Coast, sea Highlands & Islands –
Unicorn Tours throughout Scotland

100+ more possible personalized, tailormade private itineraries - Short day tours

Private & small group tours are available on most days shown in green on our Tours availability calendar

Short day

SD#11

Tour summary & highlights
This is a private tour based on your personal preferences

You can choose tours in all Scottish regions
  1. Island tours – Shetland Isles
  2. Island tours – Orkney Isles
  3. Island tours – Outer Hebrides
  4. Tours on the Isle of Lewis (& Great Bernera) & Harris (& Scalpay)
  5. Tours on the Uists (Berneray – North Uist – Grimsay – Benbecula – South Uist – Eriskay) & Barra (& Vatersay)
  6. Island tours – Inner Hebrides
  7. Tours in the Kintyre – Islay – Jura – Colonsay – Gigha region
  8. Some of our private tour options in the Mallaig/Arisaig & Road to the Isles & Knoydart – Lochaber, incl. Fort William region
  9. Island tours – Islands in the Firth of Forth & Clyde
  10. East Coast
  11. Some of your private tour options in the Northeast (Dundee – Angus – Aberdeenshire – Moray Coast & Eastern Cairngorms/Royal Deeside) region
  12. West Coast
  13. Tours in the Oban & Argyll region, including 1 day trips to the Inner Hebrides from the Westcoast
  14. Tours in the Mull, Iona, Ardnamurchan & the West Highland peninsula region
  15. Some of your private tour options in the Skye & Lochalsh, Raasay & Glenelg region
  16.  Some of your private tour options in the Northwest, Far NW, Northern Highlands & North Coast (Easter & Wester Ross, Sutherland & Caithness) region

  17. North Coast
  18. Highlands
  19. Lowlands
  20. South of & Outside Scotland


(1) Island tours – Shetland Isles

(2) Island tours – Orkney Isles

(3) Island tours – Outer Hebrides

(4) Tours on the Isle of Lewis (& Great Bernera) & Harris (& Scalpay)

Some of your private tour options in the Lewis (& Great Bernera) & Harris (& Scalpay) region, including day tour options to Berneray & the Uists (N. & S. Uist, Benbecula & Eriskay)


(5) Tours on the Uists (Berneray – North Uist – Grimsay – Benbecula – South Uist – Eriskay) & Barra (& Vatersay)

Some of your private tour options in the Uists (Berneray – North Uist – Grimsay – Benbecula – South Uist & Eriskay) & Barra (Barra – Vatersay) region, including day tour options to Harris, Lewis, Mingulay & the Monach Isles


(6) Island tours – Inner Hebrides

(7) Tours in the Kintyre – Islay – Jura – Colonsay – Gigha region

(8) Some of our private tour options in the Mallaig/Arisaig & Road to the Isles & Knoydart – Lochaber, incl. Fort William region


(9) Island tours – Islands in the Firth of Forth & Clyde

(10) East Coast tours

(11) Some of your private tour options in the Northeast (Dundee – Angus – Aberdeenshire – Moray Coast & Eastern Cairngorms/Royal Deeside) region



(12) West Coast tours

(13) Tours in the Oban & Argyll region, including 1 day trips to the Inner Hebrides from the Westcoast

Some of our private tour options in the Oban & Argyll region, including 1 day trips to the near Inner Hebrides from the Westcoast :


(14) Tours in the Mull, Iona, Ardnamurchan & the West Highland peninsula region

Some of our private tour options in the Mull, Iona, Ardnamurchan & the West Highland peninsulas region


(15) Some of your private tour options in the Skye & Lochalsh, Raasay & Glenelg region


(16) Some of your private tour options in the Northwest, Far NW, Northern Highlands & North Coast (Easter & Wester Ross, Sutherland & Caithness) region

1D#66 – Handa Island walking tour – 1 day – multi-day tour add on tour or when based along the Far Northwest coast (Lochinver, Durness & Ullapool region)

1D#87 – Northwest: Off the beaten track wild Assynt, Coigach & NW Coast – 1 day add on – to your multi-day tour (in the Far/NW/Ullapool, Northcoast or Northern Highlands & Inverness regions)

1D#89 – Easter Ross’ Northeast Coast, the Black Isle & Dornoch & Dunrobin castle – 1 day add on – to your multi-day tour (in the Inverness, Northern & Far/NW Highlands & Northcoast regions)

1D#90 – Caithness’ Northeast Coast – 1 day add on – to your multi-day tour (in the Orkney or North Coast & Northern Highland regions of Sutherland & Ross & Cromarty)

1D#93 – Sandwood bay walking/free time – 1 day add on tour – to your Far Northwest Highlands or North Coast multi-day tour

2D#8 – Northwestern wilderness – Bens, lochs, glens & pure nature taster along the Northwest Coast – 2 day tour

2D#15 – Northwest Coast nature taster, including Durness/Balnakeil beaches & Smoo cave – far away & awesome – 2 day tour

3D#1 – Northcoast via the Northern Highlands – 3 day tour

3D#2 – Spectacular Northwest & Far NW Coast via NW Highlands – 3 day tour

4D#4 – Orkney+ Experience (tour 4D#4-A) or Orkney Taster & NC500 (tour 4D#4-B) (outbound to ferry via Northeastern Highlands & return after ferry via much longer, wild & dramatic North, Far Northwest & NW coast) – 4 day tour


(17) North Coast tours

(18) Highland tours

(19)  Lowland tours

(20) Tours of the South of & Outside 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. For a short day private tour price = proportional percentage of the standard full 10 hour 1 day private tour price, i.e. the price of a 5 hour tour is 50% of the 10 hour tour price, a 3 hour tour price is 30% of a 10 hour tour price.

Short day private tour price = proportional percentage of the standard full 10 hour 1 day private tour price


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
Tour options

 


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. 

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 booking

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

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

Pick up & drop off from anywhere in the Stirling, Forth Valley & adjacent heart of the Central belt areas


Pick up / drop off points for Short Day Tours:

  • from anywhere in the Stirling/Uni/Forth Valley area, as it is your own private tour
  • from anywhere & nearby the places listed on this particular Short Day Tour route

+

  • if the Short Day Tour is at least 5 hours or longer, from most places within the Scottish Central belt, Edinburgh & Glasgow included

SD#11 – 100+ more possible personalized, tailormade private itineraries – Short day tours

Short day tour

for your private, flexible tailor-made small group

sample itinerary SD#11

1000+ of possible different routes and stopover combinations, incl. personalized and tailormade scenic nature & walks, hobbies, activities & special interest, castles, events, whisky, museum, libraries, eat & go out combination of above tours etc. plus many more route options available, if you can’t find what you are looking for – please let us know about your priorities, interests, personal favourites and where you wish to go and we are happy to assist and email you some more tour route options.

 


Photoalbum of some of our pre-Covid tours
throughout Scotland

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.)

Facebook link for Unicorn Highland Tours

+44-(0)7429251980  –  contact@unicorntours.co.uk

Everyone welcome – many possible pick up points throughout Scotland, incl. from Stirling Uni:

3 days+    Highlands & Islands adventure tours
2 days    Highlands & Islands adventure tours
1 day    Highlands & islands adventure tours
Short day tours:  2/3 day = 7 hours, 1/2 day = 5 hours, 1/3 day = 3.5 hours available start times when you wish, morning, mid-day, afternoon & summer evenings.