14 Days of Tartan Trails with Best of Scotland
Scotland unfurls like a tartan tapestry—wild, woven with history, and waiting to wrap you in it’s warmth. This 14-day journey, crafted in partnership with Best of Scotland, is your gilded key to its treasures. From Arran’s island charm to Skye’s jagged peaks, with stops in Glasgow’s streets and Orkney’s ancient stones, it’s a slow dance through a land that demands to be savored. This is a suggestion, a starting point for your bespoke adventure. Email me at Mark@MDTraveling.com, and together with Best of Scotland, we’ll tailor it to your desires, adding perks like daily breakfast or suite upgrades when available.
Days 1 & 2: Arran – The Isle of Serenity
Touch down at Glasgow Airport and glide north to Ardrossan, where a private ferry awaits to whisk you to Arran—an island escape beloved by Scots for generations. Your first stop is Brodick Castle, a baronial gem where manicured gardens bloom with history and private tours unveil art collections over a glass of bubbles. At the Arran Heritage Museum, delve into tales of lairds and crofters, then trace the coastal road—sea on one side, hills on the other—to Lochranza Distillery. Here, a VIP tasting of their golden whisky unfolds in a room framed by the northern firth. Settle into a five-star seaside retreat—perhaps Kinloch Hotel or a luxe cottage—where dinner features Arran’s freshest catch.
Days 3 & 4: Glasgow – Urban Elegance Unleashed
Return to the mainland and sweep into Glasgow, Scotland’s beating heart of style and sound. By day, the Style Mile beckons—Buchanan Street’s designer ateliers curated by a personal shopper. Night falls, and a private ceilidh ignites—fiddles wail, kilts swirl, and you’re swept into a dance hosted in a grand hall. A UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow’s venues pulse—catch a performance at the Royal Concert Hall or sip cocktails at a hidden jazz den. Art lovers linger at Kelvingrove’s masterpieces or the Burrell Collection’s quiet brilliance. Your base? A five-star suite at the Kimpton Blythswood Square.
Day 5: Trossachs to Edinburgh – Highland Prelude
Leave Glasgow’s glow and climb the Duke’s Pass through the Trossachs, part of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park—a realm of lochs and peaks that define Scotland’s wild soul. Your chauffeur pauses at a viewpoint, unveiling a picnic of smoked salmon and champagne as mist curls below. The road east unfurls effortlessly to Edinburgh, where you’ll check into one of my favorite historic hotels—The Balmoral—its clock tower winking over Princes Street. Sip tea with castle views, your suite a plush prelude to tomorrow’s exploration.
Day 6: Edinburgh – Capital of Dreams
Edinburgh’s Old Town, a UNESCO jewel, spills history from every cobble. Start with a private dawn tour of Edinburgh Castle—the Crown Jewels glinting in silence. Wander the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace, your guide whispering royal secrets, then pause for high tea at a chandelier-lit salon, scones warm from the oven. Literature calls—trace J.K. Rowling’s haunts or linger in the Writers’ Museum. Dine at a Michelin-starred spot like The Kitchin, where Scotland’s bounty shines, your suite a castle-view haven for the night.
Day 7: St Andrews – Golf’s Sacred Ground
Cross the Forth to Fife, pausing in the East Neuk’s fishing villages—Anstruther’s pastel cottages and Pittenweem’s harbor charm begging for a private seafood lunch. Arrive in St Andrews, the ‘Home of Golf,’ where a tee time on the Old Course awaits, or simply soak in the greens with a caddy’s tales. Beyond golf, the cathedral ruins loom, and the university’s quads hum with centuries of learning. Stay at the Old Course Hotel, your suite overlooking the 17th Road Hole. You can also opt for the Fairmont St Andrews, or at Rufflets where I stayed during my visit. Dinner is a celebration of local lamb and a dram by the fire.
Day 8: Moray Firth – Coastal Whispers
Journey north via Dundee’s Tay Bridge to the Moray Firth, where the sea meets Scotland’s rugged edge. A private boat from Macduff skims the waves, dolphins arcing beside you as champagne chills on deck—seabirds cry overhead. Ashore, a distillery like Glen Moray offers a tasting, malts aged by the coast’s salt air. Retreat to Ness Walk in Inverness, a five-star haven on the River Ness. Your suite—marble-clad, river-view—a great place to unwind after the day, while Torrish’s Highland venison and a fireside dram seal the night.
Days 9 & 10: Orkney – Echoes of Eternity
From Inverness, head to Scrabster for a ferry to Stromness, Orkney—a windswept archipelago where time bends. Skara Brae, a Neolithic village older than Stonehenge, opens via private tour. Maes Howe’s chambered cairn reveals Viking runes, etched millennia ago—your guide decodes their saga. In Kirkwall, St Magnus Cathedral glows red against the sky, and Highland Park Distillery pours a rare cask tasting. Stay in a boutique manor like The Sands Hotel, your suite a space of Orkney wool and sea views, dinner a feast of island crab.
Day 11: To Skye – Rails and Romance
Back to the mainland, trace the road—or opt for the Kyle Line train, a ribbon of steel threading from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, one of Scotland’s most scenic rails. Mountains loom, lochs shimmer, and your private carriage serves tea as the world rolls by. Arrive at Skye’s bridge, checking into a retreat near Kyle—perhaps Kinloch Lodge—where the Cuillin Hills tease tomorrow’s adventure, and a fireside dram warms your night.
Days 12 & 13: Isle of Skye – Peaks and Peat
Cross to Skye, where Sligachan’s bridge frames the Cuillin’s jagged teeth. A private Land Rover takes you to Talisker Distillery—taste their smoky spirit in a barrel-lined room, then weave to Glen Brittle, where the Black Cuillin’s shadows dance on fairy pools. If time allows, Elgol’s cliffs await—a private boat skims Loch Scavaig. Stay at a castle hotel like Skeabost House, your suite with a hot tub under the stars, dinner a slow-roasted Highland feast.
Day 14: Glasgow via Glencoe – A Grand Finale
Depart Skye, pausing at Eilean Donan Castle—its lochside perch a postcard moment, perfect for a private tour with a piper’s lament. Drive through Glencoe’s haunting glen—peaks tower, a chauffeur narrating its massacre lore—then cross Rannoch Moor’s vast, moody expanse. Loch Lomond gleams as you near Glasgow, your final night at a five-star like One Devonshire Gardens, where a Michelin-starred farewell dinner crowns your odyssey, the city’s lights your curtain call.
Your Bespoke Scottish Canvas
This is a taste, not the full feast. Every luxury traveler deserves a journey as unique as their dreams—whether it’s more whisky, golf, or castle nights, we’ll make it specific to you. Email me at Mark@MDTraveling.com, and together with Best of Scotland, our trusted booking partner, we’ll craft your perfect Scottish escape.