After a night near Aberdeen you head up 'Royal Deeside' to Ballater, where just about every second shop is ‘by royal appointment’ with a fine coat of arms on display. An exhibition in Ballater old station features Queen Victoria and a replica of the Royal Train. Next stop is Crathie Kirk, where the Royal Family worship, and the highlight of the day is a visit to Balmoral, the Queen's holiday home. You can go into the ballroom, enjoy the exhibitions in the Carriage Hall and wander round the beautifully kept grounds.

Then it’s over the hills (where the heather will just be coming out), to visit The Glenlivet Distillery. Tonight you sleep by the River Ness.

Day Three.

The new Culloden Battlefield visitor attraction was opened on 16 April 2008 providing a unique new insight into the last battle to be fought on British soil. It makes maximum use of new technology both inside and out where you are supplied with an audio guide to the battlefield.

A tour of Inverness, a visit to the bronze age graves known as the ‘Clava Cairns’ and a tour of Cawdor Castle complete the day. Cawdor was made famous by Shakespeare but is a wonderful castle experience in its own right - still the beautifully furnished home of the Dowager Countess Cawdor and full of stories.

The late afternoon is free for shopping in Inverness and in the evening there will be a little entertainment

Day Four.
In its time Castle Urquhart by Loch Ness was the most significant castle in the Highlands. It has now been a ruin for more than 300 years but it is still evocative, interesting, and its old tower is the prime place for spotting unusual beasts in the loch.

We are now in the territory of Clan Grant of Invermoriston, shortly you will see the sign, ‘Road to the Isles’. At the end of today’s road is the Isle of Skye, but before then the Eilean Donan experience: this is probably the most photographed castle in Scotland but this ancient MacRae stronghold also has some fascinating stories to tell.

Day Five.
The day on Skye is primarily about the wonderful scenery: the road winds past numerous sea lochs and the impressive Cuillin Hills to Dunvegan Castle, seat of Clan Macleod since the 13th century. That afternoon you will visit Flora MacDonald's grave and see ‘Kilt Rock’ and the extraordinary landscape of the Quirang. A visit to the island’s capital, Portree completes the day. Now, would anyone like to try some Scottish Country Dancing?

Day Six.
The ferry from Skye has perhaps a tinge of sadness to it, but before leaving there is time to enjoy the ‘Museum of the Isles’, created by Clan Donald and certainly the best explanation in the world of the clan system, its origins and its decline.

Plenty time for lunch in Mallaig where the fish is always fresh, then a scenic drive to Glenfinnan, where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in 1745, also home to the famous rail viaduct featured in the Harry Potter films. Next stop is 'Neptune's Staircase' - an impressive flight of locks with stunning views of Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain.

The day ends at Ballachulish, below a monument to ‘The Last Clansman’, James Stewart of the Glen, executed on that spot in 1752.

Day Seven.
The mountains close in on the road through gloomy Glencoe and open out for the barren but beautiful wastes of Rannoch Moor, windswept home to the Robertson clan. By mid morning, Stirling Castle is in view, sitting strategically on a volcanic mound. Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie have all made their contributions to the history of Stirling, (though not always constructively as it spent many years in English hands!) and the castle offers a fascinating distillation of Scotland’s history.

From Stirling to the National Wallace Monument and a look at this 'Braveheart' leader, providing a suitably upbeat end to the tour which will finish in Edinburgh at about 5 o’clock on Sunday 2 August.