North Highland Tour: Dunrobin Castle & Glenmorangie Tasting
Dunrobin Castle tour, walking gardens and grounds, largest stately home in northern Highlands
A full-day guided tour from Inverness through the North Highlands, visiting Beauly Priory, Dunrobin Castle, Falls of Shin, Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve, Dornoch and Glenmorangie Distillery. A local guide picks you up from your Inverness accommodation and drives the route, stopping to explore each site. The tour ends with a whisky tasting at Glenmorangie before returning to your hotel.
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3 optionsStep-by-step itinerary
Explore North Highlands from Inverness
- Pickup from Inverness accommodation
- Visit Beauly Priory ruins
- Stop at Dornoch viewpoint
- View Dornoch Firth and surroundings
- Visit Millionaire’s View at Struie Hill
- Drive to Falls of Shin near Lairg
- Explore Dunrobin Castle and gardens
- Visit Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve
- Explore Dornoch town and cathedral
- Tour Glenmorangie Distillery and whisky tasting
- Return to Inverness accommodation
- Beauly Priory 30m
- Falls of Shin 40m
- Dunrobin Castle and Gardens 1h
- Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve 15m
- Dornoch 1h
- Glenmorangie Distillery 30m
What’s included
- Pickup from your Inverness accommodation.
- air-conditioned vehicle.
- live guide commentary in English.
- bottled water and snacks throughout the day.
- time to explore Beauly Priory, Millionaire's View, Falls of Shin, Dunrobin Castle gardens and grounds, Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve, Dornoch town centre and Cathedral, and Glenmorangie Distillery with a whisky tasting.
- Every day 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00
Information
Full-day North Highland tour from Inverness visiting Beauly Priory, Dunrobin Castle, Falls of Shin, Loch Fleet and Glenmorangie Distillery with a live guide.
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The experience
The route covers roughly 7 to 8 hours and moves through a sequence of distinct landscapes and landmarks. You start at Beauly Priory, where the ruins sit in the main square of the village: a 13th-century foundation by French monks whose name for the place, Prioratus de Bello Loco, translates to "Priory of the Lovely Spot." From there the drive takes you to Millionaire's View at Struie Hill, an elevated viewpoint over the Dornoch Firth with sight lines toward the mountains of Sutherland. You'll have around 30 minutes to walk and photograph. The Falls of Shin come next, a waterfall in the village of Lairg where salmon leap from the river in summer and early autumn.
Dunrobin Castle anchors the middle of the day. You spend roughly an hour and a half wandering the castle, its gardens and grounds: the largest stately home in the northern Highlands and the family seat of Clan Sutherland. The castle is closed to interior entry from November through March, so winter visits see the exterior and grounds only. Falconry displays run on certain days. After Dunrobin, a short drive takes you to Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve, where you can watch wading birds at the tidal basin, walk the sand dunes and wildflowers, or search the pinewood for rare plants.
Dornoch, a former royal burgh with 400 years of golfing history, gives you around an hour to browse the boutique shops in the town centre, visit the 13th-century Cathedral, and walk the beaches. The final stop is Glenmorangie Distillery, known as the "vale of tranquillity" and one of Scotland's most famous whisky makers. You'll learn how the "Men of Tain" have perfected the craft since 1843, then taste a dram of the award-winning whisky before the 40-minute drive back to your Inverness accommodation. The guide provides live commentary throughout, and the air-conditioned vehicle includes bottled water and snacks.
Top questions
What is Beauly Priory and why does it matter to the Highlands?
Beauly Priory is a 13th-century ruin in the village of Beauly, founded by monks of the Valliscaulian order from Burgundy. The monks called it Prioratus de Bello Loco, "Priory of the Lovely Spot", and the name Beauly itself, from the French "beau lieu" or "beautiful place," dates back to that era, making it one of only three such priories ever founded in Scotland.
Can you go inside Dunrobin Castle, or just see it from outside?
Dunrobin Castle is open to interior visits from April through October. You can wander the castle, gardens and grounds for about an hour and a half. From November through March the castle closes to visitors, so you see the exterior and grounds only during winter tours.
What happens at the Falls of Shin?
The Falls of Shin is a waterfall in the village of Lairg where you stop to take in the landscape. In summer and early autumn, salmon leap from the river below, making it a particularly striking time to visit.
Do you get to taste whisky at Glenmorangie Distillery?
Yes, the tour ends with a tasting of Glenmorangie's award-winning whisky. You'll also learn about the whisky-making process and the history of the distillery, which dates back to 1703 as a farm and was converted to a distillery in 1843.
How much time do you spend in Dornoch?
You have around an hour in Dornoch to explore the town centre, visit the 13th-century Cathedral, browse the boutique shops selling local food and craft, and walk the beaches: Dornoch is famous for its 400 years of golfing history and its coastline.
Operated by Historic and Scenic Tours Inverness. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 13 days ago
North Highland Tour: Dunrobin Castle & Glenmorangie Tasting
7h–8h · EN · at your hotel
from £ 499 per group
≈ US$ 671 in your currency
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