We took a couple extra days in Edinburgh and flew to Shannon for the Ireland tour. That fit with the schedules of the tours and was necessary to really see more of that city. You could also do it in reverse and spend more time in Dublin. Two nights in an important city is obviously not enough. We also spent time in London for a couple days before and after these tours and took a leisurely train trip up to Edinburgh that was a fun and relaxing way to watch the English countryside roll by. Booking early for the Virgin train made the price quite affordable and we stayed in walking distance from Kings Cross.
The 10-day Scotland tour was quite enjoyable and a good introduction to Scottish history, the conflicts with England, Brexit issues, etc. We generally prefer the longer tours that let you bond more with the tour members and get a deeper look at each country. The full Edinburgh day was focused on the castle and Royal mile, with dinners and walks in the New Town (Georgian) area. I thought the stop in Culcross was uninspiring and would have preferred more time in St. Andrews where there were three sites on my list, plus lunch. The Kenmore visit was a nice quiet spot compared to the city and included our own bagpipe and haggis introduction. Unscheduled, we also saw bagpipes and kilts at two local weddings and later from a high school group in Oban. The time in the Highlands was the best part of the tour with sheepdogs, Loch Ness, Culloden, and Cawdor Castle as highlights and the rough country around Glencoe giving a good feel of the countryside. Oban on the west coast had a fun whisky tour, great seafood, and the boat/bus ride to Iona. The time on Iona was limited, so you should be content with grabbing a very quick lunch. Some tour members stayed on for more time on their own to see other places, in particular if they had Scottish ancestry. We had a couple more nights in Edinburgh to see Holyrood Palace, the Parliament, etc.
