Glasgow; Stirling & Loch Lomond Private Tour
Description
A rewarding half day tour of beautiful landscapes, charming small towns, and historic Stirling. A 8 hour tour that gives you plenty of time outside in the Scottish air. This compact tour traveling through the area to the north of Glasgow visits Stirling Castle, The Wallace Monument, Dumbarton Castle and Luss on Loch Lomond. The tour spends a total of 5 hours 50 minutes at stops, with a total of 2 hours 10 minutes driving.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Leave Glasgow and head west towards Loch Lomond, the first stop on our tour is Dumbarton Castle which has the oldest recorded history of any Scottish Fortress, dating back to the 5th century when Saint Patrick sent a letter to King Ceretic, it was the first written letter about a settlement there. Since then Viking Kings, William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth 2 have been here.
Leaving Dumbarton, it’s a short drive to your first view of ‘The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond’. Those words are from the Scottish Folk song “You take the High Road and I’ll take the Low Road”. Loch Lomond has the largest surface area of any lake on the British mainland, It’s over 23 miles long. Just 10 minutes later we stop at Luss, one of Scotland's most popular villages to visit, Walk past the pretty sandstone and slate cottages to the pier for wonderful views up and down Loch Lomond and across the loch to the mountains. From the pier it’s a very short walk to the atmospheric church graveyard which has graves dating back to 600AD / 700AD with a Viking hogback grave stone as well.
Our route to Stirling from Loch Lomond is especially scenic with pretty villages, grand views and an optional stop at Glengoyne Distillery, available if you so chose. Just a quick stop to see the picturesque buildings, the shop and the yard full of whisky casks.
Approaching Stirling from the west, the Castle and The Wallace Monument are visible from quite a distance. Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, historically and architecturally. The castle sits high on a volcanic outcrop, guarding the lowest crossing point of the River Forth. There is a lot to be discovered and enjoyed in the castle.
The William Wallace Monument Just a 8 minute drive from the Castle, this iconic monument is 220 feet high and sited on top of Abbey Craig hill above the fields, where in 1297, Wallace led his troops to victory at The Battle of Stirling Bridge. There are 276 steps to the top. A short drive from The Wallace Monument brings us to Stirling Bridge. The present Stirling Bridge was built in the 1400s replacing a succession of timber bridges. In 1297 William Wallace defeated Edward 1's forces at The Battle of Stirling Bridge. Today the bridge is one of the best medieval masonry arch bridges in Scotland.
A visit to Bannockburn, where, in 1314, King Robert the Bruce and his army won the most famous battle in Scottish history. A short walk to the statue of King Robert The Bruce with Stirling Castle as a backdrop is worthwhile. There is also a visitor experience with an entrance fee. Your tour can be Custom made as well….you may have some places you want to visit and / or things you wish to experience. Such as Glasgow Cathedral / Necropolis / Glasgow University. Tell us and we will do our best to include it in your tour.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(13)
Mike is a fabulous tour guide as well as a driver. Van was new comfortable and Mike himself was accommodating, friendly, knowledgeable and lots of fun. The tour was amazing, every stop full of historical information and terrific photo opportunities. My family of six enjoyed every minute of this tour. Hire Mike you will be very glad you did.
Best tour guide we have ever had. Mike was very knowledgeable about the sites and surrounding areas.
Mike was an awesome tour guide and driver. He knew all the best places to take us and had a wealth of interesting information. We all really enjoyed our tour with him. And to top it off, he made us dinner reservations and dropped us off right in front of the restaurant! He definitely went out of his way to make our day enjoyable. We highly recommend him!
Mike picked us up at our hotel and spent the full day taking us around the area. We made a stop at the Drymen bakery and deli it was excellent. The village of Luss was nice and we ended up having a great chat with the Minister at the Kirk. Mike was a great guide, knowledgeable and friendly.
Mike gave us a fabulous tour of Glasgow and the surrounding area. The Glasgow Cathedral was stunning, with beautiful stained glass and gothic architecture. The Necropolis had breathtaking views of the city. We saw Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument, beautiful Loch Lomond and fabulous gardens. Mike is extremely knowledgeable about the history of the area and is quite personable. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with him and learned a lot about Scotland in the process. Best guide we've ever had.
5⭐️ Mike from Private Scottish Tours is a fantastic guide. He provides so much local and historical knowledge of not only Glasgow but of Scotland too. We travelled in his extremely comfortable van to amazing places and we felt like we stepped back in time. Breathtaking Cathedrals, Century old graves, spectacular Castles and stunning countryside. We also stopped for a bit to eat. We were lucky enough to have Mike all to ourselves which made the day very special. Highly recommend doing one of Mikes tours, you won’t be disappointed. Thank you again Mike, certainly a trip to remember forever. Kirsty & Ken
The tour was simply amazing. Mike our tour guide reached out to us well ahead of our tour and asked if there was anything special we would like to include in our tour. I mentioned that I was interested in seeing the area near Loch Lomond of the Buchanan clan which is my mother’s family name. He was prepared! He took us to see so many areas and knew so much of the history. He also took us into the highlands and some of the most amazing views. Lunch at Loch Fyne, the fresh oysters and local Fyne Ale was the icing on the cake. I would absolutely recommend this tour.
If you’re looking for a private tour to see the highlands or anyway in Scotland look no further. Michael is an amazing tour-guide he provides a lot of great knowledge about Scotland, safe driver, very accommodating, patient, lovely personality. I can’t recommend him enough. Will 100% be using him in the future.
The entire experience was wonderful! Our guide was extremely courteous and nice and very informative that made it a perfect trip to see Northern Scotland! I would love to come back and have book him for another excursion!!
Mike was an excellent tour guide. We were only in the area for the day, and he made sure we packed as much in as we could. Whether in city or countryside, Mike was able to provide history from Vikings to movie shoots. His local passion for this beautiful region really shows, and the hole in the wall fish and chips spot on the fjord was the best we had in the UK to top it off!
