Your trusted travel partner…
Scottish Islands & the Ayrshire Coast
Visit Arran – ‘Scotland in Miniature’ – which is one of Scotland’s most beautiful islands, the Isle of Bute, and explore the sights and history of the Ayrshire coast.
Sunday 28th September – Saturday 4th October 2025
Tour Price £942.00
Single supplement: £148.00
Tour includes:
o Six nights dinner, bed & breakfast
o Full Scottish breakfast
o All coach travel
o Return ferry to the Isle of Arran
o Entry to Brodick Castle
o Return ferry to the Isle of Bute
o Entry to Mount Stuart
o Entry to Culzean Castle
o Escorted throughout
DAY 1 We head off this morning to our overnight hotel in Preston.
DAY 2 We continue our journey north, stopping at Gretna en route. We then continue our journey North, reaching our hotel in Troon with time to settle in before this evening’s dinner.
DAY 3 It is easy to see why the Isle of Arran is often referred to as ‘Scotland in Miniature’, with its constantly changing landscape of highland glens and rugged mountains alongside sweeping sandy bays and picturesque coastal villages. We catch the ferry this morning and enjoy a scenic excursion around the island. This afternoon we visit Brodick Castle & Gardens – teeming with history and surrounded by mountains, Brodick is every inch the quintessential island castle – before catching the return ferry and heading back to our hotel.
DAY 4 Today we take the short ferry ride across the Firth of Clyde and head to the Isle of Bute, a beautiful and peaceful island haven, which is home to the Victorian resort of Rothesay. This very traditional town has a splendid Victorian frontage cradling Rothesay Bay, and glorious esplanade gardens. In the afternoon we visit Mount Stuart, Britain’s most spectacular Victorian Gothic Mansion with its stunning and mysterious interiors and 300 acres of gloriously maintained gardens and grounds, before catching the late afternoon return ferry.
DAY 5 We enjoy the Ayrshire Coast at its best today, with a visit to the spectacular coastal setting of Culzean Castle, a Robert Adam’s 18th century cliff-top masterpiece which rises above a world of woods, beaches and secret follies. This glorious estate was once the playground of the 10th Earl of Cassillis and, opulent to the extreme, the park is planted with conifers and beech, sculpted around miles of sandy coastline dotted with caves, and finished off with a Swan Pond, an ice house, flamboyant formal gardens and fruit-filled glasshouses. We then head back to our hotel, with time to spend at leisure in the lovely resort of Troon.
DAY 6 We begin our journey homewards today, heading for the cathedral city of Carlisle where you will have time to explore before continuing on to Preston for our overnight stay.
DAY 7 We complete our journey back home after breakfast, arriving in the early evening.
South Beach Hotel, Troon
Family-run hotel | Seaside location close to the beach| Traditional-style hotel
Walk in showers and ground floor rooms available on request | Entertainment