We arrived at the meeting point on time, but were amongst the last out of the tour group to arrive. As every seat on the bus was sold, we ended up squashed on the back seat of the bus. Not only was this uncomfortable, but we couldn't take any pictures on route as we weren't by a window - not a good start.
We first headed for Stirling Castle, which we had pre-ordered tickets for. Although the castle setting was spectacular on top of a hill, and it was almost entirely preserved, the castle interiors were very sparsely furnished, which was a bit of a disappointment. Also, it would have been better if we had a quick photo stop, to get a shot of the castle from a distance - as we left we could see it behind us up on the hill, but we couldn't get a photo.
We then stopped for an hour for lunch in a small village called Aberfoyle, which had the Scottish Wool Centre and a few restaurants.
Next we drove through the spectacular Trossachs, but took no photos as we weren't by a window. We then had a short photo stop for a hotel that looked like a castle - The Trossachs Hotel?.
We then continued on and the drove alongside Loch Lomond, before we arrived at the village of Luss, our only Loch Lomond stop. Here, we had 20 minutes to walk by the lake and explore the scenic village, which was not really enough time to appreciate it.
We then went back to Greenock, arriving late in the afternoon.
Although the excursion gave us a good appreciation of the area, it was disappointing due to our seating on the bus - a window seat would have given us a better experience. I know it's all about the money, but you should keep the back seat of the bus free.