Holy Island and Alnwick Castle: Small Group Tour

Embark on a very small group tour from Edinburgh to explore the Viking Coast and Alnwick Castle. Discover the historic Holy Island and visit the famous filming location for Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Enjoy stunning views along the Northumberland coastline and immerse yourself in the beauty of the Borders. Book now for a discount!

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve - Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve protects a stretch of coastline, including the dunes of Lindisfarne (Holy Island).
  • Lindisfarne Priory - During your time on Holy Island (approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes) you will have time to visit Lindisfarne Priory (entrance at own expense).
  • **Lindisfarne…
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Driver/guide
  • Transport by air-conditioned Mercedes mini-coach
  • Live commentary on board
  • Very small group tour - average group size of around 12 passengers
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Attraction Entrance Fees
Additional Information

This popular very small group tour of around 12 passengers explores Holy Island - scene of the first Viking invasion of Britain - and Alnwick Castle (filming location for Harry Potter and Downton Abbey) before returning north to Edinburgh via the beautiful Borders. You will enjoy stunning views along the Northumberland coastline before arriving at…

Location
EH1 3BQ
Waterloo Place
This tour departs from (and returns to) Bus Stand ZE, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3BQ (opposite Howie's Restaurant). Please arrive no later than 08.45.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(169 Ratings)
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Marilyn_s
Sep 22, 2025
Lots of historical info - Our guide, Angela was a wealth of information about the area. We chose Lindisfane castle as there wasn't tine to visit the priory or museum. The tour of Alnwick castle was great, so much to see. All in all, this was a great tour.
Review provided by Viator
Ma_o
Sep 21, 2025
Scottish Pride in England - This was the tour with great history, wonderful beauty, and a lot of fun. Angela, our guide, was warm, fiercely, proud of her country, well informed and knew how to be a fabulous hostess. Her stories, facts and music made the day fly by. The contrast between Holy Island and Alnwick Castle were perfect juxtapositions. It added great interest to the day which seemed to fly by.
Review provided by Viator
Suzanne_s
Aug 24, 2025
The Wee Red Bus and drivers are the best! - Heart of Scotland tours are just exceptional. This was the second of two we took and both were so well organized and comfortable. Our guide/driver was Angela and she combined history and knowledge of the area with music in a marvelous way. The pace, sites and value of this tour were unsurpassed. You absolutely cannot go wrong with this company. The vans are perfect as is group size. What a great way to enjoy the Borders area. Recommend!
Review provided by Viator
547arildt
Aug 2, 2025
Beautiful Lindisfarne and the Harry Potter castle. - We had a lovely trip in the sunshine to Lindisfarne, Alnwick Castle, and Bamburgh Castle. Our guide was very friendly. One hour on Lindisfarne is far too little on a 9-hour tour (with 4 hours of driving). Luckily, we were planning to return to a three day stay at Lindisfarne on our own the following week, so we didn’t stress. We had plenty of time at Alnwick Castle and Gardens, and really enjoyed ourselves there. On the way back, we stopped by Bamburgh, since Coldstream was closed (?). I only had time to walk to the beach and around the castle before we started the drive home. We took a detour on the way back. If I were to mention one thing, I found it unnecessary to make a detour through Edinburgh when the two main destinations were in another country. There was also a detour through Dunbar, without a stop. Personally, I would have preferred to spend that extra time on Lindisfarne.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_v
Jul 25, 2025
Excellent Experience - The host was so friendly and dedicated to I making us understand the history. The tour was well worth it.
Review provided by Viator
Mary_h
Jul 22, 2025
Smashing Time on Tour! - This was an excellent tour for exploring the Viking Coast and Alnwick Castle. Our tour guide, Callum, was so passionate and made the stories he shared come alive. We felt like we had traveled back in time! We had numerous stops throughout the tour and plenty of time to explore the various sites. We had a smashing time!
Review provided by Viator
Otoolekat
Jul 15, 2025
Engaging, fun tour with lasting memories made - Absolutely wonderful time on this tour. For our first time in Edinburgh, we booked this, and felt it was well worth the money. Even on a very hot day, the air conditioning was excellent, bus was well kept, and our tour guide was amazing. Highly recommend this tour, especially if you, like us, didn’t have the time to commit to a full day in the Highlands - this tour will delight you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patrickfq6456tz
Jul 14, 2025
Perfect day - We've done a few outings with organized companies and Heart of Scotland is really good. Our guide explains several elements of Scotland and history. He also added several small synaptic arrests. Alnwick and Lindisfarne are beautiful and the tours are very good. Thanks again and see you soon.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
480mins
Jul 8, 2025
Nice tour - It was a nice trip and well planned. We went to Castle first so we can visit Viking cost when road was clear. The driver was great, kind and very helpful! We had good time even though the weather was not ideal.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kimberly_l
Jul 4, 2025
Great tour! - If you do the castle and gardens - start with the gardens, we ran out of time. Great vistas and our guide Callum was amazing!!
Review provided by Viator
From $93
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).