Description

On this private tour we head to the medieval Doune Castle. Built in 1361 by the Duke of Albany, brother of the king and part of the Stewart density. It is one of the oldest castles in Scotland that is still standing. It eventually became a hunting lodge for the Royal Family and may have been visited by Mary Queen of Scots. During the Jacobite uprising it was used as a prison by the rebel Highlanders for the Red Coat Soldiers. Alternations were made during the Victorian times as it was falling into decay. Eventually going into state care in the 20th century.

Doune Castle has become a favourite castle to use for filming of movies and TV shows. It was chosen as the location for Monty Python's Holy Grail in 1974. A famous parody comedy of the legends of King Arthur and Camelot. The gift shop has coconut shells available to re-intact scenes from the movie. More recently it has been used in the TV series Outlander as Castle Leoch and also Winterfell in Game of Thrones.

After we will have a scenic day out in the Trossachs National Park. Often called Highland in Miniature, it has breath-taking landscapes of Hills, Glens and Lochs. It is also the ancestral home of the Clan MacGregor and Outlaw Hero Rob Roy. Walter Scott romanticised this area in his novels making it the first tourist route in Scotland during the Victorian times. As an option we can stop at the Loch Venachar Boat House for lunch and fine dining with a view.

In the afternoon we then hop on board the SS Walter Scott Steamship that has been sailing since 1900. In 2007 the engine was updated from coal to bio-fuel. The scenic 1 hour cruise sails on Loch Katrine. On the shores is Glengyle the birthplace of Rob Roy MacGregor. One of the islands was used in Walter Scott's poem Lady of the Lake.

We end the day with a drive over the Duke's Pass with views of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. Then driving past Lake of Menteith and Inchmahome; the island used to hide the infant Mary Queen of Scot's. On the way back to Edinburgh we pass by the mighty Stirling Castle and big steel horse heads of The Kelpies.

Private Tour to Doune Castle and SS Walter Scott Steamship