Guided Tours of Scotland

04/09/2024

I've just spent two weeks guiding, both in and out of the vehicle, for clients who are keen hikers. And what a fantastic fortnight it was. I believe that I am one of the few tour guides in the country that offers the 'tour in the morning, hike in the afternoon' concept. I have personally curated a huge range of hikes, from one to five hours in duration, to suit most abilities, which take in Scotland's very diverse landscapes, including; mountain, coastal, valleys, rivers, forests, meadows and urban. I have trail tested most of them myself. Hikes can either be guided by me or self-guided, or a mixture of both, as we did on this tour. Client safety is of paramount importance to me, and as such I provide; relevant maps and equipment such as walkie talkies and PLBs. If a hike is cancelled through bad weather then we just jump back in the van and continue the road trip, so that there's no valuable tour time lost.

22/08/2024

It might have been a day of gale force winds and heavy rain but the Isle of Mull is always beautiful, regardless of the weather. And there's always somewhere to take shelter.....

15/08/2024

This is pretty mind blowing!

15/08/2024

Just completed an amazing 12 day tour of southern and western Scotland. Starting in Edinburgh we took in the Borders, SW Scotland (the Scottish Riviera), Glasgow, Argyll, Isle of Mull, Isle of Skye, Wester Ross, Sutherland, Inverness and the Cairngorms National Park. We visited several whisky distilleries on this road trip, including; Bladnoch, Tobermory, Glen Ord and Dalwhinnie, a few castles and ancient sites, a few hikes, some quality fine dining restaurants as well as spontaneous al fresco stops for fresh seafood and wild venison burgers. My clients even managed to squeeze in an afternoon at the Strathpeffer Highland Games. Variety truly is the spice of life!

01/08/2024

Some of the competitors in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race at Oban Marina recently.

01/08/2024

Fantastic six days touring the back roads of Moray, Wester Ross, Ardnamurchan, Mull and Argyll, with the added bonus of the Isle of Mull Highland Games thrown in for good measure. It's the height of summer and the landscape is peak green!

24/07/2024

Some photos from my last 2 tours of Ireland.

24/07/2024

It has been a busy summer so far, most of which has been spent outside of Scotland. I've done two tours of Ireland, one either side of a holiday trip to Germany, to see the Scottish National Mens Team crowned as the worst football team at Euro 2024. The fans won first prize though! Anyway, enough about the football. Here are some photos from the two Ireland tours. In case you didn't already know, I offer Scotland & Ireland bespoke tours, great for people who want to explore their joint Scottish and Irish heritage, or for those curious about the shared Celtic, Norse, Norman and Clan culture of these lands.

06/06/2024

After being closed for many years, Inveraray Pier, home to the Vital Spark, has finally reopened to the public. This boat, the most famous of the Clyde Puffers, small cargo ships that plied their trade up and down the West Highlands coastline, was the star of the show in the BBC series 'The Vital Spark', based on the books of local boy Neil Munro.

04/06/2024

Tobermory. One of my most favourite places on the planet.

04/06/2024

Amazing and fun tour of the West Highlands, Mull and Skye in perfect May weather. Not sure where that's gone!

18/05/2024

North Coast 500 and Orkney tour highlights....

18/05/2024

What a tour! North Coast 500 + Orkney + Cairngorms National Park = deep lochs, verdant mountains, blue sea, ancient forests, historic monuments older than the Egyptian Pyramids, the most picturesque beaches on the planet, the finest whisky on earth and the best seafood in the World. What are you waiting for?

17/05/2024

A trip down into the bomb shelter at the excellent Scapa Flow Museum at Lyness, Hoy, Orkney.

17/05/2024

Amazing visit to the revamped Scapa Flow Museum in Lyness on the island of Hoy, Orkney. The museum tells the story of the archipelago's important role during WW1 and WW2, when the population of Orkney tripled from 20,000 to 60,000, which saw 11,000 military personnel stationed in the village of Lyness alone.

08/05/2024

I'm not long back from a five day ancestry tour, for an author from Idaho, taking in Glasgow, Dumbarton, Aberdeenshire and Highland Perthshire. I love these 'Who Do You Think You Are' type tours as my clients and me get to visit places I would never otherwise see and meet people I would not otherwise encounter. It's always a great learning process and the detective work involved is very enjoyable. In 2022 I actually worked on an episode of the 'Who Do You Think You Are' TV series, driving for the English actress Anna Maxwell Martin. Coincidentally the filming for this was also in Glasgow and Aberdeenshire so there was an element of deja vu to last week's tour.

01/05/2024

Spring has finally arrived in the Highlands and islands! Great to be back on the road in good weather. May is one of my favourite times of the year for touring, being the driest month.

28/01/2024

Ever wondered what the Scottish Highlands look like in winter? This video, produced by a friend of a friend (credit: Jirí Soural), is a beautiful roam around the North West Highlands wearing its full winter coat. November to March can be a great time to tour Scotland, it's quiet, hotels are cheap, you'll get scenery like this and you might catch sight of the Northern Lights!

Through the scottish highlands, winter Scotland - Torridon, Assynt, 4K scenic video presented by -soural-photo Audio track by Wayfarer by Alexander Naka...