Inverness: Fort George, Culloden, and Cairngorms Day Trip

About this tour

Our small group tour day begins in the morning with a brief tour of Inverness’ sights before heading to our first stop: Culloden Battlefield. This poignant site marks the end of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Here, you’ll learn about the battlefield’s history, walk its grounds, and even explore any family connections you may have to the area (optional extra).

Next, we visit the Clava Cairns, the remains of a once larger complex used for housing the dead. This site offers insight into life over 4,000 years ago and Scotland’s Bronze Age society. Fans of Outlander may enjoy the prehistoric stone circle that inspired Craigh Na Dun in the series.

We then continue to Fort George (optional extra), an imposing fort built after the Battle of Culloden. This massive fortification took over 22 years to construct and is essential for military history enthusiasts. It houses the largest regimental museum outside of Edinburgh and is still an active army base, home to the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

After absorbing the rich history here, we head to the northern coast in Nairn for lunch in this charming seaside town.

As we travel through the scenic Cairngorms, we’ll stop at Loch an Eilein for a photo op. This stunning loch features a small island with castle ruins, aptly named “loch of the island” in Gaelic. It’s a perfect photo spot, so keep an eye out for the local wildlife.

Our final stop is Aviemore, where you’ll have time to explore this beautiful village nestled in the northwest corner of the Cairngorms National Park, surrounded by mountains and lochs. It’s an ideal place to grab a coffee before we journey back to Inverness to conclude our tour.