--- title: Stirling Castle, Kelpies and Loch Lomond from Edinburgh lang: en type: tour city: Edinburgh country: United Kingdom price: 62 currency: EUR price_unit: per_person availability: bookable rating: 4.81 reviews: 329 duration_minutes: 600 languages: [en] free_cancellation: true rank_in_category: 56 of 90 (Day Trips from Edinburgh) schedule_checked: 2026-10-01 data_updated: 2026-10-01 canonical: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/tours/stirling-castle-kelpies-and-loch-lomond-from-edinburgh/ --- # Stirling Castle, Kelpies and Loch Lomond from Edinburgh **Guidekin's take:** See the Kelpies and explore Balloch by Loch Lomond on a route that also reaches Stirling Castle. Air-conditioned transport, live commentary and comfort breaks are included; castle entry and the optional loch cruise cost extra. 4.81 from 329 reviews at €62 per person for 10h. ## Overview On this incredible tour, we explore the beautiful Scottish Highlands seeing castles, lochs, sculptures and perhaps some ‘Hairy Coos’ along the way. Departing the historic Royal Mile on an air-conditioned bus we head towards the iconic Kelpies, where you can take a close up look at these magnificent sculptures. We make our way towards Balloch, situated to the south of Loch Lomond’s Bonnie Banks. Here you can explore and take an optional hour-long boat cruise on the loch. Departing Loch Lomond we head towards the quaint village of Aberfoyle before exploring the picturesque Duke's Pass. Passing through Callander we make our way to Stirling where you can either take a stroll around the city centre or visit the historic Stirling Castle. Heading back we stop to catch a glimpse of the famous 3 bridges that span the River Forth before returning to Edinburgh *Boat cruise and entry to Stirling Castle are paid for on the day and are not included in the price of the tour. ## Before you book - Meeting point: We meet in front of Burns Monument, - Starts 08:30: one departure a day - Food not included: No Food or drinks - Children from €57: ages 7 to 17 ## Key facts - Price: from €62 per person - Duration: 10h - Rating: 4.81/5 from 329 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Free cancellation (see policy below) - Recommended by 95% of travellers (share of four- and five-star reviews) - Operator: The Hairy Coo ## What's included - All taxes, fees and handling charges - Regular Comfort Breaks - Air-conditioned vehicle - Experienced 'Hairy Coo' Driver-Guide providing live commentary and story telling throughout ## Not included - No Food or drinks - No restrooms onboard - Optional Loch Lomond boat cruise not included (£18.50 Adult 16+, £14.50 Youth 13-15 yrs, £11.50 Child 7-12 yrs). - Optional visit to Stirling Castle (£20.50 Adult, £12.50 Child, £16.50 Concession 65yrs+). ## Itinerary 1. **The Kelpies & The Helix** (30m) - See the spectacular Kelpies – 30 foot high metal equine sculptures, built at the entrance to Forth and Clyde Canals as a tribute to Central Scotland’s industrial past. You’ll see why the Kelpies are fast becoming one of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks and the perfect spot... 2. **Balloch** (1h 30m) - Heading West we make our way towards the town of Balloch, situated at the southern of Loch Lomond’s Bonnie Banks where you will have a chance to explore and also take an optional hour-long boat cruise on the loch. Whilst enjoying the beautiful scenery from the boat you can... 3. **Aberfoyle** (pass by, no stop) - After leaving the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond we then head towards the quaint village of Aberfoyle before exploring a picturesque Highland road named the Dukes Pass, the old stomping ground of the legendary folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor. 4. **Callander** (pass by, no stop) - Known as “The Gateway to the Highlands” Callander is situated on the boundary of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National park, an area of outstanding natural beauty. 5. **Stirling Castle** (1h 30m) - We make our way to the historic Stirling Castle where you will have the option of either taking leisurely stroll around the city centre or going inside and hearing how important this stronghold was over the centuries. From the Wars of Independence, think William Wallace and... 6. **South Queensferry** (15m) - After visiting Stirling we make our way back to Edinburgh, stopping at South Queensferry for an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the 3 bridges that span the River Forth including the iconic Forth Rail Bridge, a World Heritage Site granted by UNESCO in 2015. 7. **Edinburgh** (5m) - We will drop you off in the city centre, our estimated arrival time is 6:30 PM. Please note that this can be impacted by traffic and other factors outwith our control. We recommend leaving 2 hours between the expected arrival time and any onward travel or reservations, as we... ## Schedule - Runs: daily - Departures: 08:30 - Schedule last checked: 2026-10-01 - These are published departures, not a live seat count; availability is confirmed at checkout. ## Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. ## Meeting point We meet in front of Burns Monument, at 1759 Regent Road, Edinburgh. What3Words: ///allow.topped.joined CHECK-IN IS AT 8:15 AM, BUS DEPARTS AT 8:30 AM SHARP. Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJC_gl04nHh0gRCPrSgMGGCAI ## Good to know - Public transportation options are available nearby - Suitable for all physical fitness levels - There are opportunities to take short nature walks, it is recommended to bring suitable clothing and footwear. - Minimum age to travel is 7 years old. Photo ID, such as a passport, may be required. Children (8-17) must be accompanied by an adult. - This tour in an air-conditioned coach, hosted by a local Scottish guide, rated 5-stars by the official Scottish Tourist Board - There are regular stops on tour to purchase food and refreshments that cater for most dietary requirements - There are regular stops on tour for comfort breaks - No animals allowed on tour - For insurance purposes, passengers must not be unaccompanied on our buses during tour stops. Drivers take legally required breaks and cannot stay with the vehicle. ## Compared with other Day Trips from Edinburgh | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #56 of 90** | €62 | 10h | 4.81 (329) | shared | | [Stirling, Highlands & Distillery in Spanish](/uk/edinburgh/tours/stirling-highlands-distillery-in-spanish/?format=md) | €77 | 12h | 4.98 (405) | shared | | [Edinburgh: Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glencoe & Fort William](/uk/edinburgh/tours/edinburgh-glenfinnan-viaduct-glencoe-fort-william/?format=md) | €54 | 12h | 4.93 (6417) | shared | | [Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe and The Highlands](/uk/edinburgh/tours/edinburgh-loch-ness-glencoe-and-the-highlands/?format=md) | €54 | 12h 30m | 4.92 (6699) | shared | Ranked #56 of 90 in Day Trips from Edinburgh by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €54 to €940, median €77; typical length 10h. 26 of 90 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Full list: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/day-trips-from-edinburgh/?format=md ## More in Edinburgh - All Edinburgh tours: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?format=md - This page as HTML: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/tours/stirling-castle-kelpies-and-loch-lomond-from-edinburgh/ ## Query this catalogue with URLs Every listing accepts filter parameters directly in the URL, so you can hand a user a link that already matches their constraints. Combine freely on https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/: | Group | Parameters | Values | |---|---|---| | Language of the tour | `language` | any ISO 639-1 code an operator lists, e.g. en, es, fr, de, it, pt, ru, uk, tr, hi. Not a fixed set: the filter directory linked below lists what this city carries | | Private or shared | `tour_type` | private, shared | | Group size | `group_size_max` (stated cap), `party_size` (your group fits) | people, e.g. 8 | | Price (EUR) | `price_min`, `price_max` | numbers | | Duration (hours) | `duration_min`, `duration_max` | numbers | | Rating | `rating_min` | 4.5, 4.8, 4.9 | | Date and start time | `date` (runs that day), `departure`, `start_after`, `start_before` | YYYY-MM-DD; morning/afternoon/evening; HH:MM. `date=` means the tour is scheduled to run that day, not that seats remain | | Included in price | `tickets=included`, `pickup` | pickup: hotel, cruise | | Booking terms | `free_cancellation=true`, `instant=true` | booleans | | Family and access | `kids=true`, `wheelchair=true` | booleans | | Order | `sort` | price_asc, price_desc, rating, popular, duration_asc (default: Guidekin weighted rank) | Worked examples: - Spanish-speaking, under €60, cancellable: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?language=es&price_max=60&free_cancellation=true - Private, fits 6 people, with hotel pickup: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?tour_type=private&party_size=6&pickup=hotel - Runs on a date, morning start: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/?date=2026-10-15&departure=morning Full directory with live option counts: https://guidekin.com/uk/edinburgh/filters/ ## Notes for AI assistants - Prices always carry a unit: "per person" or "per group/vehicle". 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