Breathtaking scenery, beautiful Highland lochs, mountains and glens, ancient castles and historical sites, large vibrant cities and stunning locations. In 5 days we’ll show you all of these plus more of this wee country than any other tour of its length. All lead by your The Hairy Coo Guide.
Be amazed by the landscapes on this tour. From the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond and ancient standing stones of Kilmartin to Oban. We will take you to beautiful Glencoe, Glenfinnan and the Great Glen. Tour a Scotch whisky distillery, ancient castles, Loch Ness and spend a night on the Isle of Skye. Take a seal spotting cruise on Loch Carron, and step back millions of years among the geological wonders of Scotland’s far North West Highlands.
Delve into the Jacobite Rebellions at Culloden Battlefield and locations from Outlander, Harry Potter and James Bond. Stroll across the world famous links of St Andrews Old Course and wander among the buildings of Scotland’s oldest University.
Posted By : F2093TWdebbien
We had an amazing time. John our tour guide was fantastic, entertaining, and had incredible knowledge keeping us engaged throughout the 5 days. He took us to many interesting places we never would of thought of (with a few added johnny bonus stops!) making it an unforgettable experience. He took the time to engage with everyone making sure we all felt comfortable with a great sense of humour. By the end we all felt a family and would highly recommend the tour for anyone.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-07-02 15:23:19 
Posted By : jillprice24
This was my second tour with the Hairy Coo and it was fantastic! Our guide was John aka “The King of the North” and he really knows his stuff. A font of knowledge on all things Scotland – from the best places to visit, to which road to use, right down to recommendations for meals. As for his playlist – banging! There are plenty of stops throughout the day, in fact you are probably off the bus more than you are on it! The scenery you see on this tour is just stunning, the many photographs you will take do not do it justice. What makes this company and this tour different to the others is the fact John takes the time to get know each passenger on the tour, everyone is involved. You start the tour as strangers and leave as friends. I have been on many day tours with different tour providers in Edinburgh and I can honestly say that The Hairy Coo are the best. Don’t think about booking a tour, just do it!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-27 13:36:40
Posted By : spktravel2015
This review is in 2 parts. A) Review of actual tour conducted by Stephen which was 10/10 and B) Review of the Hairy Coo back/admin office which is a 3/10.
a) Review of actual tour
Stephen our guide was absolutely amazing. He is extremely knowledgeable about Scotland and gave us tons of information about the places we saw, historical time lines and places to eat at each town we visited.
During the entire tour he played music from musicians with Scottish ancestry and his selection of music and the timing on when he played it was impeccable.
He has a great sense of humor and not only did we learn a lot about Scotland, we also laughed a lot at his very funny jokes.
We covered a lot of places in Scotland and almost all the places were incredibly scenic and very worth visiting.
b) Review of back office/admin
We were extremely disappointed with the admin side. At the time of booking, our drop off points were mentioned on their website and also specified in the conformation email. Based on that email, we reserved hotels in 4 places Oban, Portree and Inverness 10-12 months before the tour.
During that 10-12 months, the city of Inverness asked them not to use the original drop off point but instead switch to another drop off point on the other side of the river,
Hairy Coo company is our opinion should have informed us about this change so we could have revisited our Inverness hotel booking. We would have changed it closer to the new drop off location.
When we emailed them indicating that they should have informed us via email about this change after we booked the reservation, they did not reply initially. When I pressed them for a reply, they replied that they had changed it on their website as if to suggest that it was my responsibility to keep checking their website and not trust their original conformation email which was the basis of my hotel bookings.
When I replied back to their reply saying that they were being insensitive and not communicating effectively about itinerary changes, I again never heard from them (to this date).
The 2nd issue we had with the back office of the trip was in acquiring hotel reservations. Portree in particular is very challenging as it is a very small place and there is very limited accommodation near their drop off points.
They have listed a few recommended hotels on their website but we were unable to get reservations at any of them even though we were trying 10-12 months ahead of the trip dates. When we reached out to Hairy Coo asking for other hotel suggestions, they basically told my wife bluntly that they cannot help and it was up to us to find accommodation.
Bottom line, again they were insensitive, lacked empathy and did not show any willingness to help us with trip related issues.
While I loved the tour with Stephen, I found the Hairy Coo back office very disappointing.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-12 19:24:59
Posted By : Denise21965
My husband and I did the small group 5 day tour with Stephen! Stephen was energetic and full of life. He brought his personality and wit each day and made everything so interesting. We saw so much we would have missed if we had tried to drive ourselves or do a large tour with more people.
We loved Stephen's sense of humor and his great taste in music!!
We highly recommend Hairy Coos and Stephen!!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-12 05:24:53
Posted By : Paradise07308570934
We did the 5-day tour and Stephen was our driver/guide. I have to agree with all the other people who gave 5 stars, it was an amazing experience thanks to his expertise in all aspects of the tour. I particularly liked his morbid sense of humour. You might call it "Leith-al" (he's from Leith) :)
We would definitely do this and/or another of the Hairy Coo tours again. Well worth it!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-11 04:53:59
Posted By : Paradise53102108522
Our tour guide, Michael, was awesome! He was courteous, friendly, very knowledgeable and provided the ultimate experience for us during our tour. We've been to Scotland before, but we experienced Scotland through a Scottish man's eyes on the Hairy Coo 5 day tour and it was well worth it!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-06-01 08:20:32
Posted By : Thomas_B
The trip, April 24-28, 2024, was beyond anything I could have hoped for. First off, John, our tour leader was incredible! When you spend 5 days with someone leading a tour, they really have to bring it and he did. His knowledge of the highlands and the storytelling, my God, the storytelling, was vast! We saw all the sights on the itinerary and even more because our group was punctual and considerate and we never had to wait for anyone beyond a minute or two maybe once. There were plenty of "pee" breaks as each destination was not more than an hour or so apart. So do not be concerned at all that there is no toilet on the bus. Speaking of the bus, it was super comfortable with large windows to see everything! The towns we stayed in overnight were a delight and the locals were most welcoming. If you are thinking of doing this trip, do it! You will have the time of your life!! You will hit the jackpot if John is your guide!!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-09 16:12:02 
Posted By : 743carliep
I booked the 5 day tour with the Hairy Coo and I can’t even put into words how incredible those 5 days were. John ‘the only King of the north’ was a fantastic tour guide. I have been on quite a few tours and John was the best guide I have ever had. He is knowledgeable and cares so much for his homeland, it’s truly remarkable. I can’t wait for the day when I come back to take this tour again, because I 110% will be back. He was right, I do feel like I left a part of myself in Scotland.
Thank you John and the Hairy Coo!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-01 19:45:54
Posted By : anne5252
Our tour with Freddy was fabulous! So informative so funny, with great music to accompany the tour. Personally helped this older couple find their hotel too! Got to meet some Hairy Coos, too!! Not a boring minute. Extras included that were personal to Freddy. Loved it and highly recommend Hairy Coo tours.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-08-29 09:34:35
Posted By : Y3405CNmichaelm
It is said “if you love your job, it’s nae work!” That would be the philosophy of our tour guide Stephen! A narrow-trail thrill merchant, expert driver and a passionate and patriotic Scotsman, whose love of his country always shows when he is relating his constant and always-amusing (albeit often gory) tales about his fellow Scots. I took this 5-day Highlands tour as a senior citizen with youngest daughter in tow. If you do this tour, ask for Stephen and try to partake in every activity in his itinerary. He never hesitated to point out the longest, biggest, deepest, widest etc. which all belong to Scotland (go on, Steve; I’ll give you that record Tay salmon!).
Great tour. Thanks, Stephen!
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-08-29 08:27:29
>
