Toddler-friendly tours from Edinburgh

I don't think you're going to find any group tours that would allow a toddler, as it would probably be considered too disruptive for the other passengers. That said, Rabbies, which is a tour company based in Edinburgh that is highly recommended here on the forum offers private tours that they can tailor to you. So it would certainly be worth checking with them to see what they offer. You can find more information here: https://www.rabbies.com/en-us/private-tours

If we were to book a private tour, any sense of which areas we should make sure to hit? Our priorities would be short hikes/highland scenery, distilleries, and small towns in that order. Castles would be cool but not a must. Opportunities to see cows or sheep would be a plus for the little one.

Well, you can't go far in Scotland without running into sheep and cows, so that should be a no-brainer. No matter where you go (outside of the cities), you are bound to see them, especially sheep. But I would talk to whoever you go with for a private tour if you venture down that route. They can give you a good idea of places that would be interesting and easy on you and your toddler.

But offhand, one place I can think of is the Cairngorms, which has distilleries, nice hikes, castles, and small towns. You can also go to places like Glencoe and even Inverness and branch out from there to towns like Nairn, which sits right on the sea with a lovely coastal beach that you can walk down, and which your toddler would probably love. 😊

Or possibly even someplace like the Isle of Arran, which is a small island nicknamed "Scotland in miniature" that has mountains, beaches, ruins, castles, and distilleries. It's not that far from Glasgow and easy to get to by train and ferry (the ferry would be fun for your child), so that would be a possibility. You could actually do that on your own, really. And if you don't want to drive, Arran has a very good public transportation system, unlike many other places in the Highlands. And Arran is where I saw my very first hairy coo, and there are lots of sheep there, lol!

Are you planning to go to Glasgow? Pollock Country Park has Highland cattle, gardens, an art museum and a historic National Trust Georgian mansion.

You could take a train from Glasgow to Oban through beautiful Highland scenery and spend a few days in Oban. You could return to Glasgow by bus overnighting in the village of Luss for a boat tour of Loch Lomond or maybe the town of Invarary on Loch Fyne to visit Invarary Castle.

West Coast Tours in Oban offers a half day tour to Duart Castle on Mull, a 2 Island tour to Mull and Iona and several longer day tours. Most of their tours allow small children. The Oban Distillery is right in town, reservations recommended. There is Dunollie Castle ruins in town and the 13th century Dunstaffnage ruins outside of town.

@Mardee @jeanm thank you both for the thorough replies!

Makes sense re: disruption to larger tours. I've looked into Rabbies private tours and will let you know. Will do some further research into Arran and the Cairngorms.

Glasgow hadn't been a specific target, but I'm totally game to see it, particularly if it's on the way to other things and/or has great kid stuff. I'll also look into options from Oban, particularly the island tours -- those do seem like there may be more flexibility with kids.

We may end up just renting a car despite my nerves about left-side driving, but this is helpful in designing something that could plausibly get us around without. Thank you!

One reason I would suggest Glasgow is the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, which I think your toddler would absolutely love. There were so many kids there when I was visiting and they seemed to be enthralled, especially by the large collection of taxidermy animals like Sir Roger the elephant, giraffes, bears, and a dinosaur skeleton. For that matter, I was pretty enthralled by it all as well. It was fascinating to go through there and see everything.

Here's one blog article in Glasgow with Kids written by a local resident who takes her kids there a lot: https://www.glasgowwithkids.co.uk/kelvingrove-art-gallery-and-museum-glasgow/

Another very cool place to take a child would be the Necropolis, which sounds a little strange, but it's a very interesting cemetery right next to St. Giles Cathedral. Kids seem to really love seeing the statuary and fascinating gravestones. There's also the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel, which I think a kid would love and a lot of adults do as well. Those can be reached from Glasgow or Edinburgh. It's easier to do with a car, although I think it's doable by public transportation. There's another thread on here right now about that, I think.

Edit: Here is one thing you might try. I was just on Rabbie's website on their FAQs page, and they said that they do not accept children under five, but mentioned that if you do have younger children, to contact them and they will recommend some tours. That might be something I would take them up on. Here is a link to their contact page: https://www.rabbies.com/en-us/info/contact-us