Scottish Isles & Glens Reviews

This was an excellent itinerary to see the stunning landscapes that Scotland offers. Isle of Skye, Glencoe and Orkney were standout locations, The trip also had a liberal dose of castles and stately homes, both functioning and derelict. The tour guide provided an immense amount of history and perspective, to bring locations alive with their significance. ...read more Overall a very worthwhile experience.

On the downside, the tour company, CIE, chose to deliver our 'welcome pack' to the first hotel, rather than to our home. This appears to be their practice for Australians. This was in the least inconvenient as it meant we would not have the benefit of the provided backpacks for our outward journey. All other participants, who were from the USA, had their packs delivered to their homes. The impact was exacerbated by the packs not being there when we arrived, so we were without backpacks, name-tags, maps etc for the whole trip. It was only after pestering our guide that we finally received our packs on the very last day of the trip.

Our other concern was that the the quality of some of the hotels was below our expectations, with cramped rooms and bathrooms lacking power outlets etc, This is understandable in small remote towns, but the worst examples were actually in Glasgow and Inverness. We shared those hotels with other tour companies, such as Trafalgar, so we were not alone in the experience. The multiple tour groups also made meals, especially breakfast, a bit of a bunfight and far exceeded lift capabilities. We chose to walk up 5 flights at one stage, Would we do it again? Probably not with CIE. Their offices are in Ireland and USA and they appear to be not well geared for Australian participation.

Amazing journey through Scottish Highlands and Isles, getting to see parts of Scotland that I would normally not have considered going to. Went in May and weather was fantastic. The accommodations (with the exception for the Balmacara Hotel) were very ordinary and well below expectations. Whilst I would recommend this trip, I would hope that the tour ...read more operators review the accommodation options and provide better options in the future.

My wife and I were passengers on the Scottish Isles and Glens tour, commencing Glasgow on 6 June. This was the first time I have ever æriskedÆ a bus tour. I am pleased to say that the CIE tour was excellent. Excellent coach. Excellent driver (Bobby). Excellent guide (Ian). Both Bobby and Ian added greatly to our enjoyment of the trip. BobbyÆs driving ...read more skills were as good as could be; we always felt safe with him at the wheel of the huge bus. I thoroughly recommend this guy for his driving skills and pleasant personality. IanÆs encyclopaedic knowledge of Scottish History would be second to none. He was always a calm and pleasant guide, and managed the group very well. The weather was very good (thankfully). We will be back in the UK next year, and are considering touring options.

What a tour to end our holiday in the UK. If you want to see the wild, stark and beautiful highlands of Scotland, this is the one to do. We were the only Aussies on a smaller tour of 22, 19 women and three men, the rest were Americans. We had a ball and Ian Hume is a treasure trove of history and information about Scotland plus a dry sense of humour. ...read more Brian our coach driver was great too especially when he arrived at the Scottish evening at Nairn in full Highland regalia! Imagine 19 women vying for a photo! What fun! The weather was kind to us with only a couple of days drizzle and windy but was expected. We would definitely recommend this tour to others who would like to experience the Highlands. Another aside, a small wedding was being held at the Newton Hotel at Nairn and the bride and groom insisted we go and be part of the reception! This was so unexpected and so much fun. Then at Edinburgh ran into Eamonn again (a guide on our previous CIE Tour) at the Scottish and it was great that he remembered us and greeted us like long lost friends. All in all we had the most wonderful five weeks in the UK and thanks CIE, you need to promote more in Australia!!

My grandson and I have had a wonderful time! The scenery is breathtaking. Conor Delaney our guide for the 13 days is incredibly knowledgeable and made the trip funny as well as informative. Our driver, Brian was a rock and so amazing at the wheel on the twists and turns. Would I recommend CIE? In a minute! This is my second tour with CIE and will book ...read more with them in the future. Do it! You will have so much fun!!

My wife and I completed the Scotland Isles and Glens tour on October 10. It was our 9th tour (3 river cruises and 7 coach), and by far our best. Our Tour Director Pauline was knowledgeable on any topic, witty, and professional. Our driver Brian was a thorough professional who could manoeuvre that coach down any cow path - and funny as well. Nice not ...read more to have all of those extra cost excursions. Never knew Scotland was so beautiful, even in the rain. Looking forward to more trips with CIE.