Clan Rose Tour from Inverness
Enjoy the Private Clan Rose Day Tour which leaves from Inverness. The Inverness Tour Guides entertain and share local knowledge while you travel in style and comfort in our air conditioned vehicles. Tours priced per car, per day and can seat up to 7 of your group.
Visit amazing locations; Clava Cairns, Geddes Churchyard, Auldearn Village, Nairn Town and Kilravock (pronounced Kilrock) Castle. Hear the stories of the clan as we drive along.
Departure
Collection from within 16 miles of Inverness included in the price.
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£580.00 8 hours
Clan Rose Tour from Inverness – Itinerary
The Clan Rose Tour runs east from Inverness, as the clanlands lie primarily in Strathnairn and Nairnshire. Clava Cairns is the first stop, and then we travel on to the ancestral burial ground at Geddes. Then we take a look up-country where some of the wilder branches of Clan Rose lived. We return to the coastal plain to visit the village of Auldearn and the town of Nairn. The final portion of the day is a photostop at the clan seat, Kilravock Castle.
Clava
Clava Cairns and Standing Stones are 4,000 years old and are a ritual landscape of fantastic design and spirituality. The Bronze Age peoples constructed these monuments to align on both sun and moon. As a result, archaeologists consider this site to be a temple of astronomy.
Geddes
The Rose family settled at Geddes in 1230, just uphill from the river Nairn. Nothing identifiable remains of the Chapel of St Mary of Geddes built here in the early 1200’s. This is because the private burial enclosure of the Roses of Geddes and Kilravock is built on the exact site of the chapel. The churchyard hosted an annual fair held around 5th of April up until the end of the nineteenth century.
Upland Nairnshire
There were many branches of Clan Rose throughout the Highland area of the county. These tended to be the branches many of whose members were declared outlaw in the 16th and 17th centuries. Roses of Clunes, of Belivat, of Levrattich and of Coulmony were all involved in feuds with Dunbars, Falconers and others. This is a beautiful area, worthy of a photo stop or two.
Auldearn
Just above the village of Auldearn stands a Bronze Age stone circle – Moyness. After a photo stop at the stones we skirt the Rose estate of Kinsteary on our way down to Auldearn Village. Should time permit then we will go way of Auldearn Antiques.
Town Of Nairn
The Rose family has always had a close relationship with the town of Nairn, and maintained a townhouse on the High Street there. All except one of Nairn’s Provosts (Mayors) between 1450 and 1777 were Roses.
Kilravock Castle
Rose of Geddes married the Bisset heiress of Kilravock (pronounced Kilrock) and thus secured what became their clan seat, The castle that stands on the site now was constructed around 1460. The current chief is David Rose, 26th Baron of Kilravock. We always manage at least a walk and some exterior photographs here, although we may be able to arrange a visit with your chief if you request it.
Some Clan Rose Snippets
William Rose, Kilravock the 2nd, fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence alongside King Robert the Bruce, fighting at Bannockburn, and falling, decades later, at Halidon Hill. Nairnshire had become a wild and lawless place by the late 1500’s, as a result of several branches of Clan Rose,taking to murdering, burning and looting. Kilravock 11th found himself imprisoned in Edinburgh due to his loss of control of his clan, and the continuing “Wars of the Roses” in Nairnshire. The sheriff of Moray stepped in, in 1611, imprisoning and executing some of the worst offenders, after which peace was declared. Kilravock 17th entertained Charles Edward Stewart, serving him punch, while the Duke of Cumberland slept in the Rose Townhouse in Nairn.
Wild Rosemary is the plant badge of Clan Rose. Constant and True is their motto. The clan crest is a harp on a hat.
Clan Rose Tour from Inverness – Price
£580 for the private tour and up to 7 of your favourite people
Clan Rose Tour from Inverness – Departure
The tour departs from your Inverness accommodation, or any transport hub, such as bus station, train station or airport. You tell us, and we’ll be there.
FAQ
Can each person in the party pay separately?
Driver/Guide licencing in Scotland will only allow us to take one payment per tour, so if people in a party wish to split the cost then they arrange that amongst themselves and make one tour payment to us.
Are entries to the various visitor attractions included?
We don’t include entry to the attractions – and that way we leave the day as flexible as possible for you.
Will I need cash with me?
Most places will accept Visa or MasterCard and some will accept American Express. It is always prudent, though, to bring a little cash with you for unexpected eventualities. You will need GBP, not Euros or Dollars.
What will we be doing for lunch?
You are responsible for paying for your own food & drink during your tour. Lunch could be in a café, pub, restaurant or even a picnic at a beauty spot. Your guide can discuss and advise on options when you meet them.
Find all of our other FAQ’s here
Why Choose Us
Why Choose Inverness Tour Guides?
Our Inverness Tour Guides are a hand-picked team. As well as being accredited members of the Highlands of Scotland Tour Guide Association, they are all well-recognised as being at the top of their fields. They were chosen because they are great storytellers, are fun to be with, and are uniquely qualified to do what they do well. We are convinced that there is no better team of guides to be found. See their individual profiles here
Performance
Here at Inverness Tours we continually monitor performance. As a result we are confident that we offer long experience and expertise in providing quality, value and enjoyment.
Our Vehicles
Our vehicles are spacious and air conditioned, easily accommodating up to seven passengers. The reclining seats and tinted windows ensure touring in comfort and style.
Our Track Record
Inverness Tours has been taking visitors on world-class tours for more than fifteen years and has been striving to make its exclusive tour business the finest of its kind available in Scotland.
Our Customer Care
The Inverness Tours admin team are frequently complimented on responsiveness, flexibility and care.
Our Environment
Inverness Tours have offset the impact of visitor footfall in the Highlands by contributing financially to environmental and community projects.
Our Precautions
Our COVID 19 precautions – Inverness Tours has always carried bacteriological and virucidal disinfectant sprays, disposable gloves and the necessary wipes etc. The vehicles are cleaned on a daily basis. We are investigating and instituting further measures to keep you safe at this current time and into the future.
Our Reviews
All the above contribute to our fabulous back-catalogue of reviews. Check out the TripAdvisor reviews here. You will find that over 98% of our reviews are five-star and as a result we have achieved TripAdvisor’s annual Certificate of Excellence and placement in their Hall of Fame!
What’s included?
The 7-passenger vehicle together with qualified driver/guide is included.
Summary terms and conditions:-
- All tours are exclusive and the same price for between one and seven people. Your booking is considered confirmed once we send out your confirmation.
- While Inverness Tours shall do everything reasonably possible to provide your tour itinerary and/or services as planned, we reserve the right to alter itineraries, guide, transport or accommodation if circumstances require us to do so. If we have to cancel a tour you receive a full refund of the amount paid and that is the extent of our obligation.
- Our normal Cancellation Terms as outlined in the point below have been temporarily relaxed. The relaxation is in relation to any booking which requires to cancel due to COVID-19. Our COVID-19 cancellation terms are outlined here.
- If you wish to change any part of your confirmed booking you should inform us in writing as soon as possible. We will do our best to assist you, but cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your request. If you cancel a booking up to 30 days in advance you receive a 75% refund of the total paid. Cancellations between 30 and 10 days before the tour receive a 50% refund. There is no refund if you cancel within 10 days of the tour or are not at the organised departure or pick-up point.
- We are happy for you to enjoy bottled water and hard candies while we travel. Other types of food and drink have proved previously to be quite hazardous (on Highland roads) both to yourselves and seat upholstery.
See our full terms and conditions here