★★★★★
Clava Cairns, Culloden and Glen Affric in one day, and Culloden was the one that stayed with me. The exhibition is first rate, and walking the battlefield afterwards is something else again.
Debbie S. · Couple · May 2026
Glen Affric & Culloden Tour from Inverness Including Admissions
The battlefield countryCulloden ticket includedMax 16 travellers
Nine hours east and then west, with the Culloden Museum and Battlefield admission written into the fare rather than waiting at the gate. The operator puts that in the tour's own name, and it is the thing that separates this day from every other route that passes the same moor: you arrive with the ticket already bought.
Your nine hours, in four stops
An hour and a quarter at Culloden
The visitor centre, the exhibition and the moor — admission inside the fare.
Forty-five minutes in Glen Affric
A walk among old Caledonian pines, in one of the last fragments of that forest.
An hour at Beauly Priory
The roofless nave and window arches of a thirteenth-century priory, in a village square.
The Clava Cairns
Bronze Age burial cairns and standing stones in a ring of beeches, free to enter.
A sixteen-seat mini-coach
Small enough for the single-track road into the glen, which a full coach cannot use.
Loch Ness on the way home
Not the main event here, but the route runs along it.
Why the admission matters
Most Highland day tours drive you to a gate and leave you to pay at it. This one does not. The Culloden Museum and Battlefield admission is named in the inclusion list, which means the ticket is bought before you arrive and the price you see is the price of the day.
That is worth more than the money. At Culloden the exhibition is the part that makes the moor legible — without it you are walking on a field — and arriving with sixteen people who all need to buy tickets at the same counter is how a stop loses twenty minutes.
The second thing this day has that the bigger coaches do not is the road into Glen Affric. A sixteen-seat mini-coach can take it; a full-size coach cannot, which is why the glen appears on so few itineraries out of the city.
How the day runs
- Stop at Clava Cairns
- 1 hour 15 minutes at Culloden Battlefield
- Stop at Glen Affric National Nature Reserve
- 1 hour at Beauly Priory
- From Ardross Street. The bus stop next to Inverness Cathedral, IV3 5NS. Arrive fifteen minutes before departure.
- East to the Clava Cairns. Bronze Age cairns and standing stones, free and open, three hundred yards from the battlefield.
- Culloden. An hour and a quarter, with the admission already paid. The exhibition first, then the moor.
- West into Glen Affric. Forty-five minutes among Caledonian pines, on a single-track road a full coach could not take.
- Beauly. An hour at the priory and in the village square, which is where lunch happens.
- Back along Loch Ness. The route runs the loch on the way home, nine hours after it set off.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this one if
- You came for the history and want the battlefield ticket already paid.
- You would rather be one of sixteen than one of fifty.
- You want somewhere on the itinerary that the big coaches cannot reach.
- You want a full day that is not twelve hours long.
Book something else if
- Loch Ness is the reason you came. It is on the route home rather than the point — the Loch Ness day gives Urquhart Castle an hour and ten.
- You want mountains and coast, which is the Isle of Skye day.
- You are travelling with a child under five: this operator cannot carry them.
- You want a castle you can go inside — see what else is near the battlefield, including Cawdor.
What the fare covers
In the fare
- Admission fee - Culloden Museum and Battlefield
- Small-group tour (16 people max)
- Transport by top of the range Mercedes mini-coach
- Driver/guide
Not in the fare
- Admission fees unless specified
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
Where it leaves from
The bus stop next to Inverness Cathedral on Ardross Street, IV3 5NS, on the west bank of the river. Arrive fifteen minutes before departure. It is an ordinary roadside stop rather than a depot, so look for the mini-coach rather than for signage.
It is about ten minutes on foot from the railway station, across either of the river bridges. Other tours use the same stop at overlapping times, so check the operator's name on the vehicle before you board.
Know before you go
- The Culloden ticket is in the fare. You pay nothing at that gate.
- Glen Affric is a walk. Forty-five minutes on forest ground, so wear shoes you can walk in rather than sandals.
- Sixteen passengers maximum. Which is why it books out earlier than the coaches.
- Bring lunch money. Food and drink are excluded; Beauly is the stop.
- Children must be five or over. And under-18s travel accompanied.
- Luggage is capped. Twenty kilos and one carry-on-sized case per person.
What travellers said about this day
★★★★★
Ryan knew his material and made the day entertaining with it. Glen Affric was the surprise — I had not heard of it before booking.
Cynthia N. · Solo traveller · June 2026
★★★★★
Charles told us a string of stories about Scotland on the drive, and the scenery did the rest. An easy day to enjoy.
Monica S. · Couple · May 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is the Culloden admission really included?
Yes. The Culloden Museum and Battlefield admission is named in this tour's inclusion list, and the operator puts it in the tour's own title. You arrive with the ticket bought and pay nothing at that counter.
What is Glen Affric, and why does it need a small coach?
It is a glen of old Caledonian pinewood west of Loch Ness, reached by a single-track road. A sixteen-seat mini-coach can take that road; a full-size coach cannot, which is why the glen appears on very few itineraries out of the city.
Does this tour go to Loch Ness?
It runs along it on the way home, but the loch is not the point of the day. If Urquhart Castle and the water are what you want, the Loch Ness day gives the castle an hour and ten minutes.
How long do I get at Culloden?
An hour and a quarter. That is enough for the exhibition and a walk out onto the moor, which is the order most people find works — the field means much more once you have seen the exhibition.
Are the Clava Cairns free?
Yes. Historic Environment Scotland looks after them, they are free to visit and open all year round, and they sit three hundred yards east of the battlefield.
Is lunch included?
No. Food and drink are excluded on this fare, as they are on every tour listed here. The stop is Beauly, where there is an hour and a village square to find something in.
Other ways to spend the day
If the battlefield is not the draw, the other two featured days run down the Great Glen to Loch Ness, or west to the Isle of Skye by way of Eilean Donan Castle.
Walk Culloden with the ticket already paid
Nine hours, sixteen seats, the battlefield admission inside the fare and a glen the big coaches cannot reach. Check dates and availability.
Check availability