Travel Kat Tours

05/12/2024

The Lewis Chessmen ♟️🛡️

Inside the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh you can get up close to see the Viking age Lewis chess set.
Arguably, they are the best known archaeological find in Scotland and considering their age they are in remarkable condition.

I have written up a blog post on their history and where you can see them. Click the link below to read. 👇🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

https://www.travelkattours.com/blog/the-lewis-chessmen-history-amp-where-to-see-them

03/12/2024

Early start up at Edinburgh Castle this morning 📍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

02/12/2024

We're now into December and the festive season is well underway. I have created a gift guide for all things food and drink related in Scotland. 🎄🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

All of these items mentioned are from independent businesses in Scotland. Check it out below if you're looking for some ideas for a "foodie" in your life. 👇🏻

https://www.travelkattours.com/blog/scottish-food-drink-gift-ideas-2024





Cocoa Tree Cafe
Shortbread House of Edinburgh
Isle of Raasay Distillery
Colonnades at The Signet Library

01/12/2024

Review from last week around Edinburgh's historic old town. Book your tour today and discover history, folklore and more. 😊

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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30/11/2024

Happy St. Andrews Day 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿📍

From coast to coast, here are some pictures of bonnie Scotland.
I spent the day touring in Edinburgh, but in between tours I walked past the St.Giles Cathedral where the Alex memorial service was taking place - a very apt day indeed! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The topic of who exactly Saint Andrew was and why he became the national saint of Scotland is quite lengthy and not straightforward.
However, back in 1320, St Andrew officially became the patron saint of Scotland when the country's independence was declared with the signing of The Declaration of Arbroath.

I will link a great website resource below if you want a more coherent explanation. 👇🏻

https://www.scotland.org/events/st-andrews-day/who-was-st-andrew

28/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the USA 🦃🇺🇸

For the last few years I have been fully booked out on this day, and today was no exception. Very grateful for the custom at this time of year 😊.

This morning I've had guests from Georgia & Florida on tour.

27/11/2024

I popped into The Gleneagles Townhouse for a coffee whilst in the New Town today for a meeting - what a treat!

The hotel is situated on St. Andrews Square and is in the heart of the city and they also offer afternoon tea, brunch and cocktails to non residents.

The Spence restaurant on the ground floor is beautiful, the vintage style bar area and decoration was really grand but with a relaxed atmosphere. 😊


Gleneagles Townhouse

27/11/2024

New promo leaflet for our History of Witchcraft audio tour with VoiceMap 🎧

If you're visiting Edinburgh soon and want to learn about this dark, but important subject matter then scan the QR Code below to download and listen.

Self guided audio tours are great for solo travellers and those who don't want to join an in-person tour.

24/11/2024

Snowy Edinburgh.❄️🌨️

That time it snowed in Edinburgh for a couple of hours and the whole city network of buses grounded to a halt.
It doesn't snow often in the capital but when it does it is beautiful.
.

22/11/2024

I have a new blog post up all about Mary Queen of Scots locations you can visit in and around Edinburgh. 👑
If you are a lover of Scottish royal history and want to learn more about Mary's life whilst you are visiting the capital then check out this post below 👇🏻.

https://www.travelkattours.com/blog/mary-queen-of-scots-places-to-visit-in-edinburgh-scotland

Mary Queen of Scots related sights to see whilst in Edinburgh, If you're a history lover and want to see more locations linked to Mary, then read this post.

19/11/2024

Review from this morning's tour 😊❄️

I love sharing Edinburgh history and Scottish folklore. The best job in the world.

18/11/2024

A cold and frosty start to the day in Edinburgh. I took these pictures in Greyfriars Kirkyard. 🍂

I started off my tour at -1° and two hours later it was up to 2°. I have to say I love the cold, especially a dry cold like this. I hope we get a covering of snow soon. ❄️🍁

Did you wake up to snow this morning?

15/11/2024

The Edinburgh Christmas markets open tonight. 🌲

Will you be heading down this weekend?

📍View from the Mound, overlooking Princes Street gardens.

Edinburgh's Christmas Markets

15/11/2024

Happy Friday folks. 😊

Finally got my 2025 wall calendars up for sale. I have two different designs this year as I couldn't decide.

One is Scotland themed with pictures taken from all around Scotland (cover image is Roseisle beachin Moray).

The other is themed around stories of the coast with pictures taken from all around the world (cover image is Reykjavik Bay in Iceland).

They are £12 each (shipping excluded), but if you buy more than two it will be £10 each. They'd make the perfect Christmas gift. 🌲

All photographs were taken by myself and I can get them posted out before Christmas. Orders close 15th December.

Would appreciate shares and thank you again for supporting my wee business. 😊

📧 [email protected]

Kat

15/11/2024

📍Sainte Marie island, Madagascar. 🌴🇲🇬

On our second week in Madagascar we opted for a much more relaxed and slowed down week on the island of Sainte Marie island (Nosy Boraha).

Nosy Boraha, (the official name) is a small island on the eastern coast of Madagascar on the Indian Ocean side. We took the one hour flight from Antananarivo to the island and stayed in Hotel Libertalia, which was very affordable considering the location.

Our flights for two (including luggage) return were around €200 on Air Madagascar. If you plan on flying, I would highly recommend booking your flight as early as you can. They are very limited.
As always, I book direct on their website and not via a third agent.
The alternative route of reaching the island is via the long roads from Tana and then getting a four hour ferry crossing to Nosy Bohara.

On the island the atmosphere is much more relaxed and laid-back and definitely something to consider if you're planning a trip to Madagascar and want some relaxation at some point during your trip.
Personally I would say you need a minimum of three nights here, especially if you want to also see a few sites whilst you're here.

Historically the island is famous for its piracy and mutiny connections during the 17th & 18th century.
On the island you can visit the famous Pirate cemetery and explore the island coves for a feel of what life would have been like back in the day.

I'll share more of the Pirate connections in my next Madagascar post. 😊🇲🇬

13/11/2024

Hello! 👋🏻

Apologies for the radio silence, I am back in sunny Scotland and back in Edinburgh touring again this week.

I have so many things to share from my trip to Madagascar, but for now I will share this image of Scottish poet Robert Ferguson on the Canongate on Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile. 📍

Typically November is a quiet month on the cobblestones, but it does mean I have time to write up some travel guides and blog posts. 😊

04/11/2024

📍 Antananarivo

The capital city of Antananarivo or "Tana" is the largest city on the island. The ever growing population is around 4 million people, 2 million of which are students.
Originally established in the 1600's as a walled city. The city was captured by the French in 1895 up until the country's independence in 1960. 🇲🇬

The former royal palace (The Rova) is built on the peak of Analamanga, the city's highest hill, which dominates its skyline and I'll share more photos from that another time.

All around the city at the moment the beautiful purple Jacarandas are in bloom. They were planted during the French colonial period bloom in October & November.

The city is urban chaos and can be quite overwhelming, the streets are winding and there are vast amounts of imported Indian yellow and green tuktuks and a plethora of old vintage french cars.
Throughout the city and on almost every corner you'll spot a church. There are over 5000 churches spread across Antananarivo, and on the outskirts of the city near the airport I did spot a large mosque.

Personally, I would say two days is enough to see the main sites of the city. Many people use Tana as a gateway to explore other regions of Madagascar.

If you're visiting soon, I can recommend a few hotels.
We ended up staying in three different hotels during our stay.

03/11/2024

Wildlife in Madagascar 🦎🇲🇬

The island of Madagascar has a such diverse & unique biodiversity. All over the island I have come across beautiful birds, reptiles, plants and of course the infamous lemurs!
Around 90% of all the wildlife here in endemic to the island- with 92 percent of its mammals exist nowhere else on Earth. 🌍
I felt super lucky to have come across different species of lemurs and the elusive fossa (Madagascar's largest mammal). The long tailed cat like creatures are related to the mongoose family - they live primarily on lemurs and other small prey. The picture I have below is from the Kirindy forest reserve and the female fossa was in the early stages of pregnancy.

Alongside the Fossa I also spotted a few different reptiles, I was eager to spot the famous and vividly coloured chameleon, but they were tricky to spot as they blend into the landscape very well. Along the West coast we spotted some brown chameleons clinging onto the forest near the water and in the centre of Antananarivo I spotted this beautiful green chameleon in a public park.
In some communities in Madagascar they believe the chameleon is linked to witchcraft and sorcery and are feared.

Finally, I was delighted to have come across a variety of different lemurs. Madagascar is home to 110 different species and on the west coast I came across the coquerel’s sifaka, the ring tailed, common brown, mouse lemur and the indri species. In my opinion the ring tailed lemur was the most active and a very good dancer!

If you are a wildlife enthusiast and photographer then book your next trip to Madagascar. 🦎🇲🇬