The Scottish Highlands Ride

Day 1: Arrival

Welcome to Bonnie Scotland, globetrotters! Having arrived in beautiful Edinburgh the day prior, today you’ll be picked up from Edinburgh Airport at 11am and transferred 90 minutes northwest to your new home away from home, Tulliemet House. If you’ve chosen to self-drive, you need to arrive by 1pm. Here, you’ll meet your hosts and get to know your fellow globetrotters over a light buffet lunch.

Then it’s time to don your riding gear and meet Susy and her {absolutely dreamy} team of horses! This first ride is a two-hour loop that will afford you the chance to get to know your horse and have an introductory gawp at your surroundings. By the time you dismount, you’ll feel a strong connection to both the Highlands and your horse.

Back at Tulliemet House, afternoon tea and biscuits are served, and you’ll have some time to settle in (or perhaps work through any remaining jet lag with a cold plunge in the loch!).

At around 6:30pm, welcome drinks will be poured and everyone will gather for a relaxed dinner courtesy of your extraordinary cook, Rebecca. You’re then free to enjoy the rest of the evening as you please before sinking contentedly into bed.

Day 2: Over hill & dale

In true holiday style, your first morning at Tulliemet is indulgently free of plans. Coffee, tea and some snacks will be served from 8am, but save room – there’s more to come. First, though… take a bath, pick up a book, stroll through the gardens, hike into the woods… the morning is yours!

A hearty brunch will be laid out at 10:30 to ensure you’re fuelled up for the ride to come, then at 12pm you’ll find the horses saddled and waiting outside. Your lovely guides will lead you on a three-and-a-half-hour ride over hill and dale, exploring just a sample of the regenerative farmland and untamed moorland that characterises this iconic region. You’ll canter over open heath, cross running streams, pad through forests and hug the shores of mirror-like lochs.

Afterwards, back at base, you’ll all carry hot mugs of tea and big bundles of blankets out to the swimming loch. The sauna will be steaming just steps away, so channel your inner Braveheart and plunge into the loch with a fierce cry of ‘Freedom!’ It’ll be worth it when you’re toasty warm and limbered up after the sauna, believe us.

There’s plenty of time to scrub up before Rebecca and her team serve a delectable family-style dinner at 7pm. If you’re peckish beforehand, nibbles are always available in the kitchen.

Day 3: Blair Castle & House of Bruar

Snuggle up in your plush blankets as long as you like this morning, globetrotters. Tea, coffee and snacks will be available from 8am, and a full breakfast will be cooked to your liking at 9am.

Mid-morning, you’ll jump in the minibus for a spectacular 20-minute drive to Blair Atholl, the village where the famous fairytale-esque Blair Castle is located. Here, you’ll be given a fascinating private tour of the castle itself while your guides prepare and saddle the horses outside. Mounting up, you’ll have the unforgettable experience of riding on the castle grounds – the unforgettable location of the legendary Blair Horse Trials from 1989 to 2024! On this two-hour ride, there’ll be some thrilling canters, plus plenty of photo stops to capture those ‘pinch yourself’ moments and the many extraordinary views.

While the horses return to Tulliemet in the afternoon, your Globetrotting group will head to nearby House of Bruar. To describe this institution as a ‘shop’ does not do the emporium justice – trust us. You’ll have the rest of the afternoon here to peruse, purchase, tee up some custom tartan tailoring, or perhaps enjoy an incredible lobster lunch, Scotch egg, high tea or roast. (Lunch, if you feel you need it, is at your own expense).

You’ll be transferred to Tulliemet House at around 5pm, and you’ll dine at 7pm (hopefully in head-to-toe tartan!). Rest up tonight, globetrotters, tomorrow promises to be a day to remember!

Day 4: Picnic lunch ride

This morning begins in the usual languid style, with hot drinks and nibbles from 8am and a hearty cooked breakfast from 9am. You’ve got a full day in the saddle, so dig in!

At 10am, you’ll meet your beautiful equine partner outside and mount up. The exact route will depend on the season, weather and terrain, but with 145,000 acres of hills, woodland, glens, lochs and open countryside at your doorstep, there’s no shortage of choice!

At around lunchtime, as you round the bend of a loch, a ghillie (attendant) will magically appear with picnic supplies. Relaxing on the pebbled shoreline, you’ll take in the brisk alpine air, the ever-changing moods of the Highlands, and perhaps a dram or two of good whisky while you’re at it. After 5 hours of proper adventure in the saddle, Tulliemet House and its roaring fires will be a welcome sight.

This evening you’ll get your glad rags on for a dinner party worthy of the day’s equestrian exploits (you’ll certainly have worked up an appetite!). Your fantastic hosts will put on an evening of glamour, splendour, and fabulous food and drink just for you.

Day 5: Rest day

After the adventure and frivolity of yesterday, you (and the horses!) will be glad to have a restful day on the cards. Breakfast will be a pick-your-own affair from 8am, a massage therapist will be on hand ready to soothe any aches and pains (at your own expense), and your guides will lead a hike from 9:30am for anyone feeling energetic or outdoorsy. Lunch is informal, with tasty offerings on the buffet table and in the fridge allowing you to pile up a plate whenever the mood takes you.

For an additional cost, archery or clay pigeon shooting can be arranged, and there is an optional excursion to a local whisky distillery in the afternoon.

The sauna will be lit in the early evening to complete the wellbeing chapter of your holiday. At 7pm, everyone will gather for another delicious dinner.

Day 6: Blair Castle and surrounds

Today begins with the usual scrumptious breakfast at Tulliemet House, then you’ll take the minibus back to Blair Atholl, where the horses will be ready for one final terrific ride. It’s another fairytale affair, as you once again mount up in the shadow of Blair Castle. You’ll explore a totally new side of the estate on this three-hour ride, perhaps taking in some of the famous Blair Horse Trials cross country course. There will be plenty of chances to savour wind-in-the-hair trots and canters on this three-hour ride.

Returning to the castle grounds, there’ll be photo opps with the horses in this magnificent setting before you bid your noble steed a fond farewell. Afterwards, you have the option of staying at Blair Castle for the afternoon, perhaps enjoying the gardens or perusing the gift shop, or revisiting House of Bruar (to pick up that tailored tweed…).

The minibus will collect everyone by 4:30pm and return you to Tulliemet for a lavish farewell dinner, during which you’ll all no doubt reminisce on an unforgettable week in the Highlands.

Day 7: Departure

This morning you’ll enjoy one last breakfast at Tulliemet House before saying goodbye to the Highlands and taking the transfer (or self-driving) back to Edinburgh for your onward travels.

Non-Riders