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Invergordon Cruise Excursion - Castle ,Whisky and History Tour

Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Invergordon, Scotland
Great choice
5+ bookings last month.
  • 7 hours (approx.)
  • Pickup offered
  • Group discounts
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8
·
· Abbey_B ·
Aug 2025
Fantastic tour!! We really had a wonderful time. Very detailed history, good laughs, and tailored experience.
· Patricia_A ·
Sep 2025
this tour was the best! we saw everything and the guide was very knowledgeable and personable. he was charismatic and accommodating. would highly recommend

Overview

Explore classic Scottish Highland scenery on this small-group minivan tour from Invergordon port. Visit Dunrobin Castle and Gardens, enjoy a falconry display, explore the historic town of Dornoch, and stop at Balblair Whisky Distillery. Enjoy insights into local history and culture while traveling comfortably through the Scottish Highlands.
  • Check off several Scottish Highland highlights in just one day
  • Benefit from your expert guide's insights into Scottish history and culture
  • Includes hassle-free Invergordon port pickup and drop-off
  • Stay connected in the van with on-board Wi-Fi

What's Included

  • Kilted Highlander guide
  • Bottled water
  • WiFi on board
  • Entrance fee - Dunrobin Castle
    £14.50 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Operating hours
.9:00 am

Itinerary

1

Struie

15 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

2

Dunrobin Castle and Gardens

2 hours Admission Ticket Not Included

3

Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve

15 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

4

Dornoch

1 hour Admission Ticket Free

5

Balblair Distillery

1 hour Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infant seats available
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8
based on 37 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

wonderful experience beautiful land. clean and fresh was a wonderful experience that i would recommend to anyone !!!

Patricia_A, Sep 2025
this tour was the best! we saw everything and the guide was very knowledgeable and personable. he was charismatic and accommodating. would highly recommend

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you so much I hope you all enjoyed Edinburgh Safe sailing

Mike was a great guide!...

Dan_C, Sep 2025
Mike was a great guide! Very knowledgeable about the area and did his best to make sure that everyone had a great time.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Hi Dan Cooper Thank you for your kind words , And i am so pleased you had a great day with Dave Not Mike !! I will make sure he gets your review

Fantastic time!

Abbey_B, Aug 2025
Fantastic tour!! We really had a wonderful time. Very detailed history, good laughs, and tailored experience.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you for your very kind words ,, Safe travels as you go

Hands down, one of the...

David_G, Aug 2025
Hands down, one of the best tours we have taken in Scotland! Our guide was a wealth of information and tailor made everything to exactly what we wanted— more or less time at the various sites. As we were off the cruise ship he was also very cognizant of our all-aboard time and got us back to the ship with time to spare! Highly recommend this to one and all! A great tour! And George was the best guide as well— if you get a chance take his tour!!!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Hi David Thank you for your very nice review Honestly it was a pleasure to show you guys around Safe onward travels

Bob was our guide...

YeuFann_S, Jun 2025
Bob was our guide (George, the owner mentioned in many other reviews, was leading a tour van we were trailing most of the time), and while Bob was friendly and allowed us complete flexibility, he felt more like a private driver than a guide, often giving anecdotes on previous groups he'd driven and sometimes pulling out his phone to do spot research but not providing much of his own commentary. It did not matter to us but he was also not kilted and was driving a personal car so no Wi-Fi as stated in the listing. George did not actually recognize Bob's car so this might have just been a one off thing.

Response from Host, Jun 2025

HI , The reason i did not know Bobs car was he recently changed it , And i had no idea it did not have wi~fi as you state . I did have a other driver lined up for this tour ,but the other party of 4 cancelled , and the driver with the bigger vehicle would not do only 2 persons Bob does his own Tours and i have used him before with no issues . It is very difficult to get a party of 2 covered Which i did rather than cancel your booking Sorry if you were slightly disappointed

Great Invergordon cruise excursion

Blaise_B, May 2025
Great tour! George was a great tour guide. He was able to modify our trip to include seeing some golf courses along with the other must sees in Northern Scotland.

Response from Host, May 2025

Thank you so much for your kind words Im just happy you had a great day

Invergordon cruise Excursion

Catherine_S, May 2025
We had an excellent all day private tour with George. George showed up wearing his Scottish kilt. George was so informative and we saw so much. I really recommend this tour with George.

Response from Host, May 2025

Thank you so much for your very kind words Thank you for recommendation It was a pleasure to show you guys a little bit of our lovely country

Great private tour

Amanda_S, Oct 2024
George was an amazing guide. Arrived early to pick us up at our B & B. Asked if there was anything specific we were interested in. Took us to a couple of stops before heading to Dunrobin castle. (Explained to best way to see the castle and recommended starting with falconry demonstration). We were not rushed at any point and time. Then made a stop at the distillery for a tasting on the way back. Wonderful day out.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Thanks It was a pleasure showing you guys all you wanted to see and do

Great tour

karolyn51kb, Oct 2024
George was an excellent guide. He was very informative. Took us to interesting stops and gave us plenty of time to explore. Enjoyed watching the salmon jumping upstream. Fully recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Thank you so much for your kind words

Excellent tour

Deborah_H, Sep 2024
Excellent tour, George was friendly, knowledgeable and informative. We did however on occasions feel slightly rushed, especially when visiting the castle. Otherwise good value for money

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Thanks for your views ,,,Im sorry you felt you were rushed ,, I try to make a point of giving people all the time they need at any stop

Full highlands experience

Lorraine_H, Aug 2024
Really enjoyed meeting George. The castle and falconry display were great. We enjoyed lunch at the castle as well. The stop at Clyneish distillery was fun. Afternoon attractions were a bit remote for us. But we had a good experience of the highlands and the heather

Top notch tour….highly recommend

Micheal_B, Aug 2024
Our tour guide was exceptional. His knowledge of the area and of what we were going to visit made everything just come alive for us. His vehicle was new and clean and comfortable for seven people, and I think this may have been the high point of our entire cruise. I would recommend it to anyone.

Great Tour

Scott_S, Aug 2024
George was a great guide and as a life long resident was very knowledgeable of the area. He was accommodating to his guests and ensured that we all enjoyed the tour. The castle was amazing (one of the best we saw while on holiday). The falconry exhibit is not to be missed!

5/5 Fantastic small group tour!

Laura_S, Jul 2024
Wonderful shore excursion with Alastair! Beautiful scenery and great introduction to the highlands. I’m amazed at how much we were able to see in just 8 hours. Falconry show was a definite highlight. Enjoyed every minute and can’t wait to visit again to explore more of this beautiful country. Thank you Alastair for an unforgettable day!

Beautiful scenery

Pat_D, Jul 2024
Marvelous trip! Enjoyed every minute! Loved the Donrobin castle, the falcontry and each and every stop

Scotland Tour

Chrissy_B, Jul 2024
We were able to see a lot of Scotland thanks to our wonderful tour guide Alastair. We all had a great time!

"I thought this was a Private Tour"

Darcy_S, Jun 2024
I'm not sure where the disconnect was - whether I saw different wording on the mobile vs. desktop description or just looked at so many tour options, but I truly thought I booked a private tour. So, understandably we were a little upset to find we were on a minibus with a small group. Luckily, the people on our group were nice. We like our kilted guide, however I got the hint that he might not be a morning person. By the afternoon, he was much more friendly and smiley. Admittedly, he said he also needed a day off. Ha! I know that feeling. He definitely does not like "English" people (but I suspect people in general - which is perfectly fine). His setup with the microphone was helpful, but I wouldn’t say he was full of facts and history as one might hope from the guide they are with all day, but his tips and tricks at the castle stop were important. We drove through many quaint towns, but with no windows open and going at higher speeds, pictures just weren’t possible. I tried to take in as much as I could. We stopped at Millionaire’s View lookout point to get out for photos and an area of a stream where the salmon run. There was a stop at Dunrobin Castle, a town that I’m not sure what the name of it was and a local distillery for a quick tasting. In the town, we had a nice lunch at a place called Greens in the old courthouse. Good food, clean place…and we still had time to shop and walk around a bit. We went to a local tartan store run by one James Fraser (no relation) and his family. Overall, it was a nice day and the kind of service one would expect from a small group tour - only I started the day thinking I had booked a private tour, so I was disappointed (I suppose in myself).

Absolutely amazing tour

Ramsey_K, Jun 2024
We were not sure what to expect, especially because there was a new tour business that was taking over for the previous owner but BOY did we have an amazing time. Alistair was very communicative (could use a little more help on knowing times and location for meeting up, but it is a small enough port that we saw where the other groups were and just waiting there) and Geen was an absolute gem of a tour guide. He made sure to show us just about everything we asked to see (even a highland cow!) and was informative and engaging. His vehicle was nice and clean (no wifi, but that was fine) and extremely safe driving. Each stop was fun and informative and he kept us entertained with stories while driving through the small towns to our next stop. In Dornoch, he brought us to the best fish and chips restaurant. Cannot say enough good things about this tour and Go Highlands!

Must see Scottish Highland Tour

Hitesry_P, May 2024
The tour guide/driver was amazing. He was well versed in the history of the region and was open to all questions we had. The places he took us to see were breathtaking. Would recommend this tour and guide to all visiting the area.

Amazing Highland castle tour

Mona_L, May 2024
We had Sara as our tour person and she was amazing. She gave us a lot of local info on all the places we visit. She also took us to some of the most scenic place. She was friendly and very knowledgeable of everything. She suggested Balblair distillery tour instead of other, which we ended up liking it so much more. The castle was nice, we didn’t have that much time for the castle, but the falcon show was amazing. Love it! Overall, I would recommended this tour company highly and Sara. We had a lovely time.

Substitute guide -- dissapointing :-(

Janet_L, May 2023
We scheduled the tour based on the reviews of the tour and ratings of the guide. Instead, we end up with a substitute guide, who was really nice, but didn't really explain much. I was in the back seat and couldn't hear the conversations. If we asked a question and he didn't know, he would try to look it up on Google. There was not the information as was described in the listing. Basically, it was a transportation tour.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Sorry i was unavailable You would have been more disapointed if i didnt get a Substitute Guide

Great Northern experience

Ronald_C, May 2023
We had an amazing tour with Tom who was very flexible with our schedule. Loved Dunrobin Castle and the Balblair Distillery. Also a quick stop to see some highland cows. Thanks Tom

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you i will let Tom know you had a great day Kind Regards George Ghdtours@gmail.com

Wonderful day with George!

Dorothea_R, Feb 2023
George picked us up from our hotel and had a whole day planned just for us. We visited the sites that were in the description of the tour but since the castle was closed George went the extra mile and booked a tour in a distillery for us instead, which was great. We definitely recommend the tour to everyone looking to find an authentic tour through Scotland with a guide that knows so many special spots and pieces of information.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you so much for your very kind words Im just glad you had a great day Ghdtours@gmail.com

Perfect day!

Maria_G, Oct 2022
The day was perfect for us! George, our guide, was so attentive to our interests and gave us a tour that was really catered to our mobility issues and personal wishes. He gave us a more personalized view of Scotland by taking us off the beaten path and giving us an opportunity to experience the small towns and villages that most tours don't show you. We really felt we got to see things the average tourists don't get to see! I would highly recommend this guide to anyone who would appreciate a more personal experience. A genuine pleasure!!

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Hi Maria And Friends Thank you so much for your kind words ,, Im just always pleased my clients have a great time Ghdtours@gmail.com

Fun!

KamLin_L, Apr 2022
The trip was excellent. Our guide, George was fantastic. He was knowledgeable and was explaining the entire journey. Because we had some time at the end, George tried to get us to a distillery but unfortunately was unable to contact the other party. A fun trip nevertheless!

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you ..I'm glad you enjoyed .

Unforgettable and fun

Teresa_R, Apr 2022
George made this tour personable and was very friendly and fun. All of our stopping points were memorable. The hikes to Rogie Falls and Black Rock Gorge were as stunning as the sights! Dornoch Castle was very opulent and interesting with the castle, museum, gardens and Falconry demo! I highly recommend booking this tour with GHD! It is worth the money.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Hi Teresa and daughter .. Thank you very much for your kind words ...I'm just glad you enjoyed ..It makes the job I do worth doing See you5.30 am tomorrow 15th ... Ghdtours@gmail.com George Ritchie

Fab tour

Benjamin_M, Dec 2021
Had a great day out with George. He changed our tour up to suit the weather, he was knowledgeable and had lots and lots of stories to tell! Highly recommend this tour!

Excellent tour

Hanna_M, Nov 2021
The tour was great. George is very nice and knowledgeable. You can tell that he is a local who loves his country and knows everything about it. The pick up went really smoothly. We drove to a lot of beautiful places. I will definitely book more tours with him in the future.

Response from Host, Nov 2021

Hi Hanna Thank you so much for your kind words ..As a young person travelling alone I'm glad you had a super day ..and felt very relaxed ... We had some great laughs ... Thank you ..Be safe ...Hope we meet again ... George

Great Scottish Northern tour

Abu_A, Sep 2021
Our guide george was very interesting and knowledgeable of the local area. We enjoyed the tour a lot. Besides the planned tour, George also showed us highland cows twice and took us beautiful dornoch beach. We highly recommend this tour with George.

Response from Host, Sep 2021

Thank you so much for kind review..I'm just happy you had a great day Kind regards George Ritchie

Highly recommended.

MarthaC, Sep 2021
George is amazing. Showed us the Highlands mixed with history, stories, anecdotes and gossip. We saw things not even listed in the tour description like seals, highland cattle, salmon run and falconry. He even went the extra mile and took us to a supermarket so my husband could buy his medicine. Highly recommended. A wonderful full day trip.
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