Tour in piccoli gruppi della costa vichinga e del castello di Alnwick da Edimburgo

I had a tour on Sunday 14 of June and my group guide was Calum. I really wanted to visit Lindisfarne and the Northern (Viking) Coast, and since I`m not a driver, the tour was the best option. Heart of Scotland Tours, given the reviews and overview on the site, seemed to give the longest stop on the island, which it did, but only on the spot I understood how much it all depends on the tide times and the ability of guide to make the most of it. The tour also include a long stop in Alnwick (entrances to the castle and to the gardens are not included, but the company has a discount for the tour members on both, which was nice). There are several other small stops, I presume, more to the guide’s choice. I was happy to have the ability to see the Northern Sea near Bamburgh Castle and the completely cut off by tide Lindisfarne. Calum was wonderful with both guiding and driving, and he was very passionate about Scotland - its history, society, nature, language and literature. Calum had been giving us full list of options about what to visit and where to go before each stop, but if one is interested in any of the stops particularly, I would advise to look into the possible best personal itinerary. I did it specifically for Lindisfarne. It was a very good tour and unbelievably beautiful scenery, especially the sea.

Would do it again because it was a very good time

I had an absolutely fabulous time with our guide Angela on this day trip. One thing I really, really liked was that she turned on some lovely Scottish folk songs during the trip, between educating us on the history of Scotland, the Vikings, etc. It's nice to have a break, and just sort of take it all in and reflect. She was extremely knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor, so listening to her talk was also a real pleasure, and I learned a lot. She wove the ancient past with the more recent past (Vikings and up to the 1500s) so we really got a lot of history in context. I loved it. So, why the 4 instead of the 5? Heart of Scotland states on their website that their tours "average 12." Our trip had 15, and listening to others, it was clear that there are a number of tours that go up to 15 (or maybe even 16). One reason I chose this tour was that it seemed smaller than others. So please, either limit your tours to 12/13 or state on your website that some tours go up to 15/16. I would still have signed up and might go on tours with them again, but I didn't like that miscommunication.

Great time, Great castles and priory, beautiful country. Our guide was wonderful and full of lots of information.

we had a beautiful weather day, there is not enough time to go to the priory ruins and the castle, it is a long walk. we did the priory and we were there on a sunday, things were closed. Alnwick castle was gorgeous! By changing return routes our guide Euan was able to give us more time to explore. Well worth it, the interior rooms are stunning and a working castle.

Our guide, Angela was a wealth of information about the area. We chose Lindisfane castle as there wasn't tine to visit the priory or museum. The tour of Alnwick castle was great, so much to see. All in all, this was a great tour.

This was the tour with great history, wonderful beauty, and a lot of fun. Angela, our guide, was warm, fiercely, proud of her country, well informed and knew how to be a fabulous hostess. Her stories, facts and music made the day fly by. The contrast between Holy Island and Alnwick Castle were perfect juxtapositions. It added great interest to the day which seemed to fly by.

Heart of Scotland tours are just exceptional. This was the second of two we took and both were so well organized and comfortable. Our guide/driver was Angela and she combined history and knowledge of the area with music in a marvelous way. The pace, sites and value of this tour were unsurpassed. You absolutely cannot go wrong with this company. The vans are perfect as is group size. What a great way to enjoy the Borders area. Recommend!

In a brand new bus went out with our tour guide Angela. She was super enthusiastic and knew a lot about places we visited. She interspersed stories with music to match. Highly recommended!

We had a lovely trip in the sunshine to Lindisfarne, Alnwick Castle, and Bamburgh Castle. Our guide was very friendly. One hour on Lindisfarne is far too little on a 9-hour tour (with 4 hours of driving). Luckily, we were planning to return to a three day stay at Lindisfarne on our own the following week, so we didn’t stress. We had plenty of time at Alnwick Castle and Gardens, and really enjoyed ourselves there. On the way back, we stopped by Bamburgh, since Coldstream was closed (?). I only had time to walk to the beach and around the castle before we started the drive home. We took a detour on the way back. If I were to mention one thing, I found it unnecessary to make a detour through Edinburgh when the two main destinations were in another country. There was also a detour through Dunbar, without a stop. Personally, I would have preferred to spend that extra time on Lindisfarne.