5 - Tour di Iona, Mull e l'Isola di Skye per piccoli gruppi da Edimburgo

Spending the 5 days touring Scotland with tour guide and driver Alan had been an absolute joy, and he had truly made this trip unforgettable. From day one, his friendly personality and great sense of humor kept us all smiling and laughing, no matter what the Scottish weather threw at us! His clear, detailed commentary brought the history and landscapes to life, and the group all loved his willingness to answer all of our questions—he was clearly very experienced and passionate about what he was doing.  Beyond being a brilliant guide, he had been a fantastic driver. We always knew we were in safe hands because he was so skilled and careful on the roads, always putting our safety first. Plus, keeping us perfectly on time every single day while keeping us entertained with a great selection of music made the whole journey incredibly smooth. My husband and myself had truly enjoyed every single day spent on this tour with him. 

Our host, Andy, was informative, helpful and protective. He told us wonderful stories and ensured everyone’s needs were cared for. Would only recommend the excursion to Staffa if you are in good shape and fearless as the path to the Dingall caves were treacherous and I considered them too dangerous. I was able to see hairy cows, visit a distillery on Skye, see amazing landscapes and stay at a wonderful bed and breakfast. Oban is a beautiful town with great scenery and good restaurants. Frequent breaks with comfort availability.

The rain, cloud and wind did not diminish our excitement or thrill of discovering the beauty of Scotland. Much of our enjoyment was due to our expert guide Ross. His love of Scotland and it's natural beauty was contagious. The weather was never a deterrent as Ross always found a way for us to experience the best moments. We did not want the trip to end. We could not more highly recommend this tour and if you are lucky enough to have Ross as your guide it will be special.

We had the most incredible 5 days with Andy and Rabbie's! This was part of our honeymoon and our goal was to be able to stay relaxed and see as much as possible, goal achieved. Andy was hilarious and so smart as a guide Everything was thought of for us and some of the drives, I don't think we'd have done ourselves This tour gave us such a broad view of Scotland from the Highlands to the sea, from a big city like Edinburgh to tiny villages like Plockton. Skye was the draw but Iona stole our hearts

This tour was fulfilled by Rabbie’s. I can’t say enough good things about the variety of activities and Alan’s planning! We had some weather that kept us from the visit to Fingals Cave but Alan took us around the isle of Mull. I would definitely use Rabbies again and kudos to Viator for facilitating the best tour groups and guides.

Rabbies seems to be a well oiled machine. Perfectly coordinated and designed to keep travelers happy. Trevor, our guide/driver was amazing. Clearly loves his country and his job. Very informative and entertaining and went out of his way to meet everyone’s demands. A++

Stefan was our guide and he really made this a memorable tour! This was my 1st tour with Rabbies and I am definitely looking to use them in future visits to Scotland. The visit to Straffer exceeded my expectations!!

This trip was wonderful! The itinerary was set at a good pace, the group was so friendly, and our guide, Chris, was excellent. Glencoe and Skye were stunning areas to see. I enjoyed my stay in Oban at Alltavona House (booked by Rabbies). I'm glad I chose this tour; it lived up to my expectations. Thank you, Rabbies!

Best tour we have ever had in all our travels. We had Alan for 5 days & Billy for 4 (different destinations). The guides are extremely knowledgeable & passionate about their jobs and made a huge difference between a good trip & an outstanding excursion. I would not hesitate to recommend Rabby’s to anyone (I already have). Alan even chose tunes for each location we visited & had an excellent playlist.

Rabbies review 9 day tour of Iona, Mull, Isle of Skye and Orkney and I have named this vacation “a window view to the world” and I continued to be in awe of the beauty of Scotland. I had planned to do a 5 day West Highland tour and then Covid hit. There was no problem getting a full refund. They were amazing to work with! And I rebooked they had a longer tour that hit all the major places I wanted to visit. I had to postpone due to health issues and again, they were amazing to work with. Day 1- We were told our Drivers name was Ross and when he arrived we did introductions with the other travelers. We left Edinburgh from the Edinburgh Bus station around 9:00 on Wednesday morning and headed to Oban. I do want to mention that the bus was Mercedes bus that easily accommodated our group of 16. As we drove west, Ross began to explain what we would do on day 1. Our first stop was Callander which is small village with beautiful views. We also had a bathroom stop and we popped in a couple of shops and headed to a bakery before we headed back to the bus (Amazing baked goods that we stocked up on as we really didn’t know how the flow for meals would unfold). We continued to journey through beautiful areas of Scotland and it became obvious that Ross had a keen eye for the beauty of his Country and made many beautiful photo stops with an option for walk and explore. Ross always pointed out several choices for lunch. He would share the history and the area and any notable castles or historical monuments. Our first lunch stop was Inveraray, a little village with beautiful views. We continued our journey and stopped by Kilchurn Castle. It was a lovely walk and another beautiful view. We were starting to get an idea of how the tour would go and I was super excited for what the coming days held. We started to get to know the other travelers and we enjoyed getting to know them as well. We arrived in Oban around 5:30 and Ross drove around to show us the various places for dinner and he began the drop off process. We had an option to allow Rabbies to book our accommodations or we could choose our own. I chose to book my own as I wanted to know I was near the city center as when I originally booked I was single. We stayed at the Perle and were please with our room. They also had a restaurant which I knew would work for my early morning coffee. The next day we knew we had to be ready by 6:30 to make the Ferry to Mull. Ross picked up everyone and we made the ferry on time and headed to the Isle of Mull and Iona. The weather was chilly but with the wind it was COLD and there was layer of fog that that began as we crossed. We headed to Iona as this was big on my list. Iona is the Birthplace of Celtic Christianity by Saint Columba. The Abbey was a centre of Gaelic monasticism for three centuries. The Island is peaceful, beautiful and there were some Art and Craft shops that we enjoyed visiting. There was also an abandoned Nunnery and small Church that we visited. As we left the island Ross shared that when the sun is shining the water is a beautiful turquoise blue similar to the Bahamas and I could see that beauty! We explored the isle of mull with many amazing photo stops including the boat graveyard. We returned to Oban for our last night. Thankfully we didn’t leave the following day until 9:00 so I had plenty of time for Coffee😊. We were starting to get to know our bus mates better and we’re really enjoying the conversations and the humor. And Ross was awesome….the knowledge he had about each area we visited, the history of this beautiful Country was astounding and the love he had for this country was evident in every story! Day 3 we headed to Plockton but we stopped at many beautiful locations for photos and unique stories as we passed through to Glencoe and the Glencoe Nature Center and We learned the history of the Turf house and had an opportunity to see some Highland Coos. This was BIG on everyone’s list. We then headed to Fort William with a view of Ben Nevis and the Memorial for WWll Soldiers who lost their lives. We had a photo stop at Castle Stalker and so many more stops. We arrived in Plockton around 6:00 and we had dinner reservations as this is a small village with limited options. We were staying at the Plockton Inn and chose to have dinner there as well. Our room was in the Saylor Building and we loved it. This was an adorable little village on Loch Carron. Stunning views and lovely people. Day 4 we headed to the Isle of Skye and Ross rearranged the day to accommodate the fog. We saw the Old Man of Storr, Fairy Glen, and the stunning cliffs and waterfall at Kilt Rock and so much more. And Ross knew the fog would lift and what we would be able to see best and when. We had lunch in Portree with free time for lunch and to shop. A beautiful village on the Isle of Skye. A fabulous day on the Isle of Skye! We stopped at a lovely Italian Restaurant where we all ate together (sorta). It was a Saturday night and they were busy, so we split up, but the pizza was SO GOOD!! We stayed in Plockton for another night and started the day with another lovely breakfast. Day 5 -We headed east to visit Loch Ness and of course to look for Nessie! We stopped for photos and a visit to Eileen Donan Castle. Simply AMAZING. This Castle is maintained by a Scottish trust and they had kept the historical beauty as it would have been years ago. We loved this visit. We also had a stop in Fort Augustus where we had lunch, We continued east towards Loch Duich and then off to Loch Ness. After lunch we headed to Spean Bridge where we would meet a new bus that would take us north towards the Orkney’s. We were grateful that several of our other Bus mates would be going in this new journey with us, but we knew we would miss Ross and his knowledge of Scotland, his keen eye for the most beautiful photo stops, his humor and smile! Ross has been with Rabbies for over 20 years and his love of this job was evident in everything we did. He was detailed and efficient in his planning and we knew we would miss him. We arrived at the exchange stop and met our new driver, Catty. She introduced us to the new bus mates that she had picked up in Edinburgh. We backed tracked a bit. (Not much) Catty was determined to find Scottish sites yes/stories that we hadn’t seen or heard. We learned quickly that she had embraced this job with enthusiasm and had spent much time learning all about Scotland. She shared detailed Scottish history all along the way. We arrived in Inverness for a one night stay. We did have time to grab dinner and walk the main streets in Inverness. We were impressed by Catty’s organization and planning in drop off and pick ups. Day 6 -We had an early start at 7:30 ( thankfully not too early) to make sure we could reach the Ferry to Orkney at John O’Groats ferry site. As we drove along then northeast highland coastal area the scenery was beautiful!! We had some stops along the way, but our goal was to make the ferry. Catty stopped to allow us to gather items for a picnic on the ferry, but assured us they had lunch on the ferry. We still had baked goods from the beginning of the journey, but we did have a steak pie and vegetable soup. I fell in love with the vegetable soup in Scotland. In North Carolina we have chunky vegetables with a broth and in Scotland it is almost puree, but SO delicious. I grabbed vegetable soup often. The Ferry ride was over an hour, so we got to know some of the new people better and relaxed. Once we got off the ferry, the first stop was the Italian Chapel that was built by the Italians that were prisoners that were held in WWll. It was ornate and beautiful! The history (which Catty knew well ) was sad to me, but I loved that even through the devastation of their circumstances the Italians created a place of worship and hope. We crossed Scapa Flow which was ordered by Churchill during WWll to fend off the attacks. This history lessons on this ride were detailed and eye opening. We then headed to Orkney to see St. Magnus Cathedral which was also spectacular. I had shared with Catty that I wanted to get into town early enough to visit the Sheila Fleet Gallery and she got us there with an hours to spare. I had run across Sheila Fleet when I was learning Enamel jewelry making prior to Covid. We obviously had fun shopping at this store, but there are lots of neat shops, boutiques and jewelry stores. After we reconnected with the bus, Catty dropped us all at our accommodations. We stayed at the Shore hotel with a Sea view. We had dinner with one of the Solo travelers at our hotel. And it was good. All the food had been good….really good! Day. 7. This day was dedicated solely to unique historical sites in Orkney. Shara Brae, Maeshowe, Skaill House, Standing stones of Stenness, Ring of Brodgar and more. Cows, beautiful coastlines and landscapes. The visit to this Island was a stark reminder that we are a tiny millisecond of this universe. That we need to make sure our very short time here matters. Catty shared many detailed stories of the history of this Island. It was surreal to see and feel and embrace this area of the world. Back to Kirkwall for dinner and to prepare for our departure the next day. We had dinner at Helgi’s which was also very good. Day. 8. We were up and out around 9:00 to head to Ullapool (which allowed me to experience some of the best coffee I had in Scotland at Archive coffee (some excellent baked goods also) 😉 As we were leaving the Island, we stopped by Tesco to stock up on food supplies for they day as we were heading back to the mainland. We did pick up some picnic items for lunch. We then stopped by Scarpa Flow to take pics and learn more about Churchill brilliant strategy. A perfect ending as we left Orkney. We knew from Catty when we got back on land we would be traveling the North Coast 500 and the views would be stunning and she was right. The weather was excellent and so were the views. We stopped for at different viewpoints for photos, but one of the highlights of this tour was Smoo Cave (we had never heard of Smoo Cave) but it was an amazing cave with stunning views/photos. We then traveled to Arkvreck Castle and Calda House. We continued to Ullapool and arrived around 7:00. This is a beautiful village in Scotland. I could go visit and stay for a bit. We stayed at The Royal hotel with a sea view. The food at the hotel was also very good. It was late and we had a long day, so we didn’t explore, but looking at Loch Broom out our window was beautiful as the sun set. So I knew I would head out early to get photos as we would be leaving this area around 9:00 (my only regret on the entire tour was not having a bit of time here, but Rabbies had done an amazing job of structuring the itineraries so you can see much of their beautiful country). And I had another amazing coffee at Cult Coffee shop as they opened early enough to enjoy 2 cappuccinos ☕️☕️ Day 9 -we headed out to see a beautiful waterfall at Corrieshalloch Gorge. It was about a 2 mile walk in and out and the views were beautiful. We the visited Culloden which was also surreal. I had watched Outlander and had been mesmerized by this historic battle. It was unbelievable to see this in person. We had lunch here and then headed out to visit the Standing stones and more Cairns (Ancient tombs) . As we continued our journey to Edinburgh we drove through some beautiful big tree Country. We also stopped and the town on Dunkeld (which was also a part of the ecclesiastical history in Scotland) As we travelled these areas we continued to be amazed at Catty’s knowledge and the tiny details. We loved the Cathedral in Dunkeld, but was also introduced to the best hot chocolate we have ever had at a little place called “Taste Talk Fling” The hot chocolate was from Iain Burnett The Highlander Chocolatier. Well….as a chocolate lover, I was blown away! He had also won best truffle 2 years at the chocolate festival in Florence, Italy. We left Dunkeld and continued our journey to Edinburgh, but Catty had one more surprise. We really hadn’t had time to stop and see the Coos, so that was our last stop as we made our way to Edinburgh. We had an opportunity to feed the cows. We enjoyed this too…..we then began our final journey to Edinburgh….over the bridge with views of the bridges flanking our journey. We loved this HUGE bucket list trip. Some days we were exhausted, but through it all, we fell in love with every inch we traveled, we fell in love with the people who greet you with a smile and a wonderful Scottish hospitality. And I am sure ALL of Rabbies tour guides/drivers are excellent, but we feel like we hit the lottery with Ross and Catty. Thank you to both of them and Rabbies for filling heart and memory bank for years to come!