This tour is on a Fairytale Castle theme as well as history and scenic attractions. It packs in a lot for one day's tour and is very affordable and good value for money. Entrance to Dunrobin castle is INCLUDED.
Our tours are specially put together after taking feedback from YOU. We have surveyed your desires and requests and put them together in our tours. Our guides will impart their knowledge of their local Highlands and answer any of your questions.
As a general rule tours leave 30 minutes to 1.5 hours after the arrival of the ship and return at least 1 hour before ship departure time. Please check our website which has the exact tour departure and return times for every tour.
Posted By : Susiebee58
This tour appealed to me and my husband as we did not want to do a whiskey tour. Our main interest was Dunrobin Castle and Dornoch. I booked the tour and was expecting lots of people but there were only 6 of us in a minibus, which was nice. Our tour guide Laura was exceptional and gave us lots of information about the Highlands, history, culture and environment as we drove through the countryside and villages. Unfortunately, due to the weather we could not go to the Black Rock Gorge and gave us the opportunity to see if there was anything else, we wanted to see or do. In Dornoch we had some free time to explore on our own, which was a pretty village. We could have spent some more time there as we had started a self-guided walking tour but did not have enough time to finish it. We also discovered a museum which looked interesting. Unfortunately, being a Sunday, we could not go into the Cathedral as there was a service on. However, we did go back in the afternoon. The Cathedral was well worth a visit. The highlight of the tour was Dunrobin Castle, gardens and the falconry display. We also went to the Million Dollar viewpoint which had spectacular views over the Dornoch Firth. Thank you for a wonderful tour despite the weather.
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Posted On : 2024-06-20 11:41:07 
Posted By : Susanna_B
This tour appealed to me and my husband as we did not want to do a whiskey tour. Our main interest was Dunrobin Castle and Dornoch. I booked the tour and was expecting lots of people but there were only 6 of us in a minibus, which was nice. Our tour guide Laura was exceptional and gave us lots of information about the Highlands, history, culture and environment as we drove through the countryside and villages. Unfortunately, due to the weather we could not go to the Black Rock Gorge and gave us the opportunity to see if there was anything else, we wanted to see or do. In Dornoch we had some free time to explore on our own, which was a pretty village. We could have spent some more time there as we had started a self-guided walking tour but did not have enough time to finish it. We also discovered a museum which looked interesting. Unfortunately, being a Sunday, we could not go into the Cathedral as there was a service on. However, we did go back in the afternoon. The Cathedral was well worth a visit. The highlight of the tour was Dunrobin Castle, gardens and the falconry display. We also went to the Million Dollar viewpoint which had spectacular views over the Dornoch Firth. Thank you for a wonderful tour despite the weather.
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Posted On : 2024-06-20 11:39:45 
Posted By : Charles_S
Subtopic Castle and grounds were beautiful. Tour guide was entertaining and informative Dornach was also great.
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Posted On : 2024-06-14 15:39:19
Posted By : Chad_H
Emma our guide was wonderful! She is a wealth of information and very kind. All the stops were fun and we really enjoyed the castle and specially the falcon presentation.
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Posted On : 2024-06-14 04:55:12
Posted By : PAULA_A
What a great day!!! The perfect weather just added to it. The falconry display at Dunrobin Castle was cancelled, so a few extra stops were added to the itinerary, which was not only a nice thing to do, but they were great stops. We were met right outside where the ship docked, so it was very convenient. Our guide was Rhona and our driver was Ian. Both were extremely professional and very good at their jobs. (I had an extra excursion with Ian, but that story is for another day!) Million $ view truly was worth a million dollars. Hearing the history provided, and learning about the area during the drive to the castle was terrific. It was interesting, and just the right amount. Dornoch is a quaint little town. Rhona was able to call in an order ahead for a snack. My sister and I had the steak and minced pies, and they were so good, and so reasonably priced. I have some physical liabilities (less than one lung), and was really struggling with breathing. Ian and Rhona were great in allowing me some extra time, and arranging for assistance at Dunrobin Castle to allow me to visit the gardens there (the stairs were impossible for me). The extra care, attention to detail, and professionalism really made this a spectacular outing. I would absolutely recommend this excursion. So glad we chose this excursion and this company! Far better deal for our $ than booking an overpriced and less interesting day from the ship. Give them your business!
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Posted On : 2024-06-07 13:40:10
Posted By : Bonita_H
Absolutely wonderful tour with Thistle Tours. It was just us and another couple so we were able to customize the tour to our liking. Very knowledgeable
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Posted On : 2023-09-30 08:00:16
Posted By : Lisa_A
I would absolutely recommend this tour! We were on a cruise and booked this outside of the cruise. Our tour guide was Emma and she couldn’t have been more knowledgeable and fun! We had guided time and free time to explore on our own. This was much cheaper than the cruise offered and so much fun!
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Posted On : 2023-09-04 13:36:47
Posted By : maryann_s
Dunrobin Castle is a fairytale place from the outside, but you can see once inside, how it was a real home. It feels like when the doors are shut at night, people are still living there. The lawns are not the manicured Versailles type, but orderly and unique with hedge bridges you can walk under. Very peaceful. And, an added special event was a falcon/hawk show on the lawn by the lake. It was memorable. I wish my kids were as obedient as the falcon and hawk that flew above us and captured things. Great day!
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Posted On : 2023-08-14 01:48:52
Posted By : Debbie_S
Great locations to visit and our guide went out of her way to offer us extras. We had a small group of 5 and since we had time, our guide drove us through a lovely town not listed on the itinerary and down a nature path to see sealions. The guide was very knowledgeable and pleasant. We had a beautiful day.
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Posted On : 2023-08-11 16:41:28
Posted By : Deanna_H
Great tour with David! Wonderful castle visit and outstanding tour of Clynelish distillery! Very informative history and information provided by David!
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Posted On : 2023-07-28 13:36:28
