Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the tours depart from?
We have a wide range of 1, 2 and 3 day tours departing from both Edinburgh and from Glasgow daily.
Our Edinburgh tours depart from 555 Castlehill, just below the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, at the top of the Royal Mile.
Our Glasgow tours depart from 11 George Square, just outside the Visit Scotland Tourist Information Centre, near to Queen Street Railway Station.
How can I book my tour?
You can book all our tours securely online via the booking form on our website. If you don't have internet access you can call into our Edinburgh office in person at 555 Castlehill or you can call us to book any tour between 7am and 10pm and book using a credit or debit card.
In Glasgow you can also make bookings at the Tourist Information Centre at 11 George Square.
Hotels, hostels and apartments: very often you can also book our tours in your accommodation and the reception can help you or can call for you. Check with them for details.
Do you pick up from hotels?
We don't pick up from hotels on our scheduled tours - it's much easier and more environmentally friendly to have a central meeting point for all our customers and both our Edinburgh and Glasgow pick-up points are very central and easy to get to.
What kind of tours do you have?
We offer a wide range of full-day tours, and two and three day tours which require accommodation which we can book for you. We are specialists in organising private tours for groups, and we also offer special themed tours at some points of the year, to events such as Highland Games.
Can children travel on your tours?
We welcome children over 5 years old on our tours. We regret we are not able to carry children under 5.
What's included in the tour price?
The tour price includes your transportation in a contemporary, air-conditioned Mercedes mini-coach, plus the tour services of our great, knowledgeable driver-guides, who have a passion for Scotland and for what they do. Adult customers receive a free miniature of The Famous Grouse whisky (on all Glasgow tours and selected Edinburgh tours), and you also get access to a selection of free discount vouchers including visitor attractions, sightseeing, restaurants and shopping with the Timberbush Pocket Pass - click here to find out more.
Food, drink, visitor attraction entry fees and activities such as cruises are not included in the tour price but these are optional and we can advise you of the costs before you book.
What is the Pocket Pass?
When you reserve your tour you can then use our Online Pocket Pass which is a great discount guide with offers and discounts on other visitor attractions, shops, food and drink in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Click here to go to the Pocket Pass Page on our website, choose the voucher you want, download and print it - then you can present it at the attraction etc of your choice or you may have to call in advance if it's another tour.
Who receives "discounts"?
We offer a discount for children between 5 and 16 years, students (you must show your student card) and seniors (adults 60 years old and over).
What should I bring on a tour?
We recommend you bring warm and/or waterproof clothing for the changeable Scottish weather, and because you will have the opportunities for walks on some of our tours. You should wear comfortable shoes for walking, take a sunblock and/or a hat for sunny days and don't forget your camera!
You can also take cold food and drink on the coach if you wish but you will always have stops for eating and drinking - your driver will inform you of the options on the tour.
We recommend that you organise your own travel insurance. On our 2 and 3 day tours, we ask that you limit your luggage to one medium-sized piece per person.
Do you have a minimum number of passengers for each tour?
The minimum number of passengers necessary for a tour to operate is 6.
If a tour does not operate, we inform you in advance that we must cancel, and we can give you a full refund or you can choose to travel on any other tour on your original booking date, at no extra cost, subject to availability.
What happens if I do not arrive in time for the tour?
It is very important that you arrive in plenty of time before your tour departs, as we are not able to give refunds if you arrive late for the tour. For this reason we always insist that you arrive a minimum of 15 minutes before the published departure time - please check our Terms & Conditions.
If you have travel connections before or after a tour we strongly recommend that you give yourself the sufficient time in order to travel to make your connection. The company does not accept liability for any loss or inconvenience caused by illness, climactic conditions or road and/or traffic conditions. Please check our Terms & Conditions for details.
Are your tours available in winter also?
Yes! Our tours operate all year round, from both Edinburgh and Glasgow - although the days may be shorter, the autumn and winter landscapes can often be stunningly beautiful, especially with mellow light and snow-covered mountains.
Are the tours only in English?
Our scheduled tours are in English, given by our professional, experienced driver-guides but we can offer you a free text summary of the tour content in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Mandarin. For private groups we can offer you foreign language guides at an additional cost.
Is accommodation included in the 2 and 3 day tours and how much does it cost?
No, accommodation is not included because we prefer to let you choose exactly what you want, depending on your budget. Timberbush reserves your accommodation for you on the extended tours so that you don't have to worry. We use only local, recommended accommodation on our tour routes, so that you get to meet local people and contribute to sustaining their communities. Your guide will take you to the accommodation and collect you the following day. You can choose from Youth Hostels, Bed & Breakfast, Guest House or Hotels. We make your reservation and you pay for the accommodation directly when you arrive there.
We have a variety of accommodation to suit your budget. Approximate costs for 2008 are:
Youth Hostel: from £13 to £15 per person per night
Bed & Breakfast: from £26 to £32 per person per night
Hotel: from £40 per person per night
Please note that all accommodation costs depend on availability and season.
What kind of rooms are in the accommodation?
Youth Hostels usually offer dormitory rooms for sleeping which you share - these can be for men only, women only, or mixed and are usually for 4 or more people. It is not necessary to bring bedlinen or sleeping bags to the youth hostels.
Bed and Breakfasts and Guest Houses usually offer a mix of bedrooms with standard facilities (a bathroom/toilet/shower located separately from the bedrooms for a small number of guests to share) or ensuite facilities which means that the bathroom/toilet/shower is private and in your bedroom.
A double room is usually one double bed for two people to share and twin room has two single beds for two people. Some family rooms are also available depending on the location, as well as single rooms for one person.
How long are the tours? How many stops are there?
Our tours vary depending on the destination but we aim to ensure that you have as much time off the coach as possible in order to enjoy Scotland and its magnificent scenery, with plenty of options for walks, sightseeing and visits to local attractions and significant monuments.
We try to ensure that you are never on the coach for longer than 2 hours on any journey. Loch Ness, in the Highlands of Scotland, is our longest day tour because it is the furthest distance we travel in one day (approximately 360 miles round-trip) but on this tour, you can enjoy 4 extended stops for visits, optional castle and cruise visit and meals (including around 2 hours at Loch Ness) and shorter stops for photos. We're very happy to advise you on which tour is best for you - all you have to do is ask!
I'd like to do more than one full-day tour but I only have a few days in Scotland - what do you recommend?
Our friendly reservations team is more than happy to advise you on which tours are best for you. This depends on when you can travel, the departure and arrival times which are best for you, and what kind of tour you are interested in: for example, visits to heritage sites or visitor attractions, particular areas of scenery, castles, the coast, or woodland.
If you want to reserve one or more day tours in the same week, it's always better to have a day's rest between them - we would not recommend that you take very long tours (eg Loch Ness) one day after the other as we believe that this is too much travelling and would be very tiring. We believe that all travellers need time for rest and reflection!
I've already been on one of your tours and I want to tell you about my experience - how can I do this?
Your feedback is very important to us in order to continue to work on improving the quality of our tours for our customers.You can put comments on our
Forum
on the website, or on the same page, click on the link for the
Customer Feedback Questionnaire.
Here you can choose to enter the monthly Prize Draw to win various prizes from our shop. You can also choose to subscribe to our enewsletter - click here.
Is it possible to reserve a private tour or a tour for a group?
Yes - we are specialists in organising private tours. We have lots of experience in creating great itineraries and our guides often receive repeat requests from groups who have enjoyed their experience so much. Special interest groups, companies, academic associations, work colleagues, conference delegates - we are happy to work with you to create your special trip.
Timberbush Corporate: we are experienced providers of corporate hire coach and tour services for companies and individuals, from airport transfers to corporate hospitality.Email us for a quote at corporate@timberbushtours.com.
And remember, if you have more questions which are not answered here - email us at tours@timberbushtours.com or call us on 0131 226 6066 in Edinburgh or 0141 226 8882 in Glasgow.
