Isle of Man – 5 day tour

Day 1 – travel from Scotland with a stop at the Albert Docks in Liverpool & the Isle of Man Steampacket ferry to Douglas on the Isle of Man

Visit Liverpool  

All at the Albert Docks:

Beatles story museum

free museum of Liverpool

free Tate Liverpool + Riba North

Mersey ferry cruises

Day 2, 3 & 4 – 3 full days on the Isle of Man

Day 5 – travel from Douglas on the Isle of Man Steampacket ferry to Heysham – scenic stops in the Lake District/Cumbria – return back to Scotland

A few of the many highlights on the Isle of Man

 Isle of Man places – facebook photos A-Z

Andreas church early celtic crosses, Viking Runes & Ogham / Isle of Man

Ayres national nature reserve / Isle of Man

Ballaglass glen / Isle of Man

Bradda head & Miller’s tower @ Port Erin / Isle of Man

The Calf of Man / Isle of Man

Cashtal yn Ard stonecircle / Isle of Man

Castle Rushen / Castletown / Isle of Man

Castletown / Isle of Man

Celtic Crosses in the Bride parish church / Isle of Man / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Cregneash historic open air Manx village museum / Isle of Man

The Cronk coastal view/ Westcoast of the Isle of Man

Cronk ny Arrey Laa – Manx Westcoast & mountain views / Isle of Man

Cronk ny Arrey Laa mountain views of the Manx Westcoast & across to Ireland in the distance on the horizon / Isle of Man

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Douglas / Isle of Man

Douglas / Isle of Man / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Douglas with some views over to the ferryport

Douglas – gateway to the Isle of Man

Groundle bay north of Douglas / Isle of Man

House of Mannan museum in Peel / Isle of Man

Laxey Bay / Isle of Man

Old Laxey / Isle of Man

Old Lonan church & the Manx crosses / Isle of Man

The Laxey wheel / Isle of Man

Longness peninsula & the Dreswick point lighthouse / Isle of Man

The Lordship of the Isles after the Vikings lost the Battle of Largs in 1263 / Isle of Man House of Mannan museum / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

The Manx museum / Douglas / Isle of Man

Marine drive north of Port Soderick / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan) – Man used to be part of the Hebridean Viking & Scottish Lordship of the Isles sea kingdom

Marine drive south of Douglas / Isle of Man

Maughold head & lighthouse views / Isle of Man

Maughold Manx Celtic Crosses / Isle of Man

Meayl stone circle / Isle of Man

Nautical museum / Castletown / Isle of Man

Niarbyl bay & cliffs / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan) – Man used to be part of the Hebridean Viking & Scottish Lordship of the Isles sea kingdom / The Isle of Man is only 20 miles south of the the Isle of Whithorn & the Mull of Galloway in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Norway’s Sudreyar Southern Isles – the Hebrides & the Isle of Man until the Battle of Largs in 1263 / Isle of Man House of Mannan museum / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Peel / Isle of Man

Peel

Peel castle / Isle of Man / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Point of Ayre lighthouse with views of the Isle of Whithorn & the Mull of Galloway across in Scotland / Northern plains of the Isle of Man

Port Erin / Isle of Man

Port Erin beach / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan)

Port Erin & harbour / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan) – Man used to be part of the Hebridean Viking & Scottish Lordship of the Isles sea kingdom / The Isle of Man is only 20 miles south of the the Isle of Whithorn & the Mull of Galloway in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Port-e-Vullan Manx coastal headland walk / Isle of Man

Port St. Mary / Isle of Man

Ramsey / Isle of Man

Ramsey / Isle of Man

Rushen abbey / Ballasalla near Castletown / Isle of Man

Snaefell / Isle of Man

Snaefell / Isle of Man / the only place in the British Isles, where you can see Sctland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland & the Irish Republuc all from the same place at the same time, just by turning your head around

Southwestern seacliffs between Niarbyl and Freshwick bay / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan)

Sulby glen & around Snaefell”s mountain road to Ramsey / Isle of Man

The Manx tapestry @ the Tingwald parliament / Isle of Man

The TT gallery @ the Manx museum / Douglas / Isle of Man

TT Manx motor museum / Isle of Man

Tynwald, the oldest continuous parliament in the world with the house of keys, the legislative council & the Tongwald court / Isle of Man

Tynwald the oldest continously parliament in the world / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan) – Man used to be part of the Hebridean Viking & Scottish Lordship of the Isles sea kingdom / The Isle of Man is only 20 miles south of the the Isle of Whithorn & the Mull of Galloway in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Views from St. Parrick’s Isle walk around Peel castle / Isle of Man

Sunrise over the Marine Drive / Isle of Man

Sunset views from the Southwest coast on the Isle of Man / the sun is setting over Northern Ireland on the horizon

The Stacks – Coastal cliff-top walk north of Fleshwick bay / Isle of Man

St. Michael’s Isle / Isle of Man

Vannin Manx culture exhibition at Tynwald / Isle of Man

5 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

• 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.

Isle of Man Steampacket ferry – from Heysham/Liverpool to Douglas/Isle of Man

Optional Snaefell train ride & optional entrance fees to castles, museums, abbeys and other visitor attractions

Your accommodation 4 nights on the Isle of Man

 Isle of Man – 5 day tour

Day 1 – travel from Scotland with a stop at the Albert Docks in Liverpool & the Isle of Man Steampacket ferry to Douglas on the Isle of Man

Visit Liverpool  

All at the Albert Docks:

Beatles story museum

free museum of Liverpool

free Tate Liverpool + Riba North

Mersey ferry cruises

Day 2, 3 & 4 – 3 full days on the Isle of Man

Day 5 – travel from Douglas on the Isle of Man Steampacket ferry to Heysham – scenic stops in the Lake District/Cumbria – return back to Scotland

A few of the many highlights on the Isle of Man

 Isle of Man places – facebook photos A-Z

Andreas church early celtic crosses, Viking Runes & Ogham / Isle of Man

Ayres national nature reserve / Isle of Man

Ballaglass glen / Isle of Man

Bradda head & Miller’s tower @ Port Erin / Isle of Man

The Calf of Man / Isle of Man

Cashtal yn Ard stonecircle / Isle of Man

Castle Rushen / Castletown / Isle of Man

Castletown / Isle of Man

Celtic Crosses in the Bride parish church / Isle of Man / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Cregneash historic open air Manx village museum / Isle of Man

The Cronk coastal view/ Westcoast of the Isle of Man

Cronk ny Arrey Laa – Manx Westcoast & mountain views / Isle of Man

Cronk ny Arrey Laa mountain views of the Manx Westcoast & across to Ireland in the distance on the horizon / Isle of Man

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Douglas / Isle of Man

Douglas / Isle of Man / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Douglas with some views over to the ferryport

Douglas – gateway to the Isle of Man

Groundle bay north of Douglas / Isle of Man

House of Mannan museum in Peel / Isle of Man

Laxey Bay / Isle of Man

Old Laxey / Isle of Man

Old Lonan church & the Manx crosses / Isle of Man

The Laxey wheel / Isle of Man

Longness peninsula & the Dreswick point lighthouse / Isle of Man

The Lordship of the Isles after the Vikings lost the Battle of Largs in 1263 / Isle of Man House of Mannan museum / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

The Manx museum / Douglas / Isle of Man

Marine drive north of Port Soderick / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan) – Man used to be part of the Hebridean Viking & Scottish Lordship of the Isles sea kingdom

Marine drive south of Douglas / Isle of Man

Maughold head & lighthouse views / Isle of Man

Maughold Manx Celtic Crosses / Isle of Man

Meayl stone circle / Isle of Man

Nautical museum / Castletown / Isle of Man

Niarbyl bay & cliffs / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan) – Man used to be part of the Hebridean Viking & Scottish Lordship of the Isles sea kingdom / The Isle of Man is only 20 miles south of the the Isle of Whithorn & the Mull of Galloway in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Norway’s Sudreyar Southern Isles – the Hebrides & the Isle of Man until the Battle of Largs in 1263 / Isle of Man House of Mannan museum / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Peel / Isle of Man

Peel

Peel castle / Isle of Man / half-way in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Point of Ayre lighthouse with views of the Isle of Whithorn & the Mull of Galloway across in Scotland / Northern plains of the Isle of Man

Port Erin / Isle of Man

Port Erin beach / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan)

Port Erin & harbour / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan) – Man used to be part of the Hebridean Viking & Scottish Lordship of the Isles sea kingdom / The Isle of Man is only 20 miles south of the the Isle of Whithorn & the Mull of Galloway in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Port-e-Vullan Manx coastal headland walk / Isle of Man

Port St. Mary / Isle of Man

Ramsey / Isle of Man

Ramsey / Isle of Man

Rushen abbey / Ballasalla near Castletown / Isle of Man

Snaefell / Isle of Man

Snaefell / Isle of Man / the only place in the British Isles, where you can see Sctland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland & the Irish Republuc all from the same place at the same time, just by turning your head around

Southwestern seacliffs between Niarbyl and Freshwick bay / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan)

Sulby glen & around Snaefell”s mountain road to Ramsey / Isle of Man

The Manx tapestry @ the Tingwald parliament / Isle of Man

The TT gallery @ the Manx museum / Douglas / Isle of Man

TT Manx motor museum / Isle of Man

Tynwald, the oldest continuous parliament in the world with the house of keys, the legislative council & the Tongwald court / Isle of Man

Tynwald the oldest continously parliament in the world / Isle of Man (named after the Celtic seagod Mannan) – Man used to be part of the Hebridean Viking & Scottish Lordship of the Isles sea kingdom / The Isle of Man is only 20 miles south of the the Isle of Whithorn & the Mull of Galloway in the ‘Celtic/Irish Sea’ between Galloway (Scotland), Anglesey (Wales), Cumbria (England) & Ireland

Views from St. Parrick’s Isle walk around Peel castle / Isle of Man

Sunrise over the Marine Drive / Isle of Man

Sunset views from the Southwest coast on the Isle of Man / the sun is setting over Northern Ireland on the horizon

The Stacks – Coastal cliff-top walk north of Fleshwick bay / Isle of Man

St. Michael’s Isle / Isle of Man

Vannin Manx culture exhibition at Tynwald / Isle of Man

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.

We will have at least 2 hours free time for you to explore the Albert Docks in Liverpool on day 1 before we catch the Liverpool to Heysham ferry:

Visit Liverpool  

All at the Albert Docks:

Beatles story museum

free museum of Liverpool

free Tate Liverpool + Riba North

Mersey ferry cruises

On the Isle of Man

Have the option to jump on any of the excellent and regular local buses and the various scenic tourist train routes (including up to Snaefell, from where on a good day you can see Scotland (Galloway), England (the Lake District), Anglesey (Wales), the Mourne Mountains (Northern Ireland) and the Irish Republic, just by turning your head 360% around, all from the same spot.

Visit any sight and any museum or place you are interested in

Tour pick up/start from anywhere in Scotland and along our tour route & drop off/end anywhere

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 5 day tour the free pick up zone is within 75 miles from our Alloa home base (which includes Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Dundee, St. Andrews and anywhere in between, such Stirling, Falkirk, Dunfermline & Gleneagles plus places throughout the entire Scottish Central belt & beyond )

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