Barge Cruising the Scottish Highlands
Luxury barge cruise
PRICE FROM | DURATION | |
---|---|---|
AUD
$9,055
|
Days
7
|
Nights
6
|
PRICE FROM | DURATION | |
---|---|---|
AUD
$9,055
|
Days
7
|
Nights
6
|

Introduction
For a magical barge cruise, Scotland is hard to surpass.
Cruise sedately through the Great Glen between Inverness and Fort William, navigating beautiful lochs and the scenic, absorbing Caledonian Canal. Ancient castles perched on the water’s edge, heather-clad hillsides and arguably the finest inland cruising in the world offer unforgettable experiences on a handpicked barge cruise. Scotland’s legends of the past, the taste of single malt and the mythical inhabitant of Loch Ness all contribute to a special magic only experienced in the dramatic Highlands.
Highlights Include: A tour of the Tomatin whisky distillery with a private tasting; see Eilean Donan and Urquhart castles; tour Cawdor Castle and gardens, home of Shakespeare’s Scottish Play; extraordinary river, canal and loch cruising; excellent walking opportunities; majestic Falconry Display on the banks of Loch Ness; and visit Glencoe, scene of treachery between the Campbell and MacDonald clans.
Your luxury European Waterways barge: Scottish Highlander has the atmosphere of a Scottish country house with subtle use of tartan furnishings and landscape paintings. At 117 feet she is spacious and has every comfort for year-round barge cruises in Scotland. Cuisine is traditional Scottish fare – salmon, game and seafood, prepared by your own Master Chef, and the hotel barge’s experienced crew of four will take care of your every need. The 8 passenger Scottish Highlander has been designed specifically for a Highland cruise. Aboard a luxury barge cruise, Scotland’s lochs and the Caledonian Canal are accessible all year round.
Hotel Barge Spirit:
Itinerary
Day 1 : Inverness > Muirtown
Guests are met at a designated meeting point in Inverness and transferred by private chauffeured minibus to Scottish Highlander. Champagne Welcome and perhaps an early evening stroll to the sea lock with wonderful views over the Moray and Beauly Firths. Dinner on board.
Day 2 : Muirtown > Dochgarroch
Travel up the Muirtown lock flight and through the Tomnahurich swing bridge, with an option to walk alongside River Ness to the hamlet of Dochgarroch. After lunch on board, visit Culloden Moor, scene of the last major battle on British soil in 1746 where English Government troops faced the Highlanders of “Bonnie Prince Charlie”. Next, it’s on to Tomatin Distillery, established in 1897 in the hills south of Inverness. You are given a fascinating description of the maturing and ageing process of their whiskies, each with its distinctive characteristics, followed by a special tasting of several single malts. Dinner on board.
Day 3 : Dochgarroch > Fort Augustus
This morning enjoy a visit to Cawdor Castle, forever immortalised in Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play”, Macbeth. The picturesque gardens have been listed amongst the top 100 in the UK. The castle contains a superb collection of tapestries, pictures and furnishings and the Dowager Countess of Cawdor still lives there for part of the year. If time allows, take a tour of Clava Cairns, a pre-historic clan chieftain burial site dating back to 2,000 BC and setting for the Outlander TV series. After lunch onboard, cruise through Loch Dochfour and across Loch Ness, where en-route you pass Urquhart Castle, navigating closely beneath its spectacular 13th century ruins, before continuing to cruise to Fort Augustus. Dinner on board.
Day 4 : Fort Augustus to Cullochy
After breakfast, visit the private Highland Club, a spectacular exclusive set of residences and a former 19th century Benedictine Monastery. Here you will be treated to a falconry and birds of prey demonstration on the banks of Loch Ness. The majesty of the swooping birds against the backdrop of the sweeping Scottish Highlands is not easily forgotten. There is time to explore the pretty village of Fort Augustus before lunch on board, after which your cruise takes you up the “flight of locks” and then on to your pretty mooring at Kytra. This evening dine ashore at a local restaurant.
Day 5 : Cullochy to Laggan
This morning’s cruise can be partially walked as you cross the very scenic Loch Oich, perhaps stopping en route for a spot of fishing, and onto the pretty Laggan Avenue. As you approach Laggan, a Highland Piper may greet you with a stirring rendition of traditional Scottish music. After lunch on board take in some of the finest scenery Scotland has to offer as you drive to one of its best known and most photographed castles, Eilean Donan, which has featured in movies such as “Highlander” and James Bond’s “The World Is Not Enough” and overlooks three sea lochs. Dinner on board.
Day 6 : Laggan > Banavie
The final cruise today will see a crossing from Loch Lochy to Gairlochy, where you will rejoin the canal and continue on to Moy Bridge, the last fully hand-operated bridge on the waterway. From here it is a short cruise to the mooring at Banavie beneath Ben Nevis and a stroll from Neptune’s Staircase leading down to Loch Eil. After lunch on board, your tour today takes you to the dramatic scenery and mystical battlefield of Glencoe, famed for one of the darkest days in Scottish history when soldiers of the Campbell clan massacred 30 members of Clan MacDonald. If time permits, you can also visit the ruins of Old Inverlochy Castle. Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.
Day 7 : Banavie > Inverness
After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus to their choice of location in Inverness.
Please note: The excursion to Cawdor Castle is only possible between early May and the end of September. A visit to Fort George will replace it either side of these dates. The falconry and birds of prey demonstration is “weather permitting”.
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Pricing
Pricing (per person), AUD
TYPE |
TWIN from |
SINGLE from |
EXTRA from |
---|---|---|---|
2024 |
|||
Value season |
|||
Stateroom, from |
AU$9,055 |
AU$12,330 |
|
Junior Suite, from |
AU$10,675 |
AU$13,950 |
|
Charter 6 passengers (per person), from |
AU$11,035 |
– |
|
Charter 7 passengers (per person), from |
AU$9,780 |
– |
|
Charter 8 passengers (per person), from |
AU$8,840 |
– |
|
Regular season |
|||
Stateroom, from |
AU$10,500 |
AU$14,295 |
|
Junior Suite, from |
AU$12,400 |
AU$16,190 |
|
Charter 6 passengers (per person), from |
AU$12,645 |
– |
|
Charter 7 passengers (per person), from |
AU$11,210 |
– |
|
Charter 8 passengers (per person), from |
AU$10,130 |
– | |
2024
Value season
Stateroom, from
Twin: from $9055
Single: from $ 12330
Junior Suite, from
Twin: from $10675
Single: from $ 13950
Charter 6 passengers (per person), from
Twin: from $11035
Single: from $ –
Charter 7 passengers (per person), from
Twin: from $9780
Single: from $ –
Charter 8 passengers (per person), from
Twin: from $8840
Single: from $ –
Regular season
Stateroom, from
Twin: from $10500
Single: from $ 14295
Junior Suite, from
Twin: from $12400
Single: from $ 16190
Charter 6 passengers (per person), from
Twin: from $12645
Single: from $ –
Charter 7 passengers (per person), from
Twin: from $11210
Single: from $ –
Charter 8 passengers (per person), from
Twin: from $10130
Single: from $ –
Departs
2025 |
Value Season |
30 Mar |
6, 13, 20, 27 Apr |
12, 19 Oct |
Regular Season |
4, 11, 18, 25 May |
1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Jun |
6, 13, 20, 27 Jul |
3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Aug |
7, 14, 21, 28 Sep |
5 Oct |
Included
- 6-nights’ onboard the 5-star Scottish Highlander barge
- All meals during your cruise
- Open bar onboard available 24/7 with a range of alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks
- Arrival and departure transfers between Inverness and the barge
- Excursions and entrance fees as per the itinerary
- Use of the barge facilities including bicycles and sonic fish finder
Not Included
- Gratuities
Important Notes
- The Scottish Highlander can be chartered with a minimum of 6 passengers
- This is a sample itinerary and subject to change
- On alternate weeks the cruise will operate in the reverse direction
- Prices may vary due to currency exchange rates at the time of booking
- Ask about special offers which are available from time to time
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