Scotland & Ireland with London — Self-Launched

Land at Edinburgh Airport and take the Lothian Airlink 100 bus or tram into the city centre (~£5.50, 30 mins) — no need for a taxi. Check into a hostel or guesthouse around the Old Town or Tollcross (Castle Rock Hostel, Kick Ass Grassmarket and Budget Backpackers are all solid picks). Spend the afternoon acclimatising with a free wander up the Royal Mile from Holyrood to the Castle esplanade, then climb Arthur's Seat for sunset (free, ~45 mins up). Grab a cheap dinner — haggis, neeps and tatties or a pie from a bakery — and stock up on snacks for tomorrow.

🚌Airlink 100 bus or tram from airport (~£5.50)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Old Town / Tollcross (~£22-30)

• →Royal Mile self-guided walk
• →Arthur's Seat sunset hike
• →Grassmarket evening

Book Edinburgh Castle tickets online in advance (~£21) and go early — the 9:30 opening is much quieter than midday. Afterwards join a free (tip-based) walking tour of the Old Town with Sandemans or Edinburgh Free Tour (~£10 tip), which covers the closes, Greyfriars Kirkyard and the history the coach tour's panoramic drive skims over. Afternoon: the National Museum of Scotland is free and excellent, or hike up Calton Hill for the skyline views. Evening in Leith or the Grassmarket for a pub meal.

🚌Walkable city centre; Lothian buses ~£2 per single if needed

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Old Town / Tollcross (~£22-30)

• →Edinburgh Castle (book online ~£21)
• →Free tip-based Old Town walking tour (~£10)
• →National Museum of Scotland (free)
• →Calton Hill

Take an early train from Edinburgh Waverley to Falkirk High (~£8), then a local bus or 20-minute walk to the Kelpies (free to view). Continue by train to Stirling (~£6) and visit Stirling Castle (~£20 online) — allow 1.5-2 hours. In the afternoon take the train Stirling → Inverness (~£25-35 if booked in advance, ~2.5-3 hrs) arriving early evening. Check into a hostel or B&B in Inverness; the Inverness Student Hostel and Bazpackers are good value. Walk the River Ness and cross the Greig Street suspension bridge at dusk.

🚌Trains Edinburgh→Falkirk→Stirling→Inverness (~£40-50 total, book in advance)

🛏Hostel or B&B, Inverness (~£28-38)

• →The Kelpies (free)
• →Stirling Castle (~£20)
• →River Ness & suspension bridge walk

Join a small-group Loch Ness day tour from Inverness (book via GetYourGuide or directly with a local operator, ~£45-60) that covers a Loch Ness cruise, Urquhart Castle entry, Eilean Donan Castle and a Highland whisky distillery tasting — this replicates the coach tour's included sights for a fraction of the group price. Alternatively DIY it: bus 919 or the Citylink to Drumnadrochit, Urquhart Castle entry ~£10, then a local cruise from the Clansman Harbour (~£18). Back in Inverness by evening; eat at a cheap pub or takeaway on Church Street.

🚌Small-group day tour or Citylink bus to Drumnadrochit (~£12 return)

🛏Hostel or B&B, Inverness (~£28-38)

• →Loch Ness boat cruise (~£18)
• →Urquhart Castle (~£10)
• →Eilean Donan Castle (included in day tour)
• →Whisky distillery tour & tasting (~£12-15)

Take the Citylink bus or train (the train is spectacular but pricier) from Inverness to Fort William along the Caledonian Canal (~£20-25, ~2 hrs). Stop for views of Ben Nevis and lunch in the town centre, then continue south past Glencoe and Loch Lomond on the Citylink service to Glasgow (~£25, ~3 hrs). Check into a hostel near the city centre or the West End (Euro Hostel Glasgow, Glasgow Youth Hostel). Evening: wander Buchanan Street and Merchant City, or head to the West End for cheaper food and pubs.

🚌Citylink buses Inverness→Fort William→Glasgow (~£45 total)

🛏Hostel dorm, Glasgow city centre / West End (~£22-30)

• →Ben Nevis viewpoints
• →Glencoe scenery from the bus
• →Loch Lomond
• →Glasgow city-centre wander

Take a morning train or bus from Glasgow to Cairnryan (~£20, ~2.5 hrs), then the Stena Line or P&O ferry to Belfast (~£35-45 foot passenger, 2h15m). If you want Belfast time, do a Black Cab tour or the Titanic Belfast museum (~£25) and a walk round the Cathedral Quarter — otherwise take the X1/X2 Goldliner bus or the train from Belfast to Dublin (~£18-25, ~2h15m). Arrive Dublin in the evening and check into a hostel around Parnell Square or Temple Bar's edge (Generator Dublin, Abbey Court Hostel).

🚌Bus Glasgow→Cairnryan (~£20), ferry Cairnryan→Belfast (~£40), bus Belfast→Dublin (~£20)

🛏Hostel dorm, Dublin city centre (~£25-35)

• →Belfast Cathedral Quarter (optional)
• →Titanic Belfast (optional ~£25)
• →Ferry crossing of the Irish Sea

Do a free tip-based walking tour of Dublin in the morning (~£10 tip) covering Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Christ Church and the Liffey. Book the Book of Kells Experience at Trinity online in advance (~£18-20) — book a morning slot as it sells out. Afternoon: the National Museum of Ireland (free), St Stephen's Green, and a pint in a proper old pub (Kehoes, Mulligan's) rather than the Temple Bar tourist traps. Cheap eats: a spice bag in Chinatown or fish and chips in Howth if you have energy for the DART (~£5 return).

🚌Walkable; DART to Howth ~£5 return if wanted

🛏Hostel dorm, Dublin city centre (~£25-35)

• →Free tip-based Dublin walking tour (~£10)
• →Book of Kells Experience (~£19)
• →National Museum of Ireland (free)
• →St Stephen's Green

Take the DART or bus to Enniskerry for Powerscourt Gardens (~£10 entry, ~£6 transport) in the morning, or book a small-group Wicklow day tour from Dublin (~£45) if you prefer a single booking. Then head south: bus or train Dublin → Kilkenny (~£15), a quick wander of the medieval city and Kilkenny Castle grounds, then bus Kilkenny → Cashel (~£10) for the Rock of Cashel (~£9 entry). Final bus Cashel → Cork (~£12, ~1h45m). Check into a hostel in Cork city centre (Kinlay House, Bru Bar & Hostel).

🚌DART/bus + intercity buses Dublin→Kilkenny→Cashel→Cork (~£45 total)

🛏Hostel dorm, Cork city centre (~£22-30)

• →Powerscourt Gardens (~£10)
• →Kilkenny medieval city walk
• →Rock of Cashel (~£9)

Morning bus from Cork to Kinsale (~£7, 45 mins) — walk the harbour, see Charles Fort (exterior free, OPW entry ~£4) and grab a coffee in the colourful town. Bus Kinsale → Killarney (~£18, ~2 hrs). In Killarney book a jaunting car (horse-drawn trap) through Killarney National Park to Ross Castle (~£15-20 per person sharing) and a short boat cruise on the lakes (~£15) — both bookable at the park gate or via GetYourGuide. Then bus Killarney → Limerick via Adare (~£15, ~2 hrs) where you can hop off for 45 minutes to see the thatched cottages. Overnight in Limerick (Savoy/Street Lodge-style budget guesthouse or the local hostel).

🚌Buses Cork→Kinsale→Killarney→Adare→Limerick (~£40 total)

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel, Limerick (~£28-35)

• →Kinsale harbour & Charles Fort
• →Jaunting car through Killarney National Park (~£18)
• →Killarney lakes cruise (~£15)
• →Adare village stop

Bus from Limerick to Bunratty (~£6, 30 mins) and visit Bunratty Castle & Folk Park (~£18 online). Continue by bus to Doolin or Ennis and out to the Cliffs of Moher — book the Cliffs of Moher Experience online (~£10 entry, includes parking/visitor centre) and walk the coastal path to O'Brien's Tower. A Poulnabrone dolmen stop in the Burren is easiest on a small-group Cliffs of Moher day tour from Galway or Limerick (~£35-45) if you'd rather not juggle buses. Evening bus to Galway (~£12, ~1h30m); check into a hostel near Eyre Square (Snoozles, Galway City Hostel) and hit the Latin Quarter for live music.

🚌Buses Limerick→Bunratty→Cliffs area→Galway (~£30) or a day tour (~£40)

🛏Hostel dorm, Galway city centre (~£25-35)

• →Bunratty Castle & Folk Park (~£18)
• →Cliffs of Moher Experience (~£10)
• →O'Brien's Tower & coastal walk
• →Galway Latin Quarter music session

Take the morning bus or a half-day Connemara/Cong tour from Galway (~£30-40) to see Cong Abbey ruins and the Ashford Castle grounds. Then travel east: bus Galway → Athlone (~£12) and a local bus or taxi to Clonmacnoise monastic site (~£8 entry with guided tour included). Return bus Athlone → Dublin (~£12, ~1h45m). Back in Dublin by evening — same hostel as before.

🚌Bus Galway→Cong/Athlone→Dublin (~£30)

🛏Hostel dorm, Dublin city centre (~£25-35)

• →Cong Abbey & Ashford Castle grounds
• →Clonmacnoise monastic ruins (~£8)
• →Athlone riverside stop

Take the early Irish Ferries or Stena Line fast ferry from Dublin Port to Holyhead (~£35-45 foot passenger, 2h15m-3h30m). From Holyhead take the train to Bangor (~£10) then a bus to Caernarfon (~£5), and visit Caernarfon Castle (~£12) — the walled town is free to walk. Continue by bus/train via Bangor to Chester and on to Liverpool (~£20-25, ~3 hrs total). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near the Albert Dock (YHA Liverpool, Hatters Hostel). Evening: Albert Dock and the Cavern Quarter for the Beatles vibe (The Beatles Story museum ~£20 if you want it).

🚌Ferry Dublin→Holyhead (~£40), train/bus Holyhead→Caernarfon→Liverpool (~£30)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Liverpool (~£25-35)

• →Caernarfon Castle (~£12)
• →Albert Dock
• →Cavern Quarter / Beatles sights

Train Liverpool → Birmingham (~£15), then a local train to Stratford-upon-Avon (~£8) for a two-hour wander: Shakespeare's Birthplace exterior, Holy Trinity Church, the canal. Train Stratford → Oxford via Leamington/Birmingham (~£20, ~2 hrs) for a stroll through the Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian exterior and Christ Church Meadows. Final train Oxford → London Paddington (~£12-20 if booked in advance, ~1 hr). Check into a hostel in Zone 1-2 (YHA London Central, Wombat's City Hostel, Clink78) and get an Oyster/contactless card set up.

🚌Trains Liverpool→Birmingham→Stratford→Oxford→London (~£55 total)

🛏Hostel dorm, central London (~£30-45)

• →Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare sights
• →Oxford colleges & Radcliffe Camera
• →Evening in central London

Join a free tip-based Royal London walking tour in the morning (~£10 tip) covering Westminster Abbey exterior, Parliament, Big Ben, St James's and Buckingham Palace — exactly the ground the coach tour's panoramic drive covers, but on foot. Afternoon: cross to the South Bank, walk the Thames Path, and pop into the free Tate Modern, the British Museum or the Sky Garden (free but book ahead). Skip the €35 Windsor add-on and instead take a £4 train to Windsor another day if you fancy it — or ride the Elizabeth line to Eton and walk the Long Walk for free.

🚌Contactless tube/bus capped around £8-10/day

🛏Hostel dorm, central London (~£30-45)

• →Free tip-based Royal London walking tour (~£10)
• →Westminster & Big Ben
• →South Bank & Tate Modern (free)
• →British Museum or Sky Garden (free, book ahead)

A free day to shape yourself: Borough Market for lunch, Camden or Portobello Road markets in the morning, the Natural History Museum and V&A in South Kensington (both free), or a walk through Shoreditch street art and Spitalfields. If you want a day trip, book a cheap advance train to Windsor (~£8-10 return) or Hampton Court (~£10) instead of the coach tour's paid Windsor excursion. Finish with a cheap curry on Brick Lane or a pint in a proper East End pub.

🚌Contactless tube/bus ~£8-10

🛏Hostel dorm, central London (~£30-45)

• →Borough Market
• →Camden or Portobello Road market
• →Natural History Museum & V&A (free)
• →Shoreditch street art walk

Pack up and head to the airport on the Heathrow Express (~£25), Piccadilly line (~£5.60) or the Elizabeth line (~£13) depending on your budget and terminal. If you have a late flight, drop your bag at the hostel and do one last free museum or a Thames-side coffee before heading out.

🚌Piccadilly line or Elizabeth line to Heathrow (~£6-13)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last-minute sightseeing
• →Airport transfer