I have read a couple of very enthusiastic reviews of the Hairy Coo free day tour on the Forum. If anyone has taken this tour as well as a Rabbies or Timberbush Highlands, Lochs & Castles tour, how do they compare?

We (three women, one of whose feet hurt with a lot of walking) will be in Edinburgh for a week at the beginning of October and want to choose two or three day trips to get the best overview that we can manage.

My DH and I took a Hairy Coo day trip when we were in Edinburgh. It was very good. They offer a nice amount of history as well as many stops along the way. It is a small bus of about 16 to 20 people and there was some flexibility in what you did at the stops. For example you could climb up to the Wallace monument or spend time at a cafe. The view at the top is amazing by the way.
Lunch is on your own as well as visiting the woolen mills there.

They ask you to fill out a comments sheet at the end and you really are not pressured to pay more than you think it is worth.

We loved the tour and would do one of their other tours with them again.

I have not taken the other tours you mentioned but this was one of the best of tours we have taken in other places.

We did the St. Andrews and Fife villages with hairy Coo in July 2012 and were very happy. A small group of 12 and a guide who was not only a fund of information but also had us in splits, the only downside was the dreary weather. Have heard very good things about Rabbies too but Hairy Coo's tour included a visit to a distillery, which swung it for DH!

We did the St. Andrews and Fife villages with Hairy Coo in July 2012 and were very happy. A small group of 12 and a guide who was not only a fund of information but also had us in splits, the only downside was the dreary weather. Have heard very good things about Rabbies too but Hairy Coo's tour included a visit to a distillery, which swung it for DH!

Sorry for posting twice, computer glitch!

All three companies do very good small-group tours. The various itineraries are all VERY similar. Timberbush may use slightly larger vehicles. You would be fine going w/ any of them.

Be flexible - to account for both the weather, and for the chance that one of the tours you want may be booked up and you'd have to go w/ one of the other companies. IMO/IME you would be happy w/ any of them.

Thanks a lot to all of you. Hairy Coo sounds like a "free" winner!