Tours of Scotland, a local's view!

Fancy venturing out from Edinburgh while staying with us? Whether its the mystery of Loch Ness, the stunning beauty of Loch Lomond or just a trip to a distillery, we can advise you on the best options to meet your needs - and it isn't always a coach tour: If you want to visit Glasgow, Stirling or St. Andrews for example, then public transport can be a more economical option than an organised tour (unless you want to include it within a wider day tour) - with all three no more than an hour away - we can help you plan your trips. If you have a car with you, or hire one, then in additional to exploring the North of Scotland and the Highlands - to the East of Edinburgh also lies many treasures - from 'classic' castles to the mighty Concorde, to pretty fishing villages to the only Malt Whisky distillery within easy reach of the Capital. On this page we'll offer you coach tour information- you can chat to us about the other options!

Coach Tours

There are two tours that we do highly recommend taking by coach, both of which are actually cheaper than the public transport cost alone of reaching the primary destination, but with a whole lot more thrown in - these are shown below as 'Loch Lomond coach tour' and 'Loch Ness coach tour', in both cases you are picked up at the guest house door - usually having had plenty of time for some breakfast - before heading out of Edinburgh (no mini-tour of lots of other accommodation thrown in first - one of the last pick-up stops!). Be warned Loch Ness is a long way, and in Winter some of that will be travelling in darkness, but it is the most popular trip very understandably. For beauty and being in the wilderness though, without spending hours getting there - the Loch Lomond trip is unbeatable - beautiful landscapes, a famous Loch and a trip to Stirling castle and a dip into Glasgow thrown in.

If you want to see more of the North of Scotalnd, and also avoid the high 'travelling to visiting' ratios of the Loch Ness day tour then a three day tour is definitely worth considering. All tours pickup from the Guest House - no making your way to other parts of Edinburgh at 7am!!!

All prices are for the transport and guide only - entry fees or boat fares etc are in addition, as is accommodation for the three day tour. Reduced prices are for booking 24 hours or more in advance only (deposit required).

Tour	Days Available	Cost (as of 01/10/2015)
Loch Lomond, Highlands & Stirling Castle	Nov - Mar Th Su (new alternate tour Tu & Sa) Apr - Oct Every Day	£33 (through us in advance- elsewhere sold at £35)
Loch Ness & the Highlands	Every day - year round	£42 (through us in advance- elsewhere sold at £45)

Details of tours.

Loch Lomond, Highlands & Stirling Castle

Heading west we take time for a short panoramic tour of Scotland's largest city, Glasgow.  Hear how this once industrial giant is again flourishing.  Soon after passing the River Clyde, world-famous for its shipbuilding history, we stop on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond where we have time for a boat trip on Britain's largest expanse of water.

Our next port of call is the village of Aberfoyle, the gateway to the Trossachs, where we stop for lunch.  With its lochs, glens and heather covered mountains this area is well known as the "Highlands in Miniature" and was a favourite destination os Sir Walter Scott, who used the location as the backdrop for his novel "Rob Roy" and poem "The Lady of the Lake".

Joining the coach, we pass through picturesque Callander and then teh 14th century Doune Castle which featured in the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".  Arriving at Stirling there's time to visit the Castle and take in the magnificent views over the Forth Valley towards the Wallace Monument,  200-foot memorial to William Wallace, the man immortalised in the movie "Braveheart".

For the last leg of the tour back to Edinburgh, we pass Bannockburn, the scene of Robert the Bruce's famous vistory over the English in 1314, and then Linlithgow Palace, birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1542.

Loch Ness & the Highlands

From Edinburgh, this tour heads past Stirling, catching views of the Castle and The Wallace Monument, and then north into The Highlands.

Passing the town of Callander and over Rannoch Moor the tour comes to the dark brooding Pass of Glen Coe, where we stop for photographs and to hear the haunting story of the massacre of 1692.

After crossing Loch Leven at Ballachulish we stop for lunch in the Fort William area, then follow the course of the Caledonian Canal up the Great Glen to Fort Augustus on Loch Ness. There is time for a boat ride out onto the Loch - perhaps spotting Nessie??

We then drive northwards along the entire length of Loch Ness, passing Urquhart Castle where the water is 800ft deep.  On through Drumnadrochit and Inverness, we pass The Cairngorms and over Drumochter Pass, alongside the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway which is the highest point on any main line railway in Britain at 452m above sea level.

Descending through the Forest of Atholl, we should catch a quick view of the magnificent Blair Castle, home of the Dukes of Atholl for over 700 years, before making a stop in picturesque Pitlochry, a delightful Victorian resort town.  We then head south through the Kingdom of Fife, past Perth and over the Forth Road Bridge alongside the amazing Forth Bridge before arriving back in Edinburgh.