Rabbie’s Alnwick Castle Tour Review (From Edinburgh)

If you are based in Edinburgh and want a day in Northumberland without hiring a car, the Rabbie’s Alnwick Castle tour crosses the border for you. Its full name is the Alnwick Castle, Northumberland Coast and the Borders tour, and it leaves Edinburgh Bus Station at 8.45 am, returns around 6.15 pm, and takes in Kelso, Alnwick, the Northumberland coast and Dunbar.

It is a long day with a lot of driving, and the thing people worry about is whether a coach tour that far means a fixed script and a queue of strangers. On a full-size coach it can. This one is a 16-seater.

Doug took this tour in June 2026 with Graham, one of Rabbie’s Edinburgh driver-guides, and he still talks about it. He later had Graham on the podcast to explain what a Rabbie’s day is like from the driver’s seat.

This review covers what the stops were like, why the day felt the way it did, and honest notes on the walking. Northumberland is my home county, so our Northumberland travel guide and things to do in Alnwick have everything else you need.

Rabbie’s Alnwick Castle tour at a glance

Departs	8.45 am, Gates J and K, Edinburgh Bus Station, St Andrew Square
Returns	About 6.15 pm, Edinburgh
Stops	Kelso, Alnwick (lunch stop, optional castle entry), Northumberland coast photo stops, Dunbar
Coach	16-seat mini coach with a driver-guide
Included	Transport and guide. Food, drink and Alnwick Castle entry are extra

How Doug’s day went

Edinburgh and the Borders

Rabbie’s staff check you in inside the bus station before the minibus pulls up, and Doug said the woman who greeted him set the tone for the day. His coach was about half full, which on a 16-seater meant everyone had a window and a chance to talk.

Doug gets motion sickness on coaches, and Graham put him on the jump seat at the front for the day, which Doug still mentions with gratitude. The road south runs through the Borders to Kelso, a handsome town on the Tweed with what is thought to be Scotland’s largest market square and the ruins of Kelso Abbey a short walk from it.

Alnwick

Alnwick is the long stop, with free time for lunch and the town, plus the option of visiting Alnwick Castle, the Percy family’s seat for 700 years and the stand-in for Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films. Graham’s advice to everyone is to try the broomstick training on the castle lawn.

Doug paid the extra and went in, and spent most of the stop between the castle and the garden next door. The Alnwick Garden is a separate attraction with its own ticket, and the Poison Garden inside it, which you can only see on a guided tour, was the bit he came back talking about.

The town itself has cobbled streets, a marketplace and Barter Books in the old railway station, one of the largest second-hand bookshops in Britain, if you would rather spend the time browsing.

The Northumberland coast and Dunbar

From Alnwick, the coach heads up the coast to Bamburgh for a stop on the beach below the castle, one of England’s finest stretches of shoreline. The last stop is Dunbar, back over the border, for a short leg stretch before the run into Edinburgh.

Why the day worked

Doug called it a family day out. Sixteen seats, a guide who talked because he loves the place rather than because a script said so, and a group from all over the world who were swapping travel tips by the afternoon.

Graham had Doug talking to the group at one point, and when the coach got back to Edinburgh it was hugs and smiles all round. He and one of the other passengers, Gianmarco, are still in touch.

Graham came on the podcast afterwards, and if you want to hear how the morning starts, how much time you get at each stop, what to pack and what he says to nervous solo travellers, it is all in episode 213. His packing advice: comfortable shoes, waterproofs, layers, and a power bank, because your phone will die from all the photos.

I took a different Rabbie’s tour the same day, up to St Andrews and the fishing villages of Fife, which is the one to pick if you would rather stay north of the border.

Walking and access

The coach is a mini coach with steps up to the seats. Graham said Rabbie’s cater for passengers with disabilities, and the way to make that work is to contact Rabbie’s before booking so they know what you need. Kelso’s square and Alnwick’s marketplace are flat but cobbled in parts.

Alnwick Castle has a level route through the grounds and state rooms, with a staircase, and details are on the castle’s own website. The coast stops are roadside photo stops, and Dunbar is a short, flat walk. The coach has no toilet, so use the ones at each stop.

More of Northumberland

If a day on this coast leaves you wanting more, our guide to driving the Northumberland Coastal Route and our where to stay in Northumberland guide cover the county at a slower pace, and our best UK tours round-up has the other operators we have travelled with.

Doug was a guest of Rabbie’s on this tour, but as always, all views are our own.