Our Scottish Highlands holidays & tours
Our Scottish Highlands holidays, whether you’re walking, cycling or going by train, are a fantastic opportunity to leave the car behind and immerse yourself in some of the most beautiful landscapes in the British Isles. The Cairngorms National Park is divine for trekking and wildlife watching, every season of the year – go with a specialist wildlife guide and your chances of sighting deer, ptarmigans and red squirrels improve dramatically. And some of our most popular Scottish Highlands holidays are those taken by train, through dramatic moorlands and alongside inviting lochs. We take care of your tickets, hotels conveniently close to stations, and excursions with brilliant local guides, so you can relax and enjoy the scenery. Wherever you go, you can expect to dine on exquisite, homecooked fare that makes use of Scotland’s famous ‘natural larder’.
Our top Scottish Highlands holidays
Grand rail tour of Scotland
From
£3265 to £3370
16 days
ex flights
A leisurely self-guided trip touring Highlands and islands
Tailor made
Rail tour in North Highlands & Orkney
From
£2645 to £2875
7 days
ex flights
Scotland’s geographic extremities & ancient history by train
Small group2026: 26 Apr, 24 May, 5 Jul, 27 Sep, 18 Oct
Isle of Mull and west coast of Scotland cruise
From
£2645 to £3530
7 days
ex flights
Cruise the idyllic coast around the Scottish Island of Mull
Small group2026: 28 Mar, 4 Apr, 18 Apr, 16 May, 23 May, 20 Jun, 27 Jun, 11 Jul, 18 Jul, 1 Aug, 8 Aug, 5 Sep, 3 Oct, 10 Oct, 17 Oct
Highlands mountain biking holiday, Scotland
From
£2310 to £3150
8 days
ex flights
Backcountry mountain biking in the Cairngorms & Torridon
Small group2026: 19 Sep
Walking holidays in Cairngorms
From
£725 to £1162
6 days
ex flights
Guided Walking breaks in the Cairngorms National Park
Small group2026: 17 Apr, 5 Jul, 2 Aug, 28 Aug
Luxury Scottish Highlands vacation
From
US $14000
15 days
ex flights
Glistening lochs, dramatic glens and centuries of history
Tailor made
Road cycling on Arran, Islay and Jura
From
£3270
7 days
ex flights
Island-hopping cycle tour in Highlands of Scotland
Small group2026: 25 Apr, 30 May, 27 Jun, 1 Aug, 5 Sep
West Highland Line railway holiday in Scotland
From
£1425 to £1490
5 days
ex flights
Take the world's best rail journey to the Isle of Skye
Tailor made
West Highlands self catering cottage in Scotland
From
£130 to £170
per cottage per night
Argyll, Scottish West Highlands self catering cottage
Accommodation
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Scottish Highlands map & highlights
When you picture Scottish landscapes in your head, you’re most likely thinking of the Highlands. This vast area encompasses Fort William, gateway to Ben Nevis; the west coast and the Hebrides; the remote far north, as well as Loch Ness and parts of the Cairngorms National Park. The landscapes here are wildly romantic, all leafy glens and glass-surfaced lochs, misty mountains and ancient forests. Aviemore and Fort William make natural leaping-off points for walking, while rail routes such as the West Highland Line thread their way through scenery off-limits to drivers. And once you reach the end of the line, it’s easy to hop over to the Hebrides or Orkney and board a small ship cruise.
1.
Cairngorms National Park
2. Caledonian Canal
3. Far North Line
4. Glen Affric
5. Inner & Outer Hebrides
6. Isle of Skye
7. Knoydart
8. Loch Ness
9. Orkney
10. West Highland Line
2. Caledonian Canal
3. Far North Line
4. Glen Affric
5. Inner & Outer Hebrides
6. Isle of Skye
7. Knoydart
8. Loch Ness
9. Orkney
10. West Highland Line
Cairngorms National Park
1. Cairngorms National Park
The Cairngorms, the largest national park in the UK, provides habitats for many endangered species – habitats that the Cairngorms Connect project is restoring, winding back the centuries and reintroducing species to turbo-charge biodiversity. Aviemore is your base for adventure sports here, but there’s no better way to explore the Cairngorms than hiking with an expert mountain guide.
Caledonian Canal
2. Caledonian Canal
The Caledonian Canal is one of Scotland’s great feats of engineering. Almost 100km long, it connects the east coast at Inverness to the west coast near Fort William, spanning 29 locks and four lochs, including Loch Ness. You can sail the canal aboard a restored fishing boat, hopping ashore regularly to stretch your legs and catch sight of deer, otters and red squirrels.
Far North Line
3. Far North Line
The Far North Line railway unfurls in a delightfully slow manner from Inverness to the northernmost part of Scotland, through rural landscapes well beyond the roads, with Orkney a natural extension. These are landscapes fertile with stories and song, from Vikings to monsters, where the meandering pace of the journey allows plenty of time to drink in some of the Highlands’ finest scenery.
Glen Affric
4. Glen Affric
Considered by many to be the most beautiful glen in Scotland, Glen Affric is a vast landscape composed of mountains, pinewood forests, lochs and moors, just west of Loch Ness. Here you can find an atmosphere of complete tranquillity as you learn traditional handicrafts such as spinning wool, needle felting, and dyeing fabrics using plants foraged from the surrounding countryside.
Inner & Outer Hebrides
5. Inner & Outer Hebrides
Small ship cruises explore these idyllic islands off Scotland’s west coast. Whales gather in summer to plunder plankton blooms. Huge and cacophonous colonies of seals bask on beaches. And you might spot birds, from golden eagles to puffins, through your binoculars. A few nights on Mull or Skye is the ideal finish to a rail holiday on the West Highland Line.
Isle of Skye
6. Isle of Skye
The largest of the Inner Hebrides, teeming with marine and birdlife, and offering a beautiful approach from the sea, Skye is a popular place for small ship cruise holidays. But there are many other ways to explore it: on a tailor made walking expedition, through its traditional arts and crafts with visits to local producers, or through its whisky via a distillery tour.
Knoydart
7. Knoydart
The Knoydart Peninsula on the west coast is a remote, wild place tempting for hill walkers and anyone with a passion for wildlife. Golden eagles, pine martens, otters, sea eagles and buzzards are frequently seen here. Come with a walking guide who knows the best routes through the hills and can also put a name to a face among the locals.
Loch Ness
8. Loch Ness
The monster myth is overblown nonsense used to sell tea towels and fridge magnets (although the museum tracing efforts to find ‘Nessie’ is worth a visit). But Loch Ness itself is an immense and beautiful body of water, at its best under a moody sky. Cruises around Scotland’s sea lochs may pause here, as might rail tours on the West Highland Line on their way to the coast.
Orkney
9. Orkney
An archipelago of 70-odd islands off the Scottish mainland, Orkney is easily accessed by ferry from John O’ Groats and best discovered with the help of an expert local guide showing you around its ancient sites, wild coast and RSPB reserves. Hoy is a magnet for walkers; Westray for birdwatchers; Stromness and Kirkwall, both on Mainland, for Viking stories, whisky and World War II history.
West Highland Line
10. West Highland Line
The West Highland Line is 125km of sheer loveliness from Glasgow to Fort William, with a section on the historic Jacobite steam train a highlight. From the coast you can continue to the Hebrides, where you might have a local taxi at your disposal to get around. The trick is to slow your journey down to a crawl, adding at least one overnight stop.
Our Scottish Highlands holidays reviews
4.7
216Scottish Highlands holidays reviews
Jan Howarth28 Oct 2025
We loved every minute of it. The operator (James) should be commended. read more
Janette Stojanovski26 Oct 2025
I loved the whole trip. It was so organised, the places I visited were all very special and the scenery magnificent.
read more
Michele Stewart22 Oct 2025
I love trains, that’s the highlight…take in the amazing scenery that is Scotland.read more
