Coast, sea Highlands & Islands –
Unicorn Tours throughout Scotland

The Borders & Sir Walter Scott's Abbotsford house (optional) /Melrose

1 day

This is a private & personalised tour for a group of up to 8 & AVAILABLE on any green* calendar day --- FREE 1 DAY TOURS 35 MILES PICK UP ZONE includes Edinburgh, Ingliston & Straiton P&R, Glasgow, Perth & much of the Scottish Central Belt within 35 miles of our Alloa home base in the heart of the Scottish Central Belt between Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Loch Lomond & Trossachs nationalpark & the Fife Coast --- FREE ALONG THE WAY PICK UP LOCATIONS free (excess mileage does not apply) pick ups from anywhere along the route from our Alloa homebase towards your tour destination we pass along = Free additional pick ups for this private tour also in the Penicuik & Dalkeith Mid-Lothian area --- EXCESS MILEAGE PAYABLE PICK UPS the additional pick up mileage supplement applies outwith & beyond the 35 miles free pick up zone more than 35 miles from our Alloa home base --- UNAVAILABLE on red & blue calendar days & during green* "Island based tour days", when our tours start from & finish at our temporary Scottish Islands & regions base further away instead

1D#25

Tour summary & highlights

The Scottish Borders

&

Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford House (optional) / Melrose

Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford house

Abbotsford house /Melrose/ Borders – Coast, sea Highlands & Islands – Unicorn Tours throughout Scotland

Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford house / Melrose / Scottish Borders

 

(or optional River Tweed walk or free time in Melrose, at the Abbey or the Trimontium Roman museum)


Historic Border towns & Abbeys:


Melrose Abbey – Scottish BordersEildon hills & the Thomas Rhymer stone / Scottish Borders – Coast, sea Highlands & Islands – Unicorn Tours throughout Scotland

Trimontium museum / Melrose / Borders – Coast, sea Highlands & Islands – Unicorn Tours throughout Scotland


Leaderfoot viaduct / River Tweed / The Borders – Coast, sea Highlands & Islands – Unicorn Tours throughout Scotland

Leaderfoot viaduct / River Tweed / Scottish Borders – Coast, sea Highlands & Islands – Unicorn Tours throughout Scotland

Leaderfoot Viaduct & more www.unicorntours.co.uk late October 2019 Scottish tours’ photos


River Tweed near Melrose – The Borders


  • Kelso & its cobbled streets, Kelso Abbey & Floors castle
  • Selkirk

  • The Great Tapestry of Scotland

The Great Tapestry of Scotland


and the original Wallace monument, etc.


Peebles / Scottish Borders – Coast, sea Highlands & Islands – Unicorn Tours throughout Scotland

The Great Polish Contour Map of Scotland – Peebles / Scottish Borders – Coast, sea Highlands &:Islands – Unicorn Tours throughout Scotland


plus optional visit of Coastal Berwickshire:

St. Abbs head national nature reserve

stunning sea cliff walks (good walking track)


Option to extend seacliff walk to include the highest & most spectacular cliffs of the Scottish East coast (rough walking track) – subject to the group’s preferences, fitness-level and the wind & weather on the day.


St Abbs harbour – Coldingham beach & coastal walk 

Return via Pease Bay and Cove along the Berwickshire coast

Optional inclusion of some East Lothian highlights – including Dunbar, Preston Mill, Scottish flag centre in Aethelstaneford, Scottish museum of flight, Tantallon castle, North Berwick, its beaches, Bass Rock & the Scottish seabird centre, Yellowcraigs & Gullane beach, etc.

Optional return route inland via stunning off-the-beaten track country routes and through the Lammermuir hills with spectacular views across the Forth estuary as far as Fife.


Alternatively on request we can travel further south across the border into England/Northumberland and include Berwick, Holy Island/Lindisfarne and Bamburgh castle (photostop) – also see our Bamburgh castle & Northumbria 1 day tour


The original Wallace monument


A recent tour itinerary:


Abbotsford house & the Scottish Borders (short daylight hours winter tour)
As we are heading south of Edinburgh into Mid-Lothian and cross the mountains into the Scottish Borders, we head for our first stop of the Leaderfoot viaduct over the River Tweed.
In Melrose we go for a stroll along the Abbey & through the picturesque village centre.
We visit Abbotsford house and its beautiful garden estate along the River Tweed and learn more about its fascinating history.
After Galashiels we head to the Jedburgh woolen Mills and visit the Abbey.
Through Hawick, Selkirk and along the River Tweed we are embarking on a scenic drive through the Scottish Borders.
As we reach the Pentland hills and Pennicuik daylight is fading and we are driving  back into Edinburgh for our goodbye.
I shall send you a link with tripadvisor and in a few days you will be receiving an email from Tripadvisor, asking you “How was your tour experience with Unicorn Tours”.
All the best wishes for the remainder of your time in Scotland, your journey home, a good festive period, 2025 and until your next time back in Scotland.
Tour itinerary
Private tour price for the 8 passenger seater mini-bus & driver/tourguide, i.e. the tour price for a private group of min. 1 and max 8 passengers

1 day tour price (private & small group tours of Scotland)


Personalised & private small group tours all over Scotland (100+ itineraries: ½ – 7 day tour options & discounted multi-day tours to choose from) – with a set daily tour price for our tour guide driver & 8 passenger seater mini-bus (due to the fixed same overall cost for up to 8 passengers, the cheapest per person price for a private small group tour is if 8, 7, 6 or 5 are travelling together to share the set fixed daily cost, which is the same total cost, no matter if there are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 passengers on a private mini-bus tour)

All of these private & personalised, small group tours of Scotland

are available on any available green calendar days for private tours

5, 6, 7 days 4 days 3 days
2 days Scottish destinations/Tour extensions & add ons 1 day
Activities, special interests & tour themes Walking tours ½ & short day tours

 

 

 

 

 

  • Choose any private & personalised tailormade 1/2 day tour on any available green calendar day.
  • Choose any private & personalised tailormade 1 day tour on any available green calendar day.
  • Choose any private & personalised tailormade 2 day tour on any 2 consecutive available green calendar days. Any private 2 day tours will already show a 2.5% discount.
  • Choose any private & personalised tailormade 3 day tour on any 3 consecutive available green calendar days. Any private 3 day tours will already show a 5% discount.
  • Choose any private & personalised tailormade 4 day tour on any 4 consecutive available green calendar days. Any private 4 day tours will already include a 7.5% discount.
  • Choose any private personalised & tailormade 5 day tour on any 5 consecutive available green calendar days. Any private 5 day tours will already include a 10% discount.
  • Choose any private personalised & tailormade 6 day tour on any 6 consecutive available green calendar days. Any private 6 day tours is discounted by 12.5%.
  • Choose any private personalised & tailormade 7 day tour on any 7 consecutive available green calendar days. Any private 7 day tour prices already show the 15% discount. 

Additionally from September to May there is a 12.5% student discount, which also applies to seniors over 65 and to children up to 17 travelling as part of a family group.

 

 

Extra costs & ferry info (if applicable)
Tour options

 


Information about private tours in general


Private & personalised tailormade tours to suit your group’s preferences

This is your very own private tour for you and your friends and family members of up to 8 people travelling on this tour together.

Before any private tour, we always check for your must-see stops, interests, hobbies, activities, preferences, priorities and any special requests you might have and we ask you about your preferred pace of travel so to tailor make and personalise the tour to suit your needs.

The route, the stops and the itinerary we give on our website for any private tour are for information and guidance only, as in the end it is you, who decides, what you wish to do, where you wish to stop and what you wish to do and see.

Any private tour itinerary can be shortened, extended or amended, if you wish to do so.


Flexibility on private tours

We also like to keep things flexible as our experience is that there are places, once you arrive and see them, you just fall in love with and wish to spend more time and longer.

whereas some other times we arrive at a place and they are different from what you had expected and you are ok to have a shorter stop and to move on quicker.

Flexibility is also good as on a beautiful gorgeous blue sunny day when all colours in nature and the landscapes are sparkling and you have clear and amazing far distant visibility and the scenery and places are at their best, you probably prefer to spend more time outdoors, while on a stormy, wet, dark, grey and cold day, you are likely to prefer more indoor venues during your stops.


Travelling at your own pace on private tours

Some guests are on a whirlwind tour with little time and wish to pack as much into a short time as possible and are ok with just short photo stops,

whereas other tour guests prefer to travel at a more leisurely pace to be able to explore and discover and soak it all in and leaving the tour with a memorable and lasting experience.

All of this is possible within the constraints of your chosen route, the distances involved

and during the winter season the shorter daylight hours we have.


Lunch breaks on private tours

Some guests put a lot of emphasis on a good quality lunch in a good atmospheric restaurant and we can prebook lunch venues,

whereas other guests are ok to just stop at a supermarket for a sandwich to eat on the go

or just need a short lunch stop for some light snack to eat.


Your tour options on any private tour are unlimited and endless

Same place, same route – but one one private tour, the private tour guests would want to visit the castle, while on another tour at the same place, they want a whisky tour instead and yet again same place on the next tour the private tour guests, want to just go for a walk on the beach there, while another time at the same place, they just want to go shopping, visit the museum or stop at the golf course – so same place, but on each private tour at this very same place, we visit different places and the itinerary, stops and experience is different. 

As this is a private & personalised tour to suit your interests, preferences, hobbies and activities, it is up to you and we can either offer our normal tour itinerary for the location with all the many local highlights and sights and be flexible depending on the season, the weather, the time we have and also be fully flexible during the tour (as some places, you will love and stay longer and at other places you come to, you might wish to just take a photo and then leave, so in the end you might on the day of the tour decide to stay longer or shorter at some of the places we visit or you might still decide to add in some additional stops and places you had not thought about before)  and also partially or fully adjust it to suit your interests and preferences or entirely turn it into a specialist interest tour “a whisky tour”, “a castle, cathedral, historic sights tours”, a “walking tour”, a “nature & wildlife tour”, a “golf tour”, an “activity tour”, etc. depending on what you request (also see our full range of  Activities, special interests & tour themes.)

If it says on the tour itinerary, the tour starts in A and ends in Z and on our journey from A to Z we are travelling and can be stopping at B, C, D, E, F…… X & Y,

it might be the same route on every such private tour, but with every private tour group and individuals, it could still be an entirely & very different tour after all,

as there are so many different special interests & tour themes

so that the main focus of some private tour groups could be

  • architecture & charming towns & villages
  • castles, history
  • child-friendly stops
  • churches, abbeys & religious sites
  • dining & and having a great lunch eating out
  • events based, such as visiting the Highland games while on the tour with us
  • family history & genealogy
  • gardens, flowers & parks
  • golf, football or other sports’ venues
  • literature, film or movie fictional based tour, i.e. visiting filming locations of Outlander, Harry Potter, Shetland crime series, Downtown Abbey. etc.
  • nature & wildlife, seabirds, puffins or whale
  • watching
  • the scenery, the coast & beaches
  • snow and wintry landscapes
  • tourist steam train in conjunction with our tour
  • walking
  • waterfalls
  • whisky distilleries, gin and breweries
  • etc.

Pick ups & drop offs anywhere on private tours

As mentioned in the pick up section, on a private tour we can pick up from anywhere and drop off anywhere and offer staggered free pick ups and drop offs, which are dependent on the distance from our Alloa home base near Stirling. Our home base is 30 miles from Edinburgh, Glasgow & Perth in the heart of the Scottish Central belt:

  •  for short & half day tours the free pick up/drop off zone is within 15 miles of our Alloa home base (which includes Stirling, Falkirk, Dunfermline & Gleneagles)
  •  for 1 day tours the free pick up/drop off zone is within 35 miles of our Alloa home base (which additionally includes Edinburgh, Glasgow & Perth)
  •  for 2, 3 & 4 day tours the free pick up/drop off zone is within 50 miles of our Alloa home base (which additionally includes Dundee, St. Andrews & the entire Scottish Central belt)
  • for 5, 6 & 7 day tours the free pick up/drop off zone is within 75 miles of our Alloa home base

Additionally as stated we sometimes offer free pick ups for places on the route to our destination, even though they might exceed the free mileage zone, so for example for a West Coast tour and we need to head westbound anyway for the tour, we could be pick up at locations west free of charge, depending on the exact route and distances involved.

(During a few weeks every year we are also Shetland, Orkney, Hebridean Isles or regionally based

and the free pick ups will then be based from that local area, such as on the Shetland, Orkney or on some of the Hebridean Isles for example.)


Accommodation on multi-day tours is your choice

Some of our guests are budget travellers, whereas others are luxurious travellers, while others chose a mid-range 3* hotel.

We are happy to give you tips, links and info about your accommodation options for the towns and villages we are staying overnight, but in the end it is up to you, where you would like to stay, at which hotel or guesthouse and for which price.

However much or however little you wish to spend for your overnight accommodation is your choice.

On a private tour we will pick you up from any accommodation in the morning and in the evening drop you off at any accommodation of your choice for your overnight tour accommodation and and chosen location.

 

Free time & activities
Tour pick up/start, drop off/end & joining options near to & along our tour route

Pick up & drop off from anywhere in the Scottish Central belt (between Stirling/Perth/St. Andrews/Dundee & the Edinburgh, the Lothians & Greater Glasgow area)


Pick up / drop off points for private small group 1 Day Tours, from anywhere as it is your own private tour:

  • within the Stirling/Uni area
  • within the Forth Valley area
  • from within the Scottish Central belt, Edinburgh & Glasgow included

+

  • from places listed along or nearby the route and the stops of this particular 1 Day Tour
Tour booking

To enquire about this tour or book, please email contact@unicorntours.co.uk


This tour is for a private small group of up to 8 people.

We will personalise & tailor make this flexible tour itinerary to suit your preferences, interests & requirements.

This tour is available on any green calendar day

except during our Scottish Islands based tour days

for a few weeks each year.


Once you wish to book, we send you an invoice with a payment link and also allowing for a UK & international bank transfer.

Once you have paid, we send you your tour confirmation and will mark this day as “red” unavailable/booked out in our tours availability calendar


We can pick up from anywhere, but for a 1 day tour the free pick up zone is within 35 miles of our Alloa home base (which includes does Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and anywhere in between, such Stirling, Falkirk, Dunfermline & Gleneagles)

Pick ups & drop offs anywhere on private tours

As mentioned in the pick up section, on a private tour we can pick up from anywhere and drop off anywhere and offer staggered free pick ups and drop offs, which are dependent on the distance from our Alloa home base near Stirling. Our home base is 30 miles from Edinburgh, Glasgow & Perth in the heart of the Scottish Central belt:

  •  for short & half day tours the free pick up/drop off zone is within 15 miles of our Alloa home base (which includes Stirling, Falkirk, Dunfermline & Gleneagles)
  •  for 1 day tours the free pick up/drop off zone is within 35 miles of our Alloa home base (which additionally includes Edinburgh, Glasgow & Perth)
  •  for 2, 3 & 4 day tours the free pick up/drop off zone is within 50 miles of our Alloa home base (which additionally includes Dundee, St. Andrews & the entire Scottish Central belt)
  • for 5, 6 & 7 day tours the free pick up/drop off zone is within 75 miles of our Alloa home base

Additionally as stated we sometimes offer free pick ups for places on the route to our destination, even though they might exceed the free mileage zone, so for example for a West Coast tour and we need to head westbound anyway for the tour, we could be pick up at locations west free of charge, depending on the exact route and distances involved.

(During a few weeks every year we are also Shetland, Orkney, Hebridean Isles or regionally based

and the free pick ups will then be based from that local area, such as on the Shetland, Orkney or on some of the Hebridean Isles for example.)

1D#25 – The Borders & Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford house (optional) / Melrose – 1 day tour

The Scottish Borders

&

Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford House (optional) / Melrose

(or optional River Tweed walk or free time in Melrose, at the Abbey or the Trimontium Roman museum)


Historic Border towns & Abbeys:

  • Melrose, Melrose Abbey & the Roman fort & museum –  Trimontrium
  • Kelso & its cobbled streets, Kelso Abbey & Floors castle
  • Selkirk

  • The Great Tapestry of Scotland

The Great Tapestry of Scotland


and the original Wallace monument, etc.


plus optional visit of Coastal Berwickshire:

St. Abbs head national nature reserve

stunning sea cliff walks (good walking track)


Option to extend seacliff walk to include the highest & most spectacular cliffs of the Scottish East coast (rough walking track) – subject to the group’s preferences, fitness-level and the wind & weather on the day.


St Abbs harbour – Coldingham beach & coastal walk 

Return via Pease Bay and Cove along the Berwickshire coast

Optional inclusion of some East Lothian highlights – including Dunbar, Preston Mill, Scottish flag centre in Aethelstaneford, Scottish museum of flight, Tantallon castle, North Berwick, its beaches, Bass Rock & the Scottish seabird centre, Yellowcraigs & Gullane beach, etc.

Optional return route inland via stunning off-the-beaten track country routes and through the Lammermuir hills with spectacular views across the Forth estuary as far as Fife.


Alternatively on request we can travel further south across the border into England/Northumberland and include Berwick, Holy Island/Lindisfarne and Bamburgh castle (photostop) – also see our Bamburgh castle & Northumbria 1 day tour