Day 1 - Arrive in Edinburgh

Stay at Prestonfield House, Edinburgh

A glorious ode to excess and opulence, Prestonfield House is one Edinburgh’s finest accommodation experiences. Everything about this 17th-century house is over the top, from leopard skin carpets to riotous rococo, country house swoon to a silver chariot bath in the Owner’s Suite. Some visitors find it far too ostentatious, all the velvet and gold and ebony a little overwhelming. There’s no denying that Prestonfield House is an experience, a scene setter and insight into Scottish glamour. There’s a helipad, naturally, and chauffeurs will deliver kilts, cashmere and items from Edinburgh’s Harvey Nichols direct to your suite. Location is another superlative. It really feels like you’re in the countryside, with a golf course adjoining the property. But it’s also only ten minutes into the heart of Edinburgh.

Day 2 - Highlands & Islands

Scottish Highlands and Isles Helicopter Tour

Soar above the Scottish Highlands by private helicopter. Lochs (lakes) shimmer through the mist. Glens (valleys) twist between peaks. One of the world’s most underrated landscapes unfolds before your eyes. Setting off from Edinburgh you will cross the Highlands and fly out to the Isle of Arran, where wilderness and solitude make for a quintessentially Scottish afternoon. Explore the island’s ruins, including Brodrick Castle, and listen to the wind whip past your ears. Then continue. Here the tour can be customised, as you can fly direct to a castle hotel, on the islands or in the Highlands. Touch down to whisky tasting, baronial architecture, and the simple beauty of rural Scotland.

Day 3 - Whisky & More

Scottish Whisky Behind the Scenes Tour

Barley flutters gently on coastal plains. Rivers and springs trickle through the landscape. You are in Speyside, in the eastern Scottish Highlands, at the home of Scottish malt whisky production. Distillery owners will show you around, from production to libraries of vintage aged whiskeys. Stop at Macallan for a boutique insight into Scottish whisky, then meet a distiller for a tour and tasting at the more famous Glenfiddich You can choose to visit Glenfarclas and Glenlivet, home to the two best selling malt whiskies in the States. Tours take you behind the scenes, through the full production facilities, and into a tasting room packed with old and rare whiskies. Extend this travel moment to two or three days and you can visit more boutique distilleries as well. See coopers practising their craft at Speyside Cooperage and visit Edradour, Scotland’s smallest distillery.

Day 4 - Departure