Itinerary
Day 1: Edinburgh - Inverness
Pass By: Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highlands, Scotland
Leave Edinburgh and head west past Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. You pass Doune Castle before stopping in the small town of Callander for a refreshment. After crossing the Fault Line into the magnificent Highlands, you take in the splendour of Loch Lubnaig, Loch Earn, Glen Ogle, and Glen Dochart.
Stop At: Loch Ness, Scotland
You admire spectacular views and listen to a haunting story in Glencoe before you continue north up the Great Glen to the mysterious beauty of Loch Ness.
The loch is 23 miles long and you have plenty of time to try and spot the monster.
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Inverness.
Day 2: Inverness - John O' Groats - Orkney
Stop At: Dunrobin Castle and Gardens, Golspie KW10 6SF Scotland
Leaving behind the 'Capital of the Highlands', crossing over the Black Isle, and continuing past Dunrobin Castle.
From here, you drive along the northeast Highland coastline, travelling into some of Scotland's most dramatic scenery.
Short photo stop at Dunrobin Castle - please note the path leading to the front of the castle is quite steep, not suitable for everyone.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: John O' Groats, Airor KW1 4YR Scotland
This Highland village combines dramatic, unspoilt scenery and fascinating wildlife.
Just 11 miles from Dunnet Head, the mostly northerly point of mainland Britain, the small coastal village of John o’ Groats is the starting point for many embarking on the famous 'End to End' journey to Land's End in England, some 876 miles away.
Then to Gills Bay, where you board the ferry, and cross the Pentland Firth into the Orkney Archipelago.
Duration: 20 minutes
Pass By: Kirkwall, Kirkwall, Mainland, Orkney Islands, Scotland
It’s a short drive to the famous Italian Chapel where you stop for a visit before continuing to the Viking stronghold of Kirkwall, Capital of Orkney. Here you can visit Kirkwall's magnificent Viking Cathedral and enjoy its historic winding streets in the evening.
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Kirkwall.
Day 3: Full day touring around Orkneys
Stop At: Skara Brae B9056, Stromness KW16 3LR Scotland
Long before Stonehenge or even the Egyptian pyramids were built, Skara Brae was a thriving village. Step back 5,000 years in time to explore the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Ring of Brodgar, Brodgar B9055, Stromness KW16 3JZ Scotland
One of the finest stone circles in the world.
Dating back from 2,500 to 2,000 BC, the stone ring was built in a true circle, 104 metres wide and originally contained sixty megaliths; today only twenty-seven of these stones remain.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Maeshowe Chambered Cairn, Ireland Rd, Stenness KW16 3LB Scotland
You then travel onto Maeshowe, where in the 12th century the Vikings left one of the largest collections of Norse runic inscriptions.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Kirkwall.
Day 4: Kirkwall - St Margaret's Hope - Ullapool
Pass By: Kirkwall, Kirkwall, Mainland, Orkney Islands, Scotland
After a relaxed start, you leave Orkney and sail the Viking waters back to the mainland. From here, you travel the old road right across the very top of Scotland, driving past the stunning Ben Loyal and Ben Hope mountains, following the rocky cliffs and stunning golden sand beaches.
Stop At: Ardvreck Castle, A837 11 Mi East of Lochniver, Assynt Scotland
You then visit the far northwest Highlands and the wilderness of the mountains of Assynt before stopping to view the 15th-century ruins of Ardvreck Castle.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Ullapool, Ullapool, Scottish Highlands, Scotland
From here, you travel to Ullapool, situated at the mouth of Loch Broom, a beautiful whitewashed fishing village where you spend your last night's stay on tour.
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight in Ullapool.
Day 5: Ullapool - Edinburgh
Stop At: Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Culloden Moor IV2 5EU Scotland
Visit the powerfully moving site of the final Jacobite Rising – the last and most harrowing pitched battle to be fought on British soil.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Clava Cairns, Balnuaran of Clava, IV2 5EU Scotland
Take a short drive to the ancient standing stones at Clava Cairns, made famous by Diana Gabaldon in the ‘Outlander’ books.
Duration: 30 minutes
Pass By: Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highlands, Scotland
Travel through the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest, hugging the Cairngorm mountain range. You enjoy lunch in these beautiful surroundings before travelling through The Big Tree country of Perthshire, the Kingdom of Fife, and back to Edinburgh.
Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.
See Availability.
Bus Station, Edinburgh EH1 3AY, UK
08:30 AM
5 days(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Minimum age for travel on this tour is 5 years
Not wheelchair accessible
Please note: you will be required to choose between either a 3-star bed and breakfast or 3-star hotel at time of booking
Booking three or more people? We can accommodate up to 8 guests in a group, please add each required room to your basket separately
When booking three or more people, efforts will be made to book a combination of suitable rooms (double/twin/family). Preferences should be noted upon booking in the Special Requirements section
Near public transportation
Luggage Allowance: You're restricted to 20kg of luggage (44lbs); one medium sized suitcase/bag similar to airline standard carry-on luggage (approximately 55cm x 45cm x 25cm / 22in x 17in x 10in) plus a small bag for onboard personal items.
Skara Brae - We reserve tickets for you. Included in tour price.
Most travelers can participate
Maeshowe – We reserve tickets for you. Included in tour price.
Culloden - We reserve tickets for you. Included in tour price.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Posted By : HamishToronto
I enjoyed the small group. Our tour guide William Goodfellow was terrific. He was knowledgeable and entertaining. We visited amazing sites and had well informed on site tours
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-11
Posted By : keril515
In April 2024, I had the opportunity to embark on Rabbie’s 5-day tour of Orkney and Scotland’s Northern Coast and it was an experience that exceeded all expectations! Rabbie’s truly takes the stress out of travel by crafting a well thought out itinerary, booking lovely accommodations, and providing comfortable transport. From the moment we set off, our knowledgeable and personable tour guide, Jim Divine, immersed us in the rich history and beautiful landscapes of this region. I can’t thank Jim enough for making this such a wonderful adventure! He made every stop a memorable and educational experience. Jim played a crucial role in ensuring that our itinerary ran smoothly by establishing clear communication regarding start and departure times, meeting points, and the schedule for each day. This allowed us to cover a lot of ground while still having meaningful experiences at each location. I would highly recommend Rabbie’s to anyone! And I would most certainly recommend Jim Divine as a guide!
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Posted On : 2024-05-06
Posted By : N8034LWdonnam
Amazing 5 day tour to Orkney & NC500 with Martin, very professional, accommodating and knowledgeable. Made the tour special and went the extra mile to make sure everyone had and individual experience. To many good point to list here but my personal favourite was the visit to Skara Brae. The tour was cost effective and was impressed with the accommodation Rabbie's booked for me. Will definitely book other tours in the future. Thank you Martin.
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Posted On : 2024-04-04
Posted By : DishAndDelish
We took a 17 day trip to Scotland, Ireland and Isle of Man and choosing this 5 day trip was one of the best things we did. Rabbie's is extremely professional in all aspects. We joined our group in Edinburgh at a central bus location where other groups were joining other tours. (There is paid storage available at the bus depot of you don't want to lug everything on this tour). We met our tourmates (we were 13 people in a 16 passenger luxury Mercedes bus, very comfortable).
We met DONALD, our driver and he was simply the best! Donald asked us if we were all comfortable and we said yes. He said, no "are you comfortable" means "do you need to use the toilet?". From then on, Donald made sure we were always comfortable with frequent rest stops for the next 5 days.
Donald took us through Scotland with lots of insider stories, an exhilarating retelling of Mary, Queen of Scots story, and SO much knowledge! I mentioned to my husband that Donald knows "a lot about a lot". His career history lends itself to so much technical knowledge and we just learned the most interesting things. I realized on this tour how much I just don't know and how glad I was to learn what Donald shared.
Scotland was hit with massive storms on our trip. The tour had to adjust and missed some planned visits unfortunately. Rabbie's stepped up both times. On day one we were unable to drive up the planned way due to flooding and we instead drove up along the river Tay, which was bursting it's banks for the whole drive. (Fascinating to see, since we weren't driving!) Even though it wasn't the normal route north Donald still found us interesting places to visit and was still filled with stories.
Once in Orkney, strong winds (60 mph+) prevented the ferries from crossing and we were stranded there for an additional day. Donald stayed in our B&B (Hildeval and I HIGHLY recommend you request it when you book this tour, the host is a professional working chef (yummy breakfasts!) and the hostess is simply fantastic), so we overheard some of the planning. Rabbie's was so professional. They ensured we had another interesting day on Orkney, seeing things people usually don't have time to see. Donald even bought carrots and we got to feed them to Highland cows (Hairy Coos), which is what I wanted to see the most. We had three extra seats on our bus and Rabbie's arranged for three people from another of their tours to return with us so they could make their next tour on time, the ferry delay was going to cost them their second tour otherwise. So very professional and helpful.
Basically, I would do this tour again in a heartbeat. And since we fell in love with Scotland (a lot of that was due to the exceptional welcome to their beautiful country via this tour), we are planning a second trip and we are doing it with Rabbie's again.
*Note: during our trip we also took a Rabbie's Ireland tour. They're available in 4 countries.
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Posted On : 2023-10-29
Posted By : Cdn_Classic
Great driver/guide William G. Lots of history. We paid for extra tour attractions and its well worth it. B&B's were great as was the food. Orkey was amazing.
Thank you Rabbies!!
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Posted On : 2023-10-02
Posted By : GwenJPotter
The 5-day North Coast 500 and Orkney bus tour was totally amazing!
Our driver/tour guide, William, was very knowledgeable and friendly and a great driver. His stories from Scottish history, and his own upbringing, were really entertaining and very much appreciated.
A good mix of chat, quiet and Scottish music on the bus.
The B&Bs which had been arranged for us by Rabbies were good quality, with great choices at breakfast. Rooms always spotlessly clean, although some were on the small side, which was a bit tricky for a couple with 2 suitcases. Smaller rooms seems to be the norm and wasn't a big deal for us.
The tour itself covered all the bases - fabulous scenery, great history covering many thousands of years (especially on Orkney) and an attentive and professional driver/guide - everything I'd been looking forward to.
Well worth the money and totally a great experience.
Thank you, William, for going above and beyond to make this a really memorable trip.
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Posted On : 2023-09-29
Posted By : Darlene_W
This was a very good tour . Jim was a great guide, he was very knowledgeable in all areas , We found it amazing how old all the ruins are . Thoroughly enjoyed the tour
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Posted On : 2023-09-18
Posted By : carlysY6529IZ
The Orkneys are a truly magical place and we were so glad we decided to take this trip with RABBIES. We felt very lucky to have Jim Divine as our driver/tour guide. He was passionate, enthusiastic and you can feel how much he admires and respects his country with his in depth knowledge of history, wildlife and what makes each location unique. RABBIES took the stress out of travelling and we would 100% recommend them for all age groups.
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Posted On : 2023-09-14
Posted By : Sightseer613835
Jim, our tour guide, was fabulous. What a character! He had us chuckling, laughing and thinking about what he said. He truly is a Scotland gem. Thanks Jim and Rabbies for a wonderful trip. More please!
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Posted On : 2023-09-12
Posted By : P4319WQsaraw
Packs in a lot if you have limited time in Scotland. As a solo traveller it was nice to have someone else doing the planning and driving for a change. Jim Divine was a phenomenal guide, always had an answer to my questions and was all around just great to chat with. His extensive knowledge and charisma really made the tour.
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Posted On : 2023-09-10
