5 Day Iona, Mull & Skye Minicoach Tour from Edinburgh
5 days to enjoy Mull, Iona, Staffa and the Isle of Skye. Also includes Loch Lomond, Eilean Donan Castle, Glencoe and Loch Ness for the best of Scotland. Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturday during the summer months. Accommodation included.
- Day on Iona and Mull
- Day on Skye
- Argyll & Dalriada History Day
- Castle Stalker & Glencoe
- Visit to Eilean Donan
Loch Lomond National Park ~ Oban ~ Iona and Staffa ~ Castle Stalker ~ Eilean Donan Castle ~ Isle of Skye ~ Castle Stalker ~ Cuillin Mountains ~ Mull ~ Loch Ness. Stay 2 nights in Oban ~ seafood capital of Scotland, and 2 nights in the picturesque harbour town of Portree, on the Isle of Skye.
Day 1 - Edinburgh to oban
takes you north past Stirling Castle, and then west to Scotland's first National Park around Loch Lomond, and the bonny banks. You will travel through the impressive mountains of the West Highlands through the magnificent white-washed 18th Century town of Inveraray, home to the Campbell Clan and the Duke of Argyll. The afternoon will be spent in the heart of Argyll exploring the area close to the ancient Kingdom of Dalriada before arriving in bustling town of Oban, the gateway to the islands, for your 2 night stay.
Day 2 - Mull
is an early start crossing on the ferry to Mull and enjoying an island adventure exploring her dramatic coastlines and wild beauty, before taking the small ferry to the peace and tranquillity of Iona - birthplace of Celtic Christianity and ancient burial ground of Scottish Kings. Here you can visit the historic abbey with its intricate carved crosses in the churchyard or explore the rocky headlands and sandy coves of this island gem. There is also an opportunity to take a small boat out to the island of Staffa and view the dramatic basalt columns immortalised by Mendelssohn in his Hebridean Overture "Fingal's Cave". You then return on the ferry to Oban for your second night.
Day 3 - Oban to Skye
takes you north along the west coast around Appin, passing the impregnable Castle Stalker, and Glencoe, scene of the infamous massacre of the Clan Macdonald in 1692. You then pass through Fort William nestling in the shadow of Ben Nevis which at 1344 meters is the highest mountain in the British Isles. We continue through the Great Glen a natural fault in the earth’s crust that runs through Scotland and on through Ireland. From here you travel north to the picturesque fishing village of Plockton. You are then dropped off at your accommodation in the early evening.
Day 4 - On Skye
This is a very flexible day on Skye. There are many possibilities depending on the weather and your driver/guide will use his/her local knowledge to decide on the best day out for the group. For example: heading west towards the 13th century home of the Clan Macleod - Dunvegan Castle, the emerald green valley of Glendale or the dramatic sea-cliffs and lonely lighthouse at Neist Point. In the afternoon the tour may concentrate on the south of the island. Spend time heading down to Elgol for seascapes and views of the Cuillin, or Talisker and its beautiful bay or perhaps Glenbrittle and its famed waterfalls. We return you to your accommodation in Plockton in the late afternoon for you to enjoy a free evening in the village.
Day 5
You will be collected from your accommodation for the short drive to the famous stronghold of Eilean Donan Castle, used in the film "Highlander", set at the junction of 3 lochs as protection against Viking raiders. Then you travel east taking in the stunning views over Loch Duich and the 5 Sisters of Kintail. Continue on to Loch Ness for lunch and the possibility of spotting "Nessie". Heading south now through the Grampian mountains along Loch Laggan, made famous now as "Monarch of the Glen Country" before passing Dalwhinnie, home to Scotland's highest whisky Distillery, and onwards into Perthshire where we stop for refreshments before heading back to Edinburgh past Perth and over the Forth Road Bridge.
Arriving at approx. 19.00
Highland Heaven
My husband and I did the Isle of Mull, Iona and Skye Highland tour. Our guide Suu Caledonia was magnificent. She is a fantastic driver and got us out of some tight spots on the one lane roads. Her storytelling is amazing. We felt like we were transported to the highlands. We were amazed with not just the facts and dates she knew but how she presented it.
The tour is very well organized and does a great job of showing off the Highlands. The mini bus (16 people) makes it easier to get people in and out and we can stop at places that big buses can't. The hotels and B&Bs they pick and restaurants they recommend were all excellent. We especially loved the town of Plockton for our two night stay on the way to Skye. Our favourite island to visit was Iona as we enjoyed the walk up to the top of a large hill and could see the entire island. I enjoyed seafood for almost every meal and all of the B&B's we stayed in provided hearty and yummy breakfasts.
Matt Exccellent
My wife and I just did a 5 day tour of Iona, Mull, Skye. Our guide Matt was incredible. He kept the group entertained with stories, music, and history and made sure that no one ever felt left out no matter what kind of places we visited. We cannot thank him enough for the experience he gave us and we consider him a friend not just a guide.
Iona Mull & Skye
Where do I start....First - this was a GREAT tour. Met Some wonderful people - only 12 of us. Jamie (guide) was THE BEST! Story after story so you really felt Scotland's history and if you listened, you might hear the smashing of swords as the Clans clashed and crashed together! We were also joined by Grant (in training?) for the first 3 days. Such a happy, silly, enthusiastic and energetic man. We missed him when he had to leave!
It is also evident that Jamie's love for his country directs his enthusiasm in wanting YOU to feel the uniqueness of this country and see all the special little spots that otherwise, you may never have! And...it is beautiful. The highlands are breathtaking. Mull is soooo peaceful and beautiful. Staffa with it's little puffins (did we see a puffling?) and rock formation - beautiful. I want to talk about the beauty of the country, the open fields and tall mountains, the broken castles and the renewed ones, the Glen's, rocks, trails, sheep, birds, flowers, etc, because I KNOW we would have missed so much of this if we HADN'T taken the tour.
The accommodations and those who run them were terrific - hand picked. Jamie was honest and would offer us choice for eateries, etc. Amazingly, Jamie also knows where almost EVERY bathroom is in Scotland! Seems a bit preoccupied with that knowledge...... And his driving skills! Again, the best! We would not have ever been able to maneuver around this country the way Jamie can! Mind you, we all had to tighten our tummy's a few times (Jamie's request). He is also very courteous to the livestock on the roads....of which there were plenty. Seriously, not ONCE did we feel uncomfortable on any road/valley/high mountain trail, etc. He's a terrific driver!
We had plenty of time to explore and hike about. On our tour we were also fortunate to have a gentleman in his late 80's, born and raised in Scotland who had been a great hiker and climber. He also passed his knowledge on to us. Jamie and Grant treated him with utmost respect and were genuinely glad to have him on board as were we.
I can't say enough positive comments about this tour. My only regret is that we hadn't booked a longer tour. We had to part ways with our new 'family' on day 5 as they continued on to the Orkney's. It will just mean that we will have to return! Thank you again for this wonderful adventure and miss you already!
Ion & SKye with Doug
Our Tour Guide, Doug was "brilliant!" Not only was he knowledgeable of the history and areas visited, but had great stories that really enriched the experience beyond our expectations! He is a true professional who really cares about each guest individually and went out of his way to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves.
This tour covered a great deal of beautiful Scottish scenery, history and culture without feeling rushed. The B&B accomodations were great...Especiallyin Plockton. The Innkeepers were very friendly and helped enrich the small Scottish town experience.
We are not big on bus tours, but this small group tour was far better than anything we expected.
Fantastic 5 Days
The itinerary was well designed to give us a wonderful taste of Scottish Highland scenery, History and hospitality, Our guide Ross went all to give us information and happy to adjust where possible to accommodate requests. The B&B ensuite accommodations were comfortable and great experiences. The only downside of the trip was the long travel times especially to Isle of Skye which I realize is unavoidable. And my inability to understand the strong Scottish accent quite a lot of the times. Otherwise it was a great trip.
5 Days
This is the first time I've felt compelled to write a review, and since I read most of these before booking my trip from the USA, I hope it will help. This tour was amazing! Our tour guide Jamie was accommodating, funny, and truly tried to connect with each of us, and make sure we all were able to see what was most important to us. His stories gave us all the background of the history to each place we drove by, and he coordinated his music to go with each place! Very clever! We truly lucked out by having wonderful people on the tour, and we quickly felt like a team in all we did, which made the experience that much more memorable. If you are able to take the wooden boat over to see the Puffins from Iona...do it! That was a once in a lifetime experience as they flew up to the cliff we were on to find their nests. The frequent stops to use bathrooms, walk around castles, and get coffee and snacks was a lifesaver for me due to a bad back, so it broke the driving up nicely. The only suggestion is in Portree if you want a double bed make sure you specify or you might end up with two twins as we did! We asked for a hotel in town, and glad we did so we walked around very easily late into the night. Would highly recommend it! Looking forward to one day coming back with our kids.
Inclusions
- Accommodation in B&B accommodation with option to upgrade to Hotel
- Transportation by top of the range 16 seat Mercedes minicoaches for a more personal service.
- Forced air ventilation as standard.
- Services of a professional Rabbie's driver/guide
- All ferry and bridge crossings except optional sea trip to Staffa.
Unless otherwise notified passengers are restricted to one medium sized suitcase/bag (maximum 15 kilos) and one carry-on bag per person.
Exclusions
Meals and snacks.
Entrance fees.
The Little Details
- Minimum Age: Age 5+
- Min Age: 5 years
- Tour Vehicle Type: Mini Coach
- Months of Operation: April, May, June, July, August, September, October
- Duration of Tour: 5 days
- Departure Point: Edinburgh
- Departure Point: Edinburgh Bus Station, St Andrew's Square, Edinburgh EH1 3DX
- Departure Time: 09.00
- Expected return Time: 19:00 approx (day 5)
- Duration of Tour: 5 days
Rates & Dates
Adult Prices: £535 to £560
Child Prices: £428 to £448
Discounts apply to Children between 5 and 16.
We regret we do not carry children under 5 years.
Departure Dates
- Mondays (28th March to 24th October),
- Wednesdays (4th May - 28th September)
- Saturdays (28th May - 10th September)
Booking Notes
Tour Essentials
Because we believe in time off the bus and give you opportunities to take nature walks we recommend you bring suitable clothing and footwear for your tour. Scotland can be a wet place!!
Some Places We Will Visit
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Loch Lomond
Britain's largest inland waterway, measuring 22 miles long and at certain points up to five miles wide, is Scotland's most famous (uninhabited!) loch, thanks to the Jacobite ballad about its "bonnie banks".
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Perth
The heritage of Perth is easy to trace owing to the number of interesting historical sites within walking distance of each other.
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Isle of Iona
Iona is a small island - barely three miles long and a little over a mile wide - but its importance to Christianity is out of all proportion to its size.
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West Coast of Mull & Dervaig
Guide to Mull's West Coast including Staffa, Dervaig, Calgary Bay and the Treshnish Isles.
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Isle of Mull
The island of Mull is the third largest of the Hebridean islands and, after Skye, the most popular. Everyone has their own favourite island, but Mull has enough going for it to appeal to most tastes: spectacular mountain scenery; 300 miles of wild coastline; castles; wildlife; a narrow-gauge railway; some of the best fishing in Scotland; and some of the prettiest little villages; all in an area roughly 24 miles from north to south and 26 miles from east to west. It's worth spending time on Mull to fully appreciate its pleasures and to take advantage of the great hospitality of an island where people don't even have to lock their doors at night.
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Fort William
Fort William is the gateway to the Western Highlands and one of the country's main tourist centres. It stands at the head of Loch Linnhe, with the snow-topped mass of Ben Nevis towering behind.
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Glencoe
Dramatic landscape with a dramatic history. Few who visit the glen are unmoved by its majesty and power.
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Inveraray
Inveraray is the classic 18th-century planned town (don't call it a village), with its straight wide streets and dignified Georgian houses, and enjoys the most stunning of settings, on the shores of Loch Fyne.
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Plockton
If there were a poll taken of visitors' favourite Highland villages then you can bet your bottom dollar that Plockton would come top with most folk. If you look for a definition of picturesque in your dictionary, it'll say "see Plockton". Well, maybe not - but it should.
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Loch Ness
Loch Ness is world famous for the wrong reasons: the mythical watery monster than has been subject to repeated scientific investigations without success. Its fame ignores the real attractions of this huge lake framed by mountains and castles that cuts the highlands in two.
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Dunkeld
Quick travel guide on Dunkeld in Perthshire offers information travellers needed to know on Dunkeld, which includes tourist information about Dunkeld and Birnam, attractions and Self- Catering Cottages in Dunkeld.
Castle Visited
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Eilean Donan Castle
One of the world's quintessential castles: Eilean Donan is familiar from films and stunning in its romantic location. Open daily.
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Dunvegan Castle
The Clan MacLeod has had its family seat at Dunvegan Castle since about the 12th century. It remains the seat of the Clan and a castle well worth visiting for its history and excellent state of repair
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