Tours from Glasgow · Run by Timberbush Tours
Inveraray · Oban · Glencoe · Luss
Castles, sea lochs and Oban from Glasgow, a day of the West Highlands at their best.
This is the tour for anyone who loves a castle on the water. From Glasgow you pass Dumbarton Castle on its rock and stop at Inveraray, the little white town on Loch Fyne, then drive past Kilchurn Castle at the head of Loch Awe to Oban for lunch by the harbour. The afternoon takes you past Castle Stalker on its island and up through Glencoe and across Rannoch Moor, then home by Loch Lomond with a short walk at Luss. It's back at about 7.30pm, and there's plenty to see from the window all day.
The places it stops at, in order. Routes can change with the weather and the traffic.
The day
Where it starts
19 Killermont Street, Glasgow G2 3NX
Leaves at 8.45am
Seen from the coach
The fortress on the volcanic rock above the Clyde, besieged by Vikings in 870 and a refuge for Mary Queen of Scots.
More about Dumbarton Castle
A stop
The Duke of Argyll's white Georgian town on Loch Fyne, rebuilt from 1745, with a church divided in two.
Castle entry optional, April–October, Thursday to Monday
More about Inveraray
Seen from the coach
The Campbells of Glenorchy's castle at the head of Loch Awe, with the oldest surviving barracks on the British mainland.
More about Kilchurn Castle, Loch Awe
Lunch
The west coast's busy little capital on a horseshoe bay, the Gateway to the Isles, with McCaig's Tower above it.
Free time
More about Oban
Seen from the coach
A four-storey tower on a tidal islet in Loch Laich at Appin, built by the Stewarts in the 1440s and lost once in a wager.
More about Castle Stalker
A photo stop
A deep Highland glen walled in by the Three Sisters and the Aonach Eagach, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, with a visitor centre off the A82.
More about GlencoeSeen from the coach
A walk
A conservation village of stone cottages on Loch Lomond, rebuilt by the Colquhouns for their slate workers, with a pier and a beach.
More about Luss, Loch LomondWhere it ends
Back at about 7.30pm
Photographs: Timberbush Tours
19 Killermont Street, outside the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, opposite Buchanan Bus Station
19 Killermont Street, Glasgow G2 3NX
Leaves at 8.45am. Opens 15 minutes before departure and closes 5 minutes before.
Children aged 4 to 16 pay less; their price shows when you book.
Run by
Timberbush Tours has been taking visitors round Scotland since 1998. June and Gary Voy, a husband and wife team, started it with a single coach, and it now runs its own fleet, with driver-guides who have been with the company for years. Their tours leave every day from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, and from Portree on Skye, and you book with them directly.
Timberbush Tours answer them, and you book with them directly.
8.45am to 7.30pm from Glasgow, from £54 an adult.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before a day tour, and up to 7 days before a tour of several days, by Timberbush’s own terms.
Booked with Timberbush Tours, or call them on +44 (0)131 226 6066
From Glasgow11½ hoursBack 7.30pm
Glencoe · Fort William · Fort Augustus
Loch Lomond, Glencoe and Loch Ness in a day from Glasgow, an hour shorter than the same day from Edinburgh.
About 9 hours of it on the roadUp to 53 on a coach
From £67 an adult
Run by Timberbush Tours
From Glasgow8 hoursBack 5pm
Stirling Castle · Kilmahog · Aberfoyle · Loch Lomond
Off the ship at Greenock for Stirling Castle, the Trossachs and Loch Lomond.
About 4½ hours of it on the roadUp to 32 on a coach
From £75 an adult
Run by Timberbush Tours
From Edinburgh or Glasgow2 days
Inveraray · Glencoe · Glenfinnan Viaduct · Commando Memorial
Two days from Edinburgh or Glasgow, with a night in Fort William and Eilean Donan in the morning.
About 13 hours on the road in allUp to 37 on a coach
From £125 an adult
Run by Timberbush Tours
