THISTLE BE YOUR SKYE DREAM YOU’LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE

‘BRUADAR’ MEANING ‘DREAM’ IN GAELIC

MORE THAN JUST A TOUR.
This is a very exciting Isle of Skye Adventure, carefully handcrafted with love, for you to enjoy the best of The Misty Isle

PRIVATE HIGHLAND LOCAL EXPERT DRIVER-GUIDE.
At Thistle Tours we offer a unique touring experience in terms of being genuinely local to the area. Your Driver-Guide, very passionate local expert, will keep you all entertained and to drive you in safety, to make sure you have the magical experience you won’t forget.

TRAVEL WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS.
You will be part of our Highland Clan on a very personal tour with a maximum of Seven Clansmen, which means that you can travel at your own pace with family & friends as a small group, you are sure to get a one-on-one personal attention, the high-quality service and relaxed travel experience.

TRAVEL IN COMFORT.
Thistle Tours have set a high standard over the last 18 years providing perfectly tailored high-quality touring service in our comfortable Mercedes V Class Minibus and Landrover Discovery HSE Luxury, specifically chosen for touring the Highlands and Scotland in safety, comfort and style. All our vehicles are well cleaned, air conditioned, and spacious enough to ensure an efficient and personal service as well as an enjoyable and memorable touring experience.

REVIEWED IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
Your Bruadar of the Isle of Skye Journey with Thistle Tours will be rich in legacy and adventure, and it will be completely tailored for you by the people who know the Highlands and Isle of Skye best. We promise, you won’t find anyone more welcoming than our Highland people or anywhere richer than the places we open exclusively for you. That’s what our mantra, ‘Thistle Be a Dream You’ll Never Want to Leave‘ is all about. We make it easy to travel your way, and we highly value all 5 star reviews & comments we received from our guests. Please see Thistle Tours travel reviewed in your own words here.

ENJOY ALL OF THE TOUR SPECIALS LISTED BELOW:
· Your exclusive chance for a time-travel over the sea from Skye, when you cross over from the Misty Isle to the Mainland Highlands by the original way of the Skye crossing used for hundreds of years. Enjoy the MV Gleann a’ Chaolais, the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world. She is ideally suited for this unique crossing to and from the Isle of Skye, and is an important part of our Island heritage. Travelling on the Glenachulish is a unique experience!

· Your special Evening Meal in a traditional Highland Inn with a cosy character and superb local Scottish cuisine, all set in a spectacular setting with uninterrupted views, and remote, quiet & beautiful surroundings. Enjoy the majestic and wild scenery, taste the phenomenal local produce from land and sea, and think of log fires, great food and dreamy sunsets, this is your Bruadar (Dream) of the Isle of Skye!

 

 

TRAVEL SCOTLAND THE HIGHLAND STYLE WITH THISTLE TOURS

TOUR DATES AND OPERATION SEASON.
Bruadar of the Isle of Skye is a small group tour, which runs all year around..
TOUR DURATION AND SPECIAL NOTE.
Bruadar of the Isle of Skye is a Full Day Tour with an early start at 8.00am, and will last about 12hrs including lunch and evening meal.
STARTING POINT AND TIME.
Bruadar Tour commences in Inverness from your accomodation at 08:00hrs.
FINISHING POINT AND TIME.
Bruadar Tour concludes in Inverness at your accomodation around 20:00hrs.
TOUR INCLUSIONS.
♦ Transportation in a 8-Seat Mercedes V Class c/w the PA System, or a 4-Seat Landrover Discovery HSE Luxury

♦ Private Highland Local Expert Driver-Guide

♦ Skye Ferry Crossing Admission Fees

♦ Complementary Bottled Water

TOUR EXCLUSIONS.
♦ Admission fees luch and dinner.
Bruadar Tour does not include lunch & dinner in the tour price, and admissions to Eilean Donan Castle.

♦ Travel Insurance
Bruadar of the Isle of Skye Tour does not include Travel Insurance, however, this is an important part of your travel with us and must be in place to ensure that you are fully covered in the event that you need to cancel your tour due to unforeseen circumstances, for more information, please see our Terms and Conditions here.

TOURING CAPACITY AND TRANSPORTATION.
Enjoy your Bruadar Tour in our comfortable Mercedes V Class Minibus (7 passengers) and Landrover Discovery HSE Luxury (4 passengers), specifically chosen for touring the Highlands and Scotland in safety, comfort and style. All our vehicles are well cleaned, air conditioned, and spacious enough to ensure an efficient and personal service as well as an enjoyable and memorable touring experience..

TRAVELLER AGE RANGE.
We regret that we cannot accept young children under the age of 5 years old on our tours, excluding VIP tours where any age is acceptable.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
This Tour includes some outdoor itinerary, such as visiting Eilean Donan Castle, The Old Man of Storr and Mam Ratagan Pass, please bring outdoor clothing and footwear, suitable for this tour conditions and highly variable Highland weather. The tour doesn’t involve lengthy walks or require high levels of fitness, however, some tour locations may optionally involve walking up a short steep hill or stairs (e.g. in castles).

LOCH NIS (LOCH NESS). We start our Bruadar of Skye journey by travelling along the Caledonian Canal South West of Inverness, on the banks of the world-famous Loch Ness with its breath-taking views and dramatic scenery. This beautiful loch is shrouded in mystery, and is best known for sightings of the Loch Ness Beast, locally known as “Nessie”. So, keep your eyes on the loch as you travel along, you never know you may be lucky and spot Nessie… Is it a myth? Never say never!

EILEAN DONAN CASTLE AND EILEAN DONNAIN (ISLAND OF DONNÁN). We travel further West for our next stop to experience the stunning scenery of Loch Duich, and the special atmosphere of this beautiful 13th Century picturesque Highland Castle, a Scottish icon recognised all over the world. The Castle of ‘Elandonnan’ was used as a filming location for ‘Highlander’, ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’, ‘Loch Ness’ and many other iconic films. Step back in  time on a small tidal island of Donnán, and enjoy the breath-taking views surrounding the iconic Eilean Donan Castle.

AN CUILTHEANN (CUILLIN HILLS) AND SLIGEACHAN (SLIGACHAN). Next, prepare to feel the majestic spirit of The Cuillin as we are about to begin our special journey through time and history on the stunning Isle of Skye. These spectacular, rugged and dramatic Cuillin Hills are a world-famous mountain range with the summits of steep cliffs and bare rock, jagged in outline. We travel further North on the Misty Isle, to experience something special, don’t need to stray far away to see why time travellers have stopped here, this is where to come to see the spectacular 360-degree view that so often graces the Skye postcards. Sligeachan (Sligachan) or a ‘shelly place’ lies at the head of Glen Sligachan and divides the rounded Red Cuillin from the jagged Black Cuillin.

TALISKER DISTILLERY. After lunch, prepare to discover the history, mystery and magic of the iconic Talisker Distillery, nestled by the sea on the shores of Loch Harport, with the stunning Cuillin Hills as a backdrop. It’s a place steeped in legend and rich with folk tales passed down through the ages. Enjoy a wee dram, and taste Talisker’s award winning single malts in the relaxing atmosphere of the Campfire Bar.

PORT RÌGH (TOWN OF PORTREE) AND BODACH AN STÒIR (OLD MAN OF STORR). We drive along on the East Coast of the Misty Isle, to explore Skye’s ‘living postcard’, a lost-in-time town of the King’s Port or Port Rìgh (Portree), set around its natural beautiful harbour and fringed by high ground and cliffs. Enjoy your walk around the picturesque capital of the Isle of Skye, and browse through the best Skye’s Craft Gift Shops. Next, we travel further North to explore the spectacular scenery of the extraordinary Trotternish Ridge, dominated by weird, surreal and wonderful at the same time rock formations. Famous for its magnificent scenery and views, a true icon of Skye, Bodach an Stòir, ‘The Old Man’ is a large pinnacle of rock that stands high and can be seen for miles around. One of the most photographed landscapes in the world, The Old Man of Storr was used as a filming location for Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus’.

MV GLEANN A’ CHAOLAIS AND MAM RATAGAN PASS. To finish your day in style, prepare for a time-travel over the sea from Skye, and enjoy the MV Gleann a’ Chaolais, a unique part of our Island heritage and one of our tour specials! Cross over the sea from the Misty Isle, and discover the original way of the Skye crossing used for hundreds of years. Enjoy the MV Gleann a’ Chaolais, the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world, after all, travelling on the Glenachulish is a unique experience! Your special Evening Meal follows next, and your final stop after, when you explore the remote, quiet and spectacular Bealach na Ràtagan (Mam Ratagan Pass), with its breath-taking scenery of the beautiful Loch, surrounded by the sublime Kintail Ridge.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I MISS MY TOUR?
If you miss your tour, our cancellation policy applies. 100% charges are applicable in the event of a ‘no show’, and you will not be entitled to a refund or alternative.

WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?
CANCELLATION POLICY:
Thistle Tours operates on the basis of a 14-day Cancellation Policy for any tours / shore excursions in the Highlands.

Cancelled bookings out with the 14-days of the planned tour will be fully refunded minus 10% admin fees, should the Guest cancel less than 14-days prior to the booking start date of the tour, a cancellation fee equal to the full tour booking rate will be charged.

In the event of a ‘no show’ the Guest will be charged 100% of the tour price.

The Guest will be fully refunded, if the tour is unable to be completed due to unforeseen circumstances e.g. weather, road closures etc / if the cruise liner has been unable to dock at the arranged port of collection.

A sympathetic attitude will be taken as a general rule and in some cases, at the discretion of the proprietor, refunds may be made out with the circumstances detailed above.

Cancellations by us (not Government imposed restrictions relating to Covid etc). If we have to cancel your tour for any reason other than Government imposed restrictions relating to Covid etc, we offer a 100% refund, or an alternative date agreed by the Guest. More details can be found here.

CAN THE ITINERARY CHANGE?
Your tour will always follow the itinerary as closely as possible, however, we reserve the right to alter our itineraries at any time, due to unforeseen circumstances e.g. weather, road closures etc. We will endeavour to provide a service as close to the itinerary as possible in these circumstances. If your tour is unable to be completed for any reason, we will ensure that all passengers are returned to their point of departure and will repay money to the guests based upon the amount of the tour that was completed. These figures will be calculated based upon the time of day that the tour was aborted.

DO YOU HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY IN WHAT WE SEE AND HOW LONG WE STAY AT EACH SITE? IS IT POSSIBLE TO EITHER SKIP A SITE, OR PERHAPS ADD SOME TIME ONTO THE TOUR?
Yes, absolutely. All our tours have flexibility in what you see, and how long you stay at each site, we can certainly incorporate the places you would like to visit in the itinerary, and skip other sites. Please let us know, if there are some other particular places you would like to visit, and we would be happy to tailor this for you.

IS THIS A PRIVATE TOUR, IN WHICH OURPARTY TRAVELSIN THE ENTIRE VENICLE, EVEN IF WE DON’T HAVE SEVEN TRAVELING WITH US?
Yes, all our tours would come as small group private tours in our comfortable Mercedes V Class, or Landrover Discovery in which your party would travel with us at your own pace in the entire vehicle, even if you don’t have the maximum people in your party.The price is per vehicle and NOT per person.

IN YOUR SEVEN SEAT MINIBUS, ARE ANY OF THE SEATS FACING BACKWARDS, AND IF SO, HOW MANY?
All of our seven seats in the Minibus are facing forward for a better view.

DO YOU TAKE CHILDREN ON YOUR TOURS?
We regret that we cannot accept children under the age of 5 years old on our tours, excluding VIP tours, where any age is acceptable.

WHAT ABOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE?
We Do Not Provide Travel Insurance, andwe would strongly advise that you take out your own Travel Insurance before you travel with us.It is up to you to ensure that you are fully covered in the event that you needto cancel your tour, or leave the tour early, due to unforeseen circumstances.

WHAT’S THE WEATHER LIKE AND WHAT CLOTHING WILL BE SUITABLE FOR THE TOUR?
The Highland’s climate is actually quite moderate and very changeable, although on occasions it can get really hot or really cold. As the old Highland saying goes, ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes!’
All of our tours include some outdoor itinerary, please bring outdoor clothing and footwear (including umbrellas), suitable for the tour conditions and highly variable Highland weather.

WHAT IS YOUR TOURS FITNESS AND MOBILITY CONDITIONS?
All our tours donot involve lengthy walks or require high levels of fitness, however, some tour locations may optionally involve walking up a short steep hill or stairs (e.g. in castles).

WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE IS VERY NEGATIVE ON THE TOUR?
Our aim is to ensure that everyone on the tourhave a fantastic experience in the Highlands. We would love everyone to have fun,to learn about Scotland and the Highland history, to enjoy stunning scenery on the journey. For most people coming on our tours it is the holiday of a lifetime and a very special experience. If some of the guests begin to dominate conversation with negative or depressing topics, then we will have no alternative other than to privately ask them to stop. We never intend to upset guests, however, it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone can enjoy the experience they have paid for.