Beginning your adventure in Inverness, the cultural capital of the highlands, you will journey over incredible scenery to reach the western highlands and the working fishing village of Ullapool where you will dine in local pubs, enjoy a ‘wee dram’ and hike along magnificent trails and glens of the kind that can only be seen in this most unique of landscapes.
From Ullapool you take the ferry to the Outer Hebrides, Lewis, Harris and the mighty Isle of Skye, where you will experience the ancient arts of the Outer Hebrides, visiting local whiskey distilleries, meeting traditional craftspeople and weavers, and experiencing a Scotland that few visitors get to encounter.
Staying in traditional Inns and Lodges, to dining on authentic Scottish cuisine and listening to traditional live music, while local guides expertly narrate this epic journey with stories of days gone by, of wild rebellions against tyranny and tales of Gaelic legends.
Private departures available
September 26th – Oct 3rd 2024 – YAY GOD Private Journey
Duration: 8 days
Grade: Moderate
Airport: Edinburgh or Glasgow (Scotland)
Cost: from £4800 pp
All accommodation Inns, Luxury Hideaways, Lodges & local Hotels, breakfast, lunch & most dinners
Professional experienced licensed local guides
Authentic, flavourful local Scottish cuisine
Distillery visits and tastings
Private vehicle support during the trip
Harry Potter train
Optional extension to the Faroe Islands
Days 1 - 2
Day 2 we set off early, you hike Stac Pollaidh (meaning “peak of the peat moss”), a classic local highland mountain with far reaching views at just over 2000ft in height. After a picnic lunch (perfect for flexibility) the afternoon is free for you to explore Ullapool or take a short boat ride across to the community owned island of ‘Martin’, an island in Loch Broom and is now recognised as a dedicated bird sanctuary.
Days 3 - 5
Day 4 we hike one of Harris’ historic ‘coffin roads’, which dates back to medieval times. The rugged mountain path takes you to a pass that descends toward the beautiful white sands of Luskentyre. Following the hike you pay a visit to the Isle of Harris Distillery https://harrisdistillery.com/ also known as ‘The social distillery’.
‘In 2015, the distillery started life with just 10 people and an ambition to double in number over the next five years. Today, we’re proud to say we employ over 50 permanent staff, a highly significant number in an island of fewer than 2000 inhabitants.
Day 5 we start with a morning hike along the shores of the picturesque beach of Luskentyre, after which you visit a local Harris tweed weaver to learn about the production of this island fabric, hand woven in the Outer Hebrides for centuries. In the afternoon we to a local high point with far reaching views acroos to the Isle of Skye.
Days 6 - 8
Day 6 we hike the spectacular rocky pinnacles of the Quiraing. Parts of the distinctive landscape have earned particular names. The Needle is a jagged 120-foot-high (37 m) landmark pinnacle, a remnant of land-slipping. Northwest of it is The Table, a flat grassy area slipped down from the summit plateau, with vistas of the Torridon Hills and the mountains of Wester Ross. Southwest is the Prison. In the afternoon you take the ferry to the Isle of Raasay to explore this quiet highland Island gem.
Day 7 Starting in Luib our hiking route goes into the Red Cuillin hills which also links North and South Skye visually, giving an interesting perspective on this area and the Island. We then take a ferry back on to the mainland to Mallaig. The Jacobite Railway Line / Harry Potter Train. No trip to the Scottish Highlands would be complete without partaking of a ‘1st Class ‘ journey on the iconic and world renowned Jacobite Steam Train, regarded by many as the greatest train journey in the world. Saving the best until last, you stay in the magnificent Glengarry Castle – Since 1958 the Glengarry Castle Hotel has been a most comfortable country house hotel with a jewel of a setting by Loch Oich which lies between Loch Ness and Loch Lochy in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Small wonder then that so many guests return time after time to be welcomed by the MacCallum family. The trip comes to a close with a farewell dinner amid stories of adventures shared and new friends made.
Day 8 Departing after breakfast we head straight for Loch Ness, Scotlands’ deepest Loch and home to the famous Loch Ness Monster, before journeying back to Inverness to connect with your onward travels, including an extension trip to the Faroe islands.
Need To Know
Accommodation
2 x nights in 4* hotel https://www.harbourhouse.uk – Ullapool ‘2022 Travellers Choice award’
2 x nights in a Boutique hotel – Hotel Hebrides https://www.hotel-hebrides.com – Tarbert, Isle of Harris
2 x night 4* Hideaway – Bracken Hide – https://www.brackenhide.co.uk/stay – Portree, Isles of Skye
1 x night in Glengarry Castle – http://www.glengarry.net/index.html *Scottish Hotel Awards, * Trip Advisor, *Good Hotel Guide 2023 – Editors Choice, Historic Hotels
or depending on group size:
1 x night at the Lovat Hotel, Loch Ness https://thelovat.com/contact-us/thank-you/ *Travellers Choice 2023
What’s included
All breakfasts, lunches and dinners ( except 1)
Traditional Scottish Cuisine *Specific dietary requirements catered for on request.
We provide private vehicle support throughout the trip.
2/3 Licensed Guides
Entrance to distilleries & visitor centres
All additional transport e.g ferry crossing
Guides
We adopt an excellent guiding ratio meaning we can cater for differing levels.
Booking and Price
Terms & Conditions
1. Insurance
All clients need to be adequately insured for all activities they are taking part in. Insurance must include repatriation and details should be provided at the beginning of each trip.
All European clients should obtain a European Health insurance card (EHIC), however, this is not a substitute for travel insurance.
2. Health and fitness
Trip members have the responsibility to select a trip appropriate to their abilities and interests. In order to assist with this, all trips are graded and we welcome the opportunity to discuss trip details/answer questions in advance of your reservation. Trip members must be in sufficiently good health to undertake the trip, and if unsure seek medical advice in advance. For your own safety, you need to inform us of any medical conditions in advance or at the start of the trip. Trip members are also required to bring adequate clothing/equipment as advised in the pre-departure information.
3. Dietary Requirements
We endeavor to work with clients and accommodate their dietary requirements. However such is the nature of adventure travel we may be limited to specific menus e.g remote Mountain Huts, Tea Houses in the Himalaya’s etc. We fully encourage you to contact us in advance to discuss your requirements then we have every opportunity to explore options thereafter.
4. Cancellations and Fee Schedule Per Person
91 days or more prior to departure – €250 cancellation fee
61 – 90 days before departure – 25% of the trip cost
46 – 60 days before departure – 50% of the trip cost
45 days or less: 100% of trip cost
Fees are calculated from the date we receive written cancellation notice which can be via email. If clients are unable to access email and cancel over the phone we will confirm in writing the cancellation.
If you cancel 91 days or more prior to departure, it may be possible to transfer to another trip without occurring any fees. Please discuss this with us in the first instance.
With specific departures, there may be an increase in cancellation fee if the accommodation provider T & Cs mean we are liable for payment.
4.1 Cancellation due to COVID travel restrictions.
If your chosen destination country or the country where you reside have restrictions in place due to COVID, meaning you are unable to travel, you have three options:
4.11 Postpone your trip until a later date.
4.12 Take a credit note and use against a future trip with LBH.
4.13 Request a full refund.
If any other reasons prevent you from travelling, including quarantine measures then our normal (4) T&Cs will apply. We recommend that you check with your travel insurance provider to fully understand your level of cover.
5. Complaints
If you have a complaint, please contact us as soon as possible, in the first instance your leader is often your obvious point of contact. This ensures we have every opportunity to explores solutions to the problem(s) arising and we will do all we reasonably can to resolve the complaint. You must tell us within 4 weeks after your holiday of any complaints that you feel have not been dealt with properly.
6. Alterations By Us
We will tell you as soon as reasonably possible if we must make any alteration to your holiday. Most alterations are minor, but very occasionally we might have to make a major alteration. A major alteration is a change of location or to a lower standard of accommodation for a substantial part of your holiday, a change in start/finish dates or necessary price rise in your holiday caused by rises in costs (e.g. exchange rates, internal transport etc). You may then choose as follows:
- To accept these alterations
- To withdraw from the holiday, in which case we will repay all monies paid to us including your deposit and this is the sum of our liability to you
- To accept an alternative holiday that we may propose to you, in which case if the proposed holiday is a lower price we will pay you the difference and if it is a higher price we may ask for the difference.
You must inform us of your choice as soon as possible after we contact you.
7. Group Leadership
On a guided holiday your leader is responsible for the safety and enjoyment of the whole group and has sole discretion, on behalf of Live Breathe Hike, to exclude temporarily a participant from the group. They may also choose to terminate the participants holiday without the possibility of a refund if the leader thinks the participant is likely to endanger the group safety or spoil its enjoyment.
8. Your Responsibility
Mountain holidays by their very nature are adventurous, with a certain level of risk is undertaken. Individuals need to conduct themselves in a safe and responsible manner at all times; responding to advice, guidance, and instruction that may be given by the group leader / experienced professional and take all reasonable actions to eliminate accidents or injury.
9. Our Responsibilities
We will take all reasonable care to ensure that the information we give to you is accurate, including on our website, in your schedule and information pack. We will do all that we can to provide the service as described in the information we give to you. We are not liable if any failure is:
- Attributable to anyone other than us
- Attributable to a third party unconnected to us, and unforeseeable or unavoidable
- Due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and could not have been avoided even if all due care had been taken
- Due to an event which even with all due care we could not foresee or forestall
10. Cancellation By Us
Live Breathe Hike reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, including insufficient signup or logistics problems that may impede trip operations. The refund of all land payments received shall relate Live Breathe Hike from any further liability.
Live Breathe Hike must normally make substantial payments to its suppliers far in advance of the scheduled trip departure date. If a trip is canceled due to force majeure; (acts of God, war, strikes, earthquake, flooding etc), Live Breathe Hike will promptly refund the portion of the trip cost not already advanced to suppliers and use its best efforts to recover and refund the balance as promptly as possible. However, Live Breathe Hike does not guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made.
11. Additional Costs
Live Breathe Hike shall not be liable for (a) expenses such as additional nights and meals not specified in the individual trip itineraries, but which may required to get to from a trip start or end; expenses due to the delay of a trip for any reason (e.g. bad weather, trails conditions, land slides, flooding, sickness etc); (c) expenses occurred in recovering lost luggage by airlines, belongings left behind on a trip or in shipping purchases or other goods home from abroad; (d) visa and other incidental costs.
Live Breathe Hike reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any trips, and may use any such records for promotional and/or commercial purposes without payment.