10-Day Scotland Itinerary: Private Tour of Orkney & the Isle of Skye
10-Day Scotland Itinerary: Private Tour of Orkney & the Isle of Skye
The Highlands, Orkney, the North Coast 500 and the Isle of Skye, with your own guide and private vehicle.
- 10 days · 9 nights
- Private guide & vehicle
- Orkney & the Isle of Skye
- Start anywhere in Scotland
Ten days, two of Scotland’s great island groups and the wild country in between. This private itinerary takes you through the Cairngorms to Inverness, up the far-north coast to Orkney’s 5,000-year-old villages and stone circles, along the North Coast 500, across to the Isle of Skye, and home by Loch Ness, Glencoe and Loch Lomond.
It’s a sample, not a fixed package. Your own guide and tour coordinator will reshape the route, pace and places to stay around your group.
Your 10-day Scotland itinerary at a glance
Places to stay are rough areas only; we’ll choose your accommodation with you. Tap the map to explore each day’s stops, or open it full screen. The route is flexible, and your guide can adjust the order and stops on the day.
| Day | Route | Where you could stay |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Edinburgh → The Hermitage → Balmoral → Cairngorms → Culloden | Inverness area |
| Day 2 | Glenmorangie → Dunrobin Castle → Camster Cairns → Castle Sinclair → ferry | Orkney: Kirkwall or Stromness |
| Day 3 | Kirkwall → Wideford Hill & Cuween cairns → Maeshowe → Stenness → Ring of Brodgar | Orkney: Kirkwall or Stromness |
| Day 4 | Isle of Hoy & the Old Man of Hoy → Skara Brae → Brough of Birsay | Orkney: Kirkwall or Stromness |
| Day 5 | Ferry → North Coast 500 → Smoo Cave → Knockan Crag → Ardessie Falls | Ullapool or Wester Ross |
| Day 6 | Isle of Skye: Fairy Pools → Dunvegan Castle → Portree | Isle of Skye: Portree area |
| Day 7 | Old Man of Storr → Lealt Falls → Quiraing → Fairy Glen | Isle of Skye: Portree area |
| Day 8 | Skye Bridge → Eilean Donan Castle → Fort Augustus & Loch Ness cruise | Loch Ness or Inverness area |
| Day 9 | Urquhart Castle → Inverness → Glencoe | Glencoe or Fort William area |
| Day 10 | Luss & Loch Lomond → Balmaha → Edinburgh | Home |
The 10-day itinerary, day by day
Day 1Edinburgh to Inverness: Big Tree Country, Balmoral & Culloden
The Hermitage · Glenshee · Balmoral Castle · Cairngorms National Park · Grantown-on-Spey · Culloden
From your pick-up, we head north into Perthshire’s “Big Tree Country” for a woodland walk past the Black Linn pools and falls. Then it’s up through Glenshee to Balmoral Castle, where you can walk the royal gardens that Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II loved.
We cross the Cairngorms, Scotland’s largest national park, and stop in Grantown-on-Spey for a riverside walk through native Scots pine, keeping an eye out for the rare capercaillie. The last stop is Culloden Battlefield, where you’ll hear how the battle unfolded before we reach Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, for the night.
Day 2Inverness to Orkney: whisky, castles and the Pentland Firth
Glenmorangie Distillery · Dunrobin Castle · Grey Cairns of Camster · Castle Sinclair Girnigoe · ferry to Orkney
We head north along the coast, starting the day at Glenmorangie Distillery to learn how their whisky is made and why the giraffe is the distillery’s spirit animal. Next is fairytale Dunrobin Castle, home of the Earls and Dukes of Sutherland and quite possibly the grandest place on the tour.
Further north, the Grey Cairns of Camster are burial cairns more than 5,000 years old, and the clifftop ruins of Castle Sinclair look out over the North Sea. Then it’s ferry time: just over an hour across to Orkney, where you’ll spend the next nights.
Day 3Orkney: Kirkwall, chambered cairns and the Ring of Brodgar
St Magnus Cathedral · Wideford Hill Cairn · Cuween Hill Cairn · Maeshowe · Standing Stones of Stenness · Ring of Brodgar
Your first Orkney day starts in Kirkwall at St Magnus Cathedral and the story of the saint’s betrayal. Then we explore Neolithic tombs you can go inside: Wideford Hill Cairn after a walk across the hillside, and 5,000-year-old Cuween Cairn, where you crawl into the central chamber.
Maeshowe is the finest Neolithic building to survive in northwestern Europe, with graffiti left by later invaders. We finish at the Standing Stones of Stenness, possibly the oldest henge in Britain, and the great Ring of Brodgar, where 36 of the original 60 stones still stand.
Day 4Orkney: the Isle of Hoy, Skara Brae and the Brough of Birsay
Old Man of Hoy · Dwarfie Stane · Scapa Flow Museum · Skara Brae · Brough of Birsay
A short ferry takes us to the Isle of Hoy to see the Old Man of Hoy, a giant sea stack, and the Dwarfie Stane, a burial chamber cut into a huge block of stone. We call in at the Scapa Flow Museum before crossing back to mainland Orkney.
Up the west coast is Skara Brae, a village older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Egypt, so well preserved you can see how its people lived. If the tide is low we walk over to the Brough of Birsay to explore its Viking settlement, lighthouse and coastal views, before a last evening on the island.
Day 5The North Coast 500: Smoo Cave to the northwest Highlands
Ferry to the mainland · North Coast 500 · Smoo Cave · Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve · Ardessie Falls
We say goodbye to Orkney from the ferry and follow the North Coast 500 west along Scotland’s far-north coast to Smoo Cave. From there the road turns south through the mountains of the northwest Highlands to Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve and the waterfalls of Ardessie, before we stop for the night.
Day 6To the Isle of Skye: the Fairy Pools and Dunvegan Castle
Fairy Pools · Dunvegan Castle · Portree
On Skye, a short walk leads to the Fairy Pools, a chain of clear blue pools and waterfalls beneath the Cuillin mountains. Then we visit Dunvegan Castle, the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and ancestral home of the Clan MacLeod, with its gardens and views.
The day ends in Portree, Skye’s main town, with its colourful harbour, shops and restaurants. You’ll stay two nights on the island.
Day 7Isle of Skye: the Storr, the Quiraing and the Fairy Glen
Old Man of Storr · Lealt Falls · Quiraing · Fairy Glen
A day on the Trotternish peninsula. We start at the Old Man of Storr, a towering pinnacle left by a massive landslip and one of Scotland’s most famous landmarks. Lealt Falls drop into a deep gorge, and the Quiraing, another great landslip, has some of the most dramatic views on Skye.
Last is the Fairy Glen, a small, magical landscape of cone-shaped hills and spiral stone patterns.
Day 8Eilean Donan Castle and Loch Ness
Skye Bridge · Eilean Donan Castle · Fort Augustus · Loch Ness cruise
We leave Skye over the Skye Bridge for Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most photographed places in Scotland, with plenty of time to explore. (The castle is closed in January and occasionally for weddings.)
Then we head inland to Fort Augustus at the southern end of Loch Ness, for a cruise on the loch and the legend of the Loch Ness Monster.
Day 9Urquhart Castle, Inverness and Glencoe
Urquhart Castle · Inverness · Glencoe
Explore the ruins of Urquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness, a stronghold from medieval conflicts to the Jacobite Risings, then spend time in Inverness.
In the afternoon we travel south to Glencoe, one of our guides’ and guests’ favourite views in Scotland, and hear the story of the 17th-century Massacre of Glencoe.
Day 10Loch Lomond and home
Luss · Loch Lomond · Balmaha · Craigie Fort · Edinburgh
Your last morning is on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond: the village of Luss and its pier, then Balmaha in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, with the option to climb Craigie Fort for views over the loch and its islands. Keep an eye out for Highland cows on the way back to Edinburgh.
Ways to tailor this itinerary
Shorter or longer
Spend more time on Orkney or Skye, or split this route into two trips: see our 5-day Orkney and 3-day Isle of Skye itineraries.
Where you stay
From luxury castles and manor houses to cosy Highland B&Bs. If you’ve already booked your accommodation, we’ll plan around it.
Whisky
Add private or specialist distillery visits along the way, or look at our 7-day Islay & Skye whisky itinerary.
Pick-up anywhere
Start and finish in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, an airport or anywhere else in Scotland.
What a 10-day private tour costs
Usually included
- Your own expert guide for the whole trip
- A private vehicle, fuel, taxes and associated costs
- Accommodation (unless you’d rather book your own)
- Entry to the places you visit
- Planning, booking and organising by your own tour coordinator
- 24/7 support throughout your trip
Not included
- Food and drink
Typical total for the whole group for trips of 9 days or more, based on bespoke private tours booked with us over the last two years. Group size, your choice of accommodation, the season and the experiences you add can change the price a lot, so treat this as a guide and tell us your budget.
What our private guests say
Six women traveled through Scotland and Jim was the best! Beforehand we worked with Scotlands Wild on the itinerary, wanting to see more nature and active hikes than castles and distilleries (though we did do a couple of castles). We started in Glasgow, drove north seeing Loch Lomond, Oban, Isle of Skye, Glencoe, Inverness, Loch Ness, Ft William and many other interesting sites along the way. … Ended in Edinburgh and were sad to leave him.
We recently did a private 5-day highland tour using Scotland's Wild. From first contact they were helpful, cheerful, professional and excited we were booking with them. … First, to have a van to ourselves for 5 days was AWESOME! Our itinerary was built just for us and our interests, which was also great. But Matt DELIVERED.
It was an unforgettable trip that me and my friends will cherish forever. Special thanks to our tour guide Jim who filled the tour with smiles, enthusiasm, and great knowledge with sites and landmarks the we visited and saw along the way. I would definitely highly recommend it to anyone who wants a private and flexible tour to have their friends/ family.
10-day private tour FAQs
Can we change this 10-day itinerary?
Yes. This is a sample to give you ideas, not a fixed package. We’ll change the route, the pace, the number of days and where you stay to suit your group.
Where does the tour start and finish?
Wherever suits you. As it’s a private tour, we pick you up and drop you off anywhere in Scotland, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness or the airport.
How much does a 10-day private tour of Scotland cost?
Bespoke private tours of 9 days or more typically cost £14,000–£28,000 in total for the whole group, based on tours booked with us over the last two years. Group size, accommodation, the season and the experiences you choose can change this a lot, so tell us your budget and we’ll plan around it.
What’s included?
Your own guide and private vehicle (with fuel and taxes), planning and booking by your tour coordinator, and 24/7 support. Most bespoke tours also include your accommodation and entry to the places you visit. Food and drink are not included.
How do we get to Orkney?
By ferry from the north coast of mainland Scotland. The crossing on day 2 takes just over an hour, and your guide and vehicle travel with you.
Is this itinerary suitable for a family or a large group?
Yes. Most of our private groups are 2 to 8 people, and we also plan tours for solo travellers and groups of 16 or more. Tell us who’s travelling and we’ll plan the vehicle and accommodation around you.
Plan your 10-day private tour of Scotland
Tell us your dates, who’s travelling and what you’d love to see. Your tour coordinator will use it to start shaping a plan around your group.
