Viking Cruises - Invergordon Private Small Group Shore Tour North (cost per car)

Viking Cruises - Invergordon Private Small Group Shore Tour North (cost per car)

On this private customisable tour you will get a flavour of what makes people come back to Scotland time and time again; stunning scenery, ancient sites, mysterious lochs, centuries of history, and if you like, whisky!

After collection we'll drive north to a high point on Struie Hill where you'll have long reaching views deep into the heart of Sutherland. Then we’ll head to the Falls of Shin where you may see the salmon trying to leap up the falls to reach their spawning grounds.

Reaching Lairg we will look right up Loch Shin and then travel through a beautiful glen to Dunrobin Castle. This castle is open to the public so you'll be able to explore the inside and then watch a stunning falconry display in the grounds.

Next we’ll head to the cathedral town at Dornoch for lunch and to explore the pretty Highland town. Next we’ll visit the Edderton Old Church where you’ll see a 1,100 year old carved Celtic slab.

Finally should you wish, we'll visit a Distillery for a whisky or two!

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Struie Hill Viewpoint, B9176, Alness IV17 0XR, UK

We will head out north from Invergordon to the viewpoint from Struie Hill, also called "Million Dollar View". Looking across Loch Migdale, we will be able to see two Sights of Special Scientific Interest on the other bank. Here we have the most northerly Oakwood forest at Ledmore, and one of the last surviving native Pinewoods.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Falls of Shin, Achany Glen, Lairg IV27 4EE Scotland

Between May and September, the Falls of Shin visitor attraction offers one of the best places in Scotland to see salmon leaping upstream. Throughout the summer, salmon return from the ocean, up the Dornoch Firth and Kyle of Sutherland to attempt to reach their spawning ground. Before they reach this, they must get past the waterfall on the River Shin. From the viewing platform, you can watch as they try to get up the river as well as enjoying the views up and down the river.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Dunrobin Castle and Gardens, Golspie KW10 6SF Scotland

Resembling a French Chateau, this castle can be best described as like something out of a fairy tale. It originally dates back to the 1300s and has gone through a number of changes and additions through the centuries. Ticket prices includes entry to falconry display, museum and gardens.

Please note that this castle is open from 1st of April until the 31st of October and the falconry display runs from April until September.


Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve, Golspie IV25 3JD Scotland

As we head long the shores of Loch Fleet, you may have the chance to see harbour seals as they bask on the beach. During the months of June to August, it is not uncommon to hear the seal mothers calling to their pups with the sound carrying across the water to your viewing point.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Jail Dornoch, Castle Street, Dornoch IV25 3SD Scotland

The old jail in Dornoch is now a shop selling a wide range of Scottish goods. This is an opportunity to buy that tartan scarf, or box of shortbread. Next door is a whisky shop as well as a bistro should you wish to take lunch.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Dornoch Cathedral, High Street, Dornoch IV25 3SH Scotland

This 13th century church built during the reign of King Alexander II is still in use today. The cathedral burnt down during the 16th century and was restored again during the 1830s.

More recently, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX fame married Talulah Riley here in 2010. They divorced in 2012.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Edderton class one pictish carved standing symbol stone, 8 Station Rd, Edderton, Tain IV19 1LA, UK

From here we will head to the Old Church where we will see the Cross Slab. This is a Pictish stone standing in the old graveyard of Edderton, Easter Ross. The slab is made of red sandstone and originally was sunk a lot deeper into the earth. This was raised to it’s presumed height which is noticeable given the lack of lichen on the bottom part of the slab. The slab is decorated on one side with a celtic cross, and the other side, there is a horseman with two further riders below.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Balblair Distillery, Edderton IV19 1LB Scotland

OPTIONAL STOP: Founded in 1790, this is the fourth oldest distillery in Scotland after Glenturret, Strathisla, and Bowmore,

Balblair creates its malt whisky slowly, and it is then matured at the distillery in the tradtional dunnage warehouses on earthen floors. The visitors centre provides a welcoming, relaxed environment in which to enjoy a tasting. Tours are available at 11:00 and 14:00 costing £10 per person, and as a maximum of ten people are accommodated per tour, advance bookings are essential.

Visitors to the distillery can purchase a bottle from a hand selected cask which you are able to fill, cork, seal, and label yourself. Your name will then go into the ledger and you’ll have a unique gift to take home with you.

Note that we will only have time for one distillery stop during this tour unless you switch out some of the other stops on this tour. The cost of your tasting or tour is not included.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Glenmorangie Distillery, on the A9 Ross-shire, IV19 1PZ Scotland

OPTIONAL STOP: Now owned by Moët Hennesy, the Glenmorangie Distillery was founded in 1843 with production starting in 1849. Glenmorangie is famous the world over for its whisky with the first exports starting as long ago as 1880.

Moving with modern times, the Distillery installed an anaerobic digestion plant in 2017 to process and break down by products such as pot-ale and lees which in turn means the production process is more sustainable. This has removed the need for them to be taken away from the Distillery by tanker for processing elsewhere.

Tours and tastings are possible with the Original Tour costing £7.50 per person. It is possible to visit the tasting room without doing a tour. A range of Glenmorangie Single Malt Whiskies are available to purchase and try in the relaxed environment of the tasting room.

Note we will only have time to visit one distillery on this tour unless your switch out some of the other attractions. The cost of tours and tastings is not included.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Tain Museum, Castle Brae, IV19 1AJ Scotland

At the Tain Museum, in the old churchyard, there are three Viking burials. We will stop here for you to see these at first hand and you can use your imagination to dream how the people in these graves came to be buried so far from home.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: The Dalmore Distillery, Alness IV17 0UT Scotland

OPTIONAL STOP: Dalmore was one of the first single malts to be exported to all corners of the world. For a period of time through the 60s to the early '00s, it was used as part of a blended whisky. It was then transformed once again, into a prestige single malt whisky.

At present, you can taste up to 11 single malts from their core and travel range at £5 per dram, irrespective of the RRP of the bottle. This represents great value as they can retail at up to £175 per bottle!

Note we will only have time to visit one distillery on this tour unless your switch out some of the other attractions. The cost of tours and tastings is not included.


Duration: 30 minutes