5.0 ★ - 185 Reviews

Expert Local Guide
6 Years of Guiding Experience

Hiking in the Highlands
Unique & off the beaten path

Private Tour
Small Group Max 8 People

Private Bass Rock Gannets Tour from Edinburgh

Tours running from the 1st April to 15th September

Enquire Today

Private Bass Rock Wildlife Tour: See Scotland's Famous Gannets

Bass Rock sits in the Firth of Forth about 3 miles off the North Berwick coast, and in summer it’s home to over 100,000 gannets, one of the largest northern colonies in the world.

 

On this private day tour from Edinburgh, you’ll travel along the coast before taking a boat around Bass Rock to see it up close. The island is covered in thousands of northern gannets, with constant movement overhead as birds circle, dive like spears, and squabble on the cliffs. This is a straightforward wildlife day trip combining coastal scenery and a close encounter with one of Scotland’s most impressive seabird colonies.

Full Bass Rock Itinerary

We leave Edinburgh around 8am and head east towards the coast. The first stop is to fuel with some breakfast at Bostock Bakery. From here, we continue into North Berwick. There’s time to walk to climb up North Berwick Law for beautiful views across to Bass Rock, the Firth of the Forth and Tantallon Castle. Before we wander towards the harbour to visit St Andrew’s Church that played a part in the 1590 Witch Trails and check-in to our scheduled boat trip.

 

The 1.5-hour wildlife cruise takes you around Bass Rock, Craigleith, and past Tantallon Castle from the water. This is the main event of the day, with time spent out at sea watching Gannets, Puffins, Guillemots and hopefully some sealife! After returning to shore, the afternoon is relaxed. You can enjoy lunch in North Berwick before heading back to Edinburgh.

 

Or for those wanting to add more to the day an optional extension , entry can be included for both Dirleton Castle and Tantallon Castle before returning to the city.

Pricing, Booking & Cancellations

To book, simply enquire through the contact form on the right-hand side of this page. Once we receive your enquiry, we’ll get back to you to confirm availability and guide you through the next steps.

Pricing & Deposit

🏰 Total price: £450–£650 per group.

🏰 Deposit: Pay a 20% non-refundable deposit at the time of confirmation to secure your place.

🏰 Balance: The remaining 80% must be paid no later than 30 days before your scheduled tour date.

🏰 All tours of one day or more require a 20% deposit to confirm your booking.

Cancellation & Changes

🏰 Changes or cancellation: You can make changes or cancel your tour up to 30 days before departure without losing your deposit.

🏰 Boat trip: Please note that the boat trip may occasionally be cancelled due to sea conditions or other safety considerations. In this case, we will offer either: an amended itinerary or a full refund if the alternative does not suit you.

🏰 For full details, please read the terms and conditions in the FAQs below this page.

Enquire today

From £450 Per Group

Pick up location: Accommodation

Duration: 6 hours

What's Included: Private Guide & All Transport including Boat Trip

Max 8 people

English

Available: 1st April to 15th September

Enquire below for availability


Private Day Trip from Edinburgh: Farne Islands, Puffins & Castles

Bass Rock sits in the Firth of Forth about 3 miles off the North Berwick coast, and in summer it’s home to over 100,000 gannets, one of the largest northern colonies in the world.

 

On this private day tour from Edinburgh, you’ll travel along the coast before taking a boat around Bass Rock to see it up close. The island is covered in thousands of northern gannets, with constant movement overhead as birds circle, dive like spears, and squabble on the cliffs. This is a straightforward wildlife day trip combining coastal scenery and a close encounter with one of Scotland’s most impressive seabird colonies.

Full Bass Rock Gannets Itinerary

We leave Edinburgh around 8am and head east towards the coast. The first stop is to fuel with some breakfast at Bostock Bakery. From here, we continue into North Berwick. There’s time to walk to climb up North Berwick Law for beautiful views across to Bass Rock, the Firth of the Forth and Tantallon Castle. Before we wander towards the harbour to visit St Andrew’s Church that played a part in the 1590 Witch Trails and check-in to our scheduled boat trip.

 

The 1.5-hour wildlife cruise takes you around Bass Rock, Craigleith, and past Tantallon Castle from the water. This is the main event of the day, with time spent out at sea watching Gannets, Puffins, Guillemots and hopefully some sealife! After returning to shore, the afternoon is relaxed. You can enjoy lunch in North Berwick before heading back to Edinburgh.

 

Or for those wanting to add more to the day an optional extension , entry can be included for both Dirleton Castle and Tantallon Castle before returning to the city.

Enquire today

From £450 Per Group

Pick up: Accommodation

Duration: 7-9 hours

What's Included: Private Guide & All Transport including Boat Trip

Max 8 people

English

Available: 1st April to 15th September

Enquire below for availability


👥 Max 8 People ★ 5.0  185 Reviews

Private Bass Rock Gannets Day Tour from Edinburgh

Enquire Today

Private Bass Rock Wildlife Tour: See Scotland's Famous Gannets

Bass Rock sits in the Firth of Forth about 3 miles off the North Berwick coast, and in summer it’s home to over 100,000 gannets, one of the largest northern colonies in the world.

 

On this private day tour from Edinburgh, you’ll travel along the coast before taking a boat around Bass Rock to see it up close. The island is covered in thousands of northern gannets, with constant movement overhead as birds circle, dive like spears, and squabble on the cliffs. This is a straightforward wildlife day trip combining coastal scenery and a close encounter with one of Scotland’s most impressive seabird colonies.

Enquire Today
Enquire Today

Full Farne Islands & Castles Itinerary

08:00

Pickup & Drive North

8am start to drive south into East Lothian

08:30

Breakfast

We’ll make our first stop at Bostock Bakery. Here we will sit down and fuel up for the day with delightful pastries

10:00

Climb North Berwick Law

After breakfast, we head into North Berwick to climb North Berwick Law a short but steep hike on a volcanic plug. It has tremendous views over to Bass Rock and the Firth of the Forth

11:30

1.5 Hr Bass Rock Boat Trip

Wildlife cruise takes you around Bass Rock, Craigleith, and past Tantallon Castle from the water. This is the main event of the day, with time spent out at sea watching Gannets, Puffins, Guillemots and hopefully some sealife!

13:15

Lunch Time

Finishing off the day with some banging scran at the Bonnie Badger, Lobster Shack or Rocketeer

Tour Highlights

Gannet Courtship on Bass Rock

Bass Rock off the coast of North Berwick

View from North Berwick Law

Tremendous views over the Firth of the Forth & Bass Rock

Gannet Diving at 60mph

Alongside Harbour Porpoise

Cute Puffin

Resident of Craigleith

Cliffs of Tantallon Castle

What Makes This Tour Special

Up-Close Wildlife Encounters

Visit the islands of Bass Rock and Craigleith, home to over 100,000 Gannets and 10,000 Puffins as well as Razorbills, Guillemotsand other seabirds. Cruising around these islands lets you see them up close in their natural habitat, perfect for wildlife lovers and photographers. There's also a chance of Seals and Dolphins to.

Epic East Lothian Castles

Explore two of the most beautiful clifftop castles on the east coast: Tantallon Castles and Dirleton. Not only are they extremely dramatic and perfect for photos but full of interesting history.

Expert Local Guide

Enjoy a personalised, private day tour with a local guide with over 6 years of guiding experience and 1,500+ five-star reviews on TripAdvisor & AirBnB means you're in safe hands.

Bass Rock Tour Highlights

Guest Stories & Reviews

 
 
 
 
  EXCELLENT  
  
 Based on 185 reviews 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Abby M profile picture 
 
 
 Abby M 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Trip of a lifetime I found Rob on instagram after several tour companies said they couldn't help me with a custom tour route. It was the busy season when I first contacted Rob and he enthusiastically got back to me saying he would be able to take us wherever! We booked him for 5 days with 4 people total. He was able to pick us up from the airport and we were off for our first day. He put together a great itinerary that was a mix of the incredibly long list I sent him and some places I had never heard of. He was very thoughtful in his planning and letting us know what was a tourist trap and what was worth spending money and time on so that we could really maximize our trip. He truly drove us all over Scotland and was always in a good mood! We often started very early and ended very late getting nearly 20k steps each day and he never complained about anything! He showed us some incredible locations and even at the tourist traps he was able to take us away from the crowds to an even better photo op! I cannot express enough about how incredible Rob made our trip. Every time we saw one of the big tour busses I was SO grateful we found Rob and went with him instead, I cannot imagine ever going on a large tour bus again after the experience Rob gave us. We had so many inside jokes and incredible pictures and memories by the end of our tour with Rob and we were so sad to have to finish our trip without him!! His knowledge of not only the land, roads (often times backroads due to accidents and sheep blockades), land marks, and history was incredible. He is a fantastic story teller and a fantastic driver!! We always felt safe and he made sure we had what we needed for each day and itinerary! I am a very type A, planner, need to know every detail or I have a very stressful time but Rob made this trip seamless and we planned a great itinerary together. Even when we needed to change a few things once in Scotland it still seemed like everything was planned to begin with! Rob, thank you so much for the incredible and unforgettable experience!! I cannot wait to come back!
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Madison H profile picture 
 
 
 Madison H 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Kieran the tour guide and Harry Potter!! Perfect!! Kieran was an excellent tour guide. He was full of information and a lot of fun too. I highly recommend this tour. Don’t bother walking around, trying to discover things on your own. It’s so much better to do this tour.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Genene M profile picture 
 
 
 Genene M 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Once in a lifetime This was the best time of my life. Rob was amazing. My daughter found him on Instagram and it's the best find ever. He took us to so many fun places. We did so many fun things. We were able to see and do way more than those big bus tours. Rob knows his way around Scotland like no other.I can't recommend Rob enough. If you're lucky enough to get him to be your tour guide, you're lucky enough ❤️
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Paula P profile picture 
 
 
 Paula P 
 
 
 
 Verified 
A+ tour guide We had a great time with Rob as our guide. Highly recommended- we'd hire him again if we had the chance. Funny, informative, and quite the punster- lots of laughter.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Jeffrey G profile picture 
 
 
 Jeffrey G 
 
 
 
 Verified 
If you want to see the Scottish Highlands and have a great time, choose Rob Carr Experiences We did a three-day tour of the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Skye. Words can't describe how amazing it was! Rob was the best host/guide anyone could ever ask for. He was knowledgeable and kept the conversation flowing with stories and anecdotes. The planning process was easy and Rob was very accommodating and also offered great suggestions. We had a pretty packed itinerary and Rob still found time to take spontaneous detours and show us some amazing sights (dinosaur footprints). If you want to see the Scottish Highlands and have an enjoyable time, book with Rob.Rob started the trip as our guide, and ended our trip as a friend.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Melissa M profile picture 
 
 
 Melissa M 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Harry Potter and Highland Tour I recently did a Harry Potter, Highland and Isle of Skye tour with Rob and had a great time! We covered a lot of ground from Harry Potter filming sights, to checking out castles and several hikes. Rob is very knowledgeable in the history of Scotland and in Harry Potter. I liked how friendly, enthusiastic and funny he is. His dad jokes were great! His tour was also very engaging and inclusive. My friend and I stayed a couple of extra days in Edinburgh after the tour ended, Rob gave great recommendations on what to do and where to go eat on those last days. You can tell Rob is very passionate about what he does. I am really glad my coworker recommended Rob to me. Overall I would recommend Rob to anyone planning a trip to Scotland.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Catherine B profile picture 
 
 
 Catherine B 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Super Fun Time, Beautiful Views, & Yummy Food! I've joined my first tour group ever in the Isle of Skye with Rob as my tour guide & he had made it such a fun & memorable travel experience for me!He drove us to destinations like hikes with beautiful views like The Quiraing to bakeries & restaurants with some of the yummiest food l've ever eaten & he had told us so many educationalfun facts that made me appreciate & loveScotland even more!Overall, I highly recommend Rob as a tour guide because of how knowledgeable he was about the Scotland destinations & most importantly, he made sure we were all having an enjoyable & safe time all throughout the tour!
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Lilkaloo profile picture 
 
 
 Lilkaloo 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Highly recommend! Rob was an amazing tour guide! Not only was he enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all things Harry Potter, but he also included history about the city of Edinburgh that added to the experience. He was prompt and kept to the scheduled times. I highly recommend this tour, especially if like me, you enjoy a good ‘dad joke.’
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Voyager39229069857 profile picture 
 
 
 Voyager39229069857 
 
 
 
 Verified 
My favorite day of the trip I am so glad we booked our tour with Rob! We did a one day trip to the highlands and it was my favorite day of the whole trip. He took us to so many places I had never even heard of when doing research for our trip, and I loved that we were able to be the only group everywhere he took us. I was impressed with how much history he knew off the top of his head. Rob was so cool and the whole day truly just felt like hanging out with a friend. I will always recommend Rob to anyone traveling to Scotland!
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor 
 
 Grainne B profile picture 
 
 
 Grainne B 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Great time! We had such a lovely time on this tour with Rob! He has lots of fun facts about Harry Potter along with knowledge of the city too. You can tell Rob really loves doing tours and makes sure everyone is having a great time

Enquire Today

From £450 Per Group

Pick up 8am: Your Accommodation

Duration: 7-9 Hours

What's Included: Private Guide & All Transport including Boat Trip

Max 8 people

English

Available: 1st April to 15th September

Enquire below for availability


Frequently Asked Questions

We leave Edinburgh around 8am and head east towards the coast. The first stop is to fuel with some breakfast at Bostock Bakery. From here, we continue into North Berwick. There’s time to walk to climb up North Berwick Law for beautiful views across to Bass Rock, the Firth of the Forth and Tantallon Castle. Before we wander towards the harbour to visit St Andrew’s Church that played a part in the 1590 Witch Trails and check-in to our scheduled boat trip.

 

The 1.5-hour wildlife cruise takes you around Bass Rock, Craigleith, and past Tantallon Castle from the water. This is the main event of the day, with time spent out at sea watching Gannets, Puffins, Guillemots and hopefully some sealife! After returning to shore, the afternoon is relaxed. You can enjoy lunch in North Berwick before heading back to Edinburgh.

 

Or for those wanting to add more to the day an optional extension , entry can be included for both Dirleton Castle and Tantallon Castle before returning to the city.

To book, simply enquire through the contact form on the right-hand side of this page. Once we receive your enquiry, we’ll get back to you to confirm availability and guide you through the next steps.

Pricing & Deposit

🏰 Total price: £450–£650 per group.

🏰 Deposit: Pay a 20% non-refundable deposit at the time of confirmation to secure your place.

🏰 Balance: The remaining 80% must be paid no later than 30 days before your scheduled tour date.

🏰 All tours of one day or more require a 20% deposit to confirm your booking.

Cancellation & Changes

🏰 Changes or cancellation: You can make changes or cancel your tour up to 30 days before departure without losing your deposit.

🏰 Boat trip: Please note that the boat trip may occasionally be cancelled due to sea conditions or other safety considerations. In this case, we will offer either: an amended itinerary or a full refund if the alternative does not suit you.

🏰 For full details, please read the terms and conditions in the FAQs below this page.

Complimentary hotel pickup and drop off, all transport including boat tourvand private guide 

Start – All guests will be picked up from accommodation between 8am

Finish – Approximately 2-3pm drop at accommodation

Recommended: Travel insurance, waterproof jacket, trousers, comfortable walking shoes, warm clothing for boat, reusable water bottle and power bank

Private tours in peak months (May–September) can book out quickly, so earlier is better. For off-season dates, the sooner the better but flexible or day before bookings are usually more likely.

A comfortable and modern Renault Trafic 9 Seater, suitable for Scottish roads. Plenty of space for luggage and camera gear. 

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