Scotland with 89 year old mom--Rabbies Tours

I’ve taken several multi-day and single-day tours with Rabbie’s and have loved them all.

The tours aren’t guided, so you have flexibility to do what you like at each stop. They are long, full days, though, so you might consider booking a couple of one-day tours with a rest day in between. I’ve done most of the one-day tours from Edinburgh and enjoyed all of them.

If you do choose a multi-day tour, I suggest booking your own accommodations. I’ve done that after reading some complaints from people who had Rabbie’s book for them.

If there’s a specific tour and dates you want, it’s best to book ASAP to secure your spot. That said, they offer so many options that you can usually still find something if you wait a bit.

Also, the hills in Edinburgh are no joke! A hop-on, hop-off bus sounds like a great option for your mom.

It seems like you have a pretty good idea of how Rabbie's (or any other driving tour company
in Scotland) works.

The days can be long, but they are more mentally exhausting than physically. I think there are
people with a wide range of fitness, so with the program you're considering for your mom there
is a good chance she'd do well. The day is a driving route to various places, and it seems like
the drivers/guides have some flexibility in deciding what to do based on the group and on
weather, etc, so I don't think there's much flexibility for the participants, other than deciding to
participate or wait it out in the bus. But most of the stops are not that long (30-60 minutes?).

For accommodations, you can book through Rabbie's or on your own. As long as the lodging
is located within the noted area for pickup, they will come to your door, or as close as they can
get. You may want to be more centrally located for things like going out to dinner after the day's
activities.

As for sitting and resting, if I recall correctly, the driver does not usually escort the guests on any
of the activities. They have their standard parking spots and so at the least, your mom would have
someone to talk to (probably get some great stories!) and/or they can suggest a cafe or coffee shop
if she wants to take a break.

One other option you might consider, Jules, is to do a private tour with Rabbies. They will do any number of days for you and will arrange everything to your liking. You can always just email them and ask them about it. I would explain your mom's situation, and see what they propose. https://www.rabbies.com/en-gb/private-tours

Just one other thing, if you do go with one of the group tours, Rabbies is having a sale right now. It's 15% off, and you have to book before the end of May. However, you have till the end of December to take the tour, so it is a good deal.

Thank you Carrie and Shoeflyer! In regards to one day vs. multi day tours. I know Skye would be a destination Mom would want to go to and then a few castles. I would love to do all day trips and not doing any moving, but Skye is so far. Are there any castles that would be easier than others?

Regarding castles, keep in mind that most castles are old (!) and the paths/steps
may be uneven, slippery, narrow, etc, and the van may not be able to park all that
close to the entrance.

Jules, one thing you could do is take the train from Edinburgh to Inverness and spend a night or two there, and start your tour from Inverness, which is a lot closer to Skye. Rabbies starts tours from Inverness, and I know they have at least one that goes to Skye.

Also, with regards to castles, Inverary is a nice one, but every castle should have an accessibility page on its website so you can see what accommodations they have for someone who is a bit impaired mobility-wise. For example, here is Inverary's page: https://www.inveraray-castle.com/visit/accessibility

We did a Rabbies multi-day tour in England and had them make our accommodations for one of the nights(the other nights we used hotel points to book our own). I loved the place Rabbies booked, I think it was in Shrewsbury. It had a great breakfast and a lovely garden but you had to walk up one flight of stairs to get to your room. The owner took my carryon up the stairs for me. Our guides on both Rabbies tours(the other was one day from Glasgow) were outstanding.

I used the hop on hop off bus in Edinburgh and found it useful.

Mardee, I think I love that idea! Maybe train from Edinburgh airport to Inverness, 4 nights, a tour or two, train to Edinburgh, 4 nights, one tour, maybe Stirling castle.

I'm reading about midges (little biting bugs?) in the summer. If I could figure out something for end of July/beg of august, would these bugs be bad?

That would be a couple of long travel days for your mom. I assume you have a connecting flight to get to Edinburgh. Then you’d need to get from the airport to the train station with your luggage—maybe a cab would be easiest. After that, you’d be waiting at the station, followed by a 3.5-hour train ride.

I’d keep things easy for your mom and stay in Edinburgh, especially since there are so many great day tours and trips you can do from there.

I sometimes travel with my sister, who has some health challenges, and I’ve learned it’s better for her if I keep things simpler than I would if it were just me. The less moving around, the better—and it’s also worth considering the mental stress that travel can cause.

I do agree with you, Carrie, the only thing is that Skye is too far from Edinburgh to be a viable day trip. I think there was some kind of "Ember" bus from the airport to Inverness, but I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it.

It is a hard decision. Spend a day or two in Edinburgh and then go to Inverness could be easier, but that's one more hotel change, or go directly. Honestly, unlike me, she can sleep sitting up, she does it all the time ;) I think she'd sleep a lot on the plane and then on the train, but I'm going to discuss this with her in a bit.

I'll also see what areas of Scotland are on her radar. See if she's thinking Skye at all.

I really appreciate all the input. To be honest, I'm not all that excited about doing this. But, I'm a sucker for travel dreams. . .

Just noticed that I put this under Ireland. That's the other trip I'm planning. At this point, I will leave as is.

Just a note - Skye is gorgeous, but it is far from the city hubs. You can see absolutely gorgeous countryside in Scotland without going all the way to Skye.

I really don't think day trips from Edinburgh are what you are looking for. But a few-day Rabbie's trip to somewhere in the Highlands — or even Aberdeenshire ! — would be fabulous.

I agree that if she doesn't particularly care about going to Skye, then I would stick with Edinburgh and just do some Rabbies trips from there. There's always Loch Lomond, which is very pretty, and lots of places to visit around there. Plus there are plenty of castles no matter which direction you go in. This trip would be a nice one:

I'm reading about midges (little biting bugs?) in the summer. If I could figure out something for end of July/beg of august, would these bugs be bad?

You will mostly find the midges in the Highlands and the islands, and really mostly if you're hiking outdoors. I was in Scotland for three weeks in May of 2023, and I only came across them once on the Isle of Arran, and that's when I was doing some hiking in a boggy area. They're attracted to moisture and shade, so as long as you're in drier areas and in the sun, it shouldn't really be a problem. And of course, if you're there in October, you shouldn't have a problem with them at all. You might run into a few in late June, but again, the above conditions apply.

I have taken both one day and multi-day tours with Rabbies and out of both Edinburgh and Inverness.

First, old town Edinburgh, such as near the castle, is very hilly. For flatter areas you'd be better off in New Town which is basically north of Waverly station. (Rabbies tours in Edinburgh leave from the Edinburgh Coach Station which is in New Town.)

Rabbies tours are on 16 passenger mini-coaches. There is little guiding off the coach and the tour basically drives you between stops with commentary while on the coach. At destinations you are mostly on your own.

You are also on your own in the evenings as there are no group meals.

If you are interested in a one day tour to Skye from Inverness, I took one with Rabbies a few years ago. It stops at one of the castles along the way.

Inverness is easy to get to from Edinburgh as there are a few direct trains every day.

If you do go to Inverness and wish to take a Rabbies tour, I'd suggest staying at the Premier Inn River Ness. It's a five minute walk to the Rabbies pick up point.

I would suggest booking your own accomodation for any multi-day tours. A few months ago I took a multi-day tour with Rabbies and let them arrange the accomodations. The hotel was awful. Fortunately, the guide came through when he heard I was having a problem. Most of the group was staying at one particular B & B but it was full. However, the owners had a two bedroom apartment one block away. I stayed there for the second night of a two night tour. It was really nice. The original hotel refunded my money.

Not to be TMI, but if your mom (or any of us for that matter) is on any sort of medication or is just at a stage in life when facility breaks are needed at certain times, check and ask how often the coaches stop. Maybe someone mentioned it here already. I think Rabbie's coaches are mini coaches. On the train you can get up and move around, but for road travels, it would be good to know how long each stretch is between stops and sights.

Thank you, Rachel. Great point. I did get to thinking that if we go to Inverness which I think is likely, we need to go via train from city center. The train gives us toilets and probably better views.

She did ask about incontinence products, I’m sure they sell something similar. Whether we’d find them city center is a good question. I’m recalling how hard it was to find a hairbrush in Krakow city center.

Completely changing topic, but we talked today at length. She said she’d be happy enough to sit in a train or bus seat and look out the window should it come to that.

Jules. I'm in agreement with Kim. There is a lot of beautiful Scotland to see other than Skye. IMO, to see the best of Skye will require quite a bit of walking on trails that are not always easy to navigate.

I often suggest Oban on the west coast for a few days as a good area to travel independently with public transportation. Oban is only 3 very scenic hours from Glasgow by train on the West Highland Line.

In Oban you'll find the Dunollie Museum and Castle, the Oban Distillery, the War and Peace Museum, Dunstaffnage Castle Ruins and wonderful seafood restaurants. You can visit several Inner Hebrides islands by ferry, either on your own or with a "tour". West Coast Tours offers a fantastic DIY 2 Island tour to Mull and Iona to visit the historic Abbey. You could hire a taxi or private guide for a day tour to nearby Kilmartin Glen to explore the neolithic and bronze age Cairns, Stones and Circles. If you traveled one direction by bus between Oban and Glasgow, you could even spend time in Inveraray to tour the beautiful Castle and/or Luss on Loch Lomond.

Basing in Aberdeen, your in the midst of Scotland's castle country. Rabbie's and other tour companies offers several day tours to castles including Balmoral and fishing villages along the Northeast coast.

Regarding Edinburgh, plan your days strategically. For example, walking the Royal Mile- start at the Castle and walk down to Holyroodhouse Palace. There are plenty of places to stop along the route for a break. And Uber is available and efficient in Edinburgh when walking is a challenge.

Just be absolutely aware that she is...well...89. Just returned from a trip where a 72 year old friend broke here ankle and the whole trip went to **********. Did nothing bad, just stepped off a stair and boom. Reasonable expectations.

Just FYI. When we were in Edinburgh no Rabbies tours were available for our stay that appealed to us. We ended up taking a day tour with the Wee Red Bus and had a wonderful time. I am not a tour person. It was my second in fifty years but we were happily surprised and quite happy. It included two castles as I recall. Enjoy your trip with your mother.

Thank you John and Denny.

A couple questions on the Rabbies tours:
Does everyone get a window?
At the stops, does the driver/guide give options--like overlooks, walks, hikes? Or is it more like, here you are, walk around?
Is food allowed on the buses? I'm noting that the tour to Skye from Inverness starts at 8am. I don't think we'll have time for breakfast. Can we eat like a yogurt and granola bar on the bus, type of thing.

Mom says she might be happy just sitting on a train and looking out the window. I'm looking for short train trips from Edinburgh to a pretty town/view, etc., where the train station is quite near scenic areas.

The FAQ section of Rabbie's answers most of your questions.

The mini coach seating is 2 seats on 1 side of the aisle and single seats on the other. So not everyone gets a window seat. Seating is first come first served for boarding.

Can I take food or drinks onto the mini-coach?
Hot drinks can be taken onto the mini-coaches as long as they’re secured with a lid. Drink bottles are also allowed. Cold food can be taken onto the bus but always check the rules for eating on board with your driver.

Personally, I don't think a day trip from Inverness is a good way to experience Skye or Scotland.

For scenic train, if you start from Glasgow you have the West Highland Line that I mentioned previously that goes to Oban (3 hrs) or Ft. William (4 hrs). It takes you along Loch Lomond, through beautiful Highland scenery across the Rannoch Moor. Both transportation and destination are worth the trip.

Could you fly into Glasgow and home from Edinburgh or vice versa?

2 nights Glasgow
3 nights Oban (Highlands and Islands)
3 nights Edinburgh

@Jean, that sounds like such a great idea, but, my DIL who studied in Scotland has talked so much about Skye, plus, my mother has saved trip brochures that, of course, all have Skye, so that's what always has been on her mind.

I just looked at going in or out of Glasgow on Delta and the itineraries are so bad. They leave very early in the morning or connect in Atlanta or Amsterdam which just makes the flight time more. I can't see much in Glasgow that is appealing enough to work into such a short trip, so we'd be there for just the train ride.

I did look at your previous suggestion for Orban, but I couldn't see a way that made sense from Edinburgh. Thanks for the link to the train, it does look fabulous. I'll do more tinkering with google maps and Scotrail. I can't remember what the issue was with Orban, I'll take another look.

The short time frame and my mother's age related issues make the planning pretty hard.

EDITED TO ADD: I worked with JeanM's suggestions and posted to the Scotland forum (where it belongs ;) )

As regards short scenic train rides from Edinburgh there are two 'obvious' ones-

Galashiels, and North Berwick.

Galashiels- you do that on the Borders Railway- the line extends to Tweedbank. At Galashiels you could see The Great Tapestry of Scotland. If it was you without your Mum I would say to walk from Tweedbank to Melrose but not sure that's suitable with Mum, however there are Gala to Melrose buses.
You could make that into a circular by using the Borders Buses route #60 every 2 hours to Berwick upon Tweed Railway Station via Melrose and Eyemouth, time in Berwick, then train back to Edinburgh. For the best choice of seats (to be on the right hand side of the train) use one of the TPE stopping trains, as opposed to an LNER or Cross Country train.

North Berwick- often done by train. However a little while ago I had a site visit to make in Dirleton (and also a site visit in North Berwick), so used the bus from Edinburgh to North Berwick stopping off in Dirleton. I have to say I was blown away by how much more scenic the (obviously much slower) bus was.
You can continue to Dunbar from North Berwick on the hourly #120 bus, then train back from Dunbar to Edinburgh. Again I would suggest using the TPE or Scotrail stopping trains, not LNER or Cross Country.
Alternatively get off the 120 at East Linton and take a train back to Edinburgh from East Linton. I first went to East Linton when the station re-opened (just a technical visit with no expectations) and wondered why it was a town which had been off my radar before. I was suddenly left scrambling with a re-ordered itinerary as I had to add a lot more time at East Linton. Partly because it was one of those trips you can't plan when the organist happened to be practising in the Parish Church- he is also the Town Historian!