Spirit of Scotland luxury barge cruises

Banavie

Sunday
Guests are met at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Spirit of Scotland. Enjoy a champagne welcome and meet the Captain and crew.  You may like to take an early evening stroll before the first dinner on board.

Banavie to Laggan

Monday
We begin to discover the rich and varied history of Scotland today, with an excursion of the Glencoe area, renowned for its beauty and one of the darkest days in Scottish history.  Alternatively, take a birds-eye view from the cable car leading up to the summit of Aonach Mor mountain. Time permitting, we can explore the 13th-century ruins of Old Inverlochy Castle before we begin cruising across the beautiful Loch Lochy to our evening mooring in Laggan. 
Dinner aboard.

Laggan to Kytra

Tuesday
Cameras at the ready today, as we pass through some of the finest scenery of Scotland. We will see a variety of stunning castles including Eilean Donan overlooking 3 sea lochs, which have been featured in movies such as "Highlander"  and James Bond's "The World is not Enough".
The cruise in the afternoon will take us across the very scenic Loch Oich.  You may like to walk along by the Spirit of Scotland, toward our next mooring at Kytra.  Dinner aboard.

Kytra to Fort Augustus

Wednesday
Today begins with hard work for the Captain and his crew as we cruise to Fort Augustus to descend the "flight" of locks.  We will moor at the entrance of Loch Ness, opposite the Benedictine Abbey.  
After lunch on board, we visit the private Highland Club, a spectacular array of buildings including a Benedictine Abbey, and enjoy a falconry and bird-of-prey demonstration in this fabulous setting on the banks of Loch Ness.
This evening, we dine in a local restaurant.

Fort Augustus to Dochgarroch

Thursday
Monsters, gardens and history abound today!
We begin our day cruising across the world-famous Loch Ness, with perhaps a chance of spotting the mythical creature herself and the certainty of seeing the 13th-century ruins of Urquhart Castle. After lunch, it's time to head off to Cawdor Castle, immortalised by the bard himself in the "Scottish Play".  Within the castle, which is still a private residence of the Dowager Countess of Cawdor,  we can view a superb collection of tapestries, furnishings and pictures, before strolling in the picturesque gardens outside, which have been classified in the top 100 of the United Kingdom.
Our tour then takes us to a pre-historic Clan burial site at Clava Cairns, dating back to 2000 BC.
Dinner aboard. 

Dochgarroch to Muirtown

Friday
Our final full day begins with a cruise through Tomnahurich swing bridge and the locks to Muirtown. Take a bike or set off on foot to visit the sealock with its stunning views.  Our excursion after lunch takes us on a lovely drive through stunningly rugged hill scenery to Culloden Moor, the scene of the last major battle on British Soil in 1746, and then on to the Glen Ord distillery, founded in 1838 on the Black Isle by the Mackenzie's of Ord.  We learn the distillery methods used to produce the finest single and blended malts, which are undoubtedly Scotland's best-known export and of course, enjoy a special tasting of several single malts.

We return to the Spirit of Scotland ready for our Captain's Farewell Dinner on board, with a chance to relive the week over a fine whisky or two...

Muirtown

Saturday
After a hearty Scottish breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to their chosen location in Inverness.