The trip, April 24-28, 2024, was beyond anything I could have hoped for. First off, John, our tour leader was incredible! When you spend 5 days with someone leading a tour, they really have to bring it and he did. His knowledge of the highlands and the storytelling, my God, the storytelling, was vast! We saw all the sights on the itinerary and even more because our group was punctual and considerate and we never had to wait for anyone beyond a minute or two maybe once. There were plenty of "pee" breaks as each destination was not more than an hour or so apart. So do not be concerned at all that there is no toilet on the bus. Speaking of the bus, it was super comfortable with large windows to see everything! The towns we stayed in overnight were a delight and the locals were most welcoming. If you are thinking of doing this trip, do it! You will have the time of your life!! You will hit the jackpot if John is your guide!!

I booked the 5 day tour with the Hairy Coo and I can’t even put into words how incredible those 5 days were. John ‘the only King of the north’ was a fantastic tour guide. I have been on quite a few tours and John was the best guide I have ever had. He is knowledgeable and cares so much for his homeland, it’s truly remarkable. I can’t wait for the day when I come back to take this tour again, because I 110% will be back. He was right, I do feel like I left a part of myself in Scotland. Thank you John and the Hairy Coo!

Our tour with Freddy was fabulous! So informative so funny, with great music to accompany the tour. Personally helped this older couple find their hotel too! Got to meet some Hairy Coos, too!! Not a boring minute. Extras included that were personal to Freddy. Loved it and highly recommend Hairy Coo tours.

It is said “if you love your job, it’s nae work!” That would be the philosophy of our tour guide Stephen! A narrow-trail thrill merchant, expert driver and a passionate and patriotic Scotsman, whose love of his country always shows when he is relating his constant and always-amusing (albeit often gory) tales about his fellow Scots. I took this 5-day Highlands tour as a senior citizen with youngest daughter in tow. If you do this tour, ask for Stephen and try to partake in every activity in his itinerary. He never hesitated to point out the longest, biggest, deepest, widest etc. which all belong to Scotland (go on, Steve; I’ll give you that record Tay salmon!). Great tour. Thanks, Stephen!

After doing a ton of research, I chose the 5 day tour with the Hairy Coo, I loved that we were a small tour of 15 people. Our driver/tour guide Freddie was amazing. He was so personable and professional. The roads can be quite intimidating but this was the first time I felt perfectly comfortable with Freddie driving. He gave us a lot of history, great music and was hilarious. Our group had such a fantastic time. We saw too many things to list! All in all a great tour. We even visited some things off the beaten path which was lovely-Pitlochry was a rest stop but we were able to have even time to check out the Heather Gem factory (which is a must do and so very Scottish) and Freddie stopped at an ice cream shop known for its Whisky ice cream (omg)! Day 1 of the tour we happened upon a motorbike accident. Two cars ahead of us drove around the man laying in the road however, Freddie stopped the bus and since there were three US medics on our tour, we were able to help stabilize the victim along with three others from England and France until the ambulance arrived and also the helicopter. Everyone shared their food and drinks until the accident was cleared. I mention this because this is what makes the Hairy Coo tour outstanding. Whereas other tours would be sticking to a strict timeframe and “rushing you”-they’re quite accommodating and really go the extra mile to make sure you’re well cared for. Despite the delay, we still managed to see everything we needed and wanted to see and then some. Our sprinter van was quite comfortable with air conditioning and the seats even reclined. It was such a fun and friendly atmosphere that our group are still in touch. Freddie was great, walking along with us, guiding us and you can genuinely see how much he loves his wee little country. We definitely plan on going back and touring with the hairy coo as often as possible! Side note, you’re not just a nameless face either. One standout note of particular-is that we chose to book our own accommodations instead of having them book for us. I received an email from The Hairy Coo asking for my itinerary with the accommodations to make sure I have everything arranged. It being high season, they wanted to check if there was anything I needed. Lovely!

The 5-day tour was a great opportunity to discover the precious “gems” of this beautiful land. The minibus was comfortable and being in a small group was ideal for socializing and for keeping up with the schedule. Our driver-guide Freddie went above and beyond, by adding his personal touch to the story telling. The tour was even more entertaining with his selection of music. Absolutely recommended!

Had an amazing time in the 5 day trip with Freddy! We saw so much and there was something in the program for everyone. I especially enjoyed the Isle of Skye and the gorge near Inverness, such amazing scenery. Freddy was an excellent guide with the occasional joke and accompanying music! Highly recommend this trip.

Wow, what an amazing trip! Our tour guide, Stephen, was the best we've ever had. He was knowledgeable, entertaining, and an excellent driver. Stephen's story telling is second to none. Being in a small tour group of eight allowed us to bond with each other on the journey. After three days it was sad to say goodbye. Each day of the tour had amazing attractions and activities included. We saw and did so much in such a short space of time. Stephen gave different options at times for those in the group, e.g. instead of going on the seal trip we could stay in town exploring, or various options were given for physical activities. We loved Stephen's quirky sense of humour and fun. It definitely made the trip special.

There were only 8 travelers on our tour which meant that our mini bus could go everywhere. A personalized experience that made the History come alive.

We were 4 travelers in our party. 50ish married couple, 84 year old aunt and 55 year old neice. Our entire party was 9 people on the bus. Put in the care of John "King of the North" tour manager, we embarked upon a 5 day tour that covered most of the highlands and gave us a comprehensive experience of the glory that is Scotland. John treated us like family and both entertained and educated us on the glorious history of Scotland, the sites, the culture, the economy, the people, the traditions and mythology. All our overnight bookings were comfortable and pleasant and close to the pick up site each morning. Food stops at great restaurants were part of the daily itinerary. Each day and each stop was more eyewatering than the last. We had sunny weather which made the greens and blues of the vast mountains and valleys glow. John kept great timing and added extra stops at locations not on the official tour that made our journey even more special. You even get a stop to pet the cows at The Hairy Coo farm at Isla's Tea house! This is a tour company that cares about its guests. Just go with John, and the Hairy Coo.

My daughter and I really enjoyed this tour Steve, the lead tour guide on this tour was incredible! His knowledge of Scottish history, and his kind heart was admirable. I have issues with my knee and at times during this tour he accommodated me by not letting me have to walk to the hotel location at the end of the day. I really appreciated it. Also, he had no problem in helping with my luggage. What are incredible hard-working tour guide. This was in a great memorable trip to Scotland. Thanks to this tour.

I went on this tour with my mum and we had a blast. It was lovely to just sit back and be guided and driven around by a local Scotsman Stephen (and I'm not allowed to put an insult in my review but if I could there'd be some select scot words I'd pick for him). The guide Stephen has a Scottish brogue and a typical Scot sense of humour (dark, dry and sarcastic). Stephen you already know what I'd call ya but thanks for the banter and making our trip really great and for sharing all your stories about Scotland's history (even if you constantly put my mum and I to sleep ;) What stood out to us was the scenery on the isle of Skye - just other-worldly and absolutely bonnie! Would 10/10 recommend Hairy Coo tours and the kilt-wearing guides. The 5 day tour really took us to so many places we hadn't even heard about - sooo worth it!

We just completed our 5 day trip around the Highlands under the guidance of our larger than life tour guide, Stephen. Our family thoroughly enjoyed the experience, hiking on sites that we would have never ventured out on our own, learning all about Scotland from history, culture, language to current day, all while cruising around in the comfort and safety of a sprinter van. We were very impressed by Stephen’s knowledge, sense of humor and professionalism. The hiking kept my teens stimulated. Expect to get wet. Wearing activewear clothing that dries quickly and hiking shoes are recommended.

Our first trip to Scotland (Europe for that matter) was made especially memorable by this experience. The itinerary is incredible, and the driver / guide, Stephen, was simply the best. He tries hard to play the gruff Scot, risky driver, tough taskmaster role. He does it well, but we found him to be an excellent, safe, considerate driver, caring guide - always making sure we were safe and entertained. If you have any doubts about the best way to see and experience this magnificent country, this tour surely cannot be beaten. My guess is all the drivers/ guides are fine, but Stephen is exceptional. If you doubt that and are lucky enough to be with him on the tour, listen carefully as he describes the events at the Culloden Battlefield. While all the tour drivers seemed to wear kilts, the one he had on was unique – and the significance was made clear at the Culloden stop. This tour is an incredibly well thought out journey through history, magnificent scenery, great stories, excellent (and a few clunkers) music in an often-otherworldly landscape. It seemed every corner turned produced another postcard scene. Stephen carefully organized his playlist to enhance the experiences. And the finale is EXCEPTIONABLE! Despite not being physically able to completely participate in the incredibly scenic "walks" he led the group on, we enjoyed the tour immensely. It certainly was the right choice for us and was made even more so by Stephen. When you measure this experience against the cost. I think you would have to agree this is one of the great bargains in travel anywhere! My only complaint would be the gathering and loading process at the starting point – that could be much better organized, but the minor irritation of that was quickly forgotten once underway.

I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed this tour! We experienced and saw so much in just 5 days. Our driver/guide John (King of the North!) was awesome. Right from the beginning of the tour it was obvious that we were going to enjoy ourselves. It was wonderful to experience the country through the stories and humor of a local guide. The week before we had been on a bus tour in Ireland with a large group and we definitely preferred this small group tour. It was a little bit of work taking care of our own lodging and meals but again after being with a large group the week before it was nice to do things on our own and have a choice as to where and when to eat. John gave us recommendations (and good ones at that) as to where to eat at each stop. The tour was well paced and stops were frequent.

We did the 5 day tour in April and it was an absolute blast!! Stephen was our tour guide and he was THE BEST! He’s such a funny guy, a great storyteller and he looked after each and everyone of us. The trip was a mix of driving, interesting stories about Scottish history and landscapes, landmarks and ruins and a couple of walks (totally doable with various options)! My mum (65 years) and I really had the best time - we saw a lot and there was never boring minute. In our group were 9 people and we had a really good time together! If you are thinking about doing this trip, definitely do it :-)

I was in awe during the tour. It was wonderful. Our guide, John, aka the real king of the north, was excellent…wait..better than excellent. He was bodacious!! He was more than knowledgeable, had a lot of information and stories and was fun!! Our tour group saw so much of Scotland. It was a great experience and I would certainly go on another tour with Hairy Coo. Bonus was the music.

Doing this trip was the best thing I have done in a long time. Travelling the Highlands through public transit is not only hard but also unreliable. By booking through The Hairy Coo everything was taken care of. I didn't have to research the places to go or bus times to get there. I just booked the trip, booked my accommodation and got to have an amazing experience. Steven was our guide for this trip and he was incredible. This is a man that loves his job and his country and it shows. When we had extra time he made sure to bring us to hidden viewpoints and waterfalls so we could stretch our legs and take in the beautiful view. He knew the history of the places very very well and answered any questions people has easily. With all of our pitstops, I got to see so much of Scotland in so little time. Above being an amazing guide and an expert driver, Steven is also an A+ DJ. He has playlists curated based on where we were in the Highlands to enhance the experience. Listening to the Isle of Skye Boat Song while on the bridge to the Isle of Skye? That's an experience I'll never forget. I was also a female traveller that was backpacking solo for the first time. I felt safe the entire trip, partly because Scotland's culture is so welcoming but also because I knew Steven was keeping an eye on me to make sure I was okay, making it to the bus every morning and having a great time. Steven really went above and beyond to make this trip so amazing. The bus trip itself was great. The longest stretch of driving we had in between stops was just over an hour, and even then there were beautiful views to see. There is no bathroom on the bus but stops to public restrooms were often. At every place that you stop for a meal, Steven was sure to point out the places that were worth eating. The highlights for me personally were Isle of Skye, Glencoe and meeting the hairy coos at the Drumbuie Farms tearoom. If you are looking to book this trip -- do it. I will be thinking about this trip someday when I am old and grey, reminiscing about all the beautiful sights and amazing food. The Hairy Coo really tasks all the stress of navigating the Highlands, leaving you with plenty of time to enjoy your trip. Thank you Steven for being such a great guide. This trip was incredible.

We loved our 5-Day tour with Stephen through The Hairy Coo! Do this tour if your schedule allows! We got to see so many amazing things that we never would have made it to on our own. Stephen added to the experience with stories, history, a great Scottish humor, and excellent playlists! We super appreciated the bonus stops and pro tips from Stephen throughout the trip - he was truly an expert in every way!

Steven is the greatest driver. It was an amazing tour that was nicely paced with lots of beautiful views and interesting history.