Invergordon Shore Excursion Loch Ness, Distillery and Castles

Invergordon, Scotland

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

7 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle
Local Guide
Pick up from your Cruise Ship

Snacks
Optional entrance fee to Cawdor Castle approx £14
Optional entry to Urquhart castle approx £14

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Invergordon Cruise Port
Oilfield Support Base, Shore Rd, Invergordon IV18 0EX, UK
After dis-embarking take the shuttle bus for a short ride to the 1ST STOP - West Harbour - Shore Street. Your guide will meet you displaying a sign with ‘YOUR SHORE TIME’ and will direct you to your awaiting coach

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Invergordon (Pass By)

Cawdor Castle

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Loch Ness Region

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Inverness

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Infant seats available
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
After dis-embarking take the shuttle bus for a short ride to the 1ST STOP - West Harbour - Shore Street. Your guide will meet you displaying a sign with ‘YOUR SHORE TIME’ and will direct you to your awaiting coach
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 32 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Featured review

Heidrun_M

It was a great tour, we learned so much about this part of the Highlands. The visit of the whisky distillery was so interesting (and tasty), the castles beautiful. The bus was so comfortable! The guide Ian and the driver Emma were so nice and friendly! Absolutely recommend!

Reviews

3.1

based on 14 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Left us stranded

Bill_S, Sep 2025

We were left stranded because all other excursions were booked. Cancelled just hours before with little options.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Good Afternoon Bill, We had emailed you adn messaged you previously, but you did not pick up your messages The cancellation was due to the guides illness, and Invergordon being such a small community we were unable to secure an alternative guide. We are very sorry for the cancellation., and as we said in our messages at the time. there were other seats available with another operator

Look for another agency that does respect the itinerary

Evangelina_G, Aug 2025

When I bought the tour, I bought it because we were going to Inverness. The tour didn't arrive; the guide had a different itinerary than the one I had. I feel really bad for not following the itinerary they sell.

Good value for money but ...

David_F, Aug 2025

Overall, good value for money but ... Firstly, Ian & Emma were great. The coach however was not. The speakers for the first four rows were not working, so any commentary could not be heard. The lack of information detracted greatly from the overall experience. Also, we were in a seat that faced backwards over a table, so even if we were able to hear any commentary, we wuld not be able to see what was being spoken about until it was too late! And as for the table itself, a great idea but it vibrated horribly and things were sliding off as a result everywhere!! Would have rated higher if we had had a forward facing seat and, more importantly, been able to hear the/any commentary. An appropriate refund for this would be welcomed as service not provided as advertised.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Hi David If you could email me directly at office@yourshoretime.com and I will investigate. Our official guide was indisposed on teh day due to a family bereavement and Glen and Emma provided a service at the very last minute rather than us cancel the tour

A nice trip

ALBERTO_P, Jul 2025

The tour was good overall. The only drawback, in my opinion, was the time spent exploring the whisky factory.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Hi Albert, Many thanks for your observations. The Distillery visit is included within our tour description. It is a small ,but informative part of our full day shore excursion.

Greatest tour

Heidrun_M, Jul 2025

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Many thanks for your kind words! It is much appreciated and I will pass your comments to Ian and Emma. The tour is indeed a great day - lots to see and do!

I feel cheated

Kevin_S, Jul 2025

This was the worst excursion I have taken in 20 years of cruising. We started off by having multiple participants being given different start times. We were told 8:00 am. Other guests were told 9:00 am. So we stood around and waited for an hour. After the full group was gathered, we got to walk 1/2 a mile to where the bus was parked, nowhere near to the cruise ship. Upon entering the bus, we were told by our tour director that she was just filling in and was normally a driver. We began our drive to the scotch distillery and were treated to an hour of inane information. Mostly she just pointed out common everday locations like dog parks, sporting good stores, auto dealerships and bowling alleys. Occasionally she would point out churches and other building that looked historical, but provided no further information. She provided no history of the area or any buildings we saw. The tour of the distillery was the one redeeming stop. And it is the only reason this review is 2 stars. Our other 2 stops were Cawdor Castle and Urquhart Castle. We were told that we would need to pay additional ticket fees to enter each of the buildings. Because we had limited time, we opted to not purchase these entrance tickets in advance. But when we arrived at both locations, it became evident that we could not even see the outside of the castles without paying the entrance fees. If the entrance to the grounds is essential to a sightseeing tour, why are those prices not included in the booking cost? Do yourself a favor and book with another Viator partner.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

We apologise for the late replacement of the official guide, due to bereavement. No other guides were available; and Emma has driven this tour many times and is a local knowledgeable lady. The tour clearly states that we visit the 2 castles. It is your choice if you do not wish to visit them.

Great trip, good use of time

Rosa_W, Jul 2025

Fortunately, we have a very comfortable and luxurious coach with only 28 people. We have a table between sets of seats, and almost every couple or family has their own sets of seats and tables. The bus has a toilet, too. The only drawback is that the microphone volume is very low We can barely hear the guide talking. The Whiskey tour and two castles are wonderful. We had a good time. But if you want to see them all, there will be no time for lunch. Be sure to bring your own lunch and eat on the bus.

Too much to fit into one...

Jennifer_E, Jul 2025

Too much to fit into one day. Entrance fees to castles should be included in cost, OR, option for those guests not wanting to go into castles (and not pay for entrance) to be dropped in nearby town with agreed pick up time and location.

We had a nice guide with...

Craig_E, Jul 2025

We had a nice guide with Ian and driver Emma. They were with Shore Time. We had the opportunity to visit a distillery, Cawdor castle, and Loch Ness (Urquhart Castle). However, we did not get to see everything that was planned originally. Unfortunately in our group of 24, several of the guests had an hour later notification of the tour starting time. So, we lost out on an hour of sightseeing. Otherwise the tour was great. Thank you.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Hi Craig I am pleased you enjoyed your shore excursion. with us. All guests are sent the same Meeting times and meeting location, so it is a mystery as to why some guests do not note revised start times for tours. Our Ops team are looking at other means of sending notifications.

Good may have been better with a real tour guide instead of sub

Curtis_S, Jun 2025

When it starts with “I’m not really a tour guide but filling in” we should have known things would not be great. Volume blew us out with a guide that was too loud talked too much about nothing ( like look at the baby sheep or wholly cow. Not once but every time she saw one. Distillery was okay tour but terrible taste. Would have rather stopped at cullodean or stones? Castles were one positives of the tour. Had to walk a ways to board bus in morning but that was more an issue with port not tour.

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Hi, You will ahve received an email today advising that Emma stepped in yesterday to escort the tour (she made it clear she was NOT a guide) due to a close family bereavement causing our appointed guide to cancel. No other official guides were available. I would like to thank you for your understanding.

Pleasant day trip

Alexandra_H, Jul 2025

It was known that the locksmiths and castles charge an extra entrance fee, but you could not even enter the outdoor facilities without an entrance ticket or even at the ruins/ Loch Ness a toilet.

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