Inverness Tours

01/01/2025

Happy New year admin? Have you just decided to change a format and not let the rest of the world know?

31/12/2024

🌿Hearken now to the ancient ways of Scotland, for in this time of the year, we honour the rite of the ‘First Foot.’🌿

When the veil of night is drawn tight and the new year’s dawn but a whisper away, the first soul to cross the threshold holds the fate of the home in their hands. This wanderer, blessed by the turning of the wheel, must step fresh into the dwelling after the hour strikes twelve, bringing with them the fortune of the year ahead. Be they kin or stranger, they may not tarry within the walls ere the midnight chime; they must come anew, as though heralded by the gods themselves.

In their hands, gifts are carried—offerings of goodwill to the spirits of hearth and kin. In the days of old, it was coal, a symbol of fire eternal, to keep the hearth warm through the fierce embrace of winter and to promise a happy home. Now, it may be sweet shortbread or the golden spirit of whisky, but the essence remains—a token of abundance and luck bestowed upon the household.

Yet beware, for not all bearers of fortune are alike. Tradition calls for a dark-haired man, for his presence brings prosperity.

As the first foot crosses your threshold, greet them with the ancient words: ‘Lang may yer lum reek.’ A blessing of warmth and plenty, it speaks to the smoke curling from your chimney—a sign that the fire burns strong, that the home is safe, and that the gods and ancestors are appeased.

So may this rite endure, a thread woven into the great tapestry of our ancestors’ ways, and may the blessings of the First Foot guide you into the turning of the year.

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas one and all from the team at Inverness tours.

03/12/2024

And what were some of Hugh's favourite moments in 2024 ..... Well - Iona's weather in February was more than welcome. Outlander Day, in June, at the Highland Folk Museum was fun.
The costumed (1700's) walk in Edinburgh was a blast. August brought in an opportunity to take the guests hunting for dinosaur footprints. Success! September saw a quiet and reflective moment of inter-species communication - or was it just a showdown at the OK Corral. And to finish - a funny (but slightly unsettling) moment in the Georgian Kitchen in Callendar House, Falkirk.

02/12/2024

A great day for a walk. Cold and crisp and sunny

17/11/2024

Our good Friend Trevor has been hard at it designing his New 2025 Calendar . If you are interested please order from him directly.

24/10/2024

Hugh and Mark encountered this on tour !!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/GCHXUFBKqKjctcSu/?mibextid=WC7FNe

17/10/2024

Some pictures of the fantabulous Glamis Castle Garden and a picture of an old cow with a Highlander.

12/10/2024

We at Inverness Tours have been long time supporters of The Glenelg The Original Glenelg-Skye Ferry. We love the experience offered by this ferry and its fabulous crew.

Niall, Chief Rope Crew, last crewing day of the season.
Thanks Niall - couldn’t have done it without you.

12/10/2024

Some highlights of Laura’s penultimate tour of 2024.

21/09/2024

My guests and I had a great wee bit of Outlander hi-jinks last Monday. We were at Jamie and Claire's wedding kirk, and later at the kitchen in Callendar House.

09/09/2024

Day 7 of Bob and Peggy's epic adventure 🥳

A very windy video from 'The String' road on the Isle of Arran, with the cloud streaming over Goatfell and Glen Rosa 🥰