Turkey & Tinsel in Inverness and Scottish Highlands

Local departure by coach, then on to Strathpeffer and our hotel for four nights. We enjoy a tea, coffee or mulled wine with a festive treat on arrival to get us into the spirit of the season.

Today we explore the ‘capital of the Highlands’, Inverness. Discover this city at your leisure, perhaps choosing to visit Inverness Castle, a stately riverside fortress built in 1836, or Inverness Cathedral, dedicated to the Scottish patron saint, St Andrew. There is also Inverness Museum and Art Gallery and the Botanic Gardens. Why not browse the quaint shops in the Victorian Market, or stand on the unusual Greig Street Bridge which stands over the River Ness that flows into the famous Loch. We return back to the hotel in time for our 'Christmas Dinner' complete with a complimentary glass of wine.

Relax in Strathpeffer or join our optional excursion to Ullapool. Nestled on the shores of Lochbroom and surrounded by mountains, Ullapool is a picturesque fishing town in the heart of unspoilt Scottish scenery. Enjoy the undiscovered beaches, forests, glens and sea views at any time of year.

This morning we enjoy a scenic drive around the Black Isle – not actually an island! It is in fact a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by expanses of water, with the Cromarty Firth to the north, the Beauly Firth to the south, and the Moray Firth to the east. Charming towns and villages dot this ‘isle’, with fine Georgian houses and quaint fishermen’s cottage. The region is famous for its pod of resident bottlenose dolphins which can often be seen at Chanonry Point. We return to the hotel for a festive cream tea.

We depart the hotel this morning full of festive cheer and return home.