Coach and Minibus Hire in the United Kingdom

Starting your Highland trip at Inverness Airport

For many groups, Inverness Airport is the first step of a Highland holiday: Loch Ness, Skye, the Cairngorms. The pickup is short and simple once you know where minibuses go.

Coach lane or car park

Big coaches get a lane of their own outside the terminal, with restricted access and a stay of less than two hours; each pays a charge, settled beforehand through the information desk or on the spot. That lane is off limits to minibuses, which use whichever car park suits and pay the normal rates, and your driver will tell you which.

If friends are dropping someone off, there's a free 15-minute drop-off spot in a short-stay car park, five minutes from the terminal on foot.

Passenger van interior
Passenger van interior

Into Inverness

You're around nine miles north-east of Inverness here, joined to the A96 by Inverness Airport Way, and the castle in the middle of town is about 20 minutes' drive. From April to October, the council provides seasonal coach drop-off bays on Ardross Street by the cathedral.

The terminals

  • Single passenger terminal

Good to know at Inverness Airport

  • Inverness Airport railway station, on the Aberdeen line, is about 11 minutes by train from Inverness station and about a 20-minute walk from the terminal.
  • A free drop-off area in one of the short-stay car parks allows up to 15 minutes, about a five-minute walk from the terminal.
  • The airport is about nine miles north-east of Inverness, reached from the A96 via Inverness Airport Way.

Planning your Highland days

Culloden is about 6 miles from the city, Drumnadrochit and Urquhart Castle about 16, and Aviemore and the Cairngorms about 30. Skye is a different matter: Portree and back in a day is roughly 220 miles, with about 5.5 hours of actual driving before anyone stops for a photo.

A minibus with more than eight passenger seats on a private tour is covered by the assimilated drivers' hours rules (the ones that used to be EU rules): nine hours' driving in a day as a rule, and at least three-quarters of an hour's rest once four and a half hours are done. For Skye, an overnight stay often makes a happier trip than one long day. The road to the Fairy Pools is single-track and unsuitable for large coaches, so the vehicle you pick shapes which stops work.

Your questions

Can we go straight to Skye on the day we land?

It's possible, but it's a long drive after a flight. Consider a night in Inverness or on the way, and bear in mind that once you leave the A87, most Skye roads are single-track with passing places.

Can our coach park at Urquhart Castle?

Coach parking there is reserved for trade partners who book a space through a Historic Environment Scotland trade account. Without a booked space, entry isn't assured even with tickets, so plan it early.

Is there a toll on the Skye Bridge?

No. Tolls were abolished in 2004, so crossing from Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin costs nothing.

Can someone come in by train?

Yes. The airport has its own station on the Aberdeen line, roughly 11 minutes by train from Inverness, though it's a 20-minute walk from the terminal.

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