Glasgow (Greenock) Shore Excursion: Stirling, Loch Lomond & The Highlands

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Glasgow, Scotland

Popular pick

Booked 10+ times last week!

8 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.4

· Margaret_H ·

Sep 2025

This tour exceeded my expectations. Our guide Michelle was a pro, great storyteller. Her knowledge, enthusiasm, and sense of humor made a full day pass quickly. Moreover, her recommendations for lunch were spot on. Enjoyed the ride and sights along the way to the castle and there seemed just enough time at each stop. Michelle was a delightful guide and excellent driver.

· Pamela_F ·

Sep 2025

Excellent tour. Excellent tour guide. It was a 7-8 hour day. Lots of driving through the stunning countryside of Scotland. So far the most beautiful country I’ve seen. Nick our driver was full of the dickens! Very knowledgeable and extremely fun. Highly recommend him and the tour.

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Overview

Limited time in port makes planning a day inland challenging, but this full-day shore excursion from Greenock Cruise Port is designed to help you see Scotland’s highlights without the hassle. Travel by comfortable, air-conditioned coach through scenic countryside, stopping at Stirling Castle to learn about its role in Scotland’s history before continuing to the traditional village of Aberfoyle in Trossachs National Park. Then, head to the shores of Loch Lomond to take in the views before returning to port.

Check off several Scottish highlights in a shore excursion
Hassle-free Greenock port pickup and drop-off
Guarantee your arrival back at port in time for your ship's departure
Learn about Scottish history and culture from your guide

What's Included

Port pickup and drop-off
Driver-guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Worry-free shore excursion guarantee

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Attraction Tickets
Restroom on board
WiFi on board

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup point

Greenock Cruise Terminal
8 Custom House Way, Greenock PA15 1EW, UK

Pickup details

The Driver-Guide for your shore excursion will meet you at the entrance to the Greenock Cruise Terminal.

Operating hours
.9:00 am

Itinerary

Your Glasgow shore excursion begins with a morning pickup from Greenock Cruise Port. Meet your guide and board an air-conditioned coach for a short ride through the rugged Scottish countryside to Stirling.

Your first stop is Stirling Castle, a critical medieval stronghold and former residence of Scottish royals, including Mary, Queen of Scots. With your free time here, stroll the grounds and snap photos, or purchase an optional interior tour and see some of the spectacular rooms, including the Great Hall and James V’s Palace. Learn about the site’s colorful history, riddled with battles such as the Battle of Stirling Bridge, led by the legendary William Wallace. Then continue to Doune Castle for another unique photo opportunity.

Afterwards, head into the wild country, coursing through rolling hills and green pastures to Kilmahog at the edge of Trossachs National Park. As your coach travels through the Highlands, admire the views and keep an eye open for "wee hairy coos" (Highland cattle).

Your expert guide narrates the journey through Trossachs National Park, giving historical context to the present-day surroundings, such as the charming village of Aberfoyle, nestled in the forest. Explore the town and grab some lunch (own expense) before heading to Loch Lomond, the last stop on your trip. Stroll on the banks of this tranquil lake and buy yourself a dram of local whisky.

Your full-day trip concludes with a return service to Greenock port, arriving by evening.

Stirling Castle

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Aberfoyle VisitScotland iCentre

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Loch Lomond

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 3 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Minimum age is 4 years old.
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Most travelers can participate
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark the bus.
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 53 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.4

based on 267 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Excellent tour guide and...

Diane_B, Oct 2025

Excellent tour guide and many interesting places to see. Each stop was fun and packed full of great sights and information.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Hi Diane, It means so much to hear such positive feedback about our tours, so thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! We hope that you will join us again on tour and we can show you some more amazing scenery! Kind regards, Faye

Great tour, awesome tour guide.

Chris_B, Oct 2025

This is not only a great tour but everything about the experience was excellent. The tour guide, Wee Davey, was a standout. Once he heard that our ship schedule was changing to stay an extra day in Glasgow he shared that he was able to give us some extra time at each location. To start the day, he was waiting with the bus right outside the docking area of our cruise ship. Throughout the tour and the ride he provided fun and interesting information about Scotland, Sterling, and the other stops along our tour. Sterling Castle is a must see highlight. Well worth the money and far less expensive that similar tours offered through the cruise ship.

We chose this tour...

Sara_M, Oct 2025

We chose this tour because it gave us the most time at Stirling Castle and we got to see a bit of the countryside. While Loch Lomond was a nice respite from travel and the "coos" were adorable, Stirling Castle was amazing! We could have spent all day there! If this is your priority, this tour is a good choice. If you want something more "well-rounded", then pick a different tour.

Great tour but it lasted longer than was listed

Susan_C, Oct 2025

Beautiful drive. It was a little difficult to understand the tour guide. The tour ended almost an hour after it said it would get over, just a heads up.

Wee Davie was best tour guide we’ve had in 30 years of cruising!

Kendra_G, Oct 2025

Arriving in Greenock on princess ship and very easily found the Timberbush tour guides and parking area of private tour buses. The people who previously complained about that must need their hands held every step of the way. Wee Davie was a fabulous tour guide and driver. Yes, he’s Scottish so yes he has an accent. How can you expect otherwise? But we acclimated quickly and enjoyed his very informative and educated commentary. Stirling is a quaint town and nice castle to visit. Definitely prebook castle tickets and dress in layers! Callandar was a great town to have a delicious lunch in the MHOR bread shop. Oh my the pastries are BEYOND! Great souvenirs to be purchased in the local shops there. Lovely stop to feed some cows and nice visit to Loch Lomond complete with a quick visit to a whiskey shop where you can buy locally distilled whiskey. A long day but broken up and a great way to spend your port day! Wee Davie was a highlight with his fun sense of humor.

Sterling castle is a must !

Li_S, Oct 2025

Sterling castle is the best castle experience we had so far !!! My husband said he refer sterling castle over Windsor!! Don’t miss this one!!

Nice tour and the guide did a good job

Carroll_L, Sep 2025

Had a great time and it was nice to see Stirling Castle. The tour guide did a really good job providing the history of each stop.

Beautiful Scotland

Kandi_B, Sep 2025

Enjoyed seeing this beautiful Castle, the Highlands and Loch Lomond. Would have enjoyed seeing more of the lake, but we were dealing with time restraints and some rain.

Excellent Tour. Excellent Tour Guide.

Pamela_F, Sep 2025

Stirling castle was...

John_H, Sep 2025

Stirling castle was amazing, go ahead and purchase the tickets to go in or you won’t enter the grounds. Our guide Ashe was fabulous and told Scottish stories the whole time.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

We're delighted to hear that your excursion went well, and that you were able to experience some fantastic spots in the Scottish Highlands! We're delighted to hear that your excursion went well, and that you were able to experience some fantastic spots in the Scottish Highlands! We will make sure to let you know about the lovely review, and we hope we can welcome you on another tour soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Scottish accent

Richard_S, Sep 2025

The tour was good, however, our guide had a very strong Scottish accent and was difficult to understand. His name was Wee Davee.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hi there! Thank you so much for your review! We are so happy to hear that you had a good time on your Shore Excursion tour! We are sorry to hear that you had a hard time understanding your driver-guide's accent. Our driver guides do come from all over Scotland, and sometimes their accents might be more difficult to understand than others. We do offer written translations in English as well as other languages to help customers understand some of our vast history. We are happy to hear that this did not hinder you from enjoying the tour! We hope to see you again soon! Best wishes, Elizabeth

Lovely day through the Lowlands to Stirling Castle

Margaret_H, Sep 2025

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hi there! Thank you so much for your great review! We are absolutely thrilled to hear that your Shore Excursion tour to Stirling, Loch Lomond & The Highlands with Michelle exceeded your expectations! Her amazing knowledge, passion for Scotland and great sense of humour really makes a tour special! We will be sure to pass along your kind words to her! We hope that we will see you again in the future! Best wishes, Elizabeth

Fun tour

Maureen_m, Sep 2025

It’s a lot of time in the bus. The tour guide was delightful if a little hard to understand. Loved the castle and coos

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hi there! Thank you so much for your review! We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your shore excursion tour to Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond & The Highlands! Stirling Castle is one of the most magical castles in Scotland and we are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your time there! We hope to see you again soon! Best wishes, Elizabeth

Glasgow poor tour

Michael_A, Sep 2025

Poorly managed time and missed key spots. Very disappointed. No updates from host but many side stories. Have 2 more Viattor tours this week. If they are not lots better we will not be using your services ever again

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Dear Michael, Thank you for your review, and we are sorry that you did not enjoy your experience. Our tours stop at all of the locations stated on the booking page unless there is an issue out of our control that makes it impossible. We are sorry to hear that you felt rushed. As you will be aware, it takes quite a while to travel across the highlands, so in order to be able to do this tour in one day we can only make limited stops along the way. Our tours stop at all of the locations stated on the booking page unless there is an issue out of our control that makes it impossible. We would be happy to investigate your concerns further, if you could please provide further information about your tour to tours@timberbushtours.com so we can look into this for you. We apologise if you felt disappointed, and hope that you were still able to enjoy the tour. Kind regards, Fatima

Great excursion

Gina_R, Sep 2025

Michelle was one of the best tour guides I’ve had. Made sure we were all comfortable and happy, left little treats on our seats when coming back from the bus and had umbrellas/ponchos on board. Loved the highland coo, feeding them was one of my favorite parts of my trip!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hello Gina, Thank you for your amazing review! We are sure Michelle will be happy to hear that you enjoyed your time on your Stirling, Loch Lomond & The Highlands tour with him, and we hope you learned a lot of new and interesting facts about Scotland. We appreciate you taking the time to write a review and hope to see you again sometime soon! Best regards, Paulina.

Amazing tour to Stirling Castle with Michelle

Brittany_N, Sep 2025

Michelle was an absolutely sensational tour guide! She was so knowledgeable about her country! She made the experience a 10/10 with her treats, games, and Clan pins. Would recommend a tour with her to all!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hello Brittany, Thank you for your kind words! We are sure Michelle will be happy to hear that you enjoyed your time on your Stirling, Loch Lomond & The Highlands tour with her, and we hope you learned a lot of new and interesting facts about Scotland. Please don't be a stranger, we hope to welcome you back on tour with us someday soon! Best regards, Paulina.

A fun and recommended tour

dan_m, Sep 2025

A very successful tour. Beautiful Edinburgh. The guide Connor is funny and makes the trip to the stand-up show a real treat.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hello Dan, Thank you for your review! We are so happy to hear you had a great time on your Stirling, Loch Lomond & The Highlands tour with Connor! He certainly knows how to make a tour fun! We hope you learned plenty of new and interesting facts. Please don't be a stranger, we hope to welcome you back on tour with us someday soon! Best regards, Paulina.

Stirling Castle

Susan_S, Aug 2025

Princess Cruise Line did not tell us where the buses were located for the Viator. We had to walk across the street and into another parking lot, only to find buses leaving and none of them marked. Thankfully, one driver, Michelle opened her window and asked who we were. My name was on Her list and she was able to fit us onto her bus. There were two buses for this excursion. The previous one had already left. Unfortunately, our friends did not find the right bus soon enough and were left behind. They ended up taking a taxi from our dock to Stirling for 140 Pounds! Our guide, Michelle, was very knowledgeable and gave history during the hourlong ride to Stirling Castle. Again unfortunately, because the Cruise ship rescheduled to leave port an hour early, our time at Stirling Castle was barely an hour and a half instead of the two we were hoping for. It was definitely not enough time to peruse even half the castle. This castle is critical in the history of Scotland. It’s said that whoever holds the keys to the castle holds the keys to Scotland. Definitely we will discover more through our own research. As the weather began to deteriorate and the traffic pick up, our guide chose to go to another final destination so we wouldn’t be late getting to our ship. Yes, I recommend this tour to Stirling Castle. Long drive from dock but wished that was our only stop except for a quick lunch stop. Buses DEFINITELY need signage!!!

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Dear Susan, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review in regards to your Shore Excursion. We value all feedback that we receive and how we can improve on our tours in the future, so thank you for bringing this to our attention. We you disembark of the cruise ship, there should be stewards at the port to direct all passengers to the coach parking area and I do apologise this was not available to you on this date. We understand the need for signage for our coaches so it is clear which coach is for which tour, and this is something that we continue to work on for all our departure locations so communication remains clear for all passengers. Our Reservations Team does try to contact all passengers that have not arrived in time for the coach so we can offer our guidance and directions to where the coach is located. We do take careful consideration with or tour timings as we understand the importance of different locations to all passengers and being able to explore them in enough time as possible. Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances do happen on occasion, such as this one with the cruise departing earlier, therefore the driver and the guide had to make the decision to leave the castle earlier than planned. I do hope despite what occurred on the day, you enjoyed your time spent exploring Stirling Castle and the knowledge that Michelle was able to provide. I am sure she will be thrilled to hear you enjoyed her commentary. Kind regards, Christie

Best tour Ever!

Pamela_A, Aug 2025

This by far was the best guided tour we’ve experienced. It all comes down to the guide Michelle who not only flawlessly handled the bus but had tons of information regarding Scotland & the sites we were seeing She gets a 15 out of 10 stars & we’ve had many different excursions.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hello Pamela, Thank you for your amazing review! We are so happy to hear you had a great time on your Stirling, Loch Lomond & The Highlands tour with Michelle! She certainly knows how to make a tour fun! We hope you learned plenty of new and interesting facts. We hope to see you again sometime soon so we can help you experience more of the magic of Scotland. Best regards, Paulina.

Castle at its finest

Barbara_D, Aug 2025

Fabulous. Stirling Castle is wonderful. We were looking for a great castle and found it here. Great.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hello, Thank you for your review! We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your Stirling, Loch Lomond & The Highlands tour. Stirling Castle is certainly an amazing location with so much to see! We are happy to hear that you enjoyed exploring it. We hope that we will see you again in the future! Best regards, Paulina.

Stirling was a nice...

Robert_Q, Aug 2025

Stirling was a nice castle, but the experience was not good. We purchased an audio guide, but they ran out of the portable guides and told us we could download the guide on our phone. The Wi-Fi was terrible and after 20 minutes still could not the guide to download. Just ran my phone battery down. Castle was interesting but seemed to be castle staff not well organized. Loch Lomond and the Highlands were good. Our tour guide was good

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Dear Robert, We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review regarding the tour you took with us! It means so much to hear such positive feedback about our tours, so thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! In regards to Stirling Castle, I would recommend reaching out to them directly with any feedback that you have so they are able to look into it further. We hope to see you again sometime soon so we can help you experience more of the magic of Scotland! Kind regards, Christie

Wow! From Falkland, St Andrews & Fife

Deborah_C, Aug 2025

From start to finish the tour was exceptional! From greeting us to returning the tour was delightful! Kenny, our bus driver/tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly, charming and entertaining! We will use Viator next time for sure!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thanks for your lovely comments, We're delighted to hear that your excursion went well, and that you were able to experience some fantastic spots in the Scottish Highlands. We hope to see you again soon, Amy

Stirling Castle great/ Should skip Loch Lamond

Scott_P, Aug 2025

Good execution with a great guide. However, Loch Lamont was a waste of time. Wish we would have had more time in the quant village after Stirling Castle. We had :45 minutes there- not enough time to eat lunch.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Dear Scott, Thank you for your feedback. There is a lot that we take into account when choosing locations for stops, such as the scenery, the location’s capability of accommodating large groups of people, options for food, toilets, and space for bus parking. We are glad that you enjoy your tour despite this, and we hope we can welcome you on another tour soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Stirling Castle and Cows!

Sheila_W, Aug 2025

Such a fun and interesting adventure. We had an amazing time and learned so much about this part of Scotland. Our favorite part of the tour was feeding the cows, although Stirling Castle was a close second. So much incredible history. Gregor was a fantastic tour guide!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Good Evening, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review! We are delighted you had such an amazing time on tour with Gregor! It is great to hear you enjoyed exploring Scotland, especially meeting some of our adorable Hairy Cows! We would love to welcome you on tour with us again in the future. Best Wishes, Hannah

Glasco

REBBECCA_C, Aug 2025

Gregor is very informative. He knows his stuff. He told us stories about him and his family. It made you get to know him also which is great

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Good Evening, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review! We are thrilled to hear you enjoyed yoru tour with Gregor, and that his knowledge and personal anecdotes made the trip even more memorable! We would love to welcome you on tour with us again in the future. Best Wishes, Hannah

Interesting castle...

Marjorie_G, Aug 2025

Interesting castle history.coach ride rather long through park although points of interest were interesting.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

We're delighted to hear that your excursion went well, and that you were able to experience some fantastic spots in the Scottish Highlands! This tour certainly is one of our longer ones, we make sure to include lots of stops to let guests stretch their legs and hope you were still able to enjoy all that Scotland has to offer. We are glad you enjoyed your tour despite this and we hope we can welcome you on another tour soon! Kind regards, Fatima

Nice tour of the Stirling Castle area

Richard_D, Aug 2025

Our guide and driver were great. The guide was very knowledgeable and was always pointing out interesting sites and facts. The driver was very patient and smooth - he was able to maneuver through some tight spots. They also picked some nice spots to stop. The only issues were the HVAC on the bus was not working properly - it was either to cool or too warm. And it would have been to learn more about Stirling Castle before we arrived there. Regardless, all in all I would recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Dear Richard, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! We're delighted to hear that your excursion went well, and that you were able to experience some fantastic spots in the Scottish Highlands! Thank you for informing us about the air conditioning. We absolutely want our guests to be as comfortable as possible on our tours and hope this did not hinder your enjoyment of Scotland. We hope you can come back soon to explore some more of the Scottish Highlands! Kind regards, Fatima

Best tour with best guides

Bobbi_T, Aug 2025

The tour was magnificent! Our driver, Adam, and guide, Gregor were fantastic, and informative, and Gregor had us rolling with laughter❣️ They added a wee stop to see and Honey, Hamish, and Baxter the Highland Coos🐂🐂 Stirling Castle and Loch Lomand were so lovely.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Good Afternoon, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review. We are delighted you enjoyed your tour, and that Adam and Gregor kept you informed throughout, and that Gregor got you laughing so much! It is great to hear you got to meet some of our adorable Hairy Coo's too! We would love to welcome you on tour with us again in the future. Best Wishes, Hannah

Scotland

Joann_B, Aug 2025

Adam and Gregor were the perfect tour guides. We appreciated all their knowledge and there ability to bring humor to the tour. We had a fantastic day.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Good Afternoon, Thank you for your lovely review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your time with Adam and Gregor and that they made the experience so memorable. We would love to welcome you on tour with us again in the future! Best Wishes, Hannah

An ok tour

Charmaine_J, Aug 2025

The tour was ok, nothing really exciting. I was not impressed with the castle. I honestly wish I'd gone on another tour.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Dear Charmaine_J Thank you for taking the time to leave a review for your shore excursion. We're sorry to hear that the tour didn't amaze you as much as we hoped it would! We always want to show our guests the best Scotland has to offer, even in the small window afforded to us by the shore excursions. I hope that at the very least, you enjoyed your time in the Trossachs, and Loch Lomond, and if you are ever back in Scotland, that we can take you on a tour that you enjoy even more. Kind regards, Clara