8-Day Scotland Itinerary: Private Tour of Islay, Mull & Iona
8-Day Scotland Itinerary: Private Tour of Islay, Mull & Iona
Islay’s famous distilleries, then Glencoe, the Isle of Mull, Iona Abbey and Tobermory, with your own guide and private vehicle.
- 8 days · 7 nights
- Private guide & vehicle
- Islay, Mull & Iona
- Start anywhere in Scotland
Whisky, wildlife and some of Scotland’s oldest history in eight days. This private itinerary spends three nights on Islay among its distilleries, heads north through Kilmartin Glen and Oban, crosses Glencoe to the Isle of Mull, sails to Iona, and explores Mull’s wild north coast and Tobermory.
It’s a sample, not a fixed package. Your own guide and tour coordinator will reshape the route, pace, distilleries and places to stay around your group.
Your 8-day Islay, Mull & Iona itinerary at a glance
Places to stay are rough areas only; we’ll choose your accommodation with you. Tap the map to explore each day’s stops, or open it full screen. The route is flexible, and your guide can adjust the order and stops on the day.
| Day | Route | Where you could stay |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Loch Lomond → Inveraray Castle → Tarbert → ferry to Islay | Islay: Bowmore area |
| Days 2–3 | Bowmore Distillery → Laphroaig → Lagavulin → Ardbeg | Islay: Bowmore area |
| Day 4 | Ferry → Kilmartin Glen → Oban Distillery → Kilchurn Castle → Killin → Balquhidder | Loch Lomond & The Trossachs: Killin or Callander area |
| Day 5 | Rannoch Moor → Glencoe → Corran ferry → Morvern → ferry to Mull | Isle of Mull: Tobermory area |
| Day 6 | Duart Castle → Fionnphort → ferry to Iona & Iona Abbey → Aros Castle | Isle of Mull: Tobermory area |
| Day 7 | Kilmore standing stones → Calgary → coast road → Eas Fors → Tobermory Distillery | Isle of Mull: Tobermory area |
| Day 8 | Ferry to Oban → St Conan’s Kirk → Kilchurn Castle → Inveraray Castle → Rest and Be Thankful → home | Home |
The 8-day Scotland itinerary, day by day
Day 1Loch Lomond, Inveraray and the ferry to Islay
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs · Inveraray Castle · Tarbert Castle · ferry to Islay · Bowmore
From your pick-up, we head north into Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and see the geological line that separates the Highlands from the Lowlands. Then we turn west for Inveraray Castle, home of the chief of Clan Campbell, once Scotland’s most powerful clan.
Next is the ruined Royal Castle of Tarbert, with views over the harbour town, before the ferry to Islay, about two hours. We head straight to Bowmore, your base for the island.
Days 2–3Islay: Bowmore, Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg
Bowmore Distillery · Laphroaig · Lagavulin · Ardbeg · Islay’s coast
Two days on Scotland’s whisky island. We start with a tour of Bowmore Distillery to learn how whisky is made from start to finish.
Then it’s the Islay way: a walk that takes in three famous distilleries, Laphroaig, Lagavulin and finally Ardbeg, along the island’s south coast. We’ll pick you up from the last distillery and bring you back to Bowmore.
Day 4Kilmartin Glen, Oban and Rob Roy country
Ferry to the mainland · Dunadd Fort · Nether Largie standing stones · Oban Distillery · Kilchurn Castle · Falls of Dochart · Balquhidder Glen
An early ferry takes us back to the mainland and north to Kilmartin Glen: Dunadd Fort, heart of the ancient kingdom of Dal Riata, and the Nether Largie standing stones. The whisky doesn’t stop on Islay: in Oban, Scotland’s seafood capital, we tour Oban Distillery.
Kilchurn Castle, once a Clan Campbell stronghold, stands at the head of Loch Awe, Scotland’s longest freshwater loch. In the national park we see the Falls of Dochart at Killin, where you may see salmon leaping, visit Rob Roy MacGregor’s grave and walk to a clan rallying point in Balquhidder Glen.
Day 5Glencoe and the ferries to Mull
Rannoch Moor · Three Sisters of Glencoe · Corran ferry · Morvern peninsula · ferry to Mull
We head into the heart of the Highlands across Rannoch Moor to the Three Sisters of Glencoe. The first of two ferries crosses Loch Linnhe at Corran to the Morvern peninsula, where the remains of an old township tell the story of communities cleared from the land.
A second ferry takes us across the Sound of Mull to the island and our accommodation.
Day 6Duart Castle and the Isle of Iona
Duart Castle · Fionnphort · ferry to Iona · Iona Abbey & Nunnery · MacLean’s Cross · Aros Castle
We start at Duart Castle, stronghold of Clan MacLean and still owned by the clan chief, then take the short ferry from Fionnphort to Iona, often called the cradle of Christianity in Scotland, and walk to Iona Abbey, site of St Columba’s monastery.
Back on Mull, the ruins of Aros Castle look over the Sound of Mull and tell a tale of shifting clan loyalties.
Day 7Mull’s wild north and Tobermory
Kilmore standing stones · Calgary beach & clearance village · coastal drive · Eas Fors waterfalls · Tobermory Distillery
A walk to the mysterious Kilmore standing stones starts the day, then a coastal walk at Calgary to a Highland Clearance village. We follow the northwest coast, with views over the Treshnish Isles and Ulva, stop at the Eas Fors waterfalls, and finish with a whisky tasting at Tobermory Distillery.
Day 8Loch Awe, Inveraray and home
Ferry to Oban · St Conan’s Kirk · Kilchurn Castle · Inveraray Castle · Rest and Be Thankful
An early ferry takes us from Craignure to Oban. On the banks of Loch Awe we visit St Conan’s Kirk, an architectural wonder, and the ruins of Kilchurn Castle, where Highland cows often graze by the loch.
Then it’s Inveraray Castle, home of the Dukes of Argyll and chiefs of Clan Campbell, and the Rest and Be Thankful viewpoint over Glen Croe and the old military road, before we drop you off.
Ways to tailor this itinerary
Choose your distilleries
Swap or add distilleries on Islay, Mull and along the way, including private or specialist tours.
Where you stay
From luxury castles and manor houses to cosy Highland B&Bs. If you’ve already booked your accommodation, we’ll plan around it.
Shorter trip
Skip Islay with our 4-day Mull & Iona itinerary, or swap Mull for Skye with our 7-day Islay & Skye itinerary.
Pick-up anywhere
Start and finish in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, an airport or anywhere else in Scotland.
What a 8-day private tour costs
Usually included
- Your own expert guide for the whole trip
- A private vehicle, fuel, taxes and associated costs
- Accommodation (unless you’d rather book your own)
- Entry to the places you visit
- Planning, booking and organising by your own tour coordinator
- 24/7 support throughout your trip
Not included
- Food and drink
Typical total for the whole group for trips of 6 to 8 days, based on bespoke private tours booked with us over the last two years. Group size, your choice of accommodation, the season and the experiences you add can change the price a lot, so treat this as a guide and tell us your budget.
What our private guests say
It was an unforgettable trip that me and my friends will cherish forever. Special thanks to our tour guide Jim who filled the tour with smiles, enthusiasm, and great knowledge with sites and landmarks the we visited and saw along the way. I would definitely highly recommend it to anyone who wants a private and flexible tour to have their friends/ family.
We did a private tour, and it was so amazing!! Aila was a wonderful tour guide, and made the experience 5 stars for us. She was so knowledgeable, and made sure we saw everything we wanted to see. I highly recommend taking any of their tours and having an adventure of a lifetime.
Six women traveled through Scotland and Jim was the best! Beforehand we worked with Scotlands Wild on the itinerary, wanting to see more nature and active hikes than castles and distilleries (though we did do a couple of castles). We started in Glasgow, drove north seeing Loch Lomond, Oban, Isle of Skye, Glencoe, Inverness, Loch Ness, Ft William and many other interesting sites along the way. … Ended in Edinburgh and were sad to leave him.
8-day private tour FAQs
Can we change this 8-day itinerary?
Yes. This is a sample to give you ideas, not a fixed package. We’ll change the route, the pace, the number of days and where you stay to suit your group.
Where does the tour start and finish?
Wherever suits you. As it’s a private tour, we pick you up and drop you off anywhere in Scotland, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness or the airport.
How much does a 8-day private tour of Scotland cost?
Bespoke private tours of this length (trips of 6 to 8 days) typically cost £10,000–£15,000 in total for the whole group, based on tours booked with us over the last two years. Group size, accommodation, the season and the experiences you choose can change this a lot, so tell us your budget and we’ll plan around it.
What’s included?
Your own guide and private vehicle (with fuel and taxes), planning and booking by your tour coordinator, and 24/7 support. Most bespoke tours also include your accommodation and entry to the places you visit. Food and drink are not included.
Which Islay distilleries do we visit?
On this sample route you tour Bowmore Distillery, then walk between Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg on the south coast of Islay. We can change the distilleries to suit your taste.
Is this itinerary suitable for a family or a large group?
Yes. Most of our private groups are 2 to 8 people, and we also plan tours for solo travellers and groups of 16 or more. Tell us who’s travelling and we’ll plan the vehicle and accommodation around you.
Plan your 8-day private tour of Islay, Mull & Iona
Tell us your dates, who’s travelling and what you’d love to see. Your tour coordinator will use it to start shaping a plan around your group.
