Loch Ness & Glencoe Tour from Edinburgh: Scottish Highlands

Stories, silence and wild hills on the road to Loch Ness

A full-day guided tour from Edinburgh through Loch Ness, Glencoe, Pitlochry and the Cairngorms National Park, with an experienced driver-guide providing live commentary on Highland history and landscape. The tour runs in three versions — you choose whether to add an optional boat cruise on Loch Ness, a distillery visit at Deanston, or a shorter cruise combined with Urquhart Castle — and tickets for those activities are purchased during the tour if you decide to join them. Children from age 7 are welcome; the distillery option requires age 8 for the tour itself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Loch Ness and Scottish Highlands tour

• Start at Callander or Deanston Distillery
• Optional whisky distillery tour and tasting
• Drive through Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park
• Pass Fort William and Ben Nevis
• Visit Glencoe and hear massacre story
• Stop at Loch Ness: cruise or explore Fort Augustus
• Photo stop at Commando Memorial
• Travel through Cairngorm National Park
• Stop and walk in Pitlochry town
• Return to Edinburgh, view Forth Bridge
• Drop off in Edinburgh city centre

The Experience

The coach leaves Edinburgh's city centre in the morning and heads north through Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, where the driver recounts the bloodthirsty stories of Highland Clans and Rob Roy MacGregor as the bus winds through remote glens. You pass Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the British Isles, then stop at Glencoe — the site of one of Scotland's most shocking 17th-century massacres. The guide walks you through the betrayal that unfolded in what locals call the weeping valley, and the landscape itself becomes part of the story: the hills are silent, the slopes steep, and the beauty inseparable from the sorrow.

The route then takes you to Loch Ness, where your experience splits depending on which version you booked. If you chose the Boat Cruise option, you arrive in Fort Augustus on the southern shore and can take a one-hour cruise on the loch (tickets sold on the day). Those on the Distillery version stop at Deanston instead of Callander at the start of the tour — a former cotton mill on the River Teith where you can join an optional guided tour through the whisky-making process and taste their single malts with an expert. The Castle & Cruise version runs the route in reverse and includes a shorter cruise combined with a visit to Urquhart Castle's ruins on the north bank. Whichever path you take, you have time to explore the village, the Caledonian Canal, or the surrounding countryside.

Heading south, you stop at the Commando Memorial — a statue of Britain's Special Forces overlooking the Nevis range, and one of the tour's best photo stops. The final stretch passes through Cairngorms National Park, where red squirrels, golden eagles, and osprey inhabit the landscape, before a stop in Pitlochry, a town nestled below Ben Vrackie in Highland Perthshire. On the return to Edinburgh, you cross the Forth Bridge, a 19th-century engineering marvel and UNESCO World Heritage Site, before arriving in the city centre around 8:30 PM. The tour includes all taxes and fees, an air-conditioned coach, and regular comfort breaks; bring a packed lunch or buy food at the stops to avoid queuing.

What’s included

• All taxes, fees and handling charges.
• air-conditioned coach.
• experienced driver-guide providing live commentary and storytelling throughout the day.
• regular comfort breaks at designated stops.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by The Hairy Coo

Is this one for you?Book the Boat Cruise version if you want to decide about the boat on arrival; the Distillery version if whisky is your focus and you prefer starting from Deanston; the Castle & Cruise version if you'd rather explore Urquhart Castle ruins with a shorter boat ride.

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Top questions

What's the difference between the three tour versions?

The Boat Cruise version stops in Fort Augustus where you can take an optional one-hour cruise on Loch Ness (tickets £22 adults, £15 children, bought on the day). The Distillery version begins at Deanston Distillery instead of Callander and includes an optional guided tour and tasting (£19.50 adults, £6 children). The Castle & Cruise version runs the route in reverse and offers an optional shorter cruise combined with entry to Urquhart Castle (£32 adults, £23 children). All three versions visit Glencoe, Pitlochry, and the Cairngorms.

How much time do we actually spend on the bus versus at stops?

A large portion of the twelve-and-a-half-hour tour is spent on the coach, allowing you to take in the Highland views and scenery as the driver provides live commentary. The itinerary includes stops at Glencoe, Fort Augustus or Urquhart Castle (depending on your version), the Commando Memorial, and Pitlochry, plus regular comfort breaks throughout the day.

Can children go on this tour?

Children from age 7 are welcome on all versions of the tour. If you book the Distillery version, children must be at least 8 years old to join the optional distillery tour itself, though they can stay on the coach or explore Fort Augustus instead. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and photo ID such as a passport may be required.

What's included in the tour price?

The tour includes all taxes and fees, an air-conditioned coach, an experienced driver-guide with live commentary throughout the day, and regular comfort breaks. Food and drinks are not included, but there are stops where you can purchase refreshments, and you're welcome to bring a packed lunch or snacks to avoid queuing.

Is there a toilet on the coach?

There are no toilets onboard the coaches, which is why the tour includes regular comfort stops throughout the day where you can use facilities and stretch your legs.

What should I bring for Scottish weather?

Scottish weather is unpredictable, so bring suitable clothing and footwear — layers work well since conditions can change quickly in the Highlands. A camera is also recommended, especially for the Commando Memorial stop, which offers views of Ben Nevis and is one of the tour's best photo opportunities.