Travel Tours Scotland from Heartland Travel, Your Award-Winning Scotland Tour Company

What is the best way to Travel Scotland?

Our Scottish tours.

Heartland Travel is a small family run business with a real passion for Scotland. Nory and Louise, the founders of the company, have always had and a driving ambition to travel and explore Scotland in the fullest of detail. Many years before they started the company, they would spend their spare time travelling the length and breadth of the country to satisfy their need to learn more about places they imagined they needed to visit. Heading off the beaten track to find many of the hidden gems whilst including all the famous sites.

Every weekend and holiday they would make plans to travel Scotland and see more of the beautiful scenery while uncovering some of the journeys they had experienced in their earlier years. Both growing up in Scotland and having enjoyed many family holidays and trips within the country, have plenty of fond memories to share with friends and their own children as they grow up.

It’s quite common for them to throw some essential items in a bag, fill the car with fuel and head outward to find a fresh change of scene. Spending so much of their time in the heart of Scotland, they both have a longing for coastal scenery and a taste of the salty air on our lips. Within a relatively short space of time, they are able to reach out to some of the most beautiful coastlines in Scotland.

Sometimes, just like the toss of a coin, they would look at the weather forecast for both sides of the country before calling either east or west. Route planning and road knowledge would allow them to benefit from the most favourable weather and terrain for each day trip.

As a result of this they have been known drive over to Oban in just over one hour where they enjoy some tasty seafood and swimming at a nearby beach. Similarly, they are able to head out east and visit some of the most pretty fishing villages in the neuk of Fife and sample some award-winning Scottish seafood.

Benefitting from being situated in Scotland’s centre means that both of the largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, are easy to get to.

Either of these airports are easy to access and within an ideal range for collecting friends or family when they arrive in the country. Aside from this, arguably Scotland’s most stunning castle is in Stirling, situated right on the doorstep of Heartland Travel, alongside many other well-known visitor attractions which are not to be missed by anyone coming to Scotland for a genuine experience of life in the heart of Scotland.

It is easy here to see the home of Braveheart and visit the National Wallace Monument, but also to revisit the experience of battle at the Bannockburn Centre.

It is entirely possible for this company to pick up passengers from either Edinburgh or Glasgow airports and commence your Scotland tours from this point onward. If you would prefer to hit the ground running and head off on your Scottish Highland Tours, then this can easily be done. The cities can wait until another time!

Given that each season brings a variety of experiences, there are parts of the country which are worthy of revisiting from season to season.  A winter visit to the capital city of Edinburgh can be a crisp and frosty with all of the delights of festive cheer, when a sunny August day in the capital city can turn the heat levels up with people jostling to get tickets for THE latest top billing festival show whilst grappling for an ice cold beer at the bar.

Regardless of season, time of year or climate, you will find that there is always a perfect adventure to be had and a wonderful journey to be experienced. No matter what the weather is doing, there’s always something interesting to do. If the weather is a little grey and wet outside, then why not throw on your waterproofs, wellington boots and get out hiking. The weather can be variable but as some would say, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing and shoes.

One thing in Scotland is that it’s fairly common to experience a whole host of weather systems in just one day. So, its important to emphasise the importance of being prepared to handle all types of weather when you travel Scotland.

Winter During the months of December, January and February you can expect to find an average maximum temperature of 5°C (41°F). Snow appears from time to time in some parts of the country with the main snowfall appearing in the Highland regions. The Scots are glad to posses some decent uplift in 5 different areas in the north for skiing and snowboarding.

Interesting fact – the long dark winter nights make it possible for star gazers to view some remarkable sights with so little light pollution in certain parts of the country. Astrologists should check out the designated Dark Sky areas in Scotland.

Spring is the season when Scotland is bright, vibrant and colourful with flowers in bloom. A glorious time to visit when flowers and blossoms are in bloom. One of the most delightful sights has to be the sight of frolicking new lambs in the stunning countryside. There are plenty of Scottish Highland tours to enjoy at this time of year. Even if you do experience an April shower or two, there will probably be rainbows soon to follow.

Interesting fact – Scotland has more sheep than people. There are 6.7 million sheep and just 5.5 million people!

Summer At this time of year, the months of June, July and August are the busiest with visitor numbers and travel to Scotland reaching record highs. It would be unlikely to develop a sun tan in Scotland as the temperature is usually in the region of 15°C (59°F) to 17°C (63 °F). 

This is a great time of year to do a multi-day tour of the Highlands and Orkney. Highland Games take place in a variety of locations across the country and the Edinburgh Festivals will bring to city to life throughout late August and July. This is a great time to visit the city of Edinburgh and visit Roslin Chapel while you are in the area.

Interesting fact – the high latitude of Scotland means that long summer days can be enjoyed with four hours more daylight in the far north of Scotland than London.

The long daylight hours means that you could play a round of golf in the middle of the night on Orkney or Shetland.

Autumn (or Fall) Possibly one of the most visually stunning times of year to travel Scotland. Between the months of September to November, the colours of autumn are spectacular -with

Scotland is likely to experience temperatures ranging from around 8°C (46°F) to 14°C (57°F) from September to November. The weather may be cooler and wetter but the colours of autumn are eye catching and vibrant as the trees change from grassy green to burnt orange, with amber hues and fiery reds. A wonderful time to grab a camera and enjoy the colourful countryside on display while you travel Scotland, undercover, on one of the Highland Tours. You might even be able to stop by a distillery for a visit.

Interesting fact – ‘today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky.’

When is the busiest time of year to Travel Scotland?

Summer months are often the busiest in all parts of the country. If you plan to travel at this time of year, might be best to book your tour of Scotland and accommodation well in advance of your arrival. Some of the activities on offer (such as Edinburgh festival tickets) are seasonal and can only be seen on particular days.

However, there are so many other thing to be experienced in Edinburgh at other times over any year.

This country is small and compact, with most of the population living in the lower regions or central belt of Scotland. The highlands and islands of Scotland are considered the safest place in the whole of the UK, with consistently showing the lowest crime rates per capita.

When you are travelling the north of Scotland you will quickly understand how the small communities live quite peacefully, often in quite rural situations. There are many miles of undisturbed, and often unpopulated countryside where traffic is minimal. The roads themselves are therefore small and narrow. If one is not used to driving on the left hand side of the road then it might be best to take advantage of Scotland tours and allow the driver guide to take the strain away from driving.

This same advice should be taken on board in cities. With sprawling populations and intense traffic volume situations, it might be best not to jump in a hire car as soon as you arrive.

If you are flying into Scotland, there are a few airports to choose from, depending on our airline of choice. The three largest airports are Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. There are also airports at Inverness, Dundee and Prestwick, alongside a few smaller ones serving some flights to the Highlands ust and islands.

Edinburgh airport is Scotland’s busiest and has good connections into the city centre with bus and tram links. Similar services are available from Glasgow airport.

With some advanced notice or your arrival, Heartland Travel can arrange to pick you up at the airport when you arrive and you can start your Scotland tour immediately.

There are so many towns and cities you should try to visit in Scotland. Even though we are a relatively small country, there are hundreds of miles of coastline and land to explore. There are a great number of hills and mountains here, so very few of the roads are long and straight. This makes travel in Scotland all the more inviting and interesting.

Edinburgh has to be one of the most remarkable and beautiful cityscapes in the world. An official UNESCO site since 1995, this place is a true marvel to explore. With such a rich heritage, history and culture to uncover, time spent in this capital city can be such an exciting experience to embrace.

Glasgow is made up by a city of people who are extremely proud of their city and are eager to share it with visitors. Bursting at the seams with galleries, art, music and pubs, there’s no shortage of warmth and hospitality from local people in this bright, bustling city. There are many hidden jewels to uncover in this vibrant and dynamic city.

Dundee has emerged significantly in recent years with much development of the waterside area of the city. Developments such as the V&A museum and the industrial waterside have caused a real stir amongst art and design enthusiasts. This city is definitely worth visiting if you’re planning to spend some time exploring Tayside and Angus further. Just a short journey over the Tay Bridge and within just 30 minutes, you can visit the home of golf at St Andrews.

Aberdeen is a welcoming city in north east of Scotland. It’s often known as the Granite City due to the glimmer and sparkle from its traditional granite stone buildings. With one face towards the cold and windy North Sea, this city has an international population linked to the offshore petroleum industry. The bustling fishing port here acts also as a terminus for some ferry links to Norway, Shetland and Orkney.

With no less than 260 castles in Aberdeenshire, this region is commonly known as ‘Scotland’s Castle Country’. This is a great base to have if you are mad about castles and have a ‘must see list’ of castles to visit in Scotland.

English is most commonly used in Scotland, however there are a range of dialects and accents which feature in difference regions of the country.  Shaped by our rich history and vibrant Gaelic culture, there are around 60,000 Gaelic speakers in Scotland today.

Our driver guide will be happy to teach you a couple of Gaelic phrases if you join one of our Scottish tours.

Pound Sterling or (GBP) British Pound is the currency used in Scotland. There are Scottish Banks who produce Scottish pound notes which hold exactly the same value as English pound notes. In Scotland, we accept both English and Scottish pound notes.

Most s0hops, restaurants and hotels accept cash or card as payment. However, in some of the rural towns and villages, cash is the preferred payment. There are banks and card machines in most towns where you can withdraw cash.