Destinations

Finding Unexpected Joy on an Organized Day Tour Across Scotland

A type-A traveler surrenders to an organized day tour with strangers—and finds joy in letting go.
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I’ll never forget staring into the deep, black waters of Loch Ness. The darkness of the lake beautifully highlighted the fat, white snowflakes falling from puffy, gray skies above. This, I remember thinking, was the untouched natural beauty of Scotland that so many of my travel writer friends had raved about. It was one of the most breathtaking winter scenes I’d experienced in my life—and I would never have found myself there if it weren’t for an organized day tour.

This past winter, in lieu of exchanging Christmas gifts, my partner and I decided to venture over to Scotland for a four-day weekend. The whisky-soaked mecca of Islay has long been a bucket-list destination for me, a writer focusing on wine and spirits—but venturing all the way to the remote island would have taken up too much of our long January weekend. To get our fill of belly-warming whisky in a string of cozy pubs and hotel bars, stopping in Edinburgh was a no-brainer. While I was also charmed by the idea of Glasgow’s edginess and its abundance of accessible distilleries, I still yearned for a way to see the more rural parts of Scotland in our short time there.

The Scottish capital artfully balances the very old with the new and exciting.

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Beyond the main monuments and city-based distilleries suggested, my internet searches left us with dozens of day tour recommendations through the Scottish Highlands. In my mind, organized day tours were bound to be filled with the kind of tourist traps I’d avoided most of my adult life, not to mention plenty of the selfie-stick wielding travelers I dreaded. I almost turned the other way, but the idea of dramatic, mountainous terrain only surpassed by rolling green hills studded with medieval castles and plenty of long-haired cows made me willing to take the chance.

“What do you think of an 11-hour tour through the Scottish Highlands?” I asked my partner in the living room of my Manhattan apartment. “Sounds incredible,” he responded. I began to mentally weigh the cons: potentially corny stops, a voluble guide—or worse still, strange travel companions. But there were also solid pros: Fitting in the natural beauty we would otherwise miss, without having to organize, plan, or think about anything along the way.

As a Type A traveler, I was already overplanning Edinburgh, exhausting myself over how many of the 19 industry-approved cocktail bars we’d be able to fit into 48 hours. The idea of enjoying a stress-free day of sightseeing without having to plan a thing? Very appealing. The cherry on the top was the £57 per person pirice tag. With a click of a button and for the price of a few drinks, we were booked to hit Glencoe, Loch Ness, and the Highlands—all in a single day.

Canoeing through the beautiful Caledonian Canal near Fort William

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Less than 24 hours after arriving in Glasgow, we awoke at an ungodly hour to head over to the central bus station and start the day. We trudged through dark, dead-empty streets to eventually be greeted by a cheery—but not overly peppy, I noted—guide, and five other travelers. The white sprinter van had the company’s name, Rabbie’s, sprawled across the side in blue lettering. We climbed in along with a couple in their 40s, their two teenage daughters, and an Australian woman traveling solo.

“Looks like there’s just seven of us today!” the guide exclaimed. My partner and I seized the opportunity to take over two full rows in the back, leaving the family to occupy the center of the van and the solo traveler to hold down the fort in front with the guide, who doubled as our driver. Our fearless leader started the van and gave us all some time to settle in, turning on some music instead. The day was off to a good start.

Our route took us from the vast wilderness of Rannoch Moor to the breathtaking landscapes of Gelncoe, followed by the massive fault line of Great Glen. The van weaved through the mountainous Highlands, glassy lakes, and frosty hillsides. As I leaned against the window, I took in the sight of snow-dusted hills, many of which had turned from their summery emerald green to a rusty orange. The sun tried its best to peek through, although the weather remained a signature gray.

After spending the morning traversing through hillsides, we made it to the quaint town of Fort Augustus, home to just 650 people (as well as beautiful boat-bobbing views along the Caledonian Canal). Our group disembarked and hopped on an hour-long boat cruise on Loch Ness. At this point, we were just over halfway through the day—and more than 140 miles from Glasgow. From gazing upon the famed Three Sisters of Glencoe to snaking our way back home through the Grampian Mountains, our knowledge of Scotland’s geography and history was growing with each stop.

For me, the best part of the Highlands day tour was simply the act of slowing down from our packed city itinerary and surrendering to the natural beauty around us—something not nearly as achievable, if even possible, in the bustle of Edinburgh and Glasgow. The simple act of looking out a window and letting go offered tranquility I hadn’t experienced in longer than I could remember.

I also genuinely appreciated all the down time provided by our tour guide. This offered mental reprieve from all of the new information we were learning—but also enabled the socializing. We were given solo opportunities to explore most of the destinations at our own pace. For my partner and I, this meant eating fish and chips for lunch at a traditional pub, as well as tasting some local whiskies at a cozy hotel bar by ourselves.

By the end of the tour, we’d traversed well over 250 miles through the heart of Scotland. I thought about my initial hesitation about giving into such the activity; my preconceived notions of day tours had been proven completely wrong. In fact, it's quite cool to place your trust in the hands of a knowledgeable guide, and pretty adventurous to surrender to a group of strangers—embarking on a journey into the unknown together. Sure, some of the stops were a bit kitschy, and a few selfie sticks will almost certainly always be present on group trips these days, but the long-lasting memories of journeying into the vastness of a place offer far bigger payoff.

In addition to the unforgettable views we saw, the relief of not agonizing over every last planning detail was a vacation in itself. It was official: I was unexpectedly converted by the merits of an organized day tour.

The following day, we left Glasgow behind and set off to Edinburgh—and the first thing we booked was a Big Bus tour. I boarded it excited and expectant, with eyes wide open and my curious, exploratory spirit intact.