Armadale Castle, Eilean Donan Castle and Glen Shiel
After taking in The Armadale Island Estate, we then travel over the Skye Bridge to Kyle of Lochalsh, Plockton, The Balmacara Estate and the stunning Eilean Donan Castle - this is a wonderful tour. We travel onto the head of Loch Duich and the dramatic Glen Shiel with its towering mountains and cascading river.
Armadale Castle
Armadale is situated on the beautiful Sleat Peninsula at the southern end of the Island. It’s home to the “wee ferry” that makes the short crossing to Mallaig on the mainland. Although the castle is uninhabited, the 20,000 acre estate and grounds have both the Clan Donald Centre and Museum of The Isles to visit. The gardens are stunning and we regularly stop here. This was the home of the Clan MacDonald from the late 1600’s and the estate is one of the most visited attractions on the Island.
Balmacara
The Balmacara Estate is 2550 Hectares, lying at the heart of the Lochalsh Peninsula and is owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland. This is a superb example of excellent estate management and it is home to one of Scotland’s largest crofting communities with around 75% of the estate under crofting tenure. There are two visitor centres, one in Balmacara Square, the other in Plockton and there is also the Steadings Gallery that hosts exhibitions throughout the year. This estate provides an excellent insight into the cultural heritage of highland crofting situated within a beautiful landscape with stunning wildlife.
Plockton
Only 15 minutes from the Skye Bridge and Kyle of Lochalsh, Plockton fondly known as “the jewel of the highlands” is a beautiful village on the shores of Loch Carron. It really is picture postcard with its sheltered bays, panoramic views and coral beaches. There’s excellent local seafood to be eaten here and we can stop at the Plockton Inn, which is a firm favourite for its great food, wine and beer.
Eilean Donan Castle
This castle is the most photographed in Scotland and no surprises there as it really is stunning given its rich history and majestic position at the meetings of three sea lochs, Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long. History confirms that the first fortified structure here was in the 13th century and was the stronghold for both the Clan Mackenzie and Clan MacRae. It has had many alterations and configurations since and the most recent that was rebuilt in the early 1900’s is what we now enjoy today. We always stop here with a visit to the castle – we can also book private tours for our larger parties.
Glen Shiel
Bordered to its north and south by dramatic ridges and peaks that rise steeply from narrow glens and Loch Duich – this is a wonderful part of the West Highlands. The Five Sisters of Kintail to the north of the glen are a range of huge mountains that are one of the true classic ridge walks in Scotland. Opposite, is the South Glen Shiel Ridge, no less fine and yielding seven mountain tops of more than 3000 feet (these are known as Munro’s) and there are 284 of them in Scotland.
"The views were spectacular and those mountains in Glen Shiel and Torridon with the crystal tops were WOW!! Scotland is the best… thanks a bundle for looking after us so well"
Arianne & Lucy – Idaho Falls USA – September 2022