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Day Trips , Guided Tours , Stirling

A day trip to stirling castle with rabbie’s.

It’s been over a year since I joined a group of travel bloggers from around the world for the frenzy that is Hogmanay in Edinburgh , and I can’t believe I still haven’t told you about the adventure that came afterwards. One of the perks of this ‘Blogmanay’ trip was the opportunity to test my first ever Rabbie’s tour – a Scottish travel company I have since come to love and test on a frequent basis.

On an early January morning in the beginning of last year, I got aboard a Rabbie’s bus to join a day trip to Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond. If you only have a couple of days to explore Scotland beyond Edinburgh, spending a day in Glasgow and one out and about is a great way to see the many different faces of this place. Here is what to exptect from a day trip around the Lower Highlands with Rabbie’s and what I thought about my trip to Stirling.

This post contains affiliate links which I may make a commission from. Find out more here . Rabbie’s hosted me on this tour free of charge. All opinions are my own.

Quick Facts: The Route

The  Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond National Park & Whisky Day Tour , as it is officially described on the Rabbie’s website, does exactly what its name promises. You first drive from Glasgow to Stirling and have time to explore either the castle or the town. Your driver then takes you through the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, with an optional stop at Doune Castle, if there is enough time. You stop for lunch in the heart of the national park, in the quaint town of Aberfoyle, before heading on to the eastern shore of Loch Lomond. The final stop of the day is the Glengoyne whisky distillery, where you can join a guided tour and tasting, before returning to Glasgow.

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Stirling day trip from Glasgow – Route Description

Stop 1: stirling castle and stirling.

The bus leaves Glasgow early in the morning (9 am) and heads straight for Stirling , approximately 45 minutes along the motorway. The drive is easy to stomach – this is the smoothest section of road of the day.

The tour includes a leisurely break in Stirling where you can either explore the beautiful Castle (ticket not included, but available at a reduced price for tour guests), or enjoy a stroll around town. If you visit just one castle in Scotland, Stirling is a great choice – I even prefer it over Edinburgh Castle, for the exhibitions, the spectacular interior and the views into the distance.

If you’d rather save the pennies and explore Stirling, there is a lot to do here too! You can find some ideas in this post about Stirling ; the only thing you won’t be able to see is the Wallace Monument, because it’s too far away from your drop off and pick up point at Stirling Castle.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 10 things to do in Stirling beyond the castle

A quick stop at Doune Castle

Back on the road the bus is now leaving the convenient motorway and drives east towards the Trossachs. On our way our driver briefly stopped at Doune Castle , just to give us an idea of how different the many castles of Scotland are.

Doune Castle is one of many Outlander filming locations in Scotland .

Driving through the Trossachs (with photo stops)

This is where the road gets interesting – up and down, left and right; be thankful that you haven’t already had lunch. The scenery makes up for it though, even on a rainy day (like the one I went on). You drive through the valley and forests of the Trossachs, along Loch Venachar and Loch Achray , with fantastic views of the hills rising up behind them. One of the most beautiful features along the way, is the ascent and descent of Duke’s Pass, one of Lower Scotland’s most popular bicycle trails.

Stop 2: Lunch break in Aberfoyle

Once you’ve reached the bottom of Duke’s Pass, you enter Aberfoyle – a small village frequented by hikers and bicyclists alike – where you will stop for lunch. Depending on what day of the week it is there are several options serving various budgets.

Meateaters will find all delights at Aberfoyle Delicatessen, a deli and butcher’s shop that was sadly closed when I visited, while The Faerie Tree Inn serves up the usual suspects of pub grub – I can recommend their pie. The lunch break is rather short – just one hour – so there is not really enough time for a stroll through Aberfoyle afterwards. Don’t worry though, you have a wee walk ahead of you.

Stop 3: An easy walk at Loch Lomond

After another half hour drive or so the bus reaches Balmaha , a tiny village at the eastern shore of  Loch Lomond . If the weather allows, you will get out for a little walk to a viewing point. It is not far, but slightly up hill and the trail leads through a birch forest. Make sure to wear appropriate foot wear! From up there you will enjoy a great view over the southern part of Loch Lomond, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles.

Stop 4: Glengoyne Distillery tour

The final stop of the day lies just a little south of the Loch and at the geographical edge between Highland and Lowland Scotland: the Glengoyne Distillery. If you haven’t already had a dram after lunch, this is where the ‘Whisky’ part of your day tour begins. The tour price does not include the ticket for the distillery tour, but is also available at a discounted price.

In the summer months you could go for a walk in the hills behind the distillery, but in winter you will most likely reach the distillery after dark, and there is no alternative activity after nightfall.

The tour is very interesting though and includes one to two whisky tasters. If you’re not convinced of the taste of Scottish single malts yet, like me , I highly recommend going for the ticket including two tasters – the second whisky is much maturer (18 years) and goes down like silk, while the standard 10-year-old whisky wasn’t really my thing.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: A day trip to Glengoyne Distillery

With all three main features of the tour – the castle, the loch and the whisky – over and done with, there is nothing left to do other than driving back to Glasgow. The bus returns there around 6 pm, just in time to head out for a well-deserved dinner, or some more whisky in one of Glasgow’s many pubs – may I recommend Sloans?

BOOK this tour here !

Why should you book a day tour to Stirling and Loch Lomond?

I always enjoy going on tours with Rabbie’s , not just because the groups are small and the guides super engaged and fun; but also because the tours are flexible when it comes to adding extra-Scottish experiences. And so, on this particular day trip to Stirling Castle, we also stopped by an estate-turned-hotel on the shores of Loch Achray, to meet the resident highland coos of the hotel.

The day trip to Stirling Castle really could also just be called ‘Scotland in One Day’ because in those brief 9 hours we got to see just that. The hills of the highlands, dramatic castles, highland cows, views of serene and mysterious lochs, and the inside of a single malt whisky distillery. You could not ask for more!

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8 thoughts on “ A Day Trip to Stirling Castle with Rabbie’s ”

Seems like a fun tour. Should try one of these!

Pingback: Day Trips from Glasgow: Visiting Glengoyne Distillery

Pingback: A Day in the West Highlands with Timberbush Tours

Pingback: 5 Reasons not go to the Isle of Skye and where to head instead

Just came across your blog via the Travelettes website, lucky you to appear on there. 🙂 I live in London now and have only seen Edinburgh, one of my dreams is to go see the Shetland islands, would be so cool to see the little horses through my own eyes. 🙂 xx finja | http://www.effcaa.com

Awesome – I’ve been writing for Travelettes for years, it’s good to see that people find my blog through it 🙂 You should definitely go to Shetland to see the ponies – probably in the summer time you’re chances are better to see them. I visited in January and didn’t see much of them, because the weather was rather terrible… January os great for the viking festivals on the other hand – there’s always something to do there!! Thanks for your comment!

I always love reading your posts about Rabbies Tours because it’s always routes and places I have grown up visiting! It’s like a walk down memory lane from someone else’s POV! Glad you enjoyed your trip 🙂

Thanks for your sweet comment Chiera – I’m happy to hear my stories are appealing to Scottish ears as well as internationals 🙂 I think Rabbie’s is doing such a great job introducing their guests to Scotland and its culture!

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• West Highland Lochs & Castles Day Tour
• Stirling Castle

Doune Castle

Kilchurn castle.

• Rest & be Thankful

Loch Lomond

The heart of the beautiful western highlands including kilchurn castle & inveraray castle, home to the duke of argyll, plus loch lomond and loch awe..

The most strategic of all Scotland and the key to the highlands

Film Setting and blissfully romantic if you can forget the Monty Python scenes - we are the knights...

Dramatic is a major understatement!

Highland town on the loch with stunning baronial castle

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• West Highland Lochs & Castles Tour (Edinburgh)

West Highland Lochs & Castles Tour (Edinburgh)

A fantastic day out in the heart of the scenic Western Highlands taking in Doune Castle,  the superb ruins of Kilchurn Castle - stunningly situated at the head of Loch Awe - and the historic 18th century town of Inveraray, home to the Duke of Argyll. Runs every day all year.

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Highlights: ~ Kilchurn Castle ~ Inveraray ~ Doune Castle ~ Loch Awe ~ Rest and Be Thankful pass ~ Conservation village of Luss ~ Loch Lomond National Park. If you love old ruined castles, tales of old clan rivalries, west coast lochs, baronial mansions and brilliant mountain scenery then you'll find this tour difficult to beat.

Depart Edinburgh at 08.30 and travel west, past Stirling Castle to your first stop at Doune Castle . This area of Scotland has certainly seen its fair share of fighting and warfare. Stirling Castle was once known as the 'Key to Scotland', and it was here that William Wallace (immortalised by Mel Gibson in the film Braveheart) defeated the English army in 1297. After William Wallace's death it was Robert the Bruce who continued the fight for independence and you will pass the site of his most famous victory in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn .

Then you arrive at the impressive medieval stronghold of Doune Castle. Built for Robert Stewart, the Duke of Albany, over 600 years ago the castle is still in excellent condition and you will have time for photos. You might even have seen the castle before, it was made famous by the film 'Monty Python and The Holy Grail', with many scenes filmed here. More recently it was featured in Outlanders as the main castle.

You then continue a little further on to Callander . After a short coffee stop you cross the Highland boundary fault line leaving the rolling farms for the wild mountains and forests of the Highlands. You will make a short stop at Loch Luibnaig before you continue over the Braes of Balquhidder , the final resting place of Highland outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor . Made famous by Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy was a sort of Highland Robin Hood, he stole from the rich, but never quite got round to giving it to the poor.

From Balquhidder the tour winds its way through the tough knot of mountains known as Breadalbane (meaning the 'high country of Scotland') before we stop to see Kilchurn Castle , a magnificent ruin situated in the middle of Loch Awe and former home of the Campbells of Breadalbane. You will continue along the banks of Loch Awe through Campbell country to the picturesque town of Inveraray on the shores of Loch Fyne. Here you will have lunch and can visit the 18th-century castle and home of the Duke of Argyll, chief of the Campbell clan. The town was built at the same time as the castle and has the air of a classic 18th-century planned village with its straight wide streets and dignified Georgian houses. You can take time to explore the town and maybe call at the Old Jail or the maritime museum, the Arctic Penguin.

Leaving Inveraray, you take a drive up through the steep-sided mountains known as the Arrochar Alps to the great viewpoint at ' Rest and Be Thankful '. It was given its name in 1753 by the weary soldiers who had just finished building the old military road up through Glen Croe . From here you skirt around Loch Long and down to the Bonnie, Bonnie banks of Loch Lomond . This is Scotland's largest loch and it takes its name from the mountain Ben Lomond on the eastern shore. You make a short stop at the conservation village of Luss , with its quaint houses and stunning views across the loch. From here you make your way back to Edinburgh, with a short photo stop underneath Stirling Castle.

Return time to Edinburgh (traffic depending) - approx 18.30

Transportation by top of the range Mercedes minicoach for a more personal experience with a maximum of 16 passengers on tour.  Air Conditioning as standard.  Services of a professional Rabbie's driver/guide  Rabbie's Discount Card - For money off restaurants, shopping and attractions

Lunch and refreshments. Entrance to Doune castle and Inveraray Castle (open Easter to October only)

The Little Details

• Minimum Age: Age 5+
• Min Age: 5 years
• Tour Vehicle Type: Mini Coach
• Months of Operation: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, All Year
• Duration of Tour: Full Day
• Departure Point: Edinburgh
• Departure Point: Rabbie's Café, Waterloo Place, EH1 3EG
• Departure Time: 08:30
• Expected return Time: 18:30

Rates & Dates

Adult Prices:  £39 - £44 Discount Prices:  £36 - £41

Discount Price : Students, Seniors over 60 and Children between 5 and 16 (Rabbies regret they do not carry children under 5 years old)

Departing: Every day (All year)

Booking Notes

Click on the 'Book Now' button to check availability and process your booking. Payment will be required during the booking process, and you will be emailed your confirmation. 

We believe a small group tour with a maximum of 16 passengers really does make a big difference to your trip. It allows them to give you a more personal service and remain the only 5 Star operator to offer this personal guarantee. Touring with a maximum of 16 passengers you get more for your money, more personal attention, more time with the locals, more time off the bus, more time on the back-roads and just more of an authentic, friendly experience. The smaller groups allow you to meet people from all over the world and make friends for life.

Some Places We Will Visit

Inveraray is the classic 18th-century planned town (don't call it a village), with its straight wide streets and dignified Georgian houses, and enjoys the most stunning of settings, on the shores of Loch Fyne.

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The small Trossachs town of Callander lies right on the main tourist trail from Stirling through to the west Highlands. The town became famous during the 'Scottish Enlightenment' of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with the gleaming reports given by poets Sir William Wordsworth and Sir Walter Scott and developments came to a full swing with Queen Victoria choosing to visit Callander and with the arrival of the train line in the 1860s.

Balquhidder

The forlorn village, set in a beautiful and remote Highlands landscape, Balquhidder - the home of legends is a village located at the Eastern end of Loch Voil in Scotland. The place at one time has witnessed many clan battles which took place here. Balquhidder pronounced as Baile-chuil-tir” means ‘the distant farm’. 

Small traditional village on Loch Lomond that is a heritage site protecting its pretty streets. The Loch Lomond cruise boats depart from pier here.

Castle Visited

One of the most photographed castles in Scotland and in a strong position on the loch.  A stronghold for the Campbells of Glenorchy. Used between 1475 to 1745

Inveraray Castle

Home to Clan Campbell's chief and a substantial baronial pile built in 1743 on the site of previous castle. Open to visitors and includes lovely gardens.

Built for the Regent Albany, Doune Castle is a magnificent late 14th century courtyard castle that is familiar to film buffs for its role in Monty Python's Life of Brian.

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