Many additional questions are answered on our Terms and Conditions page, which you can access here.
Are these tours suitable for non-English speakers? Unfortunately not. We share a great deal of history and information throughout the duration of the tour and having to stop to allow for translation between every few sentences would greatly disrupt the flow of delivery and the experience for the others on the tour. Our scheduled Outlander Tours are for English speakers only. If you would like to book a non-English speaker and translator onto any of our tours then you would need to book a private tour and contact us to discuss this. We are unable to provide translation services ourselves.
Can I bring children on tour with me?
- On our one-day tours, we accept teenagers between 12 and 15 years old when accompanied by a responsible adult.
- Our multi-day and 7 day packaged tours are for adults only aged 16 years or above
Do we work with Travel Agents or 3rd parties? We do not sell via OTAs or work directly with travel agents or third parties. We wish to build a great relationship and enjoy clear communication and a shared understanding with our tour clients. For this reason, if you are working with a travel agent who may be assisting you with flights or aspects of a wider tour agenda, we are happy to provide you with information to assist with this process. We do however, request that all communication goes through the lead tour guest who makes the booking and is attending the tour. This person is likely to communicate on behalf of others in their party.
Can I book a private or custom tour with you? Yes, we are available for a wide range of Highland Tours between the months of November and March.
- Due to the high demand for our regular scheduled Seven Day Outlander Tours, we are unable to offer this tour as a private or customised tour for the foreseeable future.
- We are available for other Outlander and non-Outlander-related private tours between November and March. These are normally based out of Inverness as a start/end point. Please refer to the other tour menu options on our Regular Tours menu, or contact us to discuss a bespoke tour such as one based on Clan Ancestry, Scottish Castles, The Jacobites, Photography etc.
What if I suffer with travel sickness? We travel many narrow, undulating and winding roads on this journey and we wouldn’t be able to stop on a regular basis to allow travel sickness to subside without disrupting the timings.
- Just in case, we do carry sick bags in the minibus. If you can tend to suffer with mild travel/motion sickness, we ask that you ensure you take responsibility for bringing sickness tablets with you, taking them daily and doing all you can to prevent it.
- In the event that you do feel sick, please ensure you have one of the sick bags to hand and let us know immediately so that we can stop the vehicle at the first available opportunity it is safe to do so.
- IMPORTANT: If you suffer with significant travel or motion sickness, then it is essential that you discuss this with us before booking, as this tour is most likely NOT suitable for you.
I have special requirements – is this tour suitable for me? Our tours are designed for reasonably fit and mobile adults, so if you have special requirements in terms of mobility, balance, hearing impairment, travel sickness or anything else that is not listed here which may affect the tour, then it is vital that you discuss this with us before booking so that we can assess whether this tour is suitable for you.
- Whilst you do not need to be very physically fit to enjoy this tour, you do need to have a basic level of fitness and fairly good mobility. Many of the Outlander locations are old buildings with steep, spiral staircases, cobblestones and very uneven surfaces to walk on. Most of them do not have anything in the way of mobility aids or assistance.
- If any of the following apply to you, then our guided, scheduled 7 Day Outlander Tour is probably not right for you; instead you should consider a private tour that can be adapted to better cater to your needs:
- have difficulty with balance (especially on steps or uneven surfaces).
- have difficulty lifting yourself onto a step and into your seat e.g. on our minibus.
- are awaiting, or recently had, hip or knee replacements.
- The basic fitness and mobility requirements for you to join and enjoy our tour are as follows:
- fit enough to walk a mile non-stop at an average pace.
- able to walk unaided on uneven surfaces and cobblestones.
- walk up a steep (1 in 3) hill for 100 yards.
- manage 20 steep steps.
- able to lift yourself up onto a step, duck down and easily. manoeuvre yourself into our minibus seats.
- The step up into the minibus is 14 inches high (35cm, see below).
- The gap between the step and the top of the door frame is 53″ (135cm); so, it requires you to duck down when you enter and exit e.g. lower your head 19″ (or 48cm) if you are 6ft tall or duck down 10″ (25cm) if you are 5ft 3″ tall.
What is the Touring vehicle like? You will be enjoying Scotland in a comfortable Mercedes Vito Tourer 8-seater Minibus featuring:
- Comfort suspension for a smooth ride (over Scotland’s sometimes bumpy roads).
- Wide passenger door with low (14″ off the ground) entry step.
- Extra-long wheelbase for more leg space and luggage storage in the trunk/boot.
- Leather feel ‘comfort’ seats with a generous 18.5 to 19 inch width (47-48cm) and 10 inches (25cm) of knee room in front of the seat.
- Tinted windows – so while you can see out clearly, no one can see you or any possessions left in the vehicle.
- Air-conditioning.
- PA system, so you will be able to hear us speaking with ease.
- A super sound system so we can enjoy some wonderful Scottish music, including Outlander tracks.
- Top-quality Michelin Cross-Climate All-Season Tyres which provide excellent safety and performance all year round in Scotland’s varied conditions and roads.
- Most people find our minibus very comfortable. If you are very tall or have mobility issues, then you may prefer a larger, walk-on 16, 32 or 60-seater bus, as provided by some other tour companies.
How much luggage can the minibus can carry per person? Our minibus has an extra-long wheel-base, allowing for a good amount of storage. That said, with up to 8 of us on the minibus, we can only accommodate one large and one small piece of baggage per person. Please limit your luggage to the following:
- One suitcase/rucksack up to 25kg within the following dimensions: 30 x 25 x 11 (inches) or 76 x 63 x 28 (cm).
- One piece of hand luggage, up to 10kg, within 24 x 16 x 13 (inches) or 60 x 40 x 33 (cm)
If you are bringing more luggage, please arrange to store it somewhere while you are on tour with us.
Which Airport should I fly to? Edinburgh Airport is the most convenient. From there, the journey into Edinburgh is simple, as is the one from Edinburgh to the initial hotel we use for the tour. You’d check in to the hotel the afternoon before the tour begins. You can also fly to Glasgow, but the journey to the hotel is quite a bit more complicated. So Edinburgh is definitely the best option.
What is NOT included in my UK hotel that I might have been expecting?
- A safe for valuables.
- A telephone in the room.
- A fridge.
- Face flannels.
- Blankets (a duvet is provided with an undersheet, but not an oversheet).
- Air-conditioning (a fan is available on request).
None of these are standard in UK hotels.
What’s the weather like? In common with the rest of Scotland, Inverness has an oceanic climate. Its sheltered location makes it one of the driest areas in Scotland. That said, Scotland occupies the cooler northern section of Great Britain, so temperatures are generally lower than in the rest of the British Isles. Scotland’s climate is actually quite moderate and very changeable, although on occasion we get really hot or really cold weather. As the old Scottish saying goes, ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes!’ To check on the current weather conditions, click on the BBC Weather for Inverness.
What clothes and shoes do I need to bring?
Shoes – ensure you bring comfortable, waterproof, sturdy walking shoes or light walking boots. Over these seven days you’ll be walking on floors built from the 12th century onwards, through graveyards with hidden dips and long wet grass, and many of our locations such as Castle Leoch and Wentworth Prison have very uneven and rocky floors. So comfortable, waterproof walking shoes that fully support your feet and ankles are essential. Please do not wear sandals, plimsolls or wellington boots on tour.
Clothes – we cannot stress highly enough the importance of wearing several layers to keep warm. Bring more layers than you think you’ll need. You’ll be outdoors several times each day. The weather in Scotland is variable – it can be glorious sunshine, or there can be strong winds and rain making it feel extremely cold. You will also be walking up and down several spiral staircases with others behind or in front of you, so trousers would suit the tour better than a skirt. We advise to dress for comfort, so you can enjoy the most from the tour. In the Spring/Autumn (Fall) and Winter, or if you easily suffer from the cold then a hat and gloves is strongly advisable.
Coat – you will need a very warm waterproof and windproof coat, even in the summer. Please note that some of the places that we visit on the tour are high up and exposed, such as Culloden Moor, Blackness Castle and many locations on the Isle of Skye. The winds there can be strong. You’ll be outside for up to an hour or more at some locations, so please don’t underestimate the warmth of the layers and coat you’ll need so you can enjoy the locations fully in comfort. Note: we provide several umbrellas as standard in the minibus in case of rain; however, these cannot be relied upon if it gets too windy.
Here is a link to our typical temperatures through the different seasons in Scotland – https://www.visitscotland.com/about/practical-information/weather/
Here is a link to our daylight hours through the various seasons – https://www.scotlandinfo.eu/daylight-hours-sunrise-and-sunset-times/
Where does the tour begin on the first day? We will meet you in our Silver Mercedes Vito Tourer Minibus on the first morning of the tour at 8.15am in the car park at the front entrance of the hotel where you’ll have stayed the night before. We will return you to your hotel at the end of each touring day.
What time does the tour begin and end each day after that? We will set off from your hotel each day at a pre-agreed time and finish by 5.30pm, apart from the Isle of Skye day, when we will set off at 7.50am and finish by 6.30pm. We will remind you each evening what time to meet the following day.
Will I be given a paper copy of the Tour Itinerary? On the first day, we will provide you with a folder detailing a printed copy of the itinerary for each of the seven days of the tour. This will include maps showing the route you’ll be traveling each day as well as all the locations you’ll be visiting.
Does each location have a set time for visiting? Every day of the tour is packed full of adventures from beginning to end. Every location has been carefully planned and timed to ensure the whole group gains the most from every place we visit during the location opening times. We will personally be guiding you around all of the locations, but there may be times when you decide to go it alone. All we ask is that you return to the minibus at the time specified on arrival so that we can set off on time, allowing the remainder of the day to keep to the planned itinerary. Please note that we will be sharing a great deal of information with you at each location, so if you do decide not to remain with the group, you will be missing that part of the tour which we won’t have time to repeat.
Is lunch included on tour? Lunch is not included on your tour. We will be stopping at a supermarket each morning for our group to purchase sandwiches, salads and snacks for lunch. We provide a large cool bag in the vehicle to store any lunches bought each morning.
Do you provide hot drinks on tour? We most certainly do. We supply a large selection of teas (English tea, Earl Grey and a wide variety of fruit teas), Hot Chocolate and regular and decaffeinated instant coffee. We supply a 5-litre urn of hot water as standard in the minibus along with sugar and milk and wooden disposable stirring sticks. If you have any special teabags that you particularly like, do feel free to bring them and we can add the hot water. We supply ceramic mugs for our hot drinks, but do feel free to bring your own cup to drink from if you prefer (please ensure it has a thermal leakproof drinking mug, with a splash-proof lid and closable sip-hole if you’d like to drink it while traveling).
We also supply plenty of shortbread, which our clients absolutely love!
Do you supply water on tour? Yes, we most certainly do. We used to supply each guest with 500ml water bottles throughout the day, but with Covid, this is no longer possible in case they get mixed up. So we ask our tour guests to bring an easily identifiable refillable water bottle on tour with them. We will still be supplying the water to refill them throughout the day.
Are Admission Fees included? Your admission fees to all locations are included in your tour apart from the following two: Castle Leod and the Whisky Tasting at the Distillery. Castle Leod is only open for a small number of our tours through the summer if our tour coincides with one of their open days, and the Whisky Tasting is very much a personal choice. So entry into Castle Leod is paid by the tour guest if they wish to explore inside (approx £10 or £8 Concession) and the Whisky Tasting is optional for those who enjoy a wee nip (approx £10). But other than these two, admission to all other locations is included.
Will Andy be taking photos on the tour? Yes, Andy will be taking professional quality photos of you and the group at each location on the tour, but only with your permission. These photos are included as part of our tour contract with clients when the tour is purchased. Every member of the group will be expecting to receive them, and some may not take many photos of their own as they will be relying on the ones we take. Therefore, if you prefer not to be included in any group photos, it is vital that you advise us in advance of any photos being taken. Group photos will be emailed to everyone on the tour in the weeks after the tour has ended. If for any reason you decide that you no longer give permission to be included in any of the group tour photos, then we won’t be in a position not to send them to the other members of the group without breaking our part of the contract with them, which we are not prepared to do. So please ensure you give your full consent to be included in any photos before any are taken by Andy.
Do I need travel insurance? We strongly recommend that you are covered. It is up to you to ensure that you are fully covered in the event that you need to cancel your tour, or leave the tour early, due to unforeseen circumstances. It is recommended that you purchase travel insurance ‘ASAB’ – As Soon As Your Tour Is Booked. Please read more on our Terms and Conditions page.
If I have am vegetarian, gluten free or have allergies, will Culloden House cater for this in their Afternoon Tea? Yes, absolutely. Afternoon tea is included on one of the tour days and is prepared fresh to order by the Chef every morning. Your Afternoon Tea will be ready and waiting for you on arrival and we will have informed Culloden House of any special dietary requirements well in advance.
Can you tell me more about the Past Life Regression? Our Scheduled Seven Day Outlander Tour includes a group Past Life Regression session (PLR) which lasts approximately one hour. Even though it’s included as part of the tour, it is still optional. So if you decide it’s not for you, that is absolutely fine. Past Life Regression is a gentle form of hypnotherapy which will take you into a deeply relaxed place where you can access your past life memories. You will remember the whole experience – it’s not like stage hypnosis. Instead, this is a gentle and relaxing process, which can be quite profound. The session will be held as a group and followed with group discussion. You’re not obliged to discuss any part of your experience with others in the group discussion afterwards unless you choose to. As this session is optional, you don’t have to decide whether you’d like to try it until the day it’s being held, so you have plenty of time to think about it and ask any questions beforehand. We will provide a peaceful environment for your regression to take place if you decide to take part. You can read more about Past Life Regression Hypnotherapy in the below link and you can also listen to a free 20 minute Guided Relaxation Meditation to get a feel for what it will be like: https://outlanderpastlives.com/past-life-regression/
Can I have a past life regression session with Di if I am not on a tour? Yes, you can. Many of Di’s past life regression sessions (PLR) take place over Zoom – very successfully. Please bear in mind that our minibus tours take priority. Now that we are back touring between April and October, Di will only be offering PLR between mid-November and March, subject to availability. Please note that Di is not available to discuss PLR via our chat facility. If you have questions about PLR or would like to go on a waiting list for available slots between mid-November and March, then please contact us using the contact us form or via e-mail.
Can I have a Traditional Celtic Handfasting Ceremony on your tour? Yes, you most certainly can. This is not a religious or legal ceremony, so we offer it free of charge but only to married couples who wish to renew their Wedding Vows whilst in the Highlands. We send you instructions on how to make your Handfasting Cord well in advance, so you can bring this with you on holiday. I also send you the Ceremony in advance so you can make any alternations you wish to. Diane conducts the ceremony, Andy takes photos. This takes places in front of the other tour members and you may ask one of them to film it on your phone if you wish.
Where does the tour finish? The tour finishes at Perth train station between 3pm and 4pm. From there you’ll be able to catch one of the regular trains direct into Edinburgh or Glasgow, or to Edinburgh Airport. If you require further accommodation after the tour ends, we strongly advise you to book your additional accommodation in Edinburgh or Glasgow and not in Perth. In the event of a road closure it may be necessary for us to end the tour at an alternative train station, and it would be far easier for you to make your way into Edinburgh or Glasgow from another station, than it would be to find your way to Perth. We will be there with you to help you purchase your train tickets and take you to the correct platform before we say goodbye.
What happens if someone is very negative on the tour? Our aim is to ensure that everyone on the tour (6 guests max) have a fantastic experience in Scotland. We want everyone to have fun, to laugh a lot, to learn loads about Scotland and Scottish history and to enjoy stunning scenery en-route. For most people coming on this tour it is the holiday of a lifetime and a very special experience. For this reason, we ask that conversation with other tour guests is kept on a positive, fun and light note so that everyone can enjoy the tour as they intended to when they booked. If one or more guests begin to dominate conversation with negative or depressing topics, then we will have no alternative other than to privately ask them to stop. We never intend to upset guests, however, it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone can enjoy the experience they have paid for. We will therefore rely on our tour guests to advise us privately if they are experiencing negativity when we’re not around, so that we can resolve the issue privately and without implicating any other tour guest.