Private Day Trips, by train. Say, you fancy escaping Edinburgh’s crowds but the fast-paced, 12-hour Highland coach tours are not up your alley. You’d like something slower, something that’s just yours. Off the beaten path. How about Scotland’s ancient capital, with a 1000-year old Abbey all to yourself? A dreamy seaside retreat with the chance to spot a puffin? A cliffside trek with waterfalls and castles? A hike with Highland cows and Exmoor ponies for company? An escape to the Highlands on your terms?
COST AND DURATION
Summer Day Trips (April-October) usually last between 10 AM and 6 PM and cost £350 for 8 hours, with £60 for every additional hour. In winter (November-March), hours are typically 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and the fee is £300. Additional hours are not recommended in winter due to extremely limited daylight. Tickets, meals, and paid attractions are not included in the price. Duration can be negotiated. Have a look and fill in the contact form when you’re ready!
Day Trips
Dunfermline - Scotland’s Ancient Capital
Just 30 minutes away by train from Edinburgh Waverley lies Dunfermline, a city so painfully underrated that you are pretty much guaranteed to be the only tourist there.
We’ll cross the gorgeous Forth Rail Bridge (get your cameras ready!) into the Kingdom of Fife, and set off on an adventure that will feature:
→ The Birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, world’s most renowned philanthropist and once, the richest man on the planet;
→ The Glen, aka Pittencrieff Park, a 76-acre nature lovers’ paradise, featuring woodland, waterfalls, white peacocks and plenty of grey squirrels to feed (bring nuts, they’ll love you). It’s where William Wallace was rumoured to have been hiding from the English!
→ Dunfermline Abbey and Palace, with nearly 1000 years of history, from King Malcolm and Saint Margaret, the body of Robert the Bruce (that’s right, he’s buried there!), to James VI, Queen Anna of Denmark and their child, the ill-fated Charles I;
→ Abbot House, almost 500 years old and now turned into the most beautiful café you’ll ever see;
→ Carnegie Library and Museum, where you’ll learn more about the lives of the ordinary people of Dunfermline;
→ St. Margaret’s Cave (bookable 48 hrs in advance, and only on weekends), hidden underneath the city;
→ St. Margaret’s Church, where you’ll find the only remaining relic of that queen—her shoulder bone.
Dunfermline is perfect for history lovers. We’ll talk about the Wars of Independence, William Wallace, Macbeth, religion, philanthropy, the weaving industry, lives of the Saints, the Scottish witch hunts, royal baby drama, and much more!
North Berwick - Edinburgh’s Nr. 1 Seaside Retreat
A lot more popular (and touristy) than Dunfermline, but I’d say, in the case of this little town, it’s well-deserved. Also a 30-minute train ride away (this time East, instead of heading North), it’s incredibly easy to reach and makes for an excellent day trip.
Together, we’ll explore:
→ The Scottish Seabird Centre (if you’d like a boat bird-watching tour, it has to be booked separately and well in advance on their webpage)—where we’ll learn about North Berwick’s incredible array of wildlife;
→ The Black Kirk, dating back to the 12th century. It’s the site of an alleged Black Sabbath that happened here in 1590, attended by over 200 witches and warlocks, with the Devil himself making an appearance;
→ Two gorgeous beaches, Milsey Bay and West Bay. One historically a women’s, one a men’s beach. Look out for jellyfish, crabs and seals!
→ A view of the Bass Rock (boat tour bookable separately), known as Scotland’s Alcatraz (even kings were held prisoner there once!), and home to the world’s largest gannet colony.
→ North Berwick Law, a 187m volcanic plug with an Iron Age fort, old military fortifications and incredible views from the top.
We’ll also spend some time on the High Street, exploring the many cosy boutiques, cafes and antique shops. A lunch break at the famous Lobster Shack is also a must!
Stirling - Gateway to the Highlands
If Edinburgh Castle didn’t quite leave you satisfied, this one is bound to do the job. If you’ve been to the former, you know exactly what I mean—it’s very… military. Not quite castl-y enough, no matter how much Queen Victoria tried. Stirling, on the other hand, is royal through and through. Childhood home and coronation site of Mary Queen of Scots, residence to her father James V and mother, Mary of Guise, and son James VI, it sports magnificent gardens (you know, the thing that Edinburgh Castle so distinctly lacks), a Renaissance Great Hall and beautifully restored Royal Apartments. And guess what? Unlike Edinburgh Castle, I can actually come inside some of these buildings with you!
Not to mention jaw-dropping views of the Highlands from the castle. It’s quite a trek to the top from the train station, after all, so I hope your stamina is up to speed!
After some free time in the Castle (tickets subject to availability; please book them in advance), we’ll head down to town to visit the Church of the Holy Rude, site of Scotland’s royal coronations, and the Smith Art Gallery and Museum (if it’s up your alley). An optional, but highly recommended add-on is the top-rated Old Town Jail, Stirling’s Victorian Prison (audio-guides & internal tours of the jail purchased separately). If you’d like, we can also take a quick bus ride to the Wallace Monument past the famous Stirling Bridge, and learn all about Mel Gib… I mean, Braveheart. And how the movie was technically made about the wrong person…
Fife Coastal Path - to get away from it all
A true off-the-beaten-path experience. There’s a 190km route stretching along the entire coastline of Fife, aptly named the Fife Coastal Path. Trekking the whole thing would take about a week (although it’d make for a great holiday in and of itself!), but since the path runs through towns and villages, some of them reachable by train, it also constitutes a perfect day trip from the capital.
This is a day trip for those looking to escape into nature. Less history, more a leisurely walk across villages and cliffsides. The stretch of the Path I have selected includes:
→ Burntisland, a lovely seaside retreat with a quaint High Street, Rossend Castle visited by Mary, Queen of Scots, and a gorgeous beach overlooking Edinburgh, where you’re pretty much guaranteed to be the only tourist;
→ Cliffside walk to Aberdour Silver Sands Beach, offering unforgettable views, cliffs and waterfalls. Bring lunch; this is where we’ll stop for the most scenic sandwiches of your life!
→ Hawkcraig Headland, a scenic rocky coastal headland with panoramic views across the Firth of Forth. Popular with rock-climbers, it’s home to nesting sea birds from April to July, and served as a WWI Naval Station for U-Boat Detection.
→ Aberdour Black Sands Beach — Silver Sands’ rugged, rockier sister;
→ Aberdour Castle — The grand finale. One of Scotland’s oldest standing castles, with impressive gardens and a dovecot, and one of the many filming locations of Outlander.
→ Optional extension by getting off the train at North- or South Queensferry on the way back to Edinburgh. Lovely, scenic towns, perfect for dinner.
Stonehaven & Dunottar Castle - Pixar’s Brave comes to life
You know Castle Dunbroch, from Pixar’s Brave? Have you ever wanted to feel like Merida, wind in your hair, Touch The Sky playing in your ears? Well, Dunottar is as close as you’ll get to that. It did actually inspire the makers of the Pixar hit, and it’s not difficult to see why.
If you want to visit it in a day from Edinburgh, you can. We’d take the early morning train (2 hrs), trek the rugged but gorgeous coastline for 1hr each way, which still leaves us plenty of time to explore the castle ruins. It’s a day trip for early risers and confident walkers, but it’s worth it! The castle has connections to William Wallace, Oliver Cromwell, Mary Queen of Scots and more. It was once a prison, home to a pet lion, and the hiding place for the Scottish Crown Jewels. But, most importantly, it’s so pretty….
Stonehaven itself also has plenty to offer, with a historic harbour, the Tolbooth Museum (an old prison—love those), and world-famous fish and chips. It’s als the birthplace of the Deep Fried Mars Bar so, you know. You kind of have to visit it now.
Pentland Hills - Highlands at Home
Did you know that you don’t have to go all the way to the Highlands to experience that Scottish mountain “vibe” and meet the hairy coos? They’re hiding away in the Pentland Hills.
This is the only trip I do by bus. And the only day trip that is a half-day trip by default (£200, 4 hours)
Approx. 40 minutes from the city centre will get you into another world. It used to be my little secret; however, I think it has recently been doing rounds on Instagram, as I’ve been getting asked how to get to the Highland Cows more and more these days. Naturally, you can go out to the farm yourself—or you can let me take the reins. Except with me, we won’t only see the farm where they reside—we’ll go all the way up into their pastures (yes, it’s allowed, but shh, don’t tell anyone) and do a beautiful loop around the hills. On the way, we’ll meet ponies, sheep, bunnies, and more, if we’re lucky. And if we do it in May, you’ll smell blooming gorse everywhere, making the whole place smell like coconuts. It’s magic!
Pitlochry - A Taste of the Highlands
Who said you can’t do the Highlands by train in a day? Challenge accepted.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present Pitlochry. From its charming Victorian High Street to the Faskally Forest (also known as the Enchanted Forest—can you tell why?), it lets you get a taste of the Cairngorms National Park and still be back in Edinburgh for the night. We’ll take a stroll around Loch Faskally, stop at the Pitlochry Boating Station, and see the Dam and Fish Ladder (from April to August, you can catch the salmon migration and see them jump upstream!). For whisky lovers, we can take the local bus (or train) to the Blair Atholl distillery nearby, and top it off with Blair Castle and Gardens.
COMING SOON. (This is a tour even I have not done myself yet. Until I do, I will not charge full price for it. If you’d like to go to Pitlochry with me before I can launch it as a product, I will offer it at 50% off (£175), as you’ll be my guinea pigs for the day. I will organise the whole thing, but I may need the aid of Google Maps now and then!)
Get in touch
Interested in a tour? Plese fill out the contact form and I’ll be in touch as soon as possible. :) Alternatively, use the Booking Page.