In a nutshellA magical excursion to discover one of Scotland's most important cities and Cawdor Castle, which sits surrounded by elegant, luxuriant gardens.

Main stops

Cromarty Firth
Inverness
Cawdor Castle
Walled Garden
Flower Garden
Wild Garden

The programme

We board the coach and leave the port of Invergordon, skirting the Cromarty Firth.
We reach Inverness, the capital of The Highlands, which is located close to the mouth of the River Ness. Here we have some free time for a brief look along the tree-lined banks of the river.
We then leave Inverness to head inland to the village of Cawdor where we will prepare to visit the castle of the same name.
We reach Cawdor Castle by crossing a drawbridge. This traditional noble residence retains all of the atmosphere of Scotland's medieval past. Constructed in 1372, it is still owned by the Earls of Cawdor six centuries later. Legend has it that the building was erected on the site where a donkey, weighed down with gold, stopped to rest under a hawthorn bush, the trunk of which can still be seen in the vaults under the 14th-century tower.
After visiting the castle, we head outside to visit the three splendid gardens. The Walled Garden is the oldest of the three and is situated to the north-east of the castle. It includes a maze inspired by the Roman villa of Conímbriga , in Portugal, which in turn is inspired by the legendary labyrinth of Minos.
To the south of the castle is the Flower Garden. Created in 1710, it is an extremely elegant garden, probably of French influence, and rich in fruit trees.
Lastly, the Wild Garden. Only created in 1960, the wild garden is positioned on the banks of the Cawdor Burn that runs to the luxuriant Cawdor forest.

Good to know

Places on this excursion are limited. We recommend booking early.
Bags and rucksacks are not allowed inside the castle, and taking photographs is not permitted.
The visit of the Castle and the gardens is free and not guided.