In this tour we visit Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond and a Distillery or Two
You will be collected after breakfast and we will drive to Stirling where we will visit Stirling Castle.
Stirling Castle, a place of power, beauty and history is probably the must see castle to visit in Scotland. It was the favoured residence of Scotland's kings and queens. There is documentary evidence of the castle dating back to the early 12th century when Alexander 1 dedicated a chapel here. Knights, nobles and foreign ambassadors once flocked to the Royal Court at Stirling Castle to revel in its grandeur with superb sculptures and beautiful gardens. The Stewart kings and queens hosted banquets here to celebrate great events from christenings to coronations. At the heart of the castle was the stunning Royal Palace of James V. Today the palace has been returned to its Renaissance splendour and is at the centre of the visitor experience.
After spending several hours at Stirling Castle we head west along the A811 towards Loch Lomond where you might have lunch at The Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha, a small village on the eastern side of Loch Lomond, and enjoy a boat trip on the loch, before heading to Glengoyne Distillery where you can choose from a range of tours.
Glengoyne Distillery is a very pretty distillery at Dumgoyne just north of Glasgow. It has been in continuous production since 1833 and has always been under Scottish ownership. Today it is owned by Ian Macleod Distllers Limited and it has a number of accolades for its tours including 'Best Whisky Tour in Scotland' from The Sunday Times.
After your tour of the distillery you have options on what to do next. This is one of the benefits of going on one of our private bespoke tours in that you are offered flexibility hard to find anywhere else.
We could have a leisurely drive back to our starting point visiting a gallery or two on route.
Why not visit Cameron House, the luxury 5 star hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond, where you could have afternoon tea and maybe have a seaplane flight with Loch Lomond Seaplanes or a loch cruise on the luxury cruiser Celtic Warrior?
Alternatively you could visit Luss, a conservation village on the western side of Loch Lomond, before heading north to Inverbeg and then driving through Glen Douglas to Loch Long and heading back to our starting point via Gareloch, Helensburgh and The Firth of Clyde. No visit to Helensburgh is complete without stopping off for an ice cream so we would, of course, make the mandatory stop at Dino's.
If retail therapy is a must then a visit to Loch Lomond Shores, the upmarket shopping mall could be fitted in on route back to your destination.
There is, of course, the option of visiting another Distillery and Auchentoshan Distillery is an excellent choice being the home of the acclaimed Auchentoshan Single Malt Whisky.
Like all of our tours the choice is yours as to how you spend your day and, as you have total flexibilty, you can even change the itinerary during your tour. You can also spend as long as you wish at any attraction as you do not need to compromise and follow anyone elses agenda or timescale. This is one of the main benefits available to you when you choose your tour with Glascotours.