Stirling Castle,Trossachs National and Loch Lomond Day Tour from Edinburgh

Amazing tour

My friend and I went on the trip to Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle with our excellent guide Martin. It was a very fun day with a lot of things to see. Especially Stirling Castle was very nice. Martin guided and drove us very well and we got to chat with him a bit during the stops as well. He is full of stories and facts about the places we drove through and Telos his tales with a lot of humour as well which is always good :) We were very lucky with the weather as well. Bedankt Martin, for the great day!

Lovely!

Part of our trop to Edinburgh was a bus tour into the countryside and we partly decided to go with Haggis Adventures, because their office was about 20 steps from our High Street Hostel. We're very happy that we did, 'cause we had a great time! Our tour guide Martin was a lovely man, who really took care of his passengers. We saw all the nice spots and enjoyed the Scottish music as well. Oh and being Dutch we enjoyed the extra legroom in the back of the coach :) Thanks!

Amazing way to see Scotland in a day

We're glad we chose this day trip option as it allowed ample time to visit Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond and the Kelpies without very long drive times between stops. The crew (Paul the driver and Laura and Chris as trainees) were all professional, competent and incredibly friendly. They regailed is with fun facts and stories throughout the drive and at each of the stops. They were also very attentive and helpful making sure we were all comfortable and offering to help take photos to remember our day out. The bus was clean and comfortable. We'd definitely choose them again.

A Bangin' Daylong Jaunt Into the Scottish Countryside

Sophie was amazin'! She got us threaded through the nasty Edinburgh traffic, all the while giving us interesting and funny anecdotes. The Kelpies were truly weird - they have to be experienced up close and personal. Loch Lomond is everything the sentimental song says it is. I get misty just thinking back on it. Finally, Stirling Castle. What can you say? It's big, it's ornate, it's made from lots of rocks. Absolutely breathtaking. Better than Edinburgh Castle, even. A fantastic time at a great price!

Loch Ness & Stirling Castle

We took a total of two tours (Loch Ness & Stirling Castle) the week we were in Edinburgh and our tour guide, Dusty, was awesome. We loved his stories and tales of history during both trips. Overall we couldn’t ask for a better trip or tour guide to show us some of Scotland’s most beautiful spots. Thank you for the memories!!

A Beautiful Day Trip

I did this tour solo in July. Allie P. was a fantastic tour guide and driver. She was very knowledgeable and had a great road trip play list. We were lucky to have beautiful weather, and a polite, friendly group in the coach. The amounts of times at the stops were appropriate, and you especially had enough time to see Stirling Castle as well as the town of Stirling. Loch Lomond was stunning. You had enough time for a very short hike that gave you a taste of what it would be like to come back and spend a whole day. All in all, the tour was well worth the money, and I had a lovely day.

Good day out. Good value

Cold bus for first leg til ac turned off. Otherwise good trip. Kelpies v good. Loch Lomond needs a spot with better views. Stirling castle interesting but heavily renovated with little original/contemporary furnishings. Guide Dusty was great. Good chat throughout. Very knowledgeable

Poorly qualified guide. Great sights.

The tour lacked information and storytelling. It basically consisted in a drive around sights with the final destination being Stirling castle. No tour or basic context of the history of the castle or village was provided. The tour was booked with two audio guides in Spanish. Unfortunately the agency does not provide any guidance on how to use them or even how to follow the tour guide through the trip and understand the meaning and story behind the sights. On one of the stops, the tour guide was going to guide us through a “walk”. It was a trekking path, he provided no information on the conditions of the road so we could assess our ability and left us in the middle of the path with little explanation on how to get to the final destination. Overall, a poor service an border line irresponsable. I do believe that the tour guide makes all the difference, I booked a tour with the same company the day before and the guide was excellent. I hope they can improve the service.

Beautiful tour

I don’t usually take tours, and went on this one largely because I wanted to see Stirling Castle and did not feel like messing with the train to Stirling. The tour exceeded my expectations. It was about 8 1/2 hours total, of which roughly 5 or 5 1/2 were spent on three stops. The Kelpies were much more dynamic and impressive than I expected. The Loch Lomond stop included time to do a mile long loop with beautiful views of the lake. The stop at Stirling Castle was the longest and gave plenty of time to see the castle, take in views of the mountains and Bannockburn battlefield, eat a bit of lunch and see the Holy Rude, a late medieval church and cemetery beside the castle. The tour was well worth the time and money.

Tour Misrepresented

Tour was misrepresented as it said we would have an hour to shop in Stirling. That would only occur if you walked 15 min all the way back down the hill to the town and all the way back up to the castle as that is where the bus stayed. Tour company should not write you have that option and make it look like it is a stop on the tour. That is why I had taken this particular tour as there are many companies doing the same one. Driver/guide was very good.

Very good

Very good and the tour guide was explaining things well Wish it was longer l, cheaper and if it includes the fees for the castle

Stirling and the Trossachs

Your guide was an absolute treasure. Loved her stories and loved her personality. Patient with all, knowledgeable, friendly and just lovely!

Would recommend

I had a one day tour with Haggis Adventures and liked it a lot. The only reason I rated it 4 and not 5 was that our driver/guide made some mistakes while telling us history of Scotland and Mary Queen of Scots. All other stuff was great. Make sure to wear comfortable clothes and shoes if you plan on hiking near Loch Lomond.

Day Trip from Edinburgh

We had a great day on our tour with Connor as our driver. He was knowledgeable, funny and a great story teller. We had a hiccough early in the day that he shook off and kept our tour on schedule for the day without missing any stops. Would recommend. We also enjoyed his playlist during downtime from his narrations.

Easy and fun one day bus tour

Louise was a wonderful guide! Friendly and informative and made our day trip a lovely experience. This trip was a perfect blend of outdoor beauty and historical within the castle.

Smart tour company that hired Conor!

Connor, our creative guide, made the perfect day out for us. He shared the most beautiful scenery in the heart of Scotland. We enjoyed his knowledge and humor.

Outstanding scenery and fabulous guide.

Took the tour Sunday 3rd July 2022. Connor was both the tour guide and driver on the tour which was just fabulous! Very fortunate indeed. From introducing himself prior to leaving to dropping us back, Connor was generous in shared history, stories and tales of all we were passing on the drive and more. He made the journey enjoyable and entertaining with his gentlemanly but humorless Scottish manner. His knowledge too was appreciated by all. The other aspect I couldn't help but notice was the fact that he cleaned the bus handles at each stop. The scenery on this trip was truly exceptional with time at each stop. Plenty of time to enjoy the Stirling Castle, and the surroundings. Well worth the trip. My hubby couldn't make this tour but I wouldn't hesitate taking the trip again as long as ww have Connor as the tour guide! Take your camera on this trip as the views of both the highlands and lowlands are vast, beautiful and outstanding. Liz Wilson Australia

Not worth the money!

Some parts were ok but others misleading. You will not be seeing highland cows as per picture on website. The tour guides were more interested in talking with themselves than giving us facts.

A perfect day trip and guide

We had a fantastic day trip with Callum, who was kind enough to guide us and reply to our questions. All the social distancing and hygiene measures have been respected during our trip which made us feel really comfortable and reassured.

Highly Recommended

Had a lovely experience with this tour as the locations and time to spend in each of them was appropriate, with no rush. Callum was a great guide: helpful, funny and a great story-teller that definitely contributed to make the excursion a great one. Highly recommended!

Amazing day trip from Edinburgh to Loch-ness with Calum

Amazing Scotland history and culture sharing from Calum throughout the whole journey from Edinburgh to Loch-ness. Super friendly and keep us entertained all the time :) Superb service and I would definitely come back next time to join a tour with Calum. Thank you for making this trip a memorable one.

Wonderful trip, left me with a hunger to discover more of this beautiful country

Wonderful trip, left me with a hunger to discover more of this beautiful country. We actually did this trip in 2010. but i was asked for a review for the first time today and now im on a roll! This is one of the best holidays i ever had! Our guide and driver were great fun and very knowledgeable. I would love to go again!

This is becoming a tradition!

The first time I came to Scotland, about a quarter century ago, I hopped on a Haggis tour bus for the three day trip to Skye. A few year later I came back with a freind and did it again! This time, it's a short visit, so I just did a one day tour. Great times! Such a good way to meet other travelers as well! Our guide, Rich was amazing. Knowledgeable and friendly, and quite capable. There was a road closure on our route, bit he was unfazed! Adapted and overcame, it was a great trip into the Trossachs, and a great way to experience Sterling! Thanks!

Great trip!

We had a lovely day trip with Callum. The Kelpies were amazing, Loch Lomond was beautiful, and walking around Stirling Castle was fascinating. Definitely recommend.

Great Tour!

Calum was a great tour guide! He kept things entertaining. I would love to do another tour with him when I come back to Scotland.

Amazing Day, Fantastic Guide

Calum was knowledgeable, entertaining and a really good driver. He told a lot of good stories about the history of Scotland. We enjoyed Stirling Castle the most, but the whole tour was enjoyable. Well worth the trip.

Amazing tour guide

I went on four tours in the U.K. and this was the best. Tour guide Scot sang to us, talked about Scottish culture and humour, regaled us with stories and legends, and pointed out sites along the way. There was plenty of time at all the stops. However, if you are doing Stirling Castle, which I recommend, then there really isn’t time for the town as well.

Loch Ness, etc

This tour, with the driver Charlie, is going to get better and better over time. He's a skillful driver and his firsthand connection to the Highlands lent a valuable element to the experience. He included a handselected playlist which was great- in fact, I shazammed almost every song I didn't already know to download later, and one of the artists is his brother. So why the 3 rating? I would guess Charlie is pretty new to this work. He forgot to announce some points of interest, announced others well past the point, and prepared us for another that he realized was actually on a different street. Often he would alert us to the point of interest ahead and encourage us to take a photo, which we had difficulty doing as he didn't slow down or even take his foot off the gas to accommodate a shot. The tour itself is a long one with plenty of windshield time getting from one stop to the next. It could probably support another stop or two for photos. It was worth it for us. The landscape was incredible, we enjoyed the boat ride, and had several laughs with Charlie. In the end, it wasn't a great value for the money and we're still mourning some great shots we missed due to driver error- but we're still glad we went. Great day overall.

Loved the tour to Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle

We loved the tour we did. We got to see part of Loch Lomond and went for a short hike recommended by our driver and tour guide Calum. So happy he did, because the views were wonderful! The driver had quite some knowledge and some laughs and wits up his sleeve. Stirling Castle was very much worth the visit as well! And we had a pretty sunny day too!

Amazing!

While in Scotland we took three tours thru Haggis! Loch’s,Kelpies, and Stirling with Murray then we did the Outlander tour with Gill and then finished it out with Loch Ness and the Highlands with Joan! We loved every tour and each guide was amazing! Shout out to Caroline the other tour bus guide she was amazing and friendly!

What a Fantastic Tour!

My family went in this tour today with Calim as our guide. He was sensational! He drove the bus, narrated numerous historical stories of Scotland and was a pleasure of a tour guide. We learned more today than previous tours and highly recommend that you take this tour. Be sure to get the extra castle tickets too. Wonderful views. Eric Kirk

Wonderful Kelpies

Great guide and driver. A lot of fun. Many tips on what to do in Edinburgh. Nice wiew on the tour. Loved Stirling Castle and it’s history

Great day trip

Recently did day trip with Haggis Adventures and Duncan our tour leader/driver made the journey informative, interesting and most of all fun, highly recommend!

interesting

the courier (sorry I can`t remember his name) was first class, very informative and knowledgeable the trip itself was excelent

Wonderful!

Did not feel touristy or gimmicky at all thanks to Joe! He's less like a cheesy tour guide and more like an uncle who is passionate about history and Scottish stories. He was as interested in seeing the sights as we were and always went exploring with us and showed us where the best places were instead of waiting on the bus. He even added in a few extra stops because the traffic caused us to be ahead of schedule. Even offered to drop us at our hotels! Lots of stories and so much knowledge. Thank you Joe!!

Drive in countryside

Enjoyed this day trip despite intermittent rain. Guide Mike and driver Charlie worked with the route to Include some extra sites and views. Good summaries of key historical people and events and geography

What a beautiful day at Trossachs and Loch Lomond

My husband went to play golf at St. Andrews and I took this day tour to Loch Lomond. Out driver guide was Mark. A nicer guy you will never find. He was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of information and history. Stirling Castle was great. The amount of history in that area is amazing. Mark also corrected the movie "Braveheart" and the inaccuracies of the film. I was always disappointed that Robert the Bruce betrayed William Wallace. But I was glad to find out from Mark that this never happened. He told us that these two men had never met. And that the movie was simply using creative liberties. I now respect for Robert the Bruce I did not have before. Our drive into the Scottish National Park of Trossachs was so nice. Mark talked about the area and Robert Roy MacGregor. A red squirrel ran out in front of the bus and continued to run out in front of it. Mark slowed down and told us all about the red squirrel and that they are endangered. It made seeing this little critter special. When we reached Loch Lomond the weather was prefect at about 74 and clear sunny skies. There is a 1 hour tour of the loch but I didn't take it. I wanted to walk in the water. Once we reached our stopping point we had 45 minutes to see the little village of Luss. I was able to take off my shoes and walk on the beach. It was absolutly beautiful. When we all got back on the bus Mark played the song "Banks of Loch Lomond" and explained to us the meaning of the song. On the way back to Edinburgh we passed the Kelpies for the second time. Mark slowed down and gave us time for pictures. Over all it was a wonderful day trip. As a driver guide myself in the US, I can appreciate Mark's enthusiasm. Thank you Mark for a wonderful day in the Scottish Highlands.

Great time, but lots of room for improvement

Our bus driver, Douggie (?) was exceptional and did everything he could to make sure we had a great time. If I was rating him alone, it would be 5 stars for his charming stories and genuine desire to try and make it a great day for us. The original driver didn’t show up so the tour started an hour late. I really wish they had tried to contact us in advance, as we rushed to get there in the morning. They offered to buy us all coffee while we waited, which was a nice gesture, but still. The official guide was new and clearly relied on Douggie to handle almost everything. She did have some facts to share but wasn’t terribly engaged. Douggie was the one explaining the day and trying to make sure we were all taken care of. She could use more training. It was an unusually nice day which meant the bus was hot (no AC, no way to open windows). Douggie went and got us all water at one point - it really was uncomfortable and we were in the bus for hours. The tour includes info in advance of arrival, but they don’t tour you around the sites. It’s also up to you to figure out your own lunch. And entry to the castle is extra (not sure what you would do if you didn’t go inside - there isn’t much else around) This tour does not normally include any highland cows, but several of us asked so Douggie went out of his way and made a stop at a roadside shop where you could feed some, which was a real treat. (And nice to break up the hot bus ride) All in all, we had a good time, mainly due to Douggie’s enthusiasm and colourful stories. I do think it could be better organized.

A memorable experience

The tour started with a very warm welcome from our tour guide, Graham and he explained to us what our day will be like. Throughout the journey, he told us many stories about Scotland that were really interesting and he added his own personal experience to it. In terms of the sights, it was well worth the price as we had a train to catch and we could not do a 12-hour tour. However, even for a shorter tour, we had a blast, the sights were amazing. The locations specified in the tour is correct and everyone got a chance to see it. Even if you don't want to pay the entrance fees, there is always the alternative of going into town or visiting a beautiful church. I recommend getting the explorer pass as it covers most of the famous attraction sites listed in most of the tours.

Kelpies, Lochs and the reality behind Braveheart

As I had such a blast last year going on a day trip all the way up to Loch Ness with Haggis Adventures, me and my friends figured we couldn't go with anyone else but with their company. The tour was very different to the one last year, as we spend much more time outside the bus and exploring the beauty of Scotland. Our first stop were the Kelpie Statues in Falkirk where we could see the stunning architecture up close. Further on we drove through Trossachs National Park all the way to Loch Lomond where we also had the possibility to walk for quite a while on the shore or up in the woods. On the way back to our (official) last stop of the tour we had a short lunch break in a small town called Callander and also - which was my personal highlight - got to see some Highland Cattles up close (we also have them in Austria, but it's so much cooler seeing them in Scotland). In Stirling we had plenty of time to walk around the castle (a must see was the Great Hall where they had thrones to sit on - as an acting student it almost felt like I was Lady Macbeth which was pretty cool ;-)) and enjoyed a wonderful view of the landscape. On the way back to Edinburgh we stopped in South Queensferry to take a few pictures of the three famous bridges over the Firth of Forth. What made tour even funnier and more interesting was our fantastic tourguide Graham. He had many stories to tell (some of them I already knew, but his way of telling the stories made it feel like hearing them all over again in a very refreshing new way), gave us a taste of scottish traditional and modern music and even cracked a few jokes (still laughing about Bob and his love for tractors). When listening to him, you could really tell how much he loves his country and how he enjoys telling others about it and Graham made the trip really worth the money. I am already planning to come back this or next year for a five day trip and am looking forward to see more of this beautiful, beautiful country. Cheers, Rebecca (So this review is long overdue as we visited Edinburgh in early April but I destroyed my laptop which is why I am writing it now...)

Nice Trip!

A nice trip for a few ours away from the crowded city. We had the worst weather possible with snow and rain, but the best tour guide this wold has to offer, Graham, really made up for that. Stirling castle is beautiful and worth a visit!

Crispy!!

This tour was amazing,I felt like I got to really see Scotland, not just the cities! Chris P was an amazing tour guide and I can't believe he was the driver and the guide! Getting the guy to play bagpipes before the dance the last night was the cherry on top of the whole week. The only thing is I could've done 7 days not 5 to have a little more time in the places we stay, but either way we did so much and it was an amazing trip that I'm gonna make my sis go on while she is abroad lol!

Good but...

The tour with Duncan was good but abit disappointed as alot of the stories were repeated from the whisky tour i had done from the previous day. Esp the beggining of tour as we left edinburgh and approached sterling. Would of loved new stories. Imagine scotland/edinburgh has more stories one could tell? I found we spend too much time at kelpies. Could skip and just drive by. Loch Lomond was stunning. Could of done with more personel recommendations at Sterling. Found we were too rushed at castle/sterling. Overall good but dissapointing...

1 day tour with Duncan

We had a great time exploring the lake Lomond, the Stirling Catle and the Kellpies and our guide Duncan contributed to that very much so! He was fun, knowledgeable and helpful. He left us plenty of time to visit each attraction and he made our bus journey interesting and fun while telling us all about history and letting us listen some traditional songs! Highly recommended tour! We will return next time for more Highland tours.. Theodora

Travelled with tourguide Rich, who...

<p>Travelled with tourguide Rich, who was very professional and interesting, the company seems very well organized, instructions were clear, meeting point was easy to find as they have an office on the Royal Mile. Tourguide was entertaining and gave a lot of practical, historical and anecdotal informations to help follow through the busy schedule of the day, and give tips on what to do/ where to eat in Edinburgh once the tour was over.</p> <p>I personally wish there would have been more time at the Trossachs' National park, even if that meant making it a longer tour, as I understand the Stirling visit cannot be shortened really. I did a few tours on my trip and visited several castles so my advice may not apply if this is the only one you will see, however I loved the castle's visit, and would recommend the guided tour try to catch the earliest you can get!, I would recommend this castle mostly if you are visiting with kids, the castle has mostly restored areas that are very interactive you can sit in the chairs, touch the curtains, etc. So not so much for seeing actual objects preserved from the past, but EXCELLENT for kids and adults too no worries, but I'm sure the city also has a lot to offer if you prefer to save on the castle visit's ticket. The Kelpies were also very impressive and we had great weather to make it even better. I do recommend this tour, and the company for their fun and professionalism!</p>

Wonderful day trip!!!

Just returned from Scotland and had a wonderful day trip to Stirling Castle, Trossachs National and Loch Lomond. Left from downtown Edinburgh for a fantastic day castles, lakes and beautiful countryside!! Jamie our tour guide did an amazing job of sharing the history of these areas. Would highly recommend this tour and ask for Jamie as your guide!!! Happy Travels Lynn and Brian

Wonderful day tour!! Jamie our guide...

<p>Wonderful day tour!! Jamie our guide was amazing. So many wonderful sights seen.</p>

Wow, what a great place to visit...

<p>Wow, what a great place to visit, hight recommend, a lot of history in a beautiful setting</p>

Prima volta in Scozia (e nemmeno l'ultima)

Guida gentilissima ed esaustiva, tour veramente interessante ed i posti sono incredibili! Veramente niente da eccepire! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

An unforgettable trip

What a great day. We enjoyed the Kelpies, Loch Lomond and Stieling Castle. With the bonus of the 3 bridges that connect the Highlands and the Lowlands. Our guide Jim had fantastic stories and made it full of humor and entertainment. Lori our female driver also contributed. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to see some of the beautiful surroundings in addition to Edinburgh.