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Country Roads of Scotland - Small Group

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Country Roads of Scotland - Small Group

9 Day Tour to Edinburgh & the Scottish Highlands

Country Roads of Scotland

When do you want to travel?

Scotland British Royal Soldiers Blowing Horns And Marching
0 Days
Comfortable

Mainly 2 and 3 night stays in each location. Comfortable travel days with numerous stops. Requires walking to participate in top sites.

Average group size average 20
Insight Small Groups Italy Alberobello

Insight - Small Groups

If you prefer to travel with a smaller group of curious fellow travelers passionate about diving into incredible experiences, Insight Vacations Small Group tours are the perfect choice. With all the premium features of Insight Vacations including 4 and 5-star hotels, one-of-a-kind inclusions, immersive local cultural experiences and superior dining, small group departures have a maximum of just 24 guests allowing for a more intimate, premium touring experience. Every tour includes at least one MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. These immersive impact experiences are not only a positive force for change in the destinations you visit, by advancing one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but also offer you the chance to take a deep dive into culture and community.

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Reviews
50
Average group size
average 20
Tour brand
Insight - Small Groups
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Official Language in Scotland: English
  • Currency used in Scotland: British Pound Sterling (£)
  • Capital of Scotland: Edinburgh /li>
  • Time Zone(s) in Scotland: Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and Greenwich Mean Time +1 (GMT+1)

 

Scotland passport, visa, and entry requirement information for US citizens.

  • Passport: Your passport should have at least two blank pages for entry stamps. Your passport is valid for at least six months beyond the conclusion of your trip
  • Visa Requirement: A visa is not required to enter Scotland
  • Entry Requirements: You can see the most up-to-date entry requirements for the destination(s) you’ll visit on tour by going to getours.com/travel-requirements-restrictions.

Scotland has a temperate maritime climate, characterized by mild and wet winters, and cool summers. The country's weather is highly changeable and can vary from region to region. The western coastal areas tend to be wetter and milder due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, while the eastern regions are drier and slightly cooler. Scotland experiences frequent rainfall throughout the year, with the western Highlands receiving the highest precipitation. Winter temperatures average around 0°C to 6°C (32 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit), while summer temperatures range from 15°C to 20°C (59°F to 68°F).

On-Tour Luggage & Carry-On Bag Size Limits

Luggage: Each guest traveling may bring one suitcase no larger than 30” x 18” x 10" and weighing no more than 50 lb

Carry-On Bag: *Restricted to one piece per person, not to exceed 12” x 11” x 6”

  • *Please note: A "carry-on bag" on a tour coach is not the same as a "carry-on" for a flight. Because our coaches have large windows to enjoy the view, there is minimal space to store large items securely overhead or under the seats. A "carry-on bag" may be a soft-sided daypack, purse, backpack, tote bag, or the like. Because we value our guests' safety, small rolling suitcases or bags with telescopic handles are not permitted. In order to guarantee a smooth trip, guests are not permitted to store an additional "carry-on" bag beneath the coach with the luggage. 

So your driver and any hotel porters can safely lift and transport your suitcase throughout your vacation, we strongly recommend that you test the weight of your baggage prior to travel. You should be able to lift and comfortably transport it for short distances. 

Baggage allowances vary from airline to airline, and you should check with your chosen carrier for details prior to travel.

Packing Tips for Your Tour

Packing for a guided tour will vary depending on the duration of the trip, the time of year, and the activities planned. Here is a general packing list to help you get started:

Passport and Travel Documents: Ensure you have your passport, travel insurance, and any necessary travel documents.

Clothing:

  • Comfortable walking shoes: Cobblestone streets and uneven terrain require comfortable footwear.
  • Lightweight, breathable clothing: Pack clothes suitable for the season. Bring a mix of short-sleeved tops, lightweight pants or skirts, and a few long-sleeved options for cooler evenings for the summer months, and long-sleeved and heavier layers for early Spring, Fall, and Winter.
  • Layers: It's advisable to bring a light jacket or sweater and a scarf for layering, especially in Spring or Fall.
  • Nice evening wear: You may wish to wear a dressier outfit if you plan on dining in an elegant restaurant, for example. Smart-casual clothes are usually acceptable for all included daytime and evening activities throughout your tour.
  • Rain Gear: Depending on the season and the countries you're visiting, it's a good idea to pack a compact rain jacket or umbrella.

Sun Protection:

  • Hat, sunglasses, UV-protective clothing.
  • Sunscreen with high SPF. If you're visiting any coastal areas, bring reef-safe sunscreen formulated without harmful chemicals known to be damaging to coral reefs and marine life. Traditional sunscreens often contain ingredients like oxybenzone and octinoxate, which have been found to contribute to coral bleaching and negatively impact marine ecosystems. Look for sunscreens with certifications such as "Reef Safe," "Coral Safe," or "Ocean-Friendly" to ensure they are environmentally friendly.

Medications and First Aid:

  • Any prescription medications you need. (See more below under Health & Wellness)
  • Basic first aid kit with adhesive bandages, antiseptic wipes, pain relievers, etc.

Toiletries:

  • Travel-sized toiletries, including shampoo, conditioner, soap, and toothpaste.
  • Travel towel (quick-drying and compact).
  • Hand sanitizer and wet wipes.
  • A washcloth and carry bag (often not available in hotels abroad).

Electronics:

  • A camera: You’re traveling to see extraordinary scenery and sites. So that you don't miss a single moment, bring a trustworthy camera. Check out our travel photography tips for capturing the best photos of your trips. If you feel comfortable, you can also try the camera on your phone. However, if you want to zoom in or capture moving objects, a camera might be your best bet.
  • Mobile phone.
  • Chargers for each electronic you bring.
  • Travel adapter and/or voltage converter
  • Portable power bank for charging devices on the go.
  • Small travel hair dryer (make sure you have the correct converter and adapter).

Miscellaneous:

  • A travel-friendly daypack or bag to carry your essentials during excursions.
  • Insect repellent.
  • Reusable water bottle. At GET, we’re all about caring for our planet, and with that in mind, we always recommend that you pack a reusable water bottle for your trip. Bringing your own reusable water bottle or asking for tap water at restaurants means you can make a difference by reducing your vacation plastic waste.
  • A small travel alarm.
  • A travel iron if you like your clothes to be pressed.
  • A travel pillow.

Optional:

  • Scarf or shawl for visiting religious sites or to cover up in conservative areas.
  • Light sleepwear.
  • A new, blank journal to document your trip. Don't know your travel journal style? Find out here!
  • Ziplock bags (storing snacks, toiletries, and keeping things organized).

Remember to pack light and versatile items that can be mixed and matched for different outfits. Laundry facilities are often available, or you can have your clothes laundered at hotels during your trip. It's also a good idea to pack a small bag or backpack to bring on the coach for day trips and excursions, leaving your larger luggage at the hotel.

Electricity

  • American appliances run on 110-120 volts at 60 Hz, while the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland run on 220-230 volts at 50 Hz.
  • Type G outlets are used throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
    Adapters are used to change the plug style from American-style plugs with two flat prongs to fit into these outlets, which take three rectangular prongs.
  • You will need a plug adapter and voltage converter to use your appliances in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
  • We recommend purchasing an adapter with a voltage converter so you can pack less. Also, pick up any necessary adapters or converters for your electronic devices before departing on your guided tour and bringing them.

Hair Dryers in Your Hotel

Hair dryers are standard accessories in hotels. Should you want to bring your own, though, you will need to bring an adapter and voltage converter or make sure it is dual voltage by checking the label for INPUT AC 120V - 240V or a switch that can be set to 125V or 250V. Many devices have this feature, so it's worth checking before you travel. If you need a hair dryer during your trip but can't find one in your hotel room, you can inquire with the hotel staff. Many hotels will be able to provide a hair dryer upon request, either at the front desk or through housekeeping.

Air Conditioning

  • Air conditioning is commonly available in European and United Kingdom hotels, restaurants, and public spaces, especially in major cities and tourist areas, but it is worth noting that the settings will differ from what you are used to in the USA.
  • However, it's important to note that not all accommodations or historic buildings may have air conditioning, particularly in more traditional or rural settings.
  • Most hotels in Europe or the UK can provide a portable fan for additional room cooling if requested. Your Travel Director will be on hand to assist you throughout your trip.

Traveling by coach

Our modern air-conditioned coaches have been selected with your comfort in mind. Your Travel Director will familiarize you with all the onboard features, including a washroom fitted for your convenience and comfort. Regular stops are made to stretch your legs, take refreshments, fill up your water bottles, and use the facilities.

Airport transfers

Airport Transfers for Europe flights not arriving to or departing from London
Airport transfers to and from the airport on the first and last days of your tour are complimentary only if:

  • You are traveling on a tour operated by Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, or Luxury Gold 
  • Your flight times coincide with the shuttle-coach transfer timings

Airport Transfers for Europe flights arriving to or departing from London
Airport transfers to and from the airport on the first and last days are complimentary only if:

  • You are traveling on a tour operated by Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, or Luxury Gold
  • You booked your land tour and flights as a land/air package through GET. If you book your flights independently via London Heathrow, you can *purchase a transfer through us.

To enable you to personalize your tour experience, you will find a number of Optional Experiences designed to complement the itinerary. These are designed to offer a deeper insight into the culture and character of the areas to be visited and provide some wonderful highlights to your travels. The optional program is designed to let you experience more of what interests you and to get the most from your vacation without replacing or overlapping with anything included in an itinerary.

The majority of Optional Experiences will be offered to you by your Travel Director at the beginning of your trip. Some may be subject to change, depending on the time you are traveling or local circumstances, including weather and days of the week. Your Travel Director will provide further information.

Usually, most Optional Experiences will be priced in the local currency, but please read through the details of individual optional experiences for specific information. Exact payment options will be advised locally by your Travel Director/Local Representative for each Optional Experience, but in many cases, cash, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are all accepted.

It is recommended to have travel insurance that covers medical expenses while abroad.

In order to ensure a healthy and enjoyable trip, we strongly suggest that you pack a plentiful supply of any medication you may need while on vacation. Here’s what you need to know about traveling with medications.

Prior to traveling, please notify GET of any disability requiring special assistance or any specific dietary needs that you may have, and we will strive to accommodate these.

It's essential to ensure that your routine vaccinations are up-to-date before traveling to any destination. Routine vaccinations may include vaccinations for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and influenza.

When traveling with GET, baggage handling at hotels, service charges, and tips for hotel wait staff (for included meals) will all be taken care of by your Travel Director. There are, however, a few instances where individual tipping is welcome.

Local Specialists

It is customary to show appreciation for the insights, stories, and know-how shared with you by the Local Specialists, and we suggest a gratuity equivalent to $1.00-$2.00 USD per person per half day.

Your Coach Driver and Travel Director

The trip cost does not include gratuities for your Travel Director and Driver. At the end of your trip, you may express appreciation to your Travel Director and Driver for their excellent service and the personal attention you received. Gratuities are given at the discretion of each guest, and a suggested amount per person/per day is listed in your travel documents.

For your convenience and ease, there is an option to pre-pay gratuities for the Travel Director and Driver at the time of booking.

Hotel services

It is customary to tip hotel staff for room service delivery if the charge has not already been added to the bill. Where ice machines are not available, and you receive ice from the bar, a small tip to the bartender is always appreciated.

Reviews
Service
Vacation
Independent Reviews
Donald Mueller
Review date: Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Service
I've enjoyed having GET organize my vacations for the past four years and I will continue to do so as I've always had a great travel experience with either Trafalgar and now Insight for this last trip to Scotland.
Response from Grand European Travel:
Thank you so much for being an important part of our travel family. We appreciate you!
Thursday, August 3, 2023
Vacation
Daniel was a terrific tour leader and Ian, our coach drive was great too. The hotels in the Scottish Highlands were a bit disappointing however.
Trusted Customer
Review date: Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Service
They did a great job redoing everything when the trip was postponed for a year due to covid. They answered my questions or got back to me with the answer quickly.
Response from Grand European Travel:
Thank you for your patience and sticking with us during a very frustrating time. We are glad you finally made it to Scotland and enjoyed your trip.
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Vacation
The tour director was very knowledgeable and added much to what we were doing. Our bus driver was very friendly and handled the bus masterfully.
Trusted Customer
Review date: Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Service
Had a difficulty reaching an agent after expressing interest online.
Response from Grand European Travel:
We apologize for the wait and difficulty in speaking to an agent during this unusually busy time. We have noted your comments and will pass them on to our call center management to review for improvement. Thank you
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Vacation
Scotland was fabulous. The tour director, Melissa was great great and the driver, Arthur was extremely skillful the way he navigated the country roads.
Trusted Customer
Review date: Sunday, July 17, 2022
Service
In spite of pandemic related issues they remained friendly and helpful.
Response from Grand European Travel:
It sounds like you had a great time exploring the Country Roads of Scotland. We hope you were able to come home with memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you for your feedback. We certainly do appreciate it!
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Vacation
All the local people were extremely friendly . Tour director was outstanding. Loved every minute of the tour!
Trusted Customer
Review date: Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Service
Better hotels and food.
Vacation
I have taken several Insight Country Roads tours before and enjoyed them. I have also taken one Trafalgar trip to Ireland. This trip is on Trafalgar level. Hotels were about 3 stars, except for one, starting the Malmaison in Edinburgh (actually it was in Leith); there are several good hotels in Edinburgh. Leith is hard to get to especially with the construction which has been going on for years and probably will take more. The Malmaison food service does not do a good job handling large groups, the food was all overcooked (group of 23 people). The bath tubs were slippery and dangerous; you had to call the desk for a tub mat. Need to find hotels with stand alone showers. Except for Glasgow all other hotels had no elevators (hard on us old folks.) Food everywhere was terrible. So, provide fewer included meals and let us fend for ourselves. I ate in several restaurants in Scotland that were quite good.
Response from Grand European Travel:
Thank you for your honest review. We will share your feedback with the team at Insight Vacations and ask them to review all areas for improvement.
Thursday, July 14, 2022
Trusted Customer
Review date: Sunday, July 3, 2022
Service
All went as expected
Vacation
I loved everything we saw Hotels were very average so not luxury as touted Food was boring and bland as well as repetitive
Trusted Customer
Review date: Sunday, July 3, 2022
Service
They fulfilled my needs preparing for my trip
Response from Grand European Travel:
We are so happy we were able to help you plan your vacation to Scotland. It sounds like your trip went well and you made some lasting memories. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We appreciate your business and your feedback!
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Vacation
A trip I wanted to make. Scotland was a country that I wanted to see,
Trusted Customer
Review date: Sunday, July 3, 2022
Service
The attitude of the booking agent was negative and she was not helpful. When contacted, she acted put out. (Tess Diaz) Other agents were very nice though, particularly Michelle G.
Response from Grand European Travel:
Thank you for your honest feedback. We will address this with these agents immediately.
Friday, July 8, 2022
Vacation
Beautiful scenery and knowledgeable travel director. Accommodations were mixed; food was good about half the time. Excellent driver of coach.
Unspecified
Howard Robinson
Review date: Friday, July 1, 2022
Service
This was our 4th GET tour. The other 3 were a good tour for the money. This started with Malmaison Hotel broken elevator (old problem). And they did not offer to take our bags up. Next the Isle of Skye was poor. We did it 14 years back & it is the high lite of Scotland. The Dunollie Hotel is a dump! We used the Kinloch, which is great. Our option here was drive across the island. Poor. There are two good places: The Armadale Castle & just off the island, the Eilean Donan Castle. Cam Wilson was the poorest group leader we have had in many years. We had a missing bag (airline) & ask him to call Iceland Air (we did not have their number) & on line was not helping. We learn 3 days later his bag report was just what we saw on line. We learned when he did call, the airline agent never entered the report in the computer. Days lost.
Response from Grand European Travel:
We are sorry to hear about your disappointment with the hotels and Travel Director on your trip. We will be share to share this information with the operating company Trafalgar and ask them to review the standards immediately. We appreciate you bringing these shortcomings to our attentions so we can help to correct them.
Friday, July 8, 2022
Linda Young
Review date: Sunday, June 19, 2022
Service
GET extremely helpful throughout the whole process.
Vacation
Not worth the extra cost when compared to other tour companies. Food lousy except for 2 meals, accommodations so so.
Response from Grand European Travel:
We are sorry to hear about your disappointment with the food and hotels. We will pass this along to the operating company for immediate review.
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
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