don't quite capture.

After lunch at An Talla café, you drive along the banks of Loch Ness: the most famous loch in the world, and yes, people still bring cameras hoping Nessie shows up. The views are genuine. The water is dark and deep. Then comes the Great Glen Distillery, where you get a free dram of gin made from Loch Ness water itself. It's a small moment, but it lands differently when you're standing there looking out at the loch you just drove past.

The last stop is Urquhart Castle, and this is where the day saves its best. A thousand years of history sits in these ruins overlooking Loch Ness. You can climb the Grant Tower, look into an old prison cell, see a working trebuchet siege engine, and stand where banquets once happened. The backdrop is the loch and the hills of the Great Glen. It's romantic in the way old castles are, not because someone told you it was, but because you're standing in it.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and private transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle with a local guide, bottled water throughout, lunch at An Talla café, a free gin tasting at the award-winning Great Glen Distillery made from Loch Ness water, and visits to Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield, Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle, with return to Inverness in the evening.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Child (5 to 15 years) · Under 5: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 47 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on site£ 27

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by highland bucket list tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main Highlands sites in one day without arranging your own transport, timing each stop or deciding which castle and battlefield to skip: the fixed route covers the history, the loch and the views in a single afternoon.

Traveler reviews

4.98★★★★★★★★★★

124 verified traveler reviews

5 ★121

4 ★3

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 15 years). Under 5: they can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long is the Inverness Highlands tour?

The itinerary covers a full day with stops at Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield, Loch Ness, Great Glen Distillery and Urquhart Castle, returning to Inverness in the evening.

Is the Great Glen Distillery visit included?

Yes, you stop at the Great Glen Distillery for a free gin tasting made from Loch Ness water. Note that the distillery closes during winter months.

What is included in the tour?

The tour includes a local guide, private transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, lunch at An Talla café, and entry to the distillery with a free dram.

Do I need to pay extra for Urquhart Castle entry?

The itinerary lists Urquhart Castle as a stop, but entry fees are not explicitly mentioned in the inclusions. Confirm with the operator before booking.

What is Clava Cairns?

Clava Cairns is a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age burial complex with standing stones, passage graves and ring cairns. It's known from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Can I see Loch Ness Monster on this tour?

The tour includes time at Loch Ness, the world's most famous loch. Nessie sightings are rare, but you'll have the chance to look and take photographs.

What happened at Culloden Battlefield?

Culloden was the site of the last major battle on British soil in April 1746, where Jacobite and Government forces clashed. You walk the battlefield and see clan markers and graves.