On Day 3, we drove back to Edinburgh and enjoyed a Loch Ness Cruise, visited Urquhart Castle, Glen Coe and Doune Castle en route.

Breakfast at the Dalmore Guest House was excellent. We were served orange juice, strawberries, yoghurt, fried eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, GF toast and freshly brewed coffee.

Loch Ness

We drove to Loch Ness, bordered the cruise boat and sailed as far as Urquhart Castle.

Urquhart Castle

We left the cruise boat at Urquhart castle, explored the ruins, had mid-morning coffee in the visitor centre and walked up the hill to coach park where our coach and driver were waiting.

The castle, situated on a headland overlooking Loch Ness, is one of the largest in Scotland in area. It was approached from the west and defended by a ditch and drawbridge. The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though built on the site of an early medieval fortification. Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. It was subsequently held as a royal castle and was raided on several occasions by the MacDonald Earls of Ross. The castle was granted to the Clan Grant in 1509, though conflict with the MacDonalds continued. Despite a series of further raids the castle was strengthened, only to be largely abandoned by the middle of the 17th century. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite forces, and subsequently decayed. In the 20th century, it was placed in state care as a scheduled monument and opened to the public

Lunch

We drove to the southern end of Koch Ness and had la dreadful lunch of chicken burgers at Cobbs Cafe in a small crowded town by a canal.

Glen Coe

We reached Glen Coe at 3 in the afternoon. I first visited this dramatic volcanic landscape with the tragic 1692 Glencoe Massacre, almost 50 years ago. I fondly remember walking along the little creek in the deep sided valley formed by ancient volcanic explosions and carved by massive glaciers, admiring its beauty and solitude.

Glencoe Massacre remains one of the darkest and most infamous betrayals of Highland hospitality in Scottish history. On February 13, 1692, 38 members of the Clan MacDonald were killed by government soldiers under the orders of King William III after failing to promptly sign an oath of allegiance. 

Today it is a busy tourist attraction with visitor centres, shops, cafes and car parks and renowned as the heartland of Scottish mountaineering, drawing hikers and climbers from around the world.

Doune Castle

Our final stop of the day was at Doune Castle. It lies 8 miles (13 kilometres) northwest of Stirling, where the Teith flows into the River Forth. Doune was the seat of Robert Stewart, the 1st Duke of Albany and Governor of Scotland. He acquired the castle in 1361, when he married Margaret Graham, Countess of Menteith.

Edinburgh

We reached Edinburgh just after 7pm. We said goodbye to our travelling companions, thanked and tipped the driver and walked back to the Travelodge where we were staying the night.

It was an excellent tour and we saw many things in Scotland that we have not seen before.

We had a wee dram or two of Tomatin from the bottle we bought at the distillery, ate Thai Chicken Curry & Brown Rice we got from a takeaway on the way to the hotel and had an early night.

Post published 30 July 2026