Iona, Mull & the Isle of Skye

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Overview

Itinerary

What's Included?

Why Book a Small Group Tour?

Accommodation & Prices

Overview

Small Group Tours

7 Nights

Prices from: £1160 per person
Start: Edinburgh
Finish: Edinburgh
Tour duration: 5 days
Availability: April - October
Transport: Luxury mini-coach and tour guide

Highlights

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is Scotland’s ancient capital city and a hub for culture and creativity. Attractions include historic Edinburgh Castle, the picturesque Royal Mile and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the home of Scottish royal history.

Isle of Skye

The Isle of Skye is popular for its stunning and dramatic volcanic scenery, including the Cuillin Mountain Range, the iconic Storr and spectacular Quiraing. Portree is its colourful capital.

Loch Lomond

Enjoy stunning lochside scenery in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park – one of Scotland’s most idyllic and unspoilt areas with the largest expanse of fresh water in Britain and a dramatic backdrop of looming mountains.

Isle of Iona

Follow in the footsteps of St Columba and 14 centuries of pilgrims by visiting Iona Abbey on the tiny and tranquil Isle of Iona, steeped in history.

Fingal's Cave

Visit the legendary Fingal’s Cave, a truly awesome natural phenomenon on the Isle of Staffa with immense hexagonal pillars looming out of the sea.

Isle of Mull

Enjoy the outstanding scenery of the Isle of Mull, home to magnificent sea cliffs, white sandy beaches, and mountains that rise 3,000 feet from the crystal clear sea.

A Magical Scottish Island Tour

On this 5 day tour to four enchanting west coast islands, you will enjoy wonderful food and drink, ancient history and the undisturbed tranquillity of the islands of Mull, Iona and Staffa, as well as the dramatic, romantic beauty of the Isle of Skye.

Your tour begins in Edinburgh, Scotland’s majestic Capital city, where there are endless sightseeing opportunities and culinary delights to be explored.

Upon leaving the city, the tour continues towards Oban, the popular west coast holiday town known as the ‘Gateway to the Isles.’ A short ferry ride away are the Isles of Mull, Iona and Staffa, where remarkable history meets stunning wildlife and beautiful coastal scenery.

The Isle of Skye earns its reputation as one of the most dramatic and jaw-dropping locations in Scotland, with windswept lighthouses, rugged cliff tops and towering peaks, not to mention the romantic, lochside, Dunvegan Castle.

Other highlights along the way include Loch Lomond National Park, Eilean Donan Castle, Glencoe and Loch Ness for a great sample of the best of Scotland’s history, culture and wilderness.

Itinerary

This is our suggested itinerary for our Iona, Mull & The Isle of Skye small group tour. This tour combines a five day group guided experience with independent sightseeing days in Edinburgh to make the most of your time in Scotland.

We love the opportunity to use our first-hand knowledge and experience to design and deliver the perfect, bespoke holiday experience for you.

You may wish to extend your holiday before or after your small group tour, or combine it with another of our tours.

Day 1: Arrive in Edinburgh

Arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland’s majestic Capital City. Edinburgh is a great place to wander – narrow alleys, flights of stairs and hidden courtyards tempt you off the main streets at every turn and for a spectacular view of the city take a walk up Arthur’s Seat.
Overnight – Edinburgh

Day 2: Edinburgh Sightseeing

The sightseeing options in Edinburgh are endless, enjoy a City Sightseeing Bus Tour, a visit to Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyrood House and explore the many attractions of this beautiful city.
Overnight – Edinburgh

Day 3: Edinburgh to Oban

Your tour begins by departing Edinburgh and travelling north past Stirling Castle and then west to the bonny banks of Loch Lomond, Scotland’s first National Park.

Continue to Inveraray, home to the Campbell Clan and the Duke of Argyll and the heart of the ancient Scots Kingdom of Dalriada, before staying in the beautiful harbour town of Oban for two nights.
Overnight – Oban

Day 4: Mull, Iona & Staffa Sightseeing

Enjoy an island adventure exploring the dramatic southern coastlines of Hebridean Mull and the peace and tranquillity of Iona – birthplace of Celtic Christianity and traditional burial ground of Scottish Kings. You will also have the option to take a boat trip to Staffa and see the legendary “Fingal’s Cave.”
Overnight – Oban

Day 5: Oban to Plockton

Depart Oban and continue along the west coast, passing the impregnable Castle Stalker and visit Glencoe, scene of the infamous massacre of the Macdonald Clan in 1692. Then it’s on to Fort William and the dramatic mountain scenery of Glen Garry, before arriving in the picturesque fishing village of Plockton which will be your base for the next two nights.
Overnight – Plockton

Day 6: Isle of Skye Sightseeing

Enjoy a flexible day exploring Skye, with various possibilities depending on the weather. Your tour guide may travel north to the stunning Quiraing mountain pass and enjoy a spectacular walk through some of Skye’s extraordinary geological scenery, or visit Kilt Rock, with its waterfall cascading over the cliffs and down into the sea below.

After lunch you can venture to Neist Point for a stroll to the lighthouse that is the furthest point west on Skye, or visit Dunvegan Castle – the ancient ancestral seat of the Clan McLeod. Talisker Distillery is also here.

You will return to your accommodation in Plockton in the late afternoon for a free evening in the most ‘tropical’ village in Scotland.
Overnight – Plockton

Day 7: Plockton to Edinburgh

Leave Plockton behind and visit the famous Eilean Donan Castle. Travel east to Loch Ness for lunch, and keep an eye out for “Nessie!”

Your tour continues south through the Grampian Mountains, before heading along Loch Laggan, made famous as ‘Monarch of the Glen Country’. It passes Dalwhinnie, where you can find Scotland’s highest Whisky Distillery, and continues onwards into Perthshire where you stop for refreshments before returning to Edinburgh at approximately 19.00.
Overnight – Edinburgh

Day 8: Depart Edinburgh

After breakfast your unforgettable holiday will come to an end.

What's Included?

Your holiday includes:

Carefully selected en-suite accommodation for 7 nights including traditional Scottish breakfast
5 day tour of Iona, Mull & Skye by top of the range Mercedes mini-coach with a maximum of 16 passengers
Services of a professional driver-guide
Comprehensive information pack
Personalised itinerary with our recommendations for the best places to eat and drink and sightseeing suggestions
Map of Scotland
Tickets for the Edinburgh City Sightseeing Tour
All ferry crossings (as per your itinerary)
24-hour emergency contact number
Full financial protection

Your holiday doesn't include:

Travel insurance
Flights
Lunches and evening meals
Entry to visitor attractions

Why Book a Small Group Tour?

Your Tour Company

We work closely with an award-winning company whose expert guides truly take you beyond the guidebooks to explore the stunning scenery and extraordinary history of this country.

Some guides are history geeks and can tell you who owned every castle, others are geologists and know the age of every mountain. All of them are friendly, passionate people who are dedicated to making you fall in love with their home country.

Explore Scotland in a modern, air-conditioned mini-coach. You will never get lost, always take the scenic route and have great views, and you are free to sample the local tipple without worrying about driving.

Touring with a maximum of 16 passengers will allow you to meet people from all over the world and make friends for life. Knowing all of the arrangements are taken care of means you can sit back and relax. It’s an experience you will treasure for a lifetime.

Accommodation & Prices

Standard

Standard

Budget

We know that after a busy day of sightseeing an exceptional place to stay makes all the difference. That’s why the accommodation we select is hand-picked using our first-hand knowledge of the best places to stay. We specifically choose accommodation suitable for your tour, close to local attractions, pubs and restaurants.

Our discerning team have a wealth of experience, and we extensively research and regularly review all of the accommodation we select for our clients.

Please choose from one of our accommodation categories below.

5 Reasons to Visit the Isle of Mull

The Isle of Mull - the largest island in the Inner Hebrides, is one of our favourite islands in Scotland. Scott from the Absolute Escapes team set off to explore its colourful capital - Tobermory, and some other highlights on the island. Read on for five reasons why you should follow in his footsteps and explore Mull for yourself ... Read more