Loch Lomond & Stirling Castle Small Group Tour from Glasgow
Description
The Loch Lomond tour from Glasgow has a little of everything that Scotland has to offer, from a leisurely cruise on bonnie Loch Lomond to the mountains of the ‘Highlands in miniature’ and majestic Stirling Castle. Leaving Glasgow, we’re soon in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty where Rob Roy MacGregor was celebrated as a hero and an outlaw. Learn about the area’s lawless Vikings and feuding clans during a loch cruise. At sumptuous Stirling Castle step back in time to the lavish days of Scotland’s Renaissance kings and queens.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We visit the conservation village of Luss, where tidy rows of cottages stretch down to the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond and are brimming with floral displays in summer. Luss is a tourists’ favourite, especially its picture postcard Church founded by the Celtic Saint MacKessog. In its churchyard lies a legacy of the lawless Vikings: their 11th century ‘hogback’ Viking grave, a stone-carved sculpture.
Here our passengers have the option purchase tickets to join a 1 hour boat cruise on the beautiful Loch Lomond. Enjoy the picturesque scenery and learn more about the area. Those who prefer to stay on dry land can explore Balloch Country Park.
We follow the dramatic Duke’s Pass and deep into the Trossachs, the ‘Highlands in miniature’. Opinions differ on the meaning behind the Trossachs, but our favourite is from the Gaelic meaning ‘the bristly country’. We'll stop for a photo or two in this area, as well as a short stop for our passengers to get some lunch. This landscape inspired Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake and his novel Rob Roy and we think you’ll be inspired too, whether to pick up your camera or your notebook. Look out for a favourite photographic subject, our woolly, long-horned Highland cows. We call them hairy coos!
Passengers have the opportunity to visit to Stirling Castle (tickets not included, see tour exclusions), great royal residence of Stuart Kings and of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was declared monarch here in 1543, aged only nine months. It’s an imposing sight, perched on its crag, and you’ll have 90 minutes to explore this historic gem.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We are unable to accommodate children under the age of 5.
Reviews(77)
Great tour and tour guide! We were given enough time to explore each destination. Enjoyed the charming village of Luss and the tour of Stirling Castle. Our guide Stevie was so knowledgeable of Scotland’s history, and he made each guest feel so welcome!
Thank you for your great 5 star review! It is great to see that you enjoyed your visit to both Luss and Stirling Castle. We are also glad to see that you found Stevie welcoming and knowledgeable. We hope to see you again! - Discover Scotland Tours
Time for lunch is tight, just grab some takeout. Be prepared to pay to get into Stirling Castle, there is a free tour but it will take up most of your time there, explore on your own.
Thank you for your 5 star review and feedback, we greatly appreciate it! - Discover Scotland Tours
Thank you to Tony, our driver... Top-notch, very cool and friendly. A pleasure to have traveled with your company this Tuesday.
We really appreciate that you have taken your time to leave a review. It's great to hear you enjoyed your trip and your time with your Tour Leader Tony. We hope you can return to Scotland in the future. - Discover Scotland Tours
Our tour guide Karen was very informative and fun. It was great being in a smaller group. Karen answered every question we had and made sure we all saw what we wanted to see including Highland cows! The castle, loch and towns were amazing.
Amazing tour. Scott our guide made this so entertaining and memorable. He is top tier!!! Each stop had great value. Sterling Castle was definately worth it!! Feeding and petting the Hairy Coos made the entire trip
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We love hearing that each stop on the tour brought great value to your trip. Scott is an incredible guide who loves bringing Scotland to life, and we're so glad his energy made the day. Meeting the Highland cows is always a favourite, so we're thrilled that made the entire trip for you! Haste ye back! - Discover Scotland Tours
Billy was a great tour guide who was funny and answered all of our questions. We had a small tour group that made it intimate and allowed for personalization. We were able to see many different sites from small towns to the lake to Sterling Castle.
Thank you for your kind review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the tour and had a great experience with Billy—he’ll be happy to hear your feedback. Its great to see that you appreciated the smaller tour size. We hope to see you again some day. -Discover Scotland Tours
Beautiful trip, not very long, spectacular views and all very clear. The castle disappoints a little inside, as it is very renovated and with access to few parts of it. Still, it's beautiful. Recommended.
Thank you for your kind review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the trip, the views, and the experience overall. We appreciate your feedback about the castle as well. We’re happy you still found it beautiful. Thanks again for your recommendation! -Discover Scotland Tours
Scott was incredible! He made our tour special, and he went out of his way to make sure we had a good time. I highly recommend exploring with him.
Thank you for your kind words and 5 star review! We will be sure to pass your great feedback along to Scott. We hope to see you again some day! -Discover Scotland Tours
Beware if you are couple minutes late arriving at the Buchanan bus depot and it leaves without you no refund is given not enough information where the bus pulls in was told somewhere between stance 24-31
Hi James, You are correct, our tours depart on time to allow our passengers to complete the scheduled itinerary. Check in for the tour closes 15 minutes prior to departure, allowing everyone some additional time should they be unexpectedly delayed. If you were 1 - 2 minutes late for the departure time then you were in fact 16 - 17 minutes late for the tour. You booked your tour via Viator, your ticket with them clearly states the check in time and advises you to check the board within Buchanan Bus Station for the exact departure stance. As the stances are assigned to us by the Bus Station we do not have the stance numbers in advance. These instructions along with a What3Words location and google maps link were also sent to you via WhatsApp the evening before your tour. We can see that message was delivered. As you did not arrive for your tour and we received no communication from you, you were marked as a no show. However, 1 hour after departure you requested a refund from Viator stating you were unable to travel due to medical reasons. Given that your review states you were late and missed your tour, it is not clear which of these reasons is true. The inconsistency in the information you have provided has been reported to Viator.
Very good experience top to bottom. Everything was on time and as planned, the mini-van was new and comfortable, the tour is very well-thought so it is comprehensive and very educative but well-paced so you don’t feel in a rush at every stop. Johnny, our guide, was absolutely great. He gave valuable information throughout the entire day. I would totally recommend this tour and Discover Scotland.
Thank you very much sharing your experience with us and the community. We’re delighted you enjoyed the tour, the pace, and Johnny’s guidance. We really appreciate your recommendation! - Discover Scotland Tours
