The day started off with a visit to The Kelpies. Not the dogs, but 30 metre high sculptures. A half hour there, just enough time for a snack and a coffee ☕️ , and take lots of photos. Then it was back on the bus, for the drive to Loch Lomond. We stopped in the Balmahah National Park entre car park. I went on the optional walk with Kieran to the Pier and around and up to the top of the hill for some great views. Most of the passengers did this. Then we drove back to Stirling and The Castle. What a Great place to spend 2 or 3 hours exploring, for fantastic views and museums. Then it was back on the bus for the return to Edinburgh, arriving around 5 pm. Kieran was a great guide, and had a wealth of knowledge about everywhere we went. The driver was excellent too, The bus was a bit rattly though, the roads were narrow and rough in places. Kieran recommended Kitty O'Shea's bar for some live music, so I went there and was entertained by Richard Jenkins, a guitarist. 10/10 for Kieran!

I wished the places where we stopped could have more time for the tourists fo explore. 30mins and 1 hour at kelpies and loch lomond wasn't sufficient, especially when we would have wanted to try to explore the brunch or snacks at those spots along with walking around the lake or doing water sport. But overall it was a decent trip for the price.

The day trip experience was good, and an overall amazing value for money. I booked this as part of my husbands 40th birthday present, and he was over the moon with the whole experience. The trip to see the Kelpies and Loch Lomond was great (eventhough we had episodes of rain), but the best part for him was having to see and going inside Stirling Castle. Our guide, Tim, was very knowledgeable and he was witty and made the trip (and the drive) fun! It felt nice that we weren't made to rush things, we had ample time at each of the locations so that we could take photos and enjoy the experience. It was a really great day! Totally worth it!