4-Day Isle of Skye & Jacobite Steam Train Tour

We were with Hugh Mackay, and he was the most awesome guide anyone would ever be lucky enough to experience. He was professional, knowledgeable, amusing, empathetic, and a joy to listen to with his commentary and little stories. It was wonderful that he played appropriate music on the bus sound system and even better when he played his bagpipes for my husband's birthday and at other times to enhance the experience of the area. The tour was great, and Hugh made it an unforgettable experience. We were supposed to go on the Jacobite railway, but that was cancelled. The company made up for it by providing a gondola ride up mt Nevis and a visit to the glenfinnan aqueduct.

We had a very enjoyable trip to the Scottish Highlands. Although both the Jacobite Steam Train and the Mallaig Ferry were unfortunately cancelled at the last minute, the replacements turned out to be wonderful surprises. The gondola ride up Nevis Range mountain and our visit to Culloden Battlefield gave us a deeper appreciation of Scottish history and views. Our driver and guide, Stefan, was knowledgeable, interactive, and very nice. He shared fascinating local history throughout the journey and took us to some lesser-known spots and hidden attractions. Even though there was quite a lot of time spent on the bus, we were never bored thanks to his engaging storytelling, interesting anecdotes, and even local music. The Highland weather is truly unpredictable. We often passed through sunny areas while driving, only to arrive at our destinations under cloudy or rainy skies. The scenery—both the mountains and the lochs—look completely different depending on the weather. Interestingly, most days only cleared up in the evening, giving us just a couple of hours to enjoy the Highlands in sunshine. At each longer stop or accommodation, Stefan recommended restaurants and viewpoints, which was extremely helpful. Our first night’s stay in Fort Augustus was in a historic cottage that was very comfortable, clean, and well-equipped. The following two nights on the Isle of Skye were also lovely—the room was spotless, and the host even delivered breakfast to our room. We regret not having the chance to say goodbye properly before leaving. There is quite a bit of time spent on the bus, but that’s really the only way to explore such a vast region. This itinerary is well-suited for older travelers, those who prefer a more relaxed pace, or visitors like us who want a general overview of the Highlands. The four-day trip was easy-going, with departures after 9 a.m. and returns around 6.30 p.m. each day. However, if you are an avid hiker or looking for a more physically challenging experience, you might find it less demanding. One downside was that at some popular attractions, heavy tourist traffic meant there was no space for the bus to park, so we couldn’t stop to visit. Overall, it was a enjoyable journey and we will definitely will recommend it to our friends

Absolutely fantastic four day/ three day trip to the Highlands and Skye. Our driver Stefan was outstanding and made our trip even more memorable with all his knowledge, not just of Scotland and it's history, but special places to see without lots of visitors. Accommodation was good and fine for the three nights. Our fellow travellers were all lovely and we had a great time. Definitely recommend and we will be booking another trip with Highland Experience. Just a pity we can't guarantee having Stefan as our driver and guide.

If you’re booking this tour for the train ride (which I’m guessing a lot of people do since it’s in the headline) I’d suggest you don’t. What they don’t tell you is that the company operating the train has had legal issues for years and is technically not allowed to run the train, so the rides only happen during review periods. Our ride didn’t happen, instead we got a gondola ride we didn’t go on, since we’re not good with heights. You won’t get refunded for the ticket if you don’t like the activity. If you’re booking the tour to see the Highlands you can also just book any other tour, this one wasn’t anything special. The hotels are also a very mixed bag. The one in Fort Augustus was terrible, the room was cold and we couldn’t keep the heating on overnight, because it was so loud. The breakfast was also not good. On the other hand, the guest house on Skye was great and the host was very lovely. Our guide was also good, but I had the feeling he had to kill time, so we stopped at places that weren’t that interesting. Instead, I would have liked to have more time elsewhere, like at Eilean Donan Castle. We also didn’t do the boat trip on Loch Ness, because he said it was a waste of time, so nobody else wanted to do it.

A great tour if you have 4 days and want to see everything. Key highlights are the boat ride on Loch Lomand ( didn’t see Nessie), the Steam Train, 2 Castles, the natural Beauty of the Isle of Skye, and feeding the Coo’s. But there were so many other sights that Craig pointed out or stopped at along the way. Craig was excellent both as a tour guide but also in how he ensured everyone was comfortable and taken care of for dinner and B&B’s.