Highland Explorer Tours Reviews 5

This is the tour company I went with ,not highland experience tours which my review was placed under
I had the privilege of doing 3 separate
Tours with this company
1st day was The Kelpies, Loch Lomond and Stirling castle
2nd day The Scottish highlands and Jacobite steam train tour
3rd The Outlander location tour
All three were amazing informative and fun
The tour guides 1Louise ,2Rich and day 3 Dave were all extremely professional knowledgeable and very helpful They made the day fun
Dave added in an extra brief 10min visit to The Abby ,In my opinion well worth the stop as The Bruce is a major part of Scotland history
I would highly recommend this company
My tour days were 23rd, 24th and 25th of June 2025

Do not book this trip, we were taken in by the Jacobite Stream Train calling itself the Hogwarts Express.

The journey from Mallaig station is a waste of time, money and effort.

We excitedly travelled five hours with a few toilet and gift shop breaks in between, to board a grubby worn out train and carriage.

Other than a few refreshments on a trolley there was not a smidgen of the beautiful vintage upholstery, lanterns, brass or mahogany wood depicted in JK Rowling’s books and movies.

Nothing was remotely enchanting about this train, notably advertised by many tour operators as the “Hogwarts Express” the experience did not demonstrate that. The trolley attendances and staff did not dress in character or role play scenes from the era.

Our coach driver Graeme was a great source of information, telling tales of Scotland, some jokes in between and the history of the Highlands.

But the train was a huge disappointment, no commentary to set the scene or announcements when we were about to approach the viaduct bridge or other places of interest.

To name this the Hogwarts Express is extremely misleading. We were treated as passengers on an ordinary train journey.

I can honestly say, there was nothing memorable about this experience. The train horn was never sounded, nor were we issued a “Hogwarts Express” ticket.

However the station shop was full of HP merchandise and memorabilia ready to sell to disappointed children.

This trip is simple not worth the money.

Our train from London into Edinburgh had more panache.

The Tour Guide Emily was excellent. We visited a lot of places, not too long, which suited me just fine. I will be signing up for another trip with Emily. This time Moray, which sounds exciting. Well done Emily, and the background Scottish music just captured everything about the Highlands and the wildlife. Look forward to seeing you again Emily. Enjoyed your company. 10 STARS.

Sonia exceeded my expectations for the Moray Coast tour. She interacted with the guests and went above and beyond in ensuring we had an amazing experience. **Sonia, the elusive unicorn in tartan evaded me. I searched every shop I passed by. The unicorn is a rare creature, but a warrior unicorn more so.**