Any DIY for Invergordon or Newcastle

[lamchops]

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

[elaine5]

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.

[tartanexile81]

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

[ROCruiser]

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.

[cath32]

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.

[karinad]

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!

[PhilbeachTraveller]

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.

[FredZiffle]

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.

[Chocolate Teapot]

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.

[elaine5]

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.

[karinad]

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?

[Irina]

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!

[elaine5]

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

[fabnfortysomething]

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