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Day 1
Depart 10:00 - Loch Lomond & Oban
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.
Overnight - Bowmore -
Day 2
Islay
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 100% Islay.
After trying local larder, you travel through the beautiful countryside to the third distillery of the day. 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.
Overnight - Bowmore -
Day 3
Whisky, Whisky & Whisky!
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. You then visit Laphroaig**. This 200-year-old whisky distillery 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.
Overnight - Bowmore
*Please note that lunch will be either at an outdoor food truck at Ardbeg (weather dependent) or in Port Ellen.**Monday departures will visit Lagavulin Distillery instead of Laphroaig Distillery. All other departures will still include a visit to Laphroaig Distillery. -
Day 4
Return 19:00 - Inverary
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 at approximately 19:00.
*Itinerary and distillery visits are subject to change.
Name: Islay & the Whisky Coast
Brand: Royal Irish Tours
Quality: First Class
Tour Type: Escorted
Start City: Edinburgh
End City: Edinburgh
Price Details: Prices are per person in Canadian Dollars.
Exclusions: Lunch, dinner and refreshments. Entrance fees to visitor attractions not listed in inclusions.
No children under the age of 18 are allowed on this tour.
*For all departures, we have pre-booked a number of rooms in the beautiful Bowmore Distillery Cottages. These are self-catering cottages in the grounds of the distillery itself and offer a unique accommodation experience. The cottages have between 3 and 6 bedrooms and these are all en-suite but are NOT serviced during your stay. The kitchen and lounge facilities are shared and self-service continental breakfast ingredients will be provided. PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THE SHARED NATURE OF THIS TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION INDIVIDUAL BEDROOMS DO NOT HAVE LOCKABLE DOORS. When these rooms are full we will use nearby B&Bs. Please note that all B&B and hotel accommodation are subject to availability and only available to book “on request”.
Luggage is restricted to one suitcase with a maximum weight of 20kg (44lbs.) and one small hand/day bag to go on the coach with you. Unfortunately, Rabbie’s are unable to store excess luggage.
- Oban
Kilmartin Glen
Bowmore
The Islay Single Malt Whiskies
Sandy beaches of Islay
Inveraray
Loch Lomond National Park
