3-Day Isle of Arran Tour from Edinburgh Including Robert Burns Country

Discover the diverse landscapes of the Isle of Arran on a 3-day tour from Edinburgh, and see some of mainland Scotland’s highlights, too! On route to the wild and windswept island, visit impressive Culzean Castle and spend time in ‘Burns Country,’ where Robert Burns (Scotland’s national poet) was born. After two nights in a 3-star guesthouse or hotel as well as a full-day tour of the Isle of Arran, return to Edinburgh via the Kintyre Peninsula and enjoy a final stop in the village of Inveraray.

Day 1: Edinburgh – Burns Country – Brodick, Isle of Arran
Leave Edinburgh in the morning and travel west to Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city. Passing the impressive Whitelee Wind Farm, venture into the county of Ayrshire to visit Culzean Castle, one of Scotland’s 18th-century showpieces. Head inside at your own expense and explore independently, admiring the stately architecture of its interiors as well as the cliff-top views over Culzean County Park. If time permits, wander through the parkland to explore its woodlands and secluded ponds, and maybe visit the cafe for a bite to eat (own expense).

In the afternoon, continue to Burns Country where Robert Burns was born. Enjoy a stop in the coastal town of Alloway to see places mentioned in his poems and songs, and then visit Robert Burns Birthplace Museum (own expense), to find out more about the man who penned the world-famous Auld Lang Syne song.

After browsing its exhibits independently, travel to Ardrossan to hop aboard your ferry to the Isle of Arran, and then travel by minibus to the large village of Brodick where your accommodation awaits. Check in and spend your evening doing whatever you please; ask your guide for tips for good restaurants in town.

Overnight: 3-star hotel or guesthouse in Brodick

Day 2: Isle of Arran (B)
Meet your guide after breakfast and discuss the options for your day’s activities. Depending on the weather and your group’s interests, your guide will arrange the best day out for you. Perhaps spend your day in the island’s mountainous north and enjoy views from the 2,867-foot (874-meter) peak of Goat Fell, the villages of Corrie and Sannox, the ruins of Lochranza Castle and Arran Distillery. Alternatively, step back in time on a tour of Arran’s beguiling stone circles and standing stones that date back to the Neolithic period and the early Bronze Age.

Other sites of interest that may be worked into your day’s itinerary include the harbor village of Blackwaterfoot, Sliddery, Arran Cheese Shop, Brodick Castle and Arran Brewery – a microbrewery that uses ingredients from the island. Lunch, dinner and entrance fees on this day are at your own expense.

Overnight: 3-star hotel or guesthouse in Brodick

Day 3: Brodick – Kintyre Peninsula – Inveraray – Edinburgh (B)
Return to mainland Scotland after breakfast, taking the ferry from Lochranza to Claonaig, a small town on the wild and windswept Kintyre Peninsula. Swap your mode of transport to a minibus, and then travel along the coast to the fishing village of Tarbert on the peninsula’s narrowest strip. Enjoy some free time to stretch your legs, and then continue along the banks of Loch Fyne to the little whitewashed village of Inveraray. Stop for lunch (own expense), and then travel past the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond on your way back to Edinburgh. Your 3-day tour finishes in the early evening at the start point.

• Driver/guide
• Transport by air-conditioned minibus
• Ferry transfers to and from the Isle of Arran
  
• Accommodation as per itinerary
• Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)

• Entrance fees
• Food and drinks, unless specified
• Gratuities (optional)