Private Inverness tour: Loch Ness, Culloden, Cawdor Castle

Eight hundred years of Scottish history, from a loch to a battlefield to a castle still lived in.

A private guided tour from Inverness covers Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Cawdor Castle and Inverness's city centre on a single day with a dedicated driver and guide. The tour runs about 8.7 hours and includes pickup and drop-off at your accommodation, plus water and snacks throughout. You choose your group size (4, 6 or 8 people) at checkout, and the itinerary is built around what you want to see, not a fixed schedule.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Loch Ness20m
2. Urquhart Castle1h 30m
3. Cawdor Castle and Gardens1h 30m
4. Clava Cairns50m
5. Culloden Battlefield1h 30m
6. Inverness Castle
7. Inverness Cathedral30m

Explore Loch Ness and Inverness highlights

• Travel around Loch Ness
• Stop at Wellington lay-by bomber site
• Visit Urquhart Castle ruins and visitor centre
• Drive to Beauly and view Beauly Priory gate
• Visit Cawdor Castle and gardens
• Explore Clava Cairns ancient cemetery
• Walk Culloden Battlefield and visitor centre
• See Inverness Castle grounds and Flora Macdonald statue
• Visit Inverness Cathedral

The experience

Loch Ness is 23 miles long and at its widest just 1.5 miles across. The tour starts at the Wellington lay-by, where a RAF bomber ditched in 1939 after engine failure. The wreckage was recovered decades later and restored. From there you drive to Urquhart Castle, an 800-year-old ruin sitting on a rocky promontory with views across the water. The visitor centre is open for exploration, and the ruins themselves tell the castle's turbulent history.

Moving inland, the tour reaches Cawdor Castle, home to the Thanes of Cawdor since 1370 and set within gardens and the Cawdor Big Wood, one of Europe's finest woodland areas. On the way back toward Inverness, you stop at Clava Cairns: a 4,000-year-old cemetery with prehistoric burial monuments and the remains of a medieval chapel. The Cleft Stone here inspired the standing stones in the Outlander series. Less than a mile away lies Culloden Battlefield, where the last battle on British soil was fought on 16 April 1746. In under an hour, 1,600 men fell, 1,500 of them Jacobites, ending the final Highland Rising. You walk the battlefield, see the memorial cairn and clan burial stones, and visit the visitor centre.

The day closes in Inverness city centre. You pass Inverness Castle, where a statue of Flora Macdonald stands in the grounds. She famously helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after Culloden. Inverness Cathedral, the most northerly Anglican cathedral in the UK, was completed in 1866. You also see Abertarff House, the oldest building in Inverness, and the Old High Church, where Jacobite prisoners were held and executed after the battle. Your driver brings you back to your accommodation at the end.

What’s included

• Private transportation and a guide for the full day.
• pickup and drop-off at your hotel or accommodation.
• bottled water and snacks.
• WiFi access during the tour.

Options for this experience

3 options

Group of four peopleUp to 4 per booking · Guide in English · 6 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 10:00Pickup is included

Group of six peopleUp to 6 per booking · Guide in English · 6 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 10:00Pickup is included

Group of eight peopleUp to 8 per booking · Guide in English · 6 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 10:00Pickup is included

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day6 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 10:00

Book up to4h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 35 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£ 33

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Highlander Private Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to visit six Highland sites in one day with a driver handling the route. The private format lets you spend longer at places that interest you most, rather than moving with a fixed group schedule.

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Top questions

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.

What is Loch Ness actually like when you get there?

Loch Ness stretches 23 miles long and is just 1.5 miles wide at its widest point. The tour stops at the Wellington lay-by on the shore, where a RAF bomber ditched in 1939 and was later recovered and restored. The water itself is where sightings of Nessie have been reported every year (11 in 2017, 13 in 2018), so there is a chance to look for yourself as you travel around it.

How much time do you spend at Culloden Battlefield?

Culloden Battlefield is one of several stops on the tour, and you have time to walk the grounds, see the memorial cairn and clan burial stones, and visit the visitor centre. The battle itself lasted less than an hour on 16 April 1746, when 1,600 men fell in what became the last battle fought on British soil and the end of the Jacobite Rising.

Can you visit inside Cawdor Castle and its gardens?

Cawdor Castle and its gardens are included on the tour. The castle has been home to the Thanes of Cawdor since 1370 and sits within grounds surrounded by the Cawdor Big Wood, one of Europe's finest woodland areas. The castle reopened on 27 April 2024 after seasonal closure.

What is Clava Cairns and why is it on the tour?

Clava Cairns is a 4,000-year-old cemetery with prehistoric burial monuments and the remains of a medieval chapel. The Cleft Stone found here inspired the standing stones in the Outlander series, and the site sits less than a mile from Culloden Battlefield on the route back to Inverness.

How does the private tour work? Do you follow a set itinerary?

The tour is private to your party and built around the places you wish to see. The standard route covers Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Cawdor Castle and Inverness city centre, but your guide and driver work with your preferences. You choose your group size (4, 6 or 8 people) at checkout, and pickup and drop-off at your accommodation are included.

What is included during the day?

The tour includes private transportation with a dedicated driver and guide, pickup and drop-off at your accommodation, bottled water and snacks throughout the day. WiFi is also available. The tour runs about 8.7 hours total.