Touring the Scottish Highlands with Rabbie’s

When visiting Scotland, my family and I had the pleasure of taking a tour of the Scottish Highlands with the award-winning touring company, Rabbie’s. This was a one-day tour that covered the west highlands, castles, lochs and more! Rabbie’s specializes in small group tours, and they operate out of Scotland, England, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Your tour guides are highly knowledgeable, and transportation is in a climate-controlled Mercedes bus.

Our tour started early in the morning in Edinburgh, Scotland. We boarded the very comfortable Mercedes bus along with the rest of our tour group. Our tour guide was energetic from the get-go. He let us know that since it is off season, we may be able to see extra locations due to the lack of traffic.

First Tour Stop- The Kelpies

The Kelpies Monument was our very first stop. Kelpies are shape shifting water spirits from Scottish Folklore. These metal horse head sculptures are over 100 feet tall and incredibly impressive to see in person. Our time here was brief, enough to get photos and stretch our legs. Then we were off to our next destination.

Second Tour Stop- Doune Castle

Doune Castle is an incredibly well-preserved Medieval castle. In modern times, it is famous for being the filming location of every castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and for being featured in Outlander and Game of Thrones.

Entry to the castle is not included in the price of the tour but I highly recommend paying the entrance fee to this impressive castle. The audio guide has multiple options. You can have one narrated by Terry Jones and hear historical facts and fun stories about filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Another option is to listen to Sam Heughan. He will also guide you with historical facts and stories about filming Outlander. My family split their choices. Everybody loved their audio guide. It really enhanced walking around the castle by providing context for everything we saw. Hearing the historical stories alongside the stories of filming made it highly entertaining. The audio guides required a smart phone and were included in the price of your tour.

Third Tour Stop- Loch Lubnaig

Loch Lubnaig is a small slice of heaven. Pristine fresh waters cut through two forested mountains. Here you get to bask in the picturesque beauty of the highlands. We lucked out with the weather on this tour; it was a cool crisp day with gentle breezes.

Fourth Tour Stop- Kilchurn Castle

Kilchurn Castle is a ruin on a peninsula in Loch Awe. It was constructed in the mid-15^th century and fell to ruin by 1770. Our tour guide let us know the history of Clan Cambell, how this castle was built and why it fell into ruin. We even learned how the Loch carved out the peninsula it stands on today. This castle is currently closed but we were able to explore around and were greeted by a flock of friendly sheep. The autumnal beauty of the highlands were particularly prevalent in this area.

Fifth Tour Stop- Bonus Detour!

Once we wrapped up at the castle, we made our way through the stunning highlands to head to the town of Inverary for lunch. Our tour guide knew the group really wanted to see some highland cows and remained on the lookout for us. But unfortunately, we never came across any.

Before reaching the town, our tour guide arranged for us to have a quick bonus stop at Inverary Castle. This beautiful 18^th Century castle is the home of the Duke of Argyll. This was just a quick stop for photos.

Sixth Tour Stop- Inverary

The 18^th century small town of Inverary is beautiful and located on the shores of Loch Fyne. We got to separate from the group to explore at our own leisure and have lunch. We ate at a small café and had incredible pea soup with a side of crusty bread. It was very warming on that cool autumn Scottish day.

We strolled along the Lochs, and walked around the town, then met up with our tour group to head back toward Edinburgh.

Seventh Tour Stop- Glen Croe

Rest and Be Thankful pass is a stunning viewpoint. We stopped for photos of this vast view of Glen Croe. We learned that because climbing up this portion of Glen Croe is so steep, that travelers would stop here to rest and be thankful that they made it to the top. Resulting in its name. I definitely felt thankful to be able to be in Scotland and experience the immense beauty.

Eighth Tour Stop- Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond was our final stop of the day. This is the largest Loch in all of Scotland. We reached this location during sunset. It felt like I stepped into a Christmas card. The sunset showed the sky off with deep blue hues. It began to drizzle leaving beads of water on the branches of the surrounding trees.

From our tour guide, we learned the history of the Loch. It was formed by glaciers at the end of the Ice Age! We also learned a sad tale of the famous Scottish Folk Song, “The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond”. I’ve known this song my entire life and getting to hear the story while on the banks of Loch Lomond was an experience I never dreamed imaginable.

Back to Edinburgh!

After a very long day traversing the West Highlands, we were back to Edinburgh. We were blessed the rain held until we got on the bus and poured for our last bit of drive back to the city. We had such an incredible time with Rabbie’s and would book another tour with them in a heartbeat! The accommodation was comfortable. The tour itself was reasonably priced. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, funny and kind. We had an unforgettable experience.

Rabbie’s offers plenty of tours that can suit any itinerary. Be sure to check out their website to find one that works for you! No matter which itinerary you choose, I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

If you are currently trying to find a wonderful place to travel, Scotland is incredible. Edinburgh is my favorite city that I have had the pleasure to travel to, and the highlands are majestic. Have a joyous journey!

This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Rabbie’s.