THISTLE BE YOUR HIGHLAND SHOPPING DREAM YOU’LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE

MORE THAN JUST A TOUR.
This is a very exciting Shopping Adventure, carefully handcrafted with love, for you to enjoy the best of the Highland Shopping Experience witha hint of Whisky & a Castle..

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 servicein 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 Highland Shopping 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 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.

ENJOY ALL OF THE TOUR SPECIALS LISTED BELOW:

• The rose-coloured 12th Century Brodie Castle Special Guided Tour, the only chance to see inside the castle, which is the ancestral home of the Brodie Clan for over 400 years.
• A great opportunity to enjoy a wee dram of the famous Singleton of Glen Ord Whisky, and explore.one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland.

TRAVEL SCOTLAND THE HIGHLAND STYLE WITH THISTLE TOURS

TOUR DATES AND OPERATION SEASON.
The Shopping, The Castle and The Dram is a small group tour, which runs all year around.

TOUR DURATION AND SPECIAL NOTE.
The Shopping, The Castle and The Dram is a Full Day Tour, and will last about 9hrs including lunch.

STARTING POINT AND TIME.
Highland Shopping Tour commences in Inverness from your accommodation around 09:00hrs.

FINISHING POINT AND TIME.
Highland Shopping Tour concludes in Inverness at your accommodation around 17:30hrs.

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
♦ Admission Fees to Brodie Castle and Johnstons of Elgin
♦ Complementary Bottled Water.

TOUR EXCLUSIONS.
♦ Lunch
Highland ShoppingTour does not include lunchin the tour price.
♦ Travel Insurance
Highland Shopping 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 Highland Shopping 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 Brodie Castle, please bring outdoor clothing and footwear (including umbrellas), 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).

THE SHOPPING, THE CASTLE AND THE DRAM

BRODIE CASTLE & ESTATE.
Start of the day, we travel along the East Coast towards Brodie for our first stop to acres of gentle Moray countryside that surround the rose-coloured Brodie Castle, ancestral home of the Brodie Clan for over 400 years, although their Family seat has been here since the 12th century.Step back in time on a guided tour to the castle’s glory days, when the Brodie Family were one of Scotland’s most prominent families, and see how changing times have altered the castle’s shape and purpose.

JOHNSTONS OF ELGIN: THE DISCOVERY EXPERIENCE.
Next we travel further along the East Coast towards Elgin, to discover the traditional process behind the Highland luxurious Cashmere and Merino Wool designs, from raw fibre to finished product, and to learn through the immersive guided experience the magic that happens behind the scenes in the weaving mill. This includes an optional shopping consultation with a member of Johnstons of Elgin retail team.

CAMPBELL’S OF BEAULY TWEED HOUSE.
After lunch,we drive toward Inverness crossing the Kessock Bridge to visit the well-known Highland Tweed House established in 1858, and has been operating in the same premises ever since, stocking both men and ladieswear.Campbell’s of Beauly is an iconic privately owned, family run country tailor and outfitters globally recognised for its commitment to quality. Situated in the picturesque village of Beauly, Campbell’s provides a selection of the finest lamb’s wool and cashmere knitwear, tweed jacketsand accessories all specially made for Campbell’s, alongside an expansive collection of stocked tweeds which are available to purchase by the metre. The Tweed House still maintains the same charming character which has been carried throughout the five generations.

THE SINGLETON OF GLEN ORD DISTILLERY.
We leaveCampbell’s Of Beauly Tweed House,and to finish your day in style, we take a short drive toone of Scotland’s most picturesque distilleries, the rural Highland’s hidden treasure, The Singleton Of Glen Ord, for a wee dram to relax at the end of the day.‘Glen-Ord’meaning Glen of the round topped hill. In 1838 it was the MacKenzies of Ord who founded what became Glen Ord Distillery, and it is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland.The Distillery sits on a stretch of land that had been in the possession of Clan Mackenzie for nearly 700 years, it is from this famous Scottish Clan that the distillery adopts its motto, “Luceo non uro”, meaning “I shine not burn” – and it continues to be inspired by this today with an emphasis on slow batched distillation. Explore an excellent museum exhibition of Glen Ord and browse the shop, or since in the Highlands, why not enjoy a wee dram of the famous Singleton of Glen Ord Whisky.

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 OUR PARTY TRAVELS IN THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, 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 need to 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.