Scotland is a natural adventure playground; with its rushing rivers, serene lochs, famous hiking trails and thousands of acres of forests to explore.
Four in ten domestic trips to Scotland involve some kind of active pursuit and 45% of people take part in outdoor activity (Visit Scotland, July 2019). These statistics therefore got us thinking and the result is a Highlands adventure tour that we think is unique among small coach tour operators in Scotland.
If you want to enjoy the splendour of the Scottish Highlands from your luxury mini coach but also want to stretch your legs and test your nerve then our two day Highland Adventure Private Tour is for you.
At Go Ape in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park you’re on a high ropes escapade, swinging through trees, traversing rickety bridges and launching off ledges, while most importantly wearing a safety harness. The Treetop Challenge has easy and extreme sections to suit your level of daring adventure; finally ending with a zooming 400 metre zip wire that’s one of the longest in the UK. You’ll feel as free as a bird as you soar high over lush forest and tumbling rivers.
Day two of our Highland adventure tour sees you waking up by the side of Loch Ness, Scotland’s most mysterious body of water where we’ll then dispatch you on a thrilling RIB ride. Hold tight as your power boat rips up the calm waters, you never know what lurks in the dark depths; Nessie our Loch Ness Monster perhaps!
Lastly, our tour finale is the most highly-charged of thrills; a bungee jump off a 40 metre high platform over a thickly wooded river gorge in Killiecrankie, Perthshire. If you’re brave enough to accept this challenge, you’ll experience a few seconds of exhilaration at over 50 mph. Certainly, a great adventure to story to tell for many years to come.
If you prefer you can choose Highland Fling Bungee’s latest innovation of a slightly more serene bridge swing. From a 40 metre high platform above the river, you’re quick-released and free-fall around 15 metres. The rope then takes the slack and you arc under the bungee platform. After this tour you’ll have plenty of stories to tell back home!
Some of our Tour Leaders were brave enough to join in on the bungee jump & swing. Some footage was taken during their jumps which you can view below.
Adventure and experience providers across the country are all geared up to provide the experience you crave, whether it’s wet and wild, high and dry or up where the mountains scrape the sky.
The birthplace of adrenaline and adventure sports in Scotland could arguably be the Big Tree Country of Perthshire . If wet and wild is your thing, it has some of the best water sports in the country. You’re treated to views that not every tourist sees as you float down a picturesque river ; then your heart’s in your mouth when you hit those rapids!
If you want to get even wetter and physically connect with the natural environment canyoning could be for you. It’s a test of mental and physical agility as you jump off cliffs, abseil down waterfalls and slide down rocks.
When two wheels are your preferred mode of transport there are unrivalled mountain bike trails in the Scottish Borders. Glentress boasts biking for all ages and levels with graded trails, a free-ride area, white-knuckle downhill and cross country trails.
If you want your feet to stay firmly on the ground, there are numerous well-loved hiking trails to explore. The West Highland Way is Scotland’s best loved hiking trail; a 96 mile route from just north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Highlands. There’s exhilarating sense of achievement felt by thousands of locals and visitors each year when they tackle this walk. Another of Scotland’s great trails is the St Cuthbert’s Way; a 62 mile route that links the Scottish Borders with England’s most northerly county, Northumberland. Like the many of Scotland’s trails, at times you’ll feel like you’re miles away from civilisation and sometimes you are! If you’re wise you’ll be well kitted out and plan your trip carefully.
The same applies if you’re a Munro bagger with a passion for hiking. Munros are Scottish mountains over 3000 feet high and ‘bagging’ them is the sport of ticking them off as you climb each one. There are 282 Munros offering wilderness, isolation and rare wildlife and you’d be wise to brush up on your mountain craft skills before you set off.
For runners, Scotland has a vast range of fun and competitive runs to explore; obstacle courses and extreme physical challenges in beautiful and sometimes totally inhospitable places. Many towns have a 5km Parkrun and there are stunning 10k, half marathon and marathon routes; glorious sandy beaches in the Hebrides and in the Scotch whisky country of Speyside for instance are just some of the event locations.
If you like to descend a mountain at speed in winter, we have five skiing and snow boarding resorts for all abilities. If the conditions are good just jump in the car and go; there’s no need to book the slopes ages in advance, a winter adventure awaits.
2020 is the Year of Coasts and Waters, a celebration of Scotland’s varied lochs, waterways, islands and coastline. We have thousands of bodies of water and over 6,000 miles of mainland coastline to explore so there’s bound to be an ideal spot for you to make a splash. Try kitesurfing and windsurfing off a deserted Hebridean beach, wakeboarding, waterskiing and stand up paddle boarding on a tranquil loch, or sailing a cruiser or yacht across an expansive sea loch. Scotland even boasts tremendous waves in the world class surfing destination of Thurso.
In short, if it’s exploration, exhilaration and adventure you crave, Scotland has the best there is. Moreover, a good source of more information for all the activities mentioned here is Visit Scotland.
* To book our Highland Adventure Private tour (for ages 14 and over) phone 0141 887 6777.
* Age limitations can apply to the activities described here.
