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The Highlands and a Private Island

  • Scotland
    •
  • OVERVIEW
  • ITINERARY
  • HIGHLIGHTS


itinerary Map

The Highlands and a Private Island

14 days

Scotland is famous for its dramatic landscapes, rugged castles and fascinating history, all of which will be brought to life on this once-in-a-lifetime artistic journey! This programme will ignite your creative juices and rejuvenate your soul as you enjoy some exciting creative adventures and activities; from Edinburgh, crossing the Cairngorms and Highlands on the way to your very own private island for the ultimate detox from the modern world and art lovers retreat. And relax!

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ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS



This is a very special programme for all generations, offering a handpicked selection of unique experiences and private visits en route to your very own private island where you will be able to relax, reconnect and recharge your batteries. This programme will invigorate and inspire; and could include the following experiences:

  • A helicopter ride providing stunning views of the rugged Highlands as you travel both in style and comfort.

 

  • A chauffeur driven car to Fort William then take the scenic route on one of the world’s great train journeys. The Jacobite Steam Train will take you over the 21 arches of Glenfinnan Viaduct and along a beautiful stretch of the Scottish coastline. Perhaps best known from the Harry Potter films, the area has a history that is close to the hearts of many Scots, with Loch Shiel being the place where Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), raised his standard at the start of the Jacobite Rising in 1745.

 

En route you could also include : 

  • Private visits of the Fine Arts Society, National Portrait Gallery or the Queens Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Holyroodhouse is the official residence in Scotland of HM, The Queen and The Royal Family and is also home to the changing exhibitions from the Royal Collection, featuring old master paintings, rare furniture, decorative arts and images from the vast photograph collection.

 

  • A private look into the history of tartan and its enduring appeal from clan origins to a bespoke kilt experience. It was Chanel who brought Tartan to the fore in the fashion world inspired by the colours of the Scottish countryside and legendary fashion designer Alexander McQueen used tartan to great effect to symbolise Highland life and it’s turbulent past.
  • Stop over at The Fife Arms in Braemar. The hotel itself is an art and design masterpiece. As well as interior soft furnishing’s in beautiful tweed, designed by Araminta Campbell (also designer of Dream Escape’s own tweed), it contains over 14,000 antiques and artworks – highlights of which include a watercolour of a stag’s head painted by HM Queen Victoria.

 

  • A private tour of Scotland’s oldest working single malt distillery, including an exclusive visit to the Warehouse which houses maturing casks of sleeping spirit, and a tasting of four premium whiskies.

 

  • A Highland Safari experience. Accompanied by a local guide and privately chartered Land Rover, get off the beaten track and discover Glencoe and Glen Etive’s history, geology, wildlife and more.  

 

  • Detox from the modern world on your own private island, Eilean Shona nestles in a tranquil loch on the dramatic west coast of Scotland. Days are filled with cooking and drinking around camp-fires, wild swimming, paddle surfing, hiking, picnicking, kayaking, nature watching. You can also take part in an Art or Cookery Class.

 

  • A day foraging for wild treats such as mushrooms, mussels and samphire on your private island, followed by a warming ‘foraged cocktail’ in front of a roaring log fire.

 

Your accommodation choice will be handpicked especially for you from the Dream Escape Accommodation Collection 

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HIGHLIGHTS

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HIGHLIGHTS

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THINGS TO DO

4X4 OFF ROAD DRIVING

Just “armed with camera and binoculars” sit back and soak up the sights.

A RANGER GUIDED WALK IN GLENCOE

Scotland’s most famous glen.  It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in the country and certainly one of the most dramatic; thundering waterfalls tumble down the sides of mountains into sparkling lochs. Scenery and geology aside, the glen has its place firmly in the history books due to its savage history. It was the site of the infamous massacre of Clan Macdonald of Glencoe by government troops in 1692. Reserved privately, a local guide will take you on a guided walk.

 

COASTAL FORAGING

Forage for wild treats such as mushrooms, mussels & samphire on your private island, followed by a warming ‘foraged cocktail’ in front of a roaring log fire on a deserted sandy beach.

 

THE JACOBITE STEAM TRAIN

Travel over the 21 arches of the Glenfinnian Viaduct, now best known from the Harry Potter films

SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

One of Edinburgh’s most remarkable buildings – a great red sandstone neo-Gothic palace and home to the national collections of portraits and photography collections.

PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE

The official residence in Scotland of HM, The Queen and The Royal Family. It is also home to the changing exhibitions from the Royal Collection, featuring old master paintings, rare furniture, decorative arts and images from the vast photograph collection.

PRIVATE WHISKY TASTING

A private tour of Scotland’s oldest working single malt distillery, including an exclusive visit to the Warehouse which houses maturing casks of sleeping spirit, and a tasting of four premium whiskies.

FIFE ARMS ART COLLECTION

Art is central to The Fife Arms experience; in keeping with its Victoriana-style, the moment that you step inside, the hotel presents an eclectic collection of artworks comprising pieces from the 19th century to the present day including this one from Pablo Picasso.

PADDLE BOARDING

Paddle boarding, kayaking or wild swimming in a tranquil loch on the dramatic west coast of Scotland.

PLACES VISITED

EDINBURGH

Scotland’s historic capital city. Edinburgh, sometimes referred to as the “Athens of the North”, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It has two distinct areas: the Old Town, dominated by a medieval fortress; and the neo- classical New Town, dating from the 18th The harmonious connection of these two contrasting historic areas, each with many important buildings, is what gives the city its unique character and saw it awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 1995.

The Royal Mile, which lies at the heart of the Old Town is arguably one of the most famous streets in the world. Today, it is peppered with stores selling cashmere goods and hand crafted silver jewellery. However, in centuries gone by it was a different story: delving into the Old Town is like leafing through the pages of a dusty historical novel, as each era unfolds with its own legends and characters.

GLENCOE

Scotland’s most famous glen which lies in the heart of an ancient volcano.It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in the country and certainly one of the most dramatic; thundering waterfalls tumble down the sides of mountains into sparkling lochs. Glencoe also has its place firmly in the history books due to its savage history. It was the site of the infamous massacre of Clan Macdonald of Glencoe by government troops in 1692. On a wintery dawn morning, in a terrible breach of trust, the soldiers fell on their hosts.

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK

Is the largest of its kind in the UK, covering approximately 4, 500 square  It is a spectacular mountainous area; which is home to the UK’s six highest mountains with 55 Munros (a term that is applied to a mountain over 3000 ft).  There are huge forests of ancient native trees, cascading waterfalls and more wildlife than you can shake a capercaillie (a huge woodland grouse native bird of Scotland).

EILEAN SHONA

An exclusive Scottish Island retreat that nestles in the entrance to Loch Moidart on the dramatic West Coast of Scotland and is a car free wilderness heaven. Days are filled with cooking and drinking around camp fires, wild swimming, reading, hiking, picnicking, kayaking, nature watching, and generally pottering about. Eilean Shona House, with its comfortable, quirky design, is ideal for family gatherings and special celebrations. The holiday cottages are perfect for romantic escapes or family adventures.

  • "Incredible service ! The BEST tour guides, tour options and always available to help smooth over any "snafus" that we ran across during our vacation. 5-star, A+ rating from us."

    Clients of Jessica Thompson, Fairway Travel, Virtuoso

  • "....their time in the U.K. was PERFECT – loved everything you guys did for them, and sang praises for everyone! Thank you!! "

    Connie Hanes, Herff Travel

  • "Everyone, from the Tour Guides to our excellent driver, were amazing. All aspects of the trip were beyond expectations. Even changing our day schedule for outside reasons (like the airline sending my bag to a city 120miles away) they were always happy to help and move the schedule around so we could keep enjoying our trip. Everyone made us feel at home and like family."

    Client of Leah Molinari, Molinari Travel, Gifted Travel Network

  • "Dream Escape was the trip of a lifetime. Excellent choice of hotels, tour guide was awesome, the planned tours were wonderful and very informative."

    Client of Trisha Rathke, VIP Travel Designs, Gifted Travel Network

  • "Dreamscape designed an itinerary that combined an exploration of Scottish history and culture and a visit to some of the filming locations for the hit TV show Outlander. The tour guides provided were personable and knowledgeable and responsive to our interests. Our driver who was with us for the entire trip was professional and pleasant and again, flexible and sensitive to our interests. The hotels were magnificent and the pacing of the trip, spending at least two nights in each hotel was perfect. The itinerary was everything we wanted!"

    Client of Susan Morley, Journeys around the World, Cadence

  • "Sally Strange was wonderful so knowledgable, friendly and fun. 100% would use her services again. We feel like we have a friend for life! We LOVED our tours, where we ate lunch, and spending the days with Sally......Thanks (once again!) for looking after our clients so well. We so appreciate you. "

    Lauren Ainsley, Black Tomato

  • "Rosie...thank you for giving us such a world-class experience in Scotland. Everyone had such a wonderful time and your presence was a large part of that. Your warmth and generosity in taking care of us on our little excursion is so beyond appreciated and I can’t wait to work with you again soon."

    Alex Martinetti

  • "Thank you so very much for the amazing trip to Scotland that you planned for us!! It was truly a once in a lifetime fabulous family trip!! Not only were the accommodations perfect, the activities were above expectations, given the people involved with so much knowledge and compassion for what they do....Many, many heartfelt thanks for making this trip so very special for our family. "

    Clients of Kristen Meckem, Kristen Meckem Travel, An Affiliate of Brownell

  • "I work regularly with Michael Davies, who I can not praise enough! Michael is a gem to work with and always delivers extraordinary client itineraries. "

    Jennifer McCrea, Boutique Travel Advisors

  • "We cannot thank you enough for all you did for us during our stay in Scotland! We loved every minute of it....and we loved you teaching us the history of each town and visit. "

    The Pogue Family - Clients of Amy Spence, Strong Travel

  • "We are so grateful for professionalism, expertise, and purely fun personality to entertain and educate our clients in all things royal! I do believe it was a smashing success. 😊"

    Pat Bowden, Red Letter Travel, an independent affiliate of Brownell

  • "Michael does such an outstanding job with making sure every itinerary he works on with me is well thought out. He is attentive to detail and always allows for the clients interest to be reflected in their tours. He makes sure that the perfect tour operator and chauffeur is paired with each client. I wanted you to know what a pleasure it is working with Michael and knowing my clients will always be well cared for when traveling with Dream Escape! "

    Jennifer McCrea, Boutique Travel Advisors

  • "Without a doubt, what made all of it so special and unforgettable was having the true pleasure of having Sally Strange as our guide. She was truly incredible..so full of life, energy, amazing historical knowledge anywhere we visited was extraordinary. Her sense of humor and fun personality made her extra special. Sally was a winner in every way."

    Clients of Betsy Talbot, Travel by Talbot (Brownell)

  • "Your team excelled on all levels! The execution of the itinerary was flawless!!! Well done. The clients LOVED Sally and this was just the second note from them about how exceptional she was. "

    Cathy Major, Cerulean World Travel

  • "I just wanted to send an e-mail to compliment the excellent service I have received with Susie Little. She has been absolutely wonderful to work with. She is quick to respond, easily answers all of our questions, and has had to be patient with my clients as we have made many changes and updates to the itinerary. I really appreciate all of her hard work and the beautiful itinerary she put together for my clients. They said they were in AWE and everything looked fabulous! Thank you for providing such excellent service and I look forward to working with you in the near future! Thank you so much!"

    Krista Boyles, Unique Romance Travel

  • "I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your incredible work on this project, we really could not have gotten it across the finish line without you and your team 😊"

    Marieta Carrrero, Boost Journeys

  • "I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone at Dream Escape who helped in making the Gialamas' visit to London special. I know Dream Escape has many people behind the scenes that work on making an itinerary such as this flow seamlessly and I just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work! "

    Jennifer McCrea, Boutique Travel Advisors

  • "Activities & Tours - All the events and guides were outstanding.- Guides - Simply the best. All of them. All outstanding! "

    Black Tomato Clients

  • "Thank you for everything you did to make the entire trip, special presentations and events so special. It has added a sparkle in my life!"

    Gretchen Ashworth Stewart, Client

  • "Dream Escape, to no one’s surprise, is the best in the business. I cannot begin to thank you for crafting a perfect vacation for these clients. They had nothing but fabulous things to say about each and every event."

    Nancy Ebel, Virtuoso Travel Advisor

  • "Couldn’t have asked for a better 1st trip to London!......The sites we saw were the best & Sally, you went above & beyond to make it memorable"

    Shannon Marie Long - Reed and Mackay

  • "Delightful to spend time and see the incredible city of London with you all. Dream Escape for a flawless job in seeing the best bespoke sites, Sally you are amazing. Thank you again as this was amazing"

    Josh Whitaker - Owner, Rudi Steele Travel

  • "Probably the best of the best in the UK and Ireland for organising amazing trips. They know their stuff, have fantastic relationships with suppliers and always go the extra mile."

    Rob Arrow, Al Tayyar Group

  • "Lovely suite. Fabulous private tours. Everything has exceeded our expectations. "

    William A Heim, Client

  • "I had the most wonderful time with you and learned so much...What you offer is rare and much needed in the truly exclusive travel world. "

    Jean Newman-Glock, Signature Travel Network

  • "You were the heart and soul of the trip….I truly admired your sunny personality, sense of humor, organization and professionalism.  You also demonstrated  that a guide’s work is never done as you were constantly researching….. Did you ever rest??? "

    Sharon Delano, Frosch

  • "We want to thank you and the team from Dream Escape.  All six of us in our group had a wonderful time, and we all agreed we owed that in large measure to the work of Dream Escape. From the onset of working with you, you demonstrated a tremendous knowledge about all the activities we wished to pursue —from playing golf to dining at excellent restaurants to seeing historical sites and the Tattoo and Fringe Festival.  And, then you executed "

    Thomas Cohen, Client

  • "THANK YOU a zillion times over for choosing/assigning Rosie to be with this family.  She MADE the trip for them – there’s no other way to put it! "

    Jill Jergel, Frontiers International Travel

  • "Our holiday in Scotland now tops their lists of best trips…… To their growing list of amazing and memorable first-time experiences, our sons may add fishing for trout and salmon on the River Tay; steering a motor boat on Loch Ness; and taking private guided tours on Culloden Moor Of the eight full days we were in Scotland, Alex and Mattie thought each and every day was the best"

    Michael Guadarrama & Trammi Nguyen, clients of Peter Carideo. CRC Travel

  • "All six of us were deeply moved by the whole experience. Bravo Dream Escape "

    Max Levy, Direct client

  • "Thank you Karen and all of the staff and guides affiliated with Dream Escape…..the Flemings are having an awesome tour of Scotland. You all have made me look like a star! "

    Joni Gerace, The Travel Society, LLC

  • "Thanks for all your help and we can chalk this one up as a big success!   Our anniversary celebration was all we could have hoped for "

    Clients of Courtney Regan, Affiliate of Brownell Travel

  • "Rosie was MORE than outstanding – she went out of her way to help us in every regard...She was so knowledgeable – we all loved her"

    Jill A. Jergel, Frontiers International Travel

  • "I cannot thank you, Nicola and all the Dream Escape “clan” for the wonderful care & attention you have provided, and are providing for my clients"

    Cindy Evans, Travel Consultant

  • "I hope I have another opportunity to work with Dream Escape in the near future. The company is so professional, yet approachable and easy to work with. It has been a pleasure!"

    Carole McFarland, Universal Travel

  • "Dream Escape is delivering in a superb manner. Jim Johnston is a great driver and one of the best guides we've had - I wish to very much thank the Dream Escape Team for fulfilling a Dream…"

    Donald M. Davis, President, Luxury Travel, Inc.

  • "Thank you all so much it's great to have trusted friends on the ground to take care of our clients!"

    Peter Carideo, CRC Travel

  • "The trip was great.... Dream Escape is the name of the game"

    Ann Lipschitz, Worldview Travel

  • "Your level of service is just outstanding"

    Debra Fini, VWTI

  • "Dream Escape don’t just organise trips – they create adventures"

    Financial Times, How to Spend it

  • "It was, without doubt, one of the most spectacular weekends I have ever had"

    Country Life

  • "David Tobin’s an ace at getting inside private castles and estates and he’s well connected.... "

    Conde Nast Traveller Magazine

  • "The level of service they provide is outstanding. They truly care about every aspect of the trip to ensure you have a fantastic stay. Rosie is a hidden gem of a tour guide. Just fabulous."

    Yvonne Malka, Signature Travel Network, April 2018

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