Your day trip from Edinburgh to the Scottish Highlands takes you across the famous Forth Road Bridge , giving you a great view of the spectacular nearby Forth Rail Bridge, one of the longest cantilever bridges in the world. After you cross the Highland boundary faultline,the scenery changes from the rolling farmland of the Lowlands to the forested hills and mountains of the Scottish Highlands. This thick forest is the very same mentioned in Shakespeare's Macbeth as "Birnam Wood." One part of the wood is especially beautiful -the Hermitage - and this is where you will take a walk. Here, surrounded by thick forest, the River Braan crashes over spectacular waterfalls . This is a migratory route for salmon, and they can often be seen trying to leap the falls.Follow the wide valley of the River Tay , the longest river in Scotland with the greatest flow of water of any river in Britain. Stop in Pitlochry for lunch (own expense), and take the opportunity to visit a whisky distillery or the dam where salmon leap in summer. Continue to Killiecrankie and the Queen's View, where on a clear day the view stretches from Loch Tummel to Schiehallion and beyond to the hills of Glencoe. Drive over the hills to Fortingal, where the Fortingal Yew tree is the oldest living organism in Europe. The village is the legendary birthplace of Pontius Pilate. Next you'll head along the shores of Loch Tay, in the shadow of Ben Lawers. At the head of the loch is Killin, with the wonderful falls of Dochart in the heart of the town. After a short stop, continue over the Braes of Balquhidder, the final resting place of Highland outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor.The Scottish Highlands are Europe's last great wilderness! Traveling in a small group means you can take lots of stops and reach out-of-the-way places, giving you more time out the van to discover the real Scotland.
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