Travel Detail

You escape the city of Edinburgh and head straight for the Highlands. Your first stop of the day is in the Trossachs National Park. Here, you can admire Scotland's scenic beauty and enjoy some local delicacies.

Your driver-guide may regale you with tales from Scottish folklore as you travel through the mountainous landscapes of the Western Highlands to Oban. This port town was once the strategic heartland of great feuding clans. But today, Oban is famous for seafood sourced fresh off the boats. It also boasts its own distillery where you can sample whisky that's been perfected for 200 years. Here, you will have time to enjoy a dram and indulge in delicious local seafood for lunch.

You then venture through the Kilmartin Glen where you see standing stones and strongholds that are over 1,500 years old. At Kennacraig, you catch the evening ferry to Islay. The sail is around two hours; and if you peek out to the ocean, you may see the Paps of Jura. These mountains mark the way to Islay, Queen of the Hebrides. Once you've arrived on the island, you settle into your accommodation in Bowmore.

The single malt created here by generation after generation of Bowmore craftsmen has long been regarded as one of the finest in the world. A stay at Bowmore Distillery Cottages offers the chance to reflect on the heritage of these ancient practices in beautifully renovated cottages, located at the centre of a charming village on a beautiful Hebridean island. The cottages are all beautifully renovated, all are located within or beside the distillery complex, and our guests are invited to join us for a complimentary distillery tour, to savour a dram, and to simply relax.

We know whisky tasting can be hard work, so you begin the day with a little sleep in. After you've had an ample amount of breakfast, you enjoy a tour of Bowmore Distillery, one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. You have time for a tour and a whisky tasting here before you continue exploring the island.

Next, your driver-guide takes you to Kilchoman Distillery for a tour and a lunch of local treats. Kilchoman is known as Islay's only Single Farm Single Match Scotch Whisky, reviving traditional farm distilling of barley to bottle, making their whisky 10o percent Islay. After trying local larder, you travel through the beautiful countryside to the third distillery of the day. On Thursday and Saturday, you visit Bruichladdich, the progressive distillery specializing in unpeated whisky. On Tuesday, you taste the unpeated and salty notes of Bunnahabhain in the most remote distillery on Islay. You head back to Bowmore where you can either stumble back to your room for the night or relax and explore the village.

The single malt created here by generation after generation of Bowmore craftsmen has long been regarded as one of the finest in the world. A stay at Bowmore Distillery Cottages offers the chance to reflect on the heritage of these ancient practices in beautifully renovated cottages, located at the centre of a charming village on a beautiful Hebridean island. The cottages are all beautifully renovated, all are located within or beside the distillery complex, and our guests are invited to join us for a complimentary distillery tour, to savour a dram, and to simply relax.

Today you explore the southern side of the island, home to a few of the most famous whiskies in all of Scotland: Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg. After you've made it out of bed and eaten your breakfast, you visit Ardbeg. You stay here for a tour, tasting, and lunch. The restaurant here is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy fine Scottish produce as you sip upon delightful drams.

You then visit Laphroaig. This 200-year-old whisky distiller is a favourite with the British royal family and bears the seal of the Prince of Wales to prove it. Throughout the day, your driver-guide takes you to historical spots such as the ruins of Kildalton church and Dunyvaig Castle. And you can also stop at Lagavulin for some intensively flavoured, rich and smoky whisky. You return to Bowmore for your last evening of the trip.

The single malt created here by generation after generation of Bowmore craftsmen has long been regarded as one of the finest in the world. A stay at Bowmore Distillery Cottages offers the chance to reflect on the heritage of these ancient practices in beautifully renovated cottages, located at the centre of a charming village on a beautiful Hebridean island. The cottages are all beautifully renovated, all are located within or beside the distillery complex, and our guests are invited to join us for a complimentary distillery tour, to savour a dram, and to simply relax.

Meal Plan: Continental Breakfast

Ten Hill Place, BW Premier Collection was opened in November 2006. The hotel is one of Edinburgh's premier City Centre hotels. From airy public places to each of the 77 smart bedrooms, the mood of Ten Hill Place, BW Premier Collection is one of quiet sophistication, and one they believe sets them apart from other Edinburgh hotels. They have four fully equipped accessible rooms with an elevator from street level to all floors. This innovative Edinburgh hotel is within easy walking distance of Princes Street, the historic Old Town, and the City Centres main tourist, shopping, and business districts; yet peacefully situated away from the main thoroughfares. The best of Edinburgh opens up before you right outside our front door. The Festival Theatre is across the road, the National Museums are around the corner and the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, and Holyrood Palace are just a stone's throw away. Whether on business or a short city break in Edinburgh, make Ten Hill Place, BW Premier Collection your first choice.

This morning, you take the ferry back to the mainland and replace the intoxicating fumes of whisky with the replenishing fresh air of Scotland's West Highlands. You travel through coastal scenery to the beautiful village of Inveraray on the banks of Loch Fyne. The town is adorned with historic buildings, old boats, and a great whisky shop. Your trip continues to Loch Lomond where you have a chance to admire Great Britain's largest body of water by surface area. You arrive in Edinburgh in the early evening.