Loch Ness, Inverness & Outlander Sites from Invergordon

Seven hours of Highland history, from Bronze Age cairns to a 12th-century castle

A full-day guided tour departing from Invergordon port covers seven major sites across the Scottish Highlands: Beauly Priory, Loch Ness, Inverness Cathedral, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns (the real-world inspiration for Outlander's Craigh na Dun) and Cawdor Castle. Your local guide meets you as you disembark and returns you to the port by evening. The tour includes bottled water, snacks and live commentary throughout the drive.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Inverness Cathedral30m
2. Clava Cairns30m
3. Culloden Battlefield30m
4. Cawdor Castle and Gardens1h

Highland tour from Invergordon port

• Meet local guide at Invergordon port
• Visit farm to see hairy coos and shop
• Explore Beauly Priory ruins
• Drive to Loch Ness for photos
• Tour Loch Ness and surroundings
• Visit Inverness St Andrew's Cathedral
• Explore Clava Cairns ancient site
• Visit Culloden Battlefield and visitor centre
• Tour Cawdor Castle and gardens
• Return to Invergordon port

The experience

You're picked up at Invergordon port as you leave your ship and driven into the Highlands with a guide who knows the region. The route opens at a farm where Highland cattle graze, then moves to Beauly Priory: medieval abbey ruins set in woodland above the river, once home to a monastic community and now one of Inverness Shire's top heritage sites. From there it's a 30-minute drive to Loch Ness, where you stop at viewpoints along the famous water. The drive gives you time to absorb the scale of the loch and the landscape around it.

The tour then heads into Inverness to St. Andrew's Cathedral, the most northerly Anglican cathedral in the UK, built in 1869 with Gothic stonework and stained glass. After the cathedral comes Clava Cairns, a Bronze Age cemetery set in forest that dates back over 4,000 years. This is the real site that inspired the fictional Craigh na Dun in the Outlander books and TV series: the "cleft stone" that transports Claire through time stands here. A short drive away is Culloden Battlefield, where a decisive 1746 battle reshaped Scottish history. The visitor centre holds artefacts and historical accounts. The day ends at Cawdor Castle and its walled gardens, a 12th-century stronghold with connections to Shakespeare's Macbeth, before you're driven back to the port.

The pace is steady: you're in a vehicle most of the day with stops at each site to walk the grounds and take in the history. Water and snacks travel with you, and the guide provides live commentary on the drive between stops, so the journey itself becomes part of the learning.

What’s included

• Bottled water and snacks throughout the day.
• air-conditioned vehicle for the full route.
• live guide commentary in English from port pickup to return.
• stops at Beauly Priory, Loch Ness viewpoints, Inverness Cathedral, Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield and Cawdor Castle.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 07:30, 08:00, 08:30 and 09:00

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (under 13)

GroupUp to 30

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on site£ 19

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Historic and Scenic Tours Inverness

Is this one for you?Book this if you have a full afternoon free and can handle seven hours mostly in a vehicle. It strings together multiple Highland sites in one loop from Invergordon without needing to plan separate trips between them.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 13).

What is Clava Cairns and why does it matter to Outlander fans?

Clava Cairns is a Bronze Age cemetery near Inverness that inspired the fictional Craigh na Dun in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels and the TV series. The famous "cleft stone" where the main character Claire is transported through time is a real stone at this site, which dates back over 4,000 years and sits within a forested area with ruins of a medieval chapel.

How much time do you spend at each stop on the tour?

The itinerary includes stops at Beauly Priory, Loch Ness viewpoints, Inverness Cathedral, Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield and Cawdor Castle, with 30 to 40 minutes of driving between each site. You have time to walk the grounds and take in the history at each location, though the exact duration at each stop depends on the group's pace.

Does the tour include entry to Culloden Battlefield visitor centre?

The tour visits Culloden Battlefield, where you can see the site and learn about the 1746 battle. The itinerary mentions the visitor centre holds artefacts and historical accounts, though specific entry details are arranged with your guide on the day.

What's included in the tour price?

Bottled water, snacks, air-conditioned transport and live commentary from your guide throughout the day are included. The tour departs from and returns to Invergordon port, so there's no separate transport to arrange.

Is there a whisky tasting at Glen Ord distillery?

Glen Ord distillery is mentioned in the itinerary as a stop, though whisky tasting is not included in the standard tour price and would be arranged separately if you choose it.