Rabbies

Rabbies Tours - also sometimes called Rabbies Trail Burners, was founded in 1993, by Robin Worsnap.

What Makes Rabbies Stand Out?

When you travel on a Rabbies tour, you are whisked away in a comfortable 16-seater van, and immediately greeted with a friendly, local, and knowledgeable guide. Whether you are attending one of their day tours, or multi-day tours, you will come away with a rich and entertaining travel experience - and probably a few new friends!

Groups are kept small - 16 max - and the focus is on ensuring you get to jump off the bus as often as possible for photo stops and occasionally longer stops for shopping, sightseeing, or hiking - all optional.

Rabbies have carved out a unique niche for exploring the many sites in Britain with a sense of humor and extremely knowledgeable guides.  

Who Will Enjoy Traveling With Rabbies?

One of the most unique facets of Rabbies is their ability to appeal to a wide range of travelers - both in terms of budget and age range. Because of this, it is important to keep in mind that meals, excursions, and accommodations are not included in the tour price.

While the guides are more than happy to provide suggestions for where to eat, and can help arrange reservations, you will be on your own as no meals are included in the itinerary. However the sense of immediate camaraderie created with your tour mates when you first strike out means you will rarely eat alone (unless you so wish).

Groups are international, and you’ll usually meet a smattering of single travelers, students, couples, and small family groups.

With regards to accommodations, Rabbies provides several choices, from 5 star hotels to mutli-bed hostel rooms. Each is comfortable, but keep your expectations realistic.

Because of the way Rabbie’s structures their accommodation booking, they need to satisfy several travelers in relatively small towns and villages, all who may have different ideas of what a Bed and Breakfast or Guest House is.

On top of that, accommodation style in Britain does tend to be a bit quirky, especially for American travelers.

So those travelers for whom a comfortable bed and some coffee in the morning are essentials - but can deal with odd showers and no elevator - are ideally suited to the Rabbies travel style.

A focus for Rabbies tours is on describing the culture and history of wherever you happen to be visiting. For younger travelers seeking a rolliking tour that involves a lot of pub stops, drinking, or partying, Rabbies might not be for you.

But if you enjoy meeting fellow travelers of all different ages, and learning a lot about Britain’s sprawling history than Rabbies is the perfect fit.

Top Destinations

Rabbies are exclusively focused on tours around the UK. They feature everything from day tours, to a few longer two week offerings. Their sweet spot is with tours between 2-7 days.

This means your tour can consist of everything from a few major sites in a concentrated area (such as the Cotswolds) to a more leisurely view including some off the beaten path experiences.

Their multiple durations help travelers find the perfect way to check off their UK bucket list. It’s also not uncommon to meet tour goers who have been on multiple Rabbies tours in the same trip!

Rabbies continues to add departures of various durations throughout the UK and Ireland.

Rabbies Travel Style

The Rabbies travel style is deceptively laid back. Each tour with them will be a little different depending on your guide. Guides are all locals to the UK, though they may not be specifically from the country or region of your tour.

There is some potential for a tour with Rabbie’s to feel rushed - the guides are fairly structured about the amount of time spent in each destination, as they try to make sure you get to your accommodations at a decent time in the evening.

Depending on your driver guides style, as well as the nature of the attractions on your itinerary and their distance from each other, the amount of time you spend in the van will vary widely.

While on the van, guides will commonly have a soundtrack prepared - playing music directly related to the tour. Such as local musicians from the Isle of Skye or a Shirley Bassey tune or two as you drive through Wales (known for excellent singers!). Do take note: there is no WiFi on Rabbies vans.

As mentioned above, Rabbies provides several accommodation styles. During the booking process, you select which one you’d prefer (offering a first choice and a second choice) and Rabbies will make the booking for you.

You will pay the hotel / hostel / or guest house directly upon your arrival. Note: if you book through a travel agent, this process may have already been taken care of.

At the end of the day, your driver will drop everyone off at their accommodations, pointing out potential eating venues or nearby places of cultural interest for you to explore on your own.

The following morning, your driver guide will pick you up and you’re off to explore the area for another full day!

Most Rabbies tours don’t involve any strenuous outdoors activities - so you don’t need to go prepared for hiking or cycling. Do be prepared for the weather however. Especially for traveling in Scotland, the weather is extremely unpredictable - have a solid rain jacket and / or windbreaker and be ready to deal with the rain at some point or another.

Why Choose a Tour With Rabbies?

If you want to see the UK from a local point of view, learn in depth about the culture and history that has shaped Britain, then Rabbies is the perfect choice. They are accessible to a wide range of budgets and ages, so if you are after a tour specifically designed for your age group, Rabbies probably isn’t for you.

Tours with Rabbies are great for exploring the UK, both for new visitors as well as repeat travelers. You’ll visit classic sites, as well as hidden spots, completely inaccessible to large tour groups.

Most stops are kept short (anywhere from a 10 minute photo stop to a 2 hour lunch stop), ensuring that you cover a lot of ground, while also having ample time off the bus, if just to stretch your legs.

Rabbies tours are small - 16 people max, which is great if you are less interested in a large group which has the potential to feel impersonal. In large part due to their spectacular guides - it’s practically impossible to leave a Rabbie’s tour without a few new friends.