We at The Hairy Coo understand that making travel arrangements with specific accessibility requirements can be an essential and time-consuming aspect of your holiday planning.
Below you will find information surrounding how to book our tours, along with everything you may need to know about joining us on board.
Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to email us at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can speak to one of our reservationists over the phone 09:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday. Our phone number is 0131 212 5026 within the UK, or +44 131 212 5026 outside the UK.
BEFORE YOUR TOUR
Booking a Tour
All of our tours are bookable right here on our Hairy Coo website. Simply head to the page of the tour you are interested in and click on the ‘Book Now’ button to be taken to our secure portal.
Alternatively, you can speak to one of our reservationists over the phone 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Our phone number is 0131 212 5026 within the UK, or +44 131 212 5026 outside the UK. Our team speak English, but please feel free to ask them to repeat things if you are unsure about anything they have said.
All payments are taken by a third party company, Stripe, where your information will be kept encrypted and secure. If you would like to pay with cash, or would just prefer to book face-to-face with someone, you can do so at the VisitScotland iCentre when you arrive in Edinburgh. The address is 249 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1JY, located on the city’s famous Royal Mile. They are open between the hours of 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, 7 days a week.
Departure Points
All of our tours depart from the Bus Stop directly outside Deacon’s House Cafe, 304 Lawnmarket (Royal Mile), Edinburgh, EH1 2PS.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the advertised departure time in order to check in with your driver-guide.
If you are joining the 5-Day tour in Glasgow, your meeting point will be at the entrance of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum at 10:45 am. Please make yourself known to your driver-guide, who will be wearing a Hairy Coo branded uniform. The full address is Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Argyle St, Glasgow G3 8AG.
We are unable to arrange personalised pick-up locations with guests.
Check-in
On the morning of your tour, you will check in with your Hairy Coo driver-guide who will be wearing Hairy Coo branded uniform. The driver-guide will check you in by taking the lead guest name and confirmation number given at the time of booking. You are not required to print this off, but we do recommend having your confirmation to hand on a mobile device to make check-in as simple as possible.
After this, your driver-guide will take any luggage required to be put in the hold of the vehicle and you will be free to board.
Seat Reservation
The Hairy Coo operates a first come first serve system for seating arrangements on tour. Should you have accessibility needs that will require you to sit at a specific place on the coach, please send an email to [email protected] outlining your needs to our team.
Please do note that you must be at the departure point fifteen minutes before your tour is due to leave in order for you to make yourself known to your driver-guide and ensure you are seated appropriately. We are unable to accommodate seating needs on the day and would encourage you to get in touch straight after booking to avoid disappointment.
WHILE ON BOARD
Our Coaches
Our tours are operated in various sized buses depending on the capacity of the tour and range from 9-53 seat coaches. We are unable to guarantee the size of the vehicle you will be travelling on for the duration of your tour.
Entry and exit from each bus is via the front left passenger door. There are three steps up into the bus each approximately 30cm in height. There are grab handles on both sides to assist guests and the step edges are clearly marked in yellow. The seats are on one level and all have full three-point seatbelts which must be worn when the vehicle is moving.
Our coaches are not wheelchair accessible, however, we have luggage compartments that may easily take a folding wheelchair or walking frame. This will be easier to accommodate on our 1-day tours as the multi-day overnight tours will have customers travelling with luggage and space will, therefore, be limited.
Our staff are not able to offer any physical assistance when boarding or disembarking from the buses or at any point during the tour. Guests should be comfortable getting on and off the bus on their own or with the assistance of a travelling companion. Please advise us about any special requirements before you book your trip.
It is essential you give prior notice if you are bringing a wheelchair or walking frame etc. If we are not informed, we cannot guarantee travel or be held responsible for any cost or inconvenience incurred if we are unable to accommodate you or any member of your party.
We have to ensure all seat belts on our coaches fit all passengers properly and as such we are unable to accommodate anyone under 1.2 meters in height or under the age of 7 years old.
Toilet Facilities
We do not have toilet facilities on any of our vehicles.
We make regular comfort breaks throughout the day, and try as best we can to ensure one at least every hour. Third parties operate all toilet facilities and so, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee there will always be an accessible toilet available to you.
Where we can, we will always advise on where you can find free toilet facilities. In some unavoidable circumstances, you may incur a fee of 20 or 50 pence which is used to upkeep the local facilities in rural locations. While some of these vendors now accept contactless card payments, we’d suggest getting some change during one of the first refreshments stops of the day to ensure you’re not caught short!
Commentary & Language
All our tours are delivered by English-speaking driver-guides who have all come up with their own personalised way of issuing them.
We do not supply any written information about the tours, and all stories are delivered verbally through a microphone which is heard via speakers throughout the vehicle.
Safety instructions will be given verbally by the driver-guides before departure. If anything is unclear, please bring this to their attention.
All of our driver-guides have Scottish accents which many guests may be unfamiliar with. All staff are trained to speak as clearly and as slowly as possible while maintaining an engaging tone to their guiding. We expect that some guests would like certain phrases or pieces of information to be repeated, so please do just ask if you need any clarification!
It is recommended that all guests are comfortable with English to fully enjoy the tour, however, this is not a necessity. We do not provide any written tour content in English or any other language.