In every way, this journey exceeded our expectations. Six travelers and five crew became a team of 11 friends, sharing a joyful experience, while creating lasting and lovely memories. It is difficult to identify all of the highlights, but I'll try! The food.....the BEST! It was delicious, hearty, healthy, creatively prepared, and always exceptional. The chef, Ben.... is kind, gracious, funny, and so very talented. He made it look easy! We often felt like we were the beneficiaries of the Great Scottish Baking Contest, but that might minimize how much we also enjoyed the delicious soups, the amazing stews, the phenomenal Sunday Roast, and the scrumptious breakfast platters (the pancakes were superb!) The fruit smoothies were the best I've ever had. And that's just the start of it all. The crew was expertly attentive and accommodating. Our walks were comfortably and professionally guided by Chris, while also leaving us ample time to explore on our own. Our evenings were relaxing, and filled with laughter, funny stories, and a few yummy glasses of wine. We had plenty of time to get to know one another, and ample time to just relax and read a good book (of which there were many on the barge). Our last evening was spectacular as Ru provided a bit of authentic Scottish musical entertainment, making his accordion sound like an orchestra, while also providing stories about the history of Scottish folk music. Rich, a new-ish member of the crew was extraordinarily attentive to all of us, and able to anticipate our every need - truly! While he did many things, Rich often delivered us to the shoreline by Zodiac, for the start of our hikes, and picked us up when the day was done. And he did much more than that. He was never too busy to be there for all of us, or any one of us. And he was kind, gentle, respectful, smart, and very very funny! Such a wonderful vacation, with such amazing fellow travelers - forever friends, we hope! Clearly one of our very best vacations ever. It was perfectly orchestrated, and so much fun. It was truly a trip to be remembered.
The places we visited were all "must sees" when you think of Scotland.St Andrews was great for golf lovers and Inverness was interesting as a larger city. There was so much history to become immersed in -some relating to current TV shows! My favourite places were the Isles of Skye and Mull with their pretty towns and stark countryside.
Great overview of the beautiful highlands of Scotland. Edinburgh is full of interesting sights, but we were all charmed by the small towns of Pitlochry, Fort William and Fort Augustus. Nice authentic meals, plenty of opportunities to explore and shop. Very friendly, flexible tour leader made everyone in the group feel welcomed. Good value overall.