Rob Carr Tours

15/01/2025

My latest blog on the Isle of Staffa!

From practical tips on how to get there, to an exploration of its fascinating geology and thriving wildlife, we’ll also share the legend of Fingal’s Cave. Get ready to join us on a journey into one of Scotland’s most magical and storied corners.

Enjoy!!!

Discover the fascinating geology and natural beauty of the Isle of Staffa, renowned for its stunning basalt columns, sea caves, and rich wildlife!

11/01/2025

Shots from Thursdays epic sunrise on Ben A’an with

Ben A’an is well known by the people of Scotland and for good reason! It’s an extremely accessible mountain from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling. Maximum of 1 hour 30 minutes drive before you are at this cracker!

As some of my tour have found out. Although it’s a 3.75km round trip. There are two bursts of real incline which certainly test the legs and it’s not to be underestimated. I’ve been up 12-15 times and thought I could just glide up it last week. But found the Christmas pudding weighing me down and panting like a dog before I knew it.

Be careful up there at this time of year. If you swipe through the photos you will notice there was a fair bit of black ice. But if in doubt have a look at the hike through walkhighlands to gauge the difficulty.

Enjoy and happy hiking 😉

07/01/2025

The Isle of Mull research that almost didn’t happen!

On the 2nd January there was all this talk of yellow weather warnings for snow and ice. It was touch and go whether we were going to bottle it. But we made the bold call, that very much paid off!

Weather was cold but with glorious blue skies. Some of the best sunrises and sunsets I’ve seen. Always watched by the glaring eyes of the roadside red deer.

I have been doing a lot of trips to Mull over the last couple of years. It is a stunning island and so much quieter than the Isle of Skye. If you are after epic walks, geology and wildlife as well as culture and whisky this place is for you!

Here’s a few of the cracking things we got up to on this trip!

1. Rubha Nan Gall Lighthouse
2. Carsaig Waterfall
3. Tobermory
4.“I Know Where I’m Going” Film Phone Box
5. Carsaig Black Sand Beach
6. Langamull Beach
7. Highland Traffic
8. Eas Fors
9. Sunset over Isle of Mull
10. Loch Na Keal

31/12/2024

Wow 2024…

The first calendar year of tour guiding full time. What a remarkable year! So many special memories and moments that I will never forget. Stories that I will one day write in a book called “Tour Guide Tales” 🤣

This year showed the shift towards of touring outside of Edinburgh! Bringing my passions together in a unique blend of history, hiking, wildlife and of course you can’t leave behind the dad jokes!

It all started with an epic 9 day tour in March which blasted me into action. Especially after cold plunging in waterfalls on the Isle of Skye (you’ve never heard screams like it 😂). Followed by tours to:
- Hunting down beaches, viking heritage and standing stones on Isle of Harris & Lewis
- Whisky touring on Raasay
- Spotting Puffins and Hebridean dolphins on Canna
- Northern Lights on Skye (3 times)
- Exploring St Andrews and the Fife Coastal Path
- Castles of Aberdeenshire and the Bullers of Buchan
- Glamis Castle Highland Games
- Hiking Old Man of Storr, Ben A’an and so much more!
- Bird Watching Tour in East Lothian

Outside of touring there’s been cracking research trips which will help shape my tours for 2025! Including Mull with my family, Jura with to spot down the Corryvreckan whirlpool, Glasgow with . Then onto the best hike of the year with on Suilven!!

It’s exhausting writing it all down and knowing that it doesn’t even scratch the surface! 😂

What a blast! But with all the positives there’s also areas for improvement. One thing that I’m distinctly aware of which is always brought to light by big festivities like Hogmanay. Friends and family are off work, free and ready to celebrate. Where for me they are my busiest times of the year. And it seems silly not to grasp the opportunity to sell out tours when you don’t know what’s around the corner.

But now that the business is starting to become more self sufficient balancing out work and life will become a growing priority. Don’t burn yourself out kids!

Wishing you all the best for New Year, I look forward to following on all your own special journeys. Continue being you!

Love, Rob

26/12/2024

In case you missed it! Here's a look into the best places to see Puffins in Scotland and some fascinating facts about the beautiful birds!

A Guide on where to see Puffins in Scotland! Make sure to add these locations to your Scotland adventure.

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas team! Hope the big man has came down the chimney! Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and hope you all get what you asked for!

I wanted to say a huge thank you to you all. It’s been an epic year of countless tours. However, it’s not about the quantity of the tours but the quality of the people that have been on them. Meeting you all and organising these trips has been a pleasure. It’s been great getting to know you and buzzing to see what 2025 has to come! I know I have some of you booked in again for next year and I CANNOT WAIT! Will be raising a glass to you all 🥃

Merry Christmas,
Rob

11/12/2024

Over 2 years ago I wrote a blog post stating my top 10 favourite hikes in Scotland. Sgùrr na Strì on the Isle of Skye remains my absolute favourite!

Where to start with this one? Well I can really say that when I first set my eyes on this place I realised that this was one of the best days I had ever had on a mountain. It was like winning the golden ticket for W***y Wonker’s chocolate factory. Like Chris Colombus discovering the Americas. Like Mr Bean winning first prize in the church raffle. What more to say? Utterly magical.

The route that we took isn’t the conventional one which you find on the Walkhighlands website but it is worth considering for the extra views and challenge. We started from the day in Elgol (see photo 3 and 4). Before driving to Kilmarie to start the trek to Sgùrr na Strì via Camasunary bay and Loch Coruisk.

On our way we encountered a river crossing which we had to take on bare foot, spotted seals around the coast and lastly conquered the ‘Bad step’ which is a sheet of rock that you need to confront to continue. But one ‘bad step’ and you may fall 15m into the sea below (it’s not too bad really).

It is a long, thrilling hike. But every ounce of energy is worth it. The views from the summit show you nature at its very best. One side you overlook the mystical Loch Coruisk and the rugged Cuillin ridge. The other over the ocean towards the Isle of Rum. Incredible.

07/12/2024

WINTER MAGIC!

Quiet day staying indoors with the wind and rain ripping through the country! Currently sitting at home planning the next winter adventure hoping to see the stunning layers of snow over the highlands mountains.

If you are wondering where these belter locations are?! You are welcome 😉

1. Pap of Glencoe
2. Glencoe
3. Sligachan
4. Brides Veil Falls
5. Three Sisters
6. Bidean Nam Bian
7. Bidean Nam Bian
8. Calton Hill
9. Aros Falls
10. Ross fountain

Have a cracking weekend!

01/12/2024

Only postcard photos on the Fife Coastal path! Today we started off in Anstruther with a bit of drizzle but it opened up beautifully when we arrived in Crail.

We adored Crail for an hour or so before heading back to finish the day at the worlds best !

30/11/2024

Happy St Andrews Day from the Elie Chain Walk on the Fife coastal trail!

This has been on my Scotland bucket list for a long time and it lived up to every minute of it. The mixture of adrenaline and beautiful landscapes was perfect. We started the walk just before low tide at 7.40am and got to see a magnificent sunrise. The rays glistened off the igneous rocks which you see about half way in!

The trail took us 2.5 hours with plenty of time to take photos and marvel at the geology! If you are an adventure lover this is for you. For those a little unsteady on your feet or haven’t got the right footwear then I would recommend to take the alternative coastal path route!

Have a belter of a day 🥃

28/11/2024

We aren’t graced with snow as often as travellers seem to expect. So when the snow fell on Edinburgh last week I was absolutely gutted that I missed it! But I have social media to thank for filling me in on the magic I missed out on! Some of the photos are tremendous!

What I want to share with you is a special moment on the 28th November 2021. Somehow, some way I was not in the Christmas market before it opened but there was a beautiful blanket of snow! Making this tremendous scene which people now think is AI 🤣

Less than one month to go ladies and gents!

27/11/2024

Bonnie Glasgow! Class day wandering the Glasgow streets toured around by . The only thing that was missing to top the day off was a dram. Maybe we will save that to next time 🥃

1. St Mungo Mural
2. Glasgow Cathedral
3. Kelvingrove Museum
4. Glasgow Uni
5. A Pedigree Haggis

26/11/2024

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live”

18/11/2024

A week of winter tours outside of Edinburgh!

The one thing I love about tour guiding is the variety. One day you’re doing Edinburgh walking tours about Harry Potter, the next you are taking wildlife or history tours in the highlands.

There’s a never ending amount of information to learn about the country and that’s what makes it so fascinating. The more I learn about the country, the more fascinated I’ve become. But it’s not only the variety of the places we visit and the history of them but also the people that join the journey. People from all over the world, from all backgrounds. Not only do I get to share this with you but I get to learn about your places and culture too. Variety is the spice of life. It keeps things feeling new and refreshing!

13/11/2024

Don’t you just love wildlife? Here’s some of my favourite photos of Scottish wildlife and where I found them below.

1. Red Deer - Kingshouse Hotel
2. North Atlantic Puffins - Isle of Lunga
3. Hebridean Bottlenose Dolphin - boat trip from Elgol
4. Common and Grey Seal - Newburgh Seal Beach
5. Red Kites - Argaty
6. Eurasian Otter - Isle of Mull
7. Northern Gannet - Troup Head RSPB reserve
8. Highland Coo - Kilchurn Castle

There are many more amazing species of wildlife in Scotland. So keep your eyes peeled for Golden and Sea Eagles, Pine Marten, Wild Cat and more! If you want to learn more about Scottish wildlife you can do this on my website blog.

31/10/2024

28/10/2024

I’m back! The end of my first vacation of this winter. Time away from tours, no emails, no customer interactions, no working on the website or posting on instagram. This is the first time I’ve been able to do this since the 1st March.
I have worked consistently for the last 7 months.

This trip was key. I needed to get this trip right. Last November I had to come back from my Portugal trip early as all I could think about was work. I couldn’t seperate myself from it. In a way I was addicted to it. Of course, that relationship isn’t healthy. So this year I have been trying to balance that. How to make the most out of the peak tourism months but make sure to think about myself. Of course this is an area that always needs work and development. That has certainly improved but will continue to work on. But one thing I would say is I have waited too long for that holiday. I didn’t burn out. I have felt good. But it’s the realisation of how you can feel even better after having some proper rest and recuperation.

This holiday was different to last year. Its been an absolute cracker. I am very grateful for that. Switzerland for the third time has taken me away from work. Allowed me to do what I love best… exploring the world. The chance to get out into the mountains to run, climb and hike. Get out of the comfort zone. To be around people but to also be alone. Have physical demands but also to take the time to rest and destress.

As I prepare to fly home today. There’s a weight that’s off my shoulders that I didn’t even realise I had. And I look forward to this next chapter. To optimise work and recuperation.

When I’m back in Edinburgh I’m looking forward to catching up with people. If anyone wants to go for a coffee or some scran don’t hesitate to give me a bell!

24/10/2024

Maybe I need to take tours in Switzerland?🇨🇭🧐