lamchops Posted August 2, 2018 #1 Share Posted August 2, 2018 We are doing a British Isles cruise in September and prefer something we can DIY. As Invergordon and Newcastle are on the tail end of the cruise I’m looking for something that doesn’t include a castle or cathedral. DW is a late riser so time will be limited to about 11:00 till 3:30ish. We don’t mind taking short transit rides or walking. We’re usually walking 20K+ steps a day while in port. I would consider a tour if there’s a must see site or attraction. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elaine5 Posted August 2, 2018 #2 Share Posted August 2, 2018 We were in port on a Sunday, which limited our transport options. After much research, I went on a 10-4 tour with Invergordon Bus tours for 55 GBP to Dunrobin. It dates to the 13th century, but is mainly a Queen Victoria era castle/estate. We had a great day and I highly recommend it. Otherwise, there appears to be a 25X Stagecoach bus that you can take to Inverness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartanexile81 Posted August 2, 2018 #3 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Invergordon in my opinion is one of the ports where it's best to have something organised. The village itself hasn't really anything to offer than basic shops. Yes, you can get the bus to Inverness twice an hour but there's not a great deal to fill your day. It's more a base for exploring the local area. There's a hop-on, hop-off bus which I definitely wouldn't do. However from the bus station you can do a tour to Loch ness https://www.jacobite.co.uk/tours/temptation There are local welcome volunteers at the cruise port in Invergordon and they could help you on the day but this is their website anyway http://www.visitinvergordon.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROCruiser Posted August 2, 2018 #4 Share Posted August 2, 2018 We did the jacobite boat tour which included the HOHO bus rides, prices quite reqsonable. For Newcastle, we hired a van at port with the gentleman managing the shuttle line and spent a day walking around the city. Our van came back to pick us up back to port at a prearranged time and location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cath32 Posted August 3, 2018 #5 Share Posted August 3, 2018 The Dalmore Distillery is in the town of Alness near Invergordon. When I was researching, the map showed a walk along the water to the distillery. I could never quite get a handle on the distance, but believed it was 3 miles or so. We did do the distillery tour and really enjoyed it. We planned a busier day, so never tried the walk. We just used the local transit to get to Inverness, then got off at Alness on the way back. After the tour we picked up the local bus back to Invergordon. If this interests you, you can pre-book your tour through the Dalmore Distillery website. If you wanted to walk there/back, maybe they could help you get a better handle on how to go about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karinad Posted August 6, 2018 #6 Share Posted August 6, 2018 We are doing a British Isles cruise in September and prefer something we can DIY. As Invergordon and Newcastle are on the tail end of the cruise I’m looking for something that doesn’t include a castle or cathedral. DW is a late riser so time will be limited to about 11:00 till 3:30ish. We don’t mind taking short transit rides or walking. We’re usually walking 20K+ steps a day while in port. I would consider a tour if there’s a must see site or attraction. TIA My DH and I are on your cruise, too. We haven't booked any tours yet and I think a lot of the independent excursions are selling out for our dates. The ships tours are way to expensive. What stops me from booking some of the tours is that they're usually a whole day! I'm like your wife, a late riser, but I realize that I'll have to make an exception for the port days! It'll be hard! DH gets up early. I've read a few posts that said that they missed Inverness because of bad or windy weather and it is a tender port. People that have booked the independent tours said that the tour company did refund their money because they couldn't dock. I'm still looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilbeachTraveller Posted August 6, 2018 #7 Share Posted August 6, 2018 Most of the tours are all day ones, and since you have a limited time why not just get the bus or train into Inverness and have a look round? They do walking tours and there are boat tours (not sure if they operate when you are there) and there are some nice cafes to have a bit of lunch. There is loads of info on hand at Invergordon; the volunteers are very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredZiffle Posted August 6, 2018 #8 Share Posted August 6, 2018 You can catch a local bus for a few dollars down to Culloden battlefield. Nice museum and well-preserved battlefield that you can tour on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocolate Teapot Posted August 8, 2018 #9 Share Posted August 8, 2018 I used WOW Scotland for my day in Invergordan, and there was a lot packed into the day. Admittedly we did start with a castle (Brodie), but it was far better value than the ship's tour, and our guide and driver were fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elaine5 Posted August 9, 2018 #10 Share Posted August 9, 2018 Our tour was from 10-4 to dunrobin with a nice 1 hr stop in a cute town for coffee and shopping. Only 55 gbp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karinad Posted August 9, 2018 #11 Share Posted August 9, 2018 Our tour was from 10-4 to dunrobin with a nice 1 hr stop in a cute town for coffee and shopping. Only 55 gbp. Who did you go with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irina Posted August 10, 2018 #12 Share Posted August 10, 2018 I used WOW Scotland for my day in Invergordan, and there was a lot packed into the day. Admittedly we did start with a castle (Brodie), but it was far better value than the ship's tour, and our guide and driver were fantastic. I just looked at Wow Scotland tours,today for next week. Would,you recommend them? How did,you like Brodie castle? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elaine5 Posted August 10, 2018 #13 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) invergordon-bustours.com the North tour. They also do a few others tours. I think one goes to Cawdor. our tour guide was excellent. easy to find. they have a little hut right outside the small port to check in. very organized. imho. honestly, we picked them bc they left at 10 and were cheaper than others--with a family of 4 for 10 ports, it adds up. But, this tour was as good as any other that we went on in our various European ports over the years. Lower key pace, plenty of time at Dunrobin, nice ride thru the countryside, cute little town for coffee/shopping shop. It's a big bus vs. small minibus. But for 55 GBP we were fine with that. It's not the same as going to Giants Causeway/bridge where you want to get in and out fast and timing is of the essence. Or where you need a lot of personalized attention. IMHO. Edited August 10, 2018 by elaine5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare fabnfortysomething Posted August 11, 2018 #14 Share Posted August 11, 2018 lots of suggestions for Inverness heres one for Newcastle Beamish open air museum http://www.beamish.org.uk/ its about 30 minutes from North Shields the cruise terminal for Newcastle to get there I would suggest Taxi or hire a car for the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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