Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Loch Ness Day Trip
by Thistle Excursions - Invergordon Bus or Coach Tours
Overview
This bus day trip from Invergordon lasts about 6 to 8 hours and includes parking fees. The group size varies from small 8-seater vehicles to larger coaches of up to 49 seats depending on the number of participants. The tour departs between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours after the ship docks. It begins with a visit to Culloden Battlefield, located on Culloden Moor just outside Inverness, where you spend 30 to 45 minutes learning about the 1746 battle that ended the Jacobite Rising. If the tour uses a small vehicle, it includes an optional stop at Clava Cairns, a Bronze Age burial site about 4,000 years old near Culloden. This stop lasts about 30 minutes and features passage graves, ring cairns, standing stones, and kerb cairns arranged in a circle. Larger buses cannot visit here due to a weak bridge. Next, the tour continues to Inverness city center, where guests have 90 minutes to visit the Inverness Castle viewing gallery (entry included) for panoramic city views, see Flora MacDonald’s statue, and explore local shops and cafes. The castle is under renovation until 2024, so only photos from outside are possible. After Inverness, the bus travels along 15 miles of Loch Ness shoreline with a photo stop to try spotting Nessie. The route passes through Drumnadrochit village with a brief stop at the Nessie Centre and a local gin shop. The highlight is a two-hour visit to Urquhart Castle ruins and its video centre, which includes a 6-minute historic video with subtitles. Visitors can walk around the ruins, browse the gift shop, or relax in the café. The tour also includes a 30-minute drive along Loch Ness. Later, the tour stops at Robertson’s farm near Beauly for about an hour to see Highland cows and alpacas. The journey back includes a drive past the 1,800-foot-long Culloden Viaduct, notable for its 29 red sandstone arches each around 50 feet high, and a pass by Beauly Priory before returning to the ship. The tour offers local guides who provide knowledge throughout.
Highlights
What's included
What's not included
Itinerary
Culloden Battlefield
Culloden Moor near Inverness is the site of the last pitched battle on British soil, fought on 16 April 1746. The battle ended the Jacobite Rising of 1745 when Prince Charles Edward Stuart attempted to regain the throne. The Jacobite army faced government troops led by the Duke of Cumberland. The tour includes about 45 minutes travel time from the port and a 30 to 45-minute visit on site.
90 min
Clava Cairns
This optional stop is only included if the tour is conducted in a small vehicle, as buses over 18 tonnes cannot cross a weak bridge. Clava Cairns is a group of Bronze Age burial cairns around 4,000 years old near Culloden Battlefield. The site features passage graves, ring cairns, standing stones, and kerb cairns arranged in a circle. The location inspired the Outlander TV series’ Craigh na Dun. The stop includes 15 minutes travel from the previous location and lasts about 30 minutes.
30 min
Inverness
The tour reaches Inverness city centre for a 90-minute visit that includes entry to Inverness Castle’s new viewing gallery, offering views across the city. Outside the castle, visitors can see Flora MacDonald’s statue and explore local shops and cafes. The oldest bar in Inverness, the Gellions, dating from 1841, is nearby. The castle itself is closed for renovation until 2024, so only exterior photos are possible. Travel time from the previous stop is about 30 minutes.
90 min
Loch Ness
The bus travels along Loch Ness for approximately 15 miles, with a stop for photos where guests may spot Nessie.
30 min
Drumnadrochit
The tour passes through the village of Drumnadrochit, stopping briefly at the Nessie Centre and a local gin shop.
10 min
Urquhart Castle
Visitors spend about two hours at the ruins of Urquhart Castle and the video centre. The video centre shows a 6-minute historic film with subtitles in multiple languages. Guests can walk among the ruins, visit the shop, or relax in the café. The visit includes a 30-minute drive along Loch Ness.
120 min
Robertson's - The Larder & Highland Cows - Beauly
At Robertson’s farm near Beauly, guests spend about one hour seeing Highland cows and alpacas. Travel time from the previous stop is around 30 minutes.
60 min
Culloden Viaduct
The bus passes the Culloden Viaduct, Scotland’s longest masonry viaduct measuring 1,800 feet (549 metres) with 29 red sandstone arches about 50 feet high. The viaduct curves across the landscape.
5 min
Beauly Priory
After leaving Drumnadrochit, the route goes through wild land about 1000 feet up a mountain before descending into the village of Beauly, passing by the ancient Priory, then returns to the ship.
Meeting point
In 2026 walk from the shop along the designated pathway a few hundred yards to the west harbour, cross at the pedestrian crossing to meet the independent tour guides. Thistle guides wear purple/burgundy (females), and carry clipboards saying Thistle Excursions. There may also be Thistle flags.
End point
In 2026 walk from the shop along the designated pathway a few hundred yards to the west harbour, cross at the pedestrian crossing to meet the independent tour guides. Thistle guides wear purple/burgundy (females), and carry clipboards saying Thistle Excursions. There may also be Thistle flags.
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.