Scotland was fantastic! The Highlands were just so extraordinarily scenic, my head was on a swivel the entire time! So happy we went; no regrets!
I also think it was a great country to visit on a bus tour where you keep moving on to another city every day because quite frankly, the towns and villages were all pretty small. Of course I do realize that on a bus tour you’re only just scratching the surface of any town, but out of all the places we visited I never felt like I was leaving before I had a chance to take it all in.
Our tour was 7 days long, and I thought it was perfect. Of course there are longer, more detailed tours that go into more detail, make more stops and stay in places a little longer, but I thought this one was a terrific Scottish Sampler!
Globus met my expectations overall (this was my 8th coach tour, 2nd time with Globus) but I was disappointed in the service at some of the hotels. Nothing that Globus could have done differently, but I did write it up in my survey. If enough people were let down by the same things, it might improve for future travellers!
We were about 70 – 80 people in all, split up onto 2 busses – 36 in ours. It never felt crowded. Sometimes we’d all be at the same hotel, and in those cases the breakfast, diner and departure times were staggered so it all went quite smoothly. During some excursions we’d all be together, and some times the other bus would do the same thing as us but in reverse order. We’d sometimes cross paths on the road between activities.
Our guide Andrew was excellent, but then again I’ve never had a bad guide on a tour! The other coach was lead by Gavin (the one in the kilt).
Globus’ “Bonnie Scotland”:
Day 1 in Glasgow was a write off. We flew in from Torino that day and the flight was late so we only arrived at the hotel around midnight. All we really saw of Glasgow was the hotel (EXCELLENT) and a few sights from the bus as we left town the next morning on Day 2. We didn’t really mind because we booked an extra 2 nights on our own in Glasgow at the end of the tour, so we knew we’d have another chance to see whatever we missed.
Our first stop was Loch Lomond.
Of course you know the tune! If you don’t, here is one I found on YouTube but be warned, you will have it stuck in your head for DAYS… WEEKS!!!
Andrew made me laugh when he played it for us. “I have heard far too many jaunty versions of this song!” he said. He wanted to make sure we understood that THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A HAPPY TUNE!
After that, we had another chance to stretch our legs in Inveraray. Basically a street with a bunch of shops, an old jail and a castle down the road. A nice sight when you drive up to it… my husband and I made a b-line for the castle.
This is what I meant when I said that another more ‘detailed’ tour might have stopped longer and included a visit to see in the inside of the castle, but this was good enough for us.
Then, just by chance, look at this incredible view of Kilchurn Castle we happened upon! What excellent timing!
As I expected it rained a lot in Scotland, but it was mostly sun showers. I think I saw more rainbows in those 9 days than in my entire life up until that point!
We arrived in Oban where we were scheduled to catch the ferry to the Isle of Mull at 2PM, allowing us something like 50 minutes for a lunch stop. This is what I hate about coach tours – the lunch stops are only long enough for a sandwich. If you want a sit down meal with table service, forget it!
For whatever reason, the ferry was about an hour late and when we finally did get on board, we did not get far before an announcement came out over the loudspeaker informing us that our anchor had caught on something so we’d be delayed even further! Turns out, it was the long distance phone cable! HA-HA what a mess!
All the delays meant we missed out on a visit to Tobermory because there were 4 coach tours staying at the hotel and the diner times could not be altered. Humpf! Ah well, I suppose it could not be helped… but as if to rub it in, guess what our room name was at the hotel? You guessed it!
I really did not care for this hotel at all, you can read all about that here. But I did love the scenery! It really was great. We even saw a stag wandering near the hotel. Breath-taking!
Thankfully we were only there for one night!
The next day, we were on the road again. The Highland Scenery and the views of Loch Linnhe were phenomenal! It was a great drive.
Our first stop was Fort William and like all stops the stops along the tour, we enjoyed a stroll and taking a few pictures while everyone else went shopping. It was really quite amazing to see how much money people spent! I am sure by the end of the trip, some people were shipping things home!
Most people visit Fort William to see Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. The sun was not quite in the right spot - so we did not get the best shots, but you still get the idea!
The next opportunity we had to get out and take pictures was along Loch Ness. I think here I would have preferred the longer more in depth tour because it stops at the visitor centre to see all the Loch Ness Monster Stuff! Ok, I know it’s kitschy... but I would have enjoyed that exhibit! I think it would have been fun.
As it is, we still got some nice views of the Lake, and Urquhart Castle… but none of the Monster 
Lunch was in Inverness - which was also going to be our home for the night, but we did not check in to the hotel at that point. This was just a lunch stop before more excursions in the afternoon.
Inverness is the Capital city of the Highlands, so it was the biggest city we saw to date. But how big can a city of 70 000 people really be? We had time to see all the sights (Bridge, Church, Castle, Market) and had time left over for sit down lunch with table service! YEAH!
We went to an Italian Chain Restaurant that looked like we’d get a decent meal in a relatively short amount of time. Bella Italia. Wasn’t bad! I was just happy to have a non-rushed lunch.
I really liked Inverness, the area around our hotel it was very picturesque, with a great view of the castle just across the river.
And the Hotel!!! Oh! I was SOOOO NIIIIIICE! Charming, clean, modern room, beautiful old building, good service with diner… I wish we were staying for 2 nights!!! It was the best hotel of the trip!
Kilchurn Castle photo is amazing. I would love to get some exposure to the highlands, but so far have not found a way to combine it with another location in Europe I really want to see for a long enough trip to make it worthwhile for the family. Ireland maybe.
ReplyDeleteThere so much of Scotland even farther north. Do you have any interest in the islands?
Hi Randy,
ReplyDeleteYes I would like to see the Islands... ONE DAY but it won't be in the near (or even mid) future! s