A carefully crafted combination of four hand-picked small hotels, ideal to experience the glories of a Scottish autumn.

Day One-Glendevon

Your first base, an 18th century drovers’ inn nestles in the heart of Glen Devon, one of the most beautiful glens in Perthshire – the self-proclaimed “Big Tree Country” – where autumn offers a blaze of colour - yet just over 90 minutes from Edinburgh.

Your Hotel

The historic atmosphere is balanced with welcoming, modern touches, and you’ll find an exceptional menu featuring the best Scottish produce, such as wild venison, hand-dived scallops and mouth-watering salmon. The cosy bar offers a wide selection of Scottish ales and single malt whiskies, including local Edradour, which proudly boasts that it is the smallest distillery in Scotland (visitors welcome nonetheless)!

What to see and do

Classic Scottish landscapes stretch as far as you can see: take a walk to discover hidden lochs, stumble across wildlife and perhaps experience a close encounter with some shaggy highland cattle. An excellent base for touring, the beaches and golf courses of Fife, the historic town of St Andrew’s and the castles and country estates of Perthshire are all within easy reach, If you feel like mingling with the higher echelons of society, you can always drop into nearby Gleneagles for afternoon tea.

Day Two - Dulnain Bridge

Today you tour further north through the heart of the highlands to a country house hotel at the edge of the Cairngorm National Park.

Your Hotel

Once a Victorian Sporting Lodge, your charming hotel is set amidst 10 beautiful acres of the best ‘Monarch of the Glen’ countryside. Surrounded by forests and mountains, you can even glimpse an ancient castle as you stroll through the gardens or take tea on the elevated garden terrace. Recently refurbished and updated the hotel is a wonderful blend of the traditional and modern, and has become an elegant yet informal ‘boutique-style’ country house where you immediately feel at home. Dining in the impressive Victorian conservatory is quite an experience. There is an extensive and imaginative wine list and the menu, created by the hotel’s award-winning chef, is modern Scottish with French and Dutch influence. All of the produce is sourced locally, and the chef likes to boast that his meat and poultry all come from within a 30 mile radius.

What to see and do

This is a great touring centre for the stunning Cairngorm National Park and the surrounding highland landscape of majestic mountains, rivers and lochs. The hotel offers a mine of information on local walks and excursions, several beginning in and around the village itself. The towns of Aviemore and Grantown on Spey are within easy reach, as are the glorious sandy beaches of the Moray coast and the myriad distilleries of Speyside.

Day Four - Lochalsh

You now travel west, passing Loch Ness and to the coast, to a great touring base in the Lochalsh area, close to Skye and the dramatic northwest coast.

Your Hotel

Converted from a former shooting lodge, the hotel stands at the foot of the Five Sisters of Kintail, just off the road and right on the loch shore. As the only hotel (and public bar!) for six miles, this welcoming Highland hotel is an ideal and comfortable base. You can relax with the locals in the public bar, or retreat to the more discrete atmosphere of the residents’ lounge, in front of a crackling open fire. A good selection of home-cooked food - with local sourcing a particular focus - is served both in the bar or, accompanied by fine loch views, in the conservatory restaurant. Don’t miss the black pudding at breakfast – it’s Scotland’s finest.

What to see and do

This is an excellent touring base. You might choose to take the short and dramatic coastal road to Glenelg – with its Brochs and General Wade's Barracks, then, continue on to Sandaig – with its associations with Gavin Maxwell (author of Ring of Brightwater). Eilean Donan Castle – Scotland's most photographed and arguably most romantic - is just 10 minutes’ drive from your hotel – so you can easily avoid the crowds by visiting early or late in the day. Or you could head north on a fantastic circular tour, taking in the highest road in Scotland - the Bealach na Ba (Pass of the Cattle) to Applecross. This single-track road with hairpin bends is not for the faint-hearted, but the views on a clear day across to the Isle of Skye are breath-taking. Reward yourself with a seafood lunch at the inn in Applecross, before heading back through the remote and inspiring landscape of Wester Ross.

Day Six - The Trossachs

To reach your last destination head south to Fort William and inland via the dramatic pass of Glencoe, before reaching the hills and glens of the Trossachs - the Scottish lakeland.

Your Hotel

Nestling in the heart of Rob Roy country amidst the beautiful lochs, forest and mountains of the Trossachs, this is primarily an award-winning restaurant, with the added benefit of overnight accommodation so that you can really make the most of your dining experience. The Baronial Dining Room, with its vaulted ceiling and magnificent fireplace, is the focal point of a restored seventeenth century farmhouse and a worthy setting for the superb Franco-Scottish cuisine, which has deservedly been awarded two AA rosettes and a Michelin ‘Bib Gourmand’. An impressive wine list provides the perfect complement to your meal, after which you will not have far to stagger to your pretty bedroom – one of five featuring attractive furnishings and antiques (and one with a romantic four poster).

What to see and do

The guesthouse is well located for great drives throughout the Trossachs, along Loch Tay and around Ben Lawers, Scotland’s tenth highest mountain. Besides boasting many scenic roads, this is great walking country, with several lovely trails starting from the hotel itself. The area is also famous for its connections with the outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor - his grave is in Balquhidder churchyard. A little further afield, you can explore Stirling with its dramatic castle (ghost tours!) and historic town centre; or take a boat trip on the beautiful Lake of Menteith (the only “lake” in Scotland!) and visit the island of Inchmahome Priory, once a hiding place for the young Mary Queen of Scots.

Day Seven - Return Home

Edinburgh is around 2 hours drive with your route taking you past the historic city of Stirling.

Prices & dates

This holiday operates from September to November 2009. 

The price is £445 per person for September, £415  per person for October and £395  for Nopvember based on 2 people sharing a room for 6 nights on a bed & breakfast basis. This holiday can work equally well in reverse order.

All our touring holidays include a map of Scotland with recommended routes from your specified starting point, suggestions on places to see and visit depending on your personal interests and our expertise to help you get the most from your holiday.

All itineraries and room types are presented subject to availability at specific hotels.

The McKinlay Kidd Guarantee

All our holiday prices include a service charge of £7 per person per night towards the costs we incur in researching, planning and designing your holiday. We guarantee to refund this service charge if you believe that arranging your holiday through McKinlay Kidd has not met your expectations for value.

All we ask is that you write to us within 7 days of your return and explain your reason for claiming the refund. This will ensure that we can improve the experience for all our future guests.