Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe and The Highlands
Description
Mythical beasts, tall tales and dramatic scenery: explore the beauty of Scotland in a day on this one day coach tour. Leaving from Edinburgh, we head northwest passing famous landmarks such as Linlithgow Palace: birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, the mystical Kelpies, and the dramatically perched Stirling Castle. Continuing north we arrive in Glencoe for some photos of the dramatic ridges called the Three Sisters. We stop in the Fort William area for lunch before heading into the natural beauty of the Great Glen as we pass Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Heading further into the highlands we arrive in the small picturesque village of Fort Augustus - you can choose to take part in an optional boat cruise here. The road home will be time to relax and take in the Highland scenery. Final refreshment stop is at the historic town of Pitlochry before continuing the journey home over the Firth of Forth alongside UNESCO Forth Rail Bridge enroute back into Edinburgh.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our first stop for refreshments and a comfort break is Callander, where you will have a chance to grab a snack and stretch your legs. If you're lucky enough, you may have the chance to meet the Highland Cows (season dependant).
We make a brief stop in this scenic location to take in the views across Loch Tulla and Glen Orchy
The site of the 1692 massacre of the MacDonald Clan, Glencoe is one of Scotland’s most famous glens. Here you will hop off for a photo opportunity with the dramatic northern ridges known as the Three Sisters
Nearing the half way point on our tour we stop off in the Fort William area for lunch.
Another opportunity for photos as we stop on the outskirts of Spean Bridge at the Commando memorial. Unrivalled views down towards Fort William and the UK's highest mountain Ben Nevis. Depending on timings, this stop may be subject to change
A chance to grab some lunch and take part in an optional Loch Ness Boat cruise. For those not on the cruise, we have over an hour here which is plenty time to grab a coffee and have a wander around.
Stopping in the Victorian resort town of Pitlochry for a chance to stretch the legs and grab some light refreshments before the final leg of the journey home
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Travel time is added to the total duration.
- If you suffer from travel sickness, we advise bringing medication or supplements.
Reviews(5,517)
Keith was great and very knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the tour.
If you are like me, you might question whether you want to commit 13 hours to a bus tour. Let me just assure you you will be entertained and comfortable the entire time.We had a wonderful driver and guide. He went above and beyond telling stories and had a great playlist. It was not just bagpipes, ha ha. It was all Scottish artist artists and a mix of contemporary and traditional. He even shared an Irn-Bru with me! (The beloved Scottish soda). Take this trip, it’s great!
To say this tour was absolutely wonderful would be an understatement! The highlands are pure magic to see with my eyes and I feel in love with Scotland on this tour. We have the honor of having SCOTT FROM SCOTLAND as our Guide and he was a treasure for sure! He was so knowledgeable and proud of his home. He made the tour even better and I can’t recommend this experience any more!
Very good experience. Keith our driver / guide was great having outstanding historical background knowledge. Kept us engaged throughout, making the whole trip memorable. Boat trip was nothing much to write about, very average.
Loved the tour. Loved the guide. Keith was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of facts. He kept our group, ages 13-72, engaged and entertained with a variety of information combined with music. He explained the itinerary kept to the schedule. It was a wonderful day!
Amazing tour! This tour included more than most do in the Scottish Highlands and we couldn't have been happier. The route was planned carefully to maximize the number of sites we could see and also the amount of time we had to tour each location. Our guide was the best! Keith was extremely knowledgeable, had a great sense of humor, and wove Scottish music into historical explanations. I highly recommend this tour!
It is a LONG day. Pack snacks. Great energy and storytelling from our driver, Anthony. He is either very well educated or a phenomenal liar, only you can decide which once you meet him. The stops were super quick. Like QUICK. It’s best to travel with someone so one can queue up for food and the other for the toilet, then swap. Otherwise you’ll never get food. The lunch stop was sufficient for eating only, with maybe a quick look thru one shop before you head back out. If you’re going to actually see & enjoy Fort William or Pitlochry… I would suggest a different tour. We were in & out Pitlochry in 30 minutes (where you have to pay for toilets) and we arrived after typical business hours so very little was open. I did snag a lemon & lime meringue from a coffee shop named McKays (I think). It was excellent.
We found our tour to be curated most tastefully and sensitively. We had a punctual pick up, adequate rest and food breaks in well equipped locations and sensitive durations were provided for the sightseeing experiences. We did not feel rushed and could attend all the sights and locations on the itinerary to our satisfaction. However, our most value for money, enriching experience of this tour came from our conducted tour guide driver Keith. Keith is gifted with the proverbial "gift of the gab" and a wicked sense of humour. He began at 7.30 am explaining the basic guidelines and concluded by providing food recommendations in Edinburgh and informing about this review at about 8.20 pm. In between he talked about Scottish history in general and in specific relevance to all the historic sites on the route. He blended all this historical information with geographical and geological insights and valuable information about wildlife and environment. He peppered this with contemporary Scottish life and culture, including anecdotes and stories from his own family life all of it dipped in a steady dose of humour. In between, he played songs for us relevant to the different context and situation, all historic and also deeply emotional and sentimental scenarios. He delivered all of it with such care and compassion, full of Scottish pride but without any arrogance. I cannot imagine a healthier and a more intimate exposition of Scottish heritage and life than this tour conducted by Keith. I wish Stewart Tours grows along with Keith and l would recommend this to all l know. On a technical note and not compromising the rating, the climate control in the bus needs a bit of improvement particularly to deal with unusual heat waves and rising temperatures.
We went on this tour as a family of seven on June 25, 2026 and had an absolute amazing time. Our tour guide, Keith, was funny, entertaining, and extremely knowledgeable about all things Scotland. His "dad jokes" kept our family in stitches and was a huge part of the fun we had. We saw the absolute beautiful countryside of the Highlands, met the cutest "Hairy Coo's" and enjoyed the boat tour on Loch Ness, just to name a few of the highlights of our day. We will definitely be back. To anyone thinking about taking this tour, definitely do not hesitate, and if you possibly can, request Keith as your tour guide!!
We are so pleased and fortunate to have spent the day exploring the Highlands and Loch Ness with our tour guide Scott. He was a wealth of information, very entertaining and enthusiastic and very importantly, he kept us all alive and safe. The memories made on this wonderful tour will never be forgotten. I highly recommend anyone trying to decide which Loch Ness tour to take, to choose this company.
