Tour summary & highlights
Scotland’s far North & Westcoast – Durness/Balnakeil beach, Smoo Cave & cliffs
2 day tour to explore
for your private, flexible tailor-made small group sample itinerary 2D#15
Price for a 2 day tour
2 day tour prices – Unicorn Tours
(During peak season, based on a group of 8, price per person starts from £85 / standard season, based on a group of 8, price per person starts from £71 for 3 days for the tour)
plus
accommodation (option of low budget to 5*), food, entrance fees & your personal expenses
- Departures/pick ups & drop offs from anywhere in the Scottish Central Belt
- Stops and route along the way on our journey via the Northwest Highlands and to and along the Northwest Coast towards Durness, Balnakeil & Smoo Cave are flexible and personalised depending on your preferences, interests & the weather
Scotland’s far North & Westcoast – Durness/Balnakeil beach, Smoo Cave & cliffs – 2 days to explore
Scotland’s wildest and most remote corners in the far Northwest, Durness/Balnakeil beach, Smoo Cave and the Northcoast
(Or check our longer 3 days+ tour # 48 to see and experience more and take it more leisurely. Also see tour # 42A for sample 3 day North Coast route description and see tour # 42B for sample 3 day Northwest Coast route description as well.)
As this is your own private small group tour, the itinerary is very flexible and along the way, we can add additional nearby stops and depending on the weather it is also possible to swap the route of day 1 and day 2 around. So the route for day 1 and day 2 is a sample itinerary and can be amended if you prefer.
Day 1This 2 day tour has a similar route as the 2D#8 (spectacular, wild dramatic Northwest coast, bens, lochs & glens) – i.e. on the A9 north through Perthshire, the Western Cairngorms, past Inverness, across the Black Isle into the NW Highlands, but as Durness, Durness Sango sands, Balnakeil beach & Smoo cave are close to Cape Wrath (accessible via the tidal Keodale ferry & mini-bus on dirt track on the other side) we will be having less time for the places further south, passing through, shorter stops as the key destination is the Northwestern most corner of Scotland:
Northcoast – Sutherland – Smoo Cave – Unicorn Tours
|
AccommodationAccommodation options(a) You choose the type / price-category of your accommodation For every location/area our guests have the choice to either stay at a hotel, B&B or hostel, it is up to you how much you wish to spend for the night and it makes no difference to the tour, whether we pick you up from an upmarket or budget place (b) You choose the location of your accommodation
|
Day 2After leaving
we are returning on a different new spectacular route with new sights and stops down south, incl. the option to take in many more of the best of what the spectacular NW has to offer (longer drive) or faster route, depending on your preferences and the weather. |
Scenic route via Perthshire, Cairngorm nationalpark and Inverness to commence our route to the Northcoast 500


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
2 day tour prices – Unicorn Tours
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 links
(1) North Coast info & facebook tour links
(2) Some of your private tour options in the Northwest, Far NW, Northern Highlands & North Coast (Easter & Wester Ross, Sutherland & Caithness) region
(1)
North Coast info & facebook tour links
Northcoast – Sutherland – Smoo Cave – Unicorn Tours
(2)
Some of your private tour options in the Northwest, Far NW, Northern Highlands & North Coast (Easter & Wester Ross, Sutherland & Caithness) region
3D#1 – Northcoast via the Northern Highlands – 3 day tour
3D#2 – Spectacular Northwest & Far NW Coast via NW Highlands – 3 day tour
Tour options
Information about tour options for a private tour 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 discuss with you and 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
Private 2 day tour pick ups & drop offs anywhere throughout mainland Scotland
Pick up / drop off points for private small group 2 Days 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 within the Dundee, St. Andrews & Perth area
+
- from places listed along or nearby the route and the stops of this particular 2 Days Tour
Tour booking
To enquire about this tour or to book please email contact@unicorntours.co.uk
As this will be your very own tailormade, personalised, flexible private small group tour, we will discuss:
- Your preferred travel dates
- Your preferred route
- Based on your preferred route, we will give a choice of overnight locations to stay
- Once you have chosen your preferred overnight location, we would like to know about your preferred type of accommodation, any special requests or a price range and your preferred roomtypes
- Based on your choice, for example hotel with * ** *** **** ***** star rating, guesthouse/B&B, self-catering or budget hostel accommodation, etc. for each overnight location, we can then give you suggestions and also check the room availability for each night
Accommodation
- Unicorn Tours is happy to assist you with your questions regarding your accommodation & accommodation booking
- The general rule is that you should then book your accommodation yourself, let us know where you are staying during which night, as it is there that we will drop you off at the end of the tour day and pick you up on the beginning of the next tour day
- The choice of your accommodation, how much or how little you wish to spend for your overnight accommodation is unconnected and separate from your tour with Unicorn Tours throughout the daytime – for the same day and tour, we have picked up guests from 5* hotels and guests from budget hostels, but the tour experience during the daytime with Unicorn Tours remains the same.
- When ferries or any other additional costs are involved, we also want to make sure, you are happy with those
Once the tour details, including
- tour itinerary & special requests
- pick up/drop off locations & timings
- tour duration, passenger numbers and price
- etc.
- have been discussed and agreed
- and you are happy to proceed with the booking
- we send you an invoice which allows for payment by Paypal / card or by BACS bank transfer
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 2 day tour the free pick up zone is within 50 miles from our Alloa home base (which includes does Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Dundee, St. Andrews & places throughout the entire Scottish Central belt 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.)
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email contact@unicorntours.co.uk to discuss further
2D#15 – Northwest Coast nature taster, including Durness/Balnakeil beaches & Smoo cave – far away & awesome – 2 day tour
Scotland’s far North & Westcoast – Durness/Balnakeil beach, Smoo Cave & cliffs
2 day tour to explore
for your private, flexible tailor-made small group sample itinerary 2D#15
Price for a 2 day tour
2 day tour prices – Unicorn Tours
(During peak season, based on a group of 8, price per person starts from £85 / standard season, based on a group of 8, price per person starts from £71 for 3 days for the tour)
plus
accommodation (option of low budget to 5*), food, entrance fees & your personal expenses
- Departures/pick ups & drop offs from anywhere in the Scottish Central Belt
- Stops and route along the way on our journey via the Northwest Highlands and to and along the Northwest Coast towards Durness, Balnakeil & Smoo Cave are flexible and personalised depending on your preferences, interests & the weather
Scotland’s far North & Westcoast – Durness/Balnakeil beach, Smoo Cave & cliffs – 2 days to explore
Scotland’s wildest and most remote corners in the far Northwest, Durness/Balnakeil beach, Smoo Cave and the Northcoast
(Or check our longer 3 days+ tour # 48 to see and experience more and take it more leisurely. Also see tour # 42A for sample 3 day North Coast route description and see tour # 42B for sample 3 day Northwest Coast route description as well.)
As this is your own private small group tour, the itinerary is very flexible and along the way, we can add additional nearby stops and depending on the weather it is also possible to swap the route of day 1 and day 2 around. So the route for day 1 and day 2 is a sample itinerary and can be amended if you prefer.
Day 1This 2 day tour has a similar route as the 2D#8 (spectacular, wild dramatic Northwest coast, bens, lochs & glens) – i.e. on the A9 north through Perthshire, the Western Cairngorms, past Inverness, across the Black Isle into the NW Highlands, but as Durness, Durness Sango sands, Balnakeil beach & Smoo cave are close to Cape Wrath (accessible via the tidal Keodale ferry & mini-bus on dirt track on the other side) we will be having less time for the places further south, passing through, shorter stops as the key destination is the Northwestern most corner of Scotland:
Northcoast – Sutherland – Smoo Cave – Unicorn Tours
|
AccommodationAccommodation options(a) You choose the type / price-category of your accommodation For every location/area our guests have the choice to either stay at a hotel, B&B or hostel, it is up to you how much you wish to spend for the night and it makes no difference to the tour, whether we pick you up from an upmarket or budget place (b) You choose the location of your accommodation
|
Day 2After leaving
we are returning on a different new spectacular route with new sights and stops down south, incl. the option to take in many more of the best of what the spectacular NW has to offer (longer drive) or faster route, depending on your preferences and the weather. |
Scenic route via Perthshire, Cairngorm nationalpark and Inverness to commence
Northcoast 500 route
Corrieshalloch Gorge
Ullapool
Coigach
Stac Polaidh
Suilven
Knockan Crag
possible coastal side trip via Lochinver, Achmelvich & Stoer:
Lochinver
Achmelvich & hostel
Old Man of Stoer
Ardvreck Castle
Quinag
Inchnadamph
Kylesku
Scourie
Handa Island
Fanagmore
Laxford Bridge
Possible Kinlochbervie sidetrip to walk to Britain’s most isolated beach – Sandwood Bay
Durness
Balnakeil beach
Smoo Cave
Loch Eriboll
Ben Hope
sidetrip option to Talmine:
Tongue
faster return option (if short on time) via Northern Highlands Altnaharra, Lairg, Black Isle and possibly Channonry point, via Inverness and A9 south
Altnaharra
Lairg
and the Black Isle
with possible Channonry Point (Moray Firth dolphin colony) stop
and Inverness via the scenic A9, the Cairngorm nationalpark and Perthshire south again.
depending on route request, time, group, weather, places near Inverness, such as Channonry Point (dolphins), Culloden Moor or Clava Cairns could possibly be included
Alternatively if more time is at hand, i.e. 2.5 days, 3 days or more continuing along the Northcoast
(even with a possible Orkney island sidetrip, Dunnet beach, Dunnet head, John O’Groats & Duncansby cliffs stop, etc.)
Return along the longer Northcoast route
(many, wild great beaches and views of the Isle of Hoy on Orkney)
Bettyhill
Strathy
Melvich
Thurso
and then south towards Inverness along some beautiful coastline
Dunbeath
Helmsdale
Brora
Dunrobin Castle
Golspie
Carbisdale Castle
Dornoch
Tain
possible sidetrip to Portmahomack
via Invergordon
and the Black Isle
with possible Channonry Point (Moray Firth dolphin colony) stop
and Inverness via the scenic A9, the Cairngorm nationalpark and Perthshire
south again.
Depending on the weather, we might discuss and decide to reverse the route and first drive the day 2 and then day 1 route (so as to maximise sunshine and minimise rain).
Also on very rainy days, we may have less outdoor sightseeing and if the group so wishes, we may visit a whisky distillery, castle, museum, etc. indoors.
Depending on your preferences and interests, the main places that have been agreed and discussed, the overall time we have left after our stops (especially in the winter months with shorter daylight hours), the places listed above are just a few among other nearby options, that we might be travelling through and see, stopping at and/or visiting along the way as on each of our friendly, flexible and personalised tours we maximise and offer you the best tour experience given the conditions on the day (for example if it is pouring down with rain on one side of a mountain range, we believe in offering you the alternative sunny route on the other side of the mountains, etc.)
Subject to availability possible overnight (hostel, bed & breakfast, hotel, camping) options do all exist in the area, roughly half way into our 2 day tour. As there are too many possible places to stay at, we can check room availability for your preferred option at the time of your enquiry/booking.
2 day tours (# 25 – # 41), departures every weekend and throughout the week, subject to Unicorn Tours being available
Also for more detailed information
Check out the latest still available private, small group tour dates
still available dates for private, small group tours
0044-(0)7429251980 – contact@unicorntours.co.uk
3 days+ Highlands & Islands adventure tours info
(everyone welcome – departs from Stirling Uni with other local pick ups)
2 days Highlands & Islands adventure tours info
(everyone welcome – departs from Stirling Uni with other pick ups possible)
1 day Highlands & islands adventure tours info
(everyone welcome – departs from Stirling Uni with other pick ups possible)
Short one day tours info
for Unicorn tour route # 1 – Unicorn tour route #11
(everyone welcome – departs from Stirling Uni with other pick ups possible)










