Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands, Glencoe and Pitlochry Tour

Name: Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands, Glencoe and Pitlochry Tour
Brand: The Hairy Coo
SKU: 30740P1
Price: 77.87 USD
Rating: 5.0 (4405 reviews)

Edinburgh, Scotland

Loch Ness Highlands and Whisky Full Day Tour from Edinburgh

12 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Explore the stunning Scottish Highlands on a full-day excursion that includes Glencoe and Loch Ness. Set out from Edinburgh aboard a comfortable coach to experience some of the area's top sights and attractions. Visit Callander, the "Gateway to the Highlands", learn the fascinating history of Glencoe—a village made famous as a setting for “James Bond” and “Harry Potter” films—and see the world-renowned Loch Ness too.

Full-day tour of the Scottish Highlands, from Edinburgh
Explore the spectacular and scenic Scottish Highlands
Comfortable air-conditioned coach transport is included
Try and snap a picture of the Loch Ness monster herself, 'Nessie'

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges
Experienced 'Hairy Coo' Driver-Guide providing live commentary and story telling throughout
Air-conditioned vehicle
Regular Comfort Breaks

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Optional cruise can be purchased on morning of tour
No Toilet/Restroom on board
WiFi on board
No children under the age of 7 allowed

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Deacon's House Cafe
304 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PS, UK
**Meeting point is at the bus stop outside Deacon's House Cafe** Check-In opens 7:15 AM, Check-In closes 7.55am, Last Bus Departs 8:00 AM SHARP **We are unable to wait for latecomers under any circumstances and there will be no refunds for missed tours.**

Start time

08:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Make your way to the central Edinburgh meeting point. Board your coach and settle in for the journey north.

Have a brief stop in Callander before journeying into the Highlands through Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

Your next stop is in haunting Glencoe, filled with dramatic scenery and history. Your guide fills you in on Glencoe’s stories before you continue north, passing Fort William and Ben Nevis on the way.

Next, visit Fort Augustus on the southern shores of Loch Ness. Take a cruise on the loch (additional cost) in search of the elusive monster or explore the village and wander along its canal.

Make a stop at the Commando Memorial, which honors British war heroes and overlooks the Nevis range, before heading back south through Cairngorms National Park.

There’s time for a final stop in the charming village of Pitlochry before returning to Edinburgh with spectacular views of the Forth Bridge to round off the tour.

Callander

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park (Pass By)

Glencoe

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Fort William (Pass By)

Fort Augustus Abbey

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Commando Monument

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cairngorms National Park (Pass By)

Pitlochry

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Forth Bridge (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum age to travel is 7 years old. Photo ID, such as a passport, may be required. Children (8-17) must be accompanied by an adult.
There are opportunities to take short nature walks, it is recommended to bring suitable clothing and footwear.
This tour in an air-conditioned midi-coach, hosted by a local Scottish guide, rated 5-stars by the official Scottish Tourist Board
There are regular stops on tour to purchase food and refreshments that cater for most dietary requirements

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
There are regular stops on tour for comfort breaks
No animals allowed on tour
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 57 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

4,405 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 4,405 reviews

Nice trip to Loch Ness

Alexandr_S, May 2024

It was cool. Guide was friendly and lovely. We spent a lot of time in the bus so do not forget to buy smth from food and drinks. Everything was really good.

Amazing!

Kelly_W, May 2024

Bruce (our tour guide) and Mike (our exceptional driver) were phenomenal! We had such an amazing time and learned so much as we traveled through the highlands! We will definitely be doing this tour with the kids next time! Thank you Bruce and Mike!

Did we see Nessie?

Jeffrey_R, May 2024

The driver/tour guide Fen made the tour fun and informative. It’s a long day, but we knew that before we left. Excellent tour which we highly recommend.

Excellent tour in the Scottish Highlands with a great tour guide!

Jeff_H, May 2024

We travelled as a family on this tour. It was a memorable day we will carry for the rest of our lives. The tour guide, Rod, was excellent. He had great knowledge of the areas we toured and he was sarcastically funny without being annoying. We would highly recommend this tour to one and all!

Unforgettable Experience

Justin_K, May 2024

Unforgettable experience in the Highlands of Scotland. Beautiful landscapes throughout the trip with the charming and knowledgeable Martin at the wheel, providing history and anecdotal along the way. This is an all-day tour, but there were plenty of bathroom stops and photo opportunities along the way. Loch Ness has a beautiful, little town in Fort Augustus at the mouth of it, and if you choose to opt out of the boat ride as we did, there are plenty of shops and pubs to dip into. This gives you more time (2 hours as opposed to 1 hour) for lunch and wandering. This tour is a must if you're in Scotland!

Smashing!

Alice_G, May 2024

This was an absolutely wonderful adventure and Peter was a phenomenal tour guide! It’s about 12.5 hours long, but there are plenty of stops to stretch your legs, grab a snack, and/or use the restroom. We spent a couple hours in Fort Augustus and I chose not to do the cruise for an additional fee. Instead, I had a leisurely lunch, wandered into some of the shops, and took in the views and trails along Loch Ness. Definitely worth it!

Michael's story telling...

OmerandTamara_N, May 2024

Michael's story telling was superb. . .as well as his recommendations at stops, including our first ever taste of whiskey ice cream :) The highlands definitely did not disappoint! Breath-taking from every view.

Two Time Tour-Taker

Rachel_S, May 2024

I went on this tour in March 2023 by myself and loved it so much that when my family decided to travel to Scotland this spring, I went a second time! Loch Ness is a must see while in Scotland and the Highlands are beautiful! Phil our tour guide was great!

The Best Tour Guide!

Angel_D, May 2024

It was such a fun day! Scotland's country side is beautiful! We had the best tour guide and even stopped to feed highland cows!

Our guide was full of...

Ramona_B, May 2024

Our guide was full of interesting and fun information and stories about the highlands and all the little villages we stopped at. He also had great recommendations for places to eat at and showed us all the cool places various famous movies and shows were filmed at.

Highland Snapshot Tour - A lot in a little bit of time

Sarah_V, May 2024

For those looking to get a Highlands 'tasting' this is a great tour to do in one day. However, if you're expecting to be immersed in Highlands culture and sightseeing, this probably isn't the tour for you. If you're looking for Highlands immersion, I'd recommend doing a 2-3 Day Tour with a smaller group, or renting a car to travel the countryside in your own time. The Hairy Coo company does a great job of giving you a snapshot of the Highlands, however, stops are short and limited and there are multiple tour buses stopping at once which lead to overcrowded restaurants and bathrooms. For us, we were disappointed that the majority of our time spent in the villages was waiting in line (either for the bathroom or for a bite to eat). We didn't have the opportunity to explore any of the villages much because of this. When 100+ people have to use the bathroom at once, 30min goes by in a blip! Also anticipate that the weather can impact the day, too. Obviously that can't be controlled but just be prepared for it. Our tour guide Lucky was fantastic though! Despite the dreary weather, limited views and tough crowd, he engaged us tourists with stories & history, had a wide variety of music, pointed out small things to see along the way (like 2 emus!) and all around kept his spirits up! Well done for Lucky because I'm afraid we were a bit of a sleepy crowd.

A memorable day

MAGDALINI_B, Apr 2024

It was an informative and fun tour. Our guide, Alistair, provided us with facts and interesting stories.

Very good

Roksana_K, Apr 2024

It was a nice trip and the driver was great, we had so much fun that drivers like him would always take us on trips. Matin is big hugs

A good day

Karen_M, Apr 2024

The scenery, the hairy coos, the boat excursions on Loch Ness, the history shared with us by Brian (our driver) and the rain☺️

An all-in-one experience

Colleen_E, Apr 2024

Lovely tour that covered a LOT of ground in a short time. Rest breaks were short, but we never felt bored. Do plan to pay extra for the Loch Ness cruise. It’s a small town with very little else to do.

Okay but I'd go with a different tour

Chloe_K, Apr 2024

The tour was a good way to spend the day but I felt like we made a lot of little unnecessary stops. The commentary on the tour wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be. The loch ness cruise was recommended but the boat was crowded and has a roof on it so you can't actually see much. I loved seeing the Highlands but if I was going to do it again I'd probably do a different tour. I also don't think the tour was worth £74. Maybe if it included the cruise that price would make more sense. I will say that I went alone and met lovely people. If you're solo traveling and you want to see the Highlands you should do a tour but maybe not this one.

Best experience of the tour

Geraldine_R, Apr 2024

Great experience, Tour guide was e excellent knowledgeable professional accommodating. Knows about the history of Scotland and explain it very nicely. Witness great weather yesterday mixture of rain/ sun /snow 👍

Beautiful Landscapes

Linda_G, Apr 2024

The scenery was amazing. Description should be better though, like we don't actually visit at Pitlochry, we make a pit stop for a toilet break mostly, Understand it's a long trip, and hiurse are important, but set the expectations better of the trip, we pass through a lot of places abbd guide was amazing with the history of it all , however a lot is "passing through" experiences instead of... "actually visited this area". Most stops are for quick photos and breaks, except for Loch Ness.

Spectacular views

Debra_P, Apr 2024

Great tour with Paul, our great tour guide. Beautiful scenic tour of Scotland. Simply spectacular. Highly recommend

Absolutely awesome

KRISTIN_G, Apr 2024

Had the best time with Brian as our guide!!!! Incredibly knowledgeable and hilarious. Made our day long trip so enjoyable and fun. I absolutely loved seeing the Highlands and Loch Ness. I will remember this excursion forever. Also-Brian has the best tunes for the bus!!!

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