When a flight comes in from Bergen, Norway and you’re asked to provide a short insight on foot in Aberdeen; a city you were raised in, but don’t life in anymore it’s difficult to know where to start.
Like any tour experience preparation is key, so a wander through the city centre provided the perfect starting point. I enjoyed the chance to reflect via the well-trodden routes of former times living and working in the city and to discover the advancements Aberdeen has made in being more modern and inclusive, and in celebrating its rich and fabulous history in a less modest way. I found the street art in particular lift the, beautiful as they are, grey granite buildings.
If you have a flight arriving or departing from Aberdeen, there is much to explore in the city and less-beaten-track surrounding countryside of Aberdeenshire. Dunotter Castle is close by and well worth a visit. And by following the River Dee into the Cairngorms, you’ll find yourself soon at Balmoral Castle. With a rich, fishing heritage there are some can’t miss seafood restaurants, museums, art galleries and you’re only a stones throw from Speyside and any number of Whisky distilleries.
For more information on starting or ending your tour in Aberdeen just get in touch!
#aberdeen
#scotland
#tour
#city
#travel
#visitscotland
#bergen
#norway
@officialannielennox
@emelisande
@smugone
We are blessed in Scotland at the moment with some warm sunny weather. It just adds to how bloomin’ gorgeous it is doesn’t it?!
Today we’re off the Cairngorms National Park for more sunny adventures. Wish you were here.
What a day to be alive!
#eileandonancastle
#kiltrock
#scotlandhighlands
#scotland
#castlesofscotland
#castlesofinstagram
#tours
#travel
Delighted to catch the last day afternoon of the Speyside Whisky Festival and what a place for a malt whisky tasting!
Dallas Dhu House belongs to the @murraymcdavid independent bottlers and is a fabulous setting. Celebrating their 30th anniversary Murray McDavid independent bottlers shared a lovely range of relatively young drams from their ‘cask craft’ drams range. Today’s tasting clearly showed the remarkable differences between finishing Whisky in three different types of wood. From Bourbon cask to Madeira cask and finishing with Port the differences and typical flavour profiles were showing beautifully.
The exclusive festival release Whisky, also relatively young offered something rather special for their 30th anniversary on this the special 25th anniversary of the @spirit_speyside festival. It’s all anniversary’s and it’s all over for another year!
Fancy a tour there next year? Get in touch.
#dram24
#soswf
#sos25
#whiskyfestival
#scotland
#whiskylover
#moray
#speyside
#visitmorayspeyside
As the saying goes 'If you want to be someone, just be yourself'.
As a business owner, luxury travel planner, tour driver, tour guide, mum, partner, daughter, sister, auntie and friend there are a lot of different hats to be worn depending on the day, or the hour or even the minute.
Yesterday, I attended a workshop with the brilliant Canva Verified Expert and Graphic Designer Juls Christie-Clark @designerinyourpocket_juls hosted by the also wonderful Laura Maginess founder of @ggcbusiness and @glasglowgirlsclub
I squirmed (more than) a little when Juls suggested we create a short video that was a bit more fun (and less business-y). Tell people a little about the person they're trusting to plan and deliver their sightseeing, culinary and whisky based tours around Scotland.
What? Not about why they should choose Tasting Scotland because of the strength of my local knowledge, a head for travel planning (it can be like a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle), love of sharing my country, my partnerships etc etc. Nope, tell them about you. Brenda.
So, here's the result. As a perfectionist it's not 100% perfect, but it's good enough, right! I'm loving that globally at the moment there’s a true appreciation for all things authentic. In the past 12 years since starting @tastingscotland I've come to realise that by offering the true me to others, that people gravitate most quickly to where I'm most comfortable, in other words 'our lane'.
I definitely serve others better (or at least I think I do, you'd have to ask my tour guests, friends and family!) and feel more at ease when just wearing one hat. I urge you to do the same:
Wear the authentic hat of ‘Me’ All day, everyday.
#authentic #tours #guide #travel #scotland #whisky #whiskey #culinary #sightseeing #luxurylifestyle #food #foodexplorer #foodie #trips #vacations #visitscotland #inspiredtravels #travelguide #travelblogger #travelawesome #travelnow #mentalhealth #wellnessjourney #mindbodysoul
There’s nothing better than a good bowl of home-made soup when you’re feeling under the weather, right?
My mum always made Scotch Broth or Tattie Soup for us as children. I’ll admit when I was younger, I didn’t appreciate a good hot, nutritious and delicious bowl of soup nearly as much as I do today!
It’s so good!
#Soup #ScotchBroth #FeelingBetterAlready #Scotland #cuisine #food #lunch #nutritious #larder #healthy #vegetables #barley #traditional #SoulFood
Looking forward to getting back out on tour!
2023. It is done! And what a year! Many thanks to new friends from across the globe who travelled with us and those in Scotland and beyond who partnered with us to deliver such fantastic travel memories.
Just wait until we show you what we have in store for 2024! You're going to love it! (More to follow soon).
In the meantime Happy New Year!!
Brenda & team.
#happynewyear #2024 #scotland #visitscotland #placestovisit #journeys #tours #trips #holidays #vacations #shortbreaks #daytours #events #culinary #gastronomy #gourmet #adventures #food #cooking #chef #artisan #foodproducers #distilleries #whisky #whiskey #gin #rum #rye
Imagine waking up to this! How insanely beautiful is Glencoe this morning? 😀🌈
Thanks to the team at @cairndistillery for looking after us so well today!
Are you ready for a taste of the future?
#whisky
#whiskylover
#cairngorms
#cairngormsnationalpark
#whiskytours
#speyside
#speysidewhisky
#benromachdistillery
#travel
#food
#itinerary
#planner
#luxury
#experienceseekers
Would you ever get tired of going to work if this was the view from your office window?
Add to that some glorious Spring weather and a beautiful family visiting Scotland to create some magical memories to take back to mom across the pond.
#glencoescotland #glencoemountain #scotland #scotlandtravels #respectprotectenjoy #tours #travel #scotland
It’s not all food and drink with Brenda!
Walking shoes on ✅
Multi-day active, cultural and gastronomy filled itinerary? ✅
A walk in the sun to the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye ✅
Happy World Travel Day!
World Food Travel Day and a visit to the newly opened Tartan (/ Plaid) exhibition at the @vadundee got me thinking about food, travel and some of my fondest memories of my own country, Scotland.
With a picnic basket full to the brim with Scottish cheese, home-made bread, oatcakes, cold cuts, Scotch Eggs (not Scottish, I know!) and with our own family tartan rugs sitting on the car seats of our little red car like at the exhibition we’d set off on a little family day trip.
As a child of the early seventies I didn’t much like Tartan. It felt old fashioned. Today I love it! What about you?When people think of Scotland, they do often think of Tartan / Plaid and of Whisky (quite right too!) and haggis and salmon and maybe a few more items like Shortbread, but when it comes to food and drink that’s often where it ends.
What a shame!! There is so much more to Scotland than that and if you are food-lover you have to give your tastebuds a treat with a visit! (Or if local to go out and enjoy more of what’s on your doorstep or another region).
From the many conversations, I have with people from all around the world I can assure you, Scotland is extremely underrated!!
As World Food Travel Day 2023 has just come to an end here in Scotland as a @worldfoodtravelassn Ambassador I’d like to thank everyone here in Scotland and around the world for sharing your Food travel memories and highlighting some of the worlds most underrated destinations.
#Scotland is ready. Come hungry!
#worldfoodtravelday #underrateddestinations #food #foodtravel #foodtravelstories #whisky #gin
#gastronomytourism #culinarytourism #scotland
Always super tasty burgers and steaks cooked with a smile @balgove Steak Barn.
The beef here on the estate is a mix of #aberdeenangus #shorthorn and #highlandcow and is so good!
It’s a hub of activity tonight with lots of families celebrating #mothersday
Thanks Joanne and team for looking after us!😀
I love taking people here on a #foodtour or for dinner and can’t wait to see lots of happy faces in 2023.
#bbq #meat #farm #balgovesteakbarn #StAndrews #food #eatlocal #eatlocalgrown #scotland #Fife
Always love a little time to re-charge.
#scotland
#explore
#nature
#walk
#waterfall
#auchinedenspoutwaterfall
#kilpatrickhills
On the road again! And where better than the beautiful west coast for top quality scenery and seafood.
#scotland
#food
#tours
#seafood
#salmon
#topqualityfood
#tourism
