I am an STGA Blue Badge qualified tourist guide delivering corporate, group and individual services for visitors to Scotland.
I offer general or bespoke tours to well known locations or hidden corners of beautiful Scotland.Fun interesting and informe
The Torridon/Gairloch area of Scotland is probably my favourite. If you're prepared to compromise your 5 star hotel for a comfortable local one you can travel and walk all around this spectacular area. Hills, beaches, walks and views of which you'll never tire. Here's some snaps from October.
If you want beauty, nature and beaches then Harris is the place for you. It’s just a ferry from mainland Scotland and is quite stunning. Of course you can also see Harris tweed being woven in the setting of the old traditional black house. Here’s a wee look. Notice how the sun shines and offers great beach days.
You can’t beat a wee Highland cow. So cute. These were seen loitering at Blair Castle.
The summer has really kicked off now and it’s non stop touring. Had some wonderful visitors with whom I’ve been exploring the highways and byways of Scotland. Lovely to have heard from previous visitors who stay in touch and let me know about their ongoing adventures around the world. For now here’s some snaps taken over the last few weeks.
What’s on my mind? Whisky - Macallan in this case. Wish I had a case!!
Isle of Skye
A wander over the Storr gets you some lovely views of the land and sea.
Amazing shots of Arran.
Day out from Turnberry Ayrshire with some magical locations. The coastline is wonderful with views over to the island of Arran. On a good day you can see Ireland. A visit to Culzean Castle is wonderful as well as a lunch at the Brig o’ Doon Hotel. I haven’t included Rober Burn birthplace museum but it is also a visit that must be included.
Turnberry Hotel in Ayrshire is a stunning location indeed but for something a bit out of the ordinary for an overnight you can stay in the Turnberry lighthouse with full service being delivered from the hotel. The island of Ailsa Craig is seen here with a dusting of snow making it look like a cake!
I've been going through the many photos I have snapped this year. Like many, I often travel around Scotland by road but here's a bird's eye view. Although not a photographer these snaps are spectacular and breathtaking offering a different perspective on the remote landscape of our country. 1. Looking west with Loch Morar (l) and Loch Nevis (r) 2. Buachaille Etive Mor 3. Looking west to Inverie in Knoydart with Loch Nevis 4. Ben Nevis taken from south.
Well what a summer in Scotland. It’s been wonderfully busy and great to see so many visitors returning. Here is a selection of my summer around Scotland - and it’s not over yet!
Who knows who you'll meet touring Scotland!
Photo Bombed!
Our very own Fraser Parkinson was snapping a selfie when who popped up but Sam Heughan. After a good wee blether it turned out they had a few things in common. Fraser did confess to telling people he did all Jamie's body double work on Outlander. Turned out they had an aquaintance in common - no Fraser not Caitriona! A lovely chap indeed.
Fingal, Leith Luxury
Converted from the Northern Lighthouse Commission ship Fingal is placed within Tripadvisors top 1% of small hotels in the world. Its 20 plus cabins are nothing short of luxurious. Each cabin is named after one of the Stevenson lighthouses. The bar area serves a fabulous afternoon tea and its dining area, formerly the ships hold, is an amazing space. Service is excellent and staff can't do enough. Whether its an overnight stay or an afternoon visit its quite an experience.
As tourist guides it is fascinating to see what we all did during lock down - Croatian TV talking about haggis has to be one of the most unusual even for me!
A grand walk in Edinburgh
You can't beat a fine early morning walk around Arthur's Seat and then on to Calton Hill first thing in the day - especially on a cold clear crisp morning. Blue skies over Calton Hill framed the neo- classical architecture beautifully.
Our colleague from Select Scotland Tours Ross Hendrie gives excellent examples of how one company has taken up sustainable tourism and made it work. Ross appears about 18 minutes 30 seconds into the video.
https://youtu.be/mGduwSjw7GY
Episode 1: What is Sustainable Tourism?Find out more about sustainable tourism and the importance of taking steps now towards securing the future of your bus...
Johnnie Walker Experience, Edinburgh.
Edinburgh’s newest whisky experience doors have been open for a few weeks now. Booking a table in the 1820 rooftop bar or the Bothy Whisky Bar (no resemblance to any bothy I have stayed in) provides a very sophisticated experience as well as some of the best views of Edinburgh. An interesting range of cocktails, standard drinks and whisky of course Definitely a must for a visit to Edinburgh.
The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant
After a tour of the distillery an on site visit for lunch at the Glenturret Lalique Restaurant is a very welcome food stop. Food is delicious! The surrounding are very well turned out indeed. Staff knowledgable and attentive. A first class experience overall. A highly recommended visit on a tour of Scotland in the Crieff area.
New Publication by Your Guide to Scotland - Leith Reflections
Its been a busy year for me and the outcome has been two publications - 'Celebrating Edinburgh' and 'Leith Reflections' which has been released today. Both are the products of both my own and co-author Jack Gillon's interest in the culture, history, fun and heritage of both Edinburgh and Leith. Click on the link below for the Scotsman review of the latest publication - Leith Reflections.
Ghostly streets from Leith’s past blend with their modern day counterparts in a brand new book published today by local authors Jack Gillon and Fraser Parkinson.
The person behind the mask?
Wonderful Outlander Tour with a wonderful group visiting a few of the Outlander sites. Great fun had by all - especially me although they did insist on putting a mask on me before this photo - I wonder why?
Seafood and eat it!
One of the many excellent seafood restaurants in Leith is the Ship on the Shore. For research purposes had to make yet another visit to check that the standards were maintained. Yes they were of course. A fabulous experience of hot and cold seafood platters along with oysters and champagne. Well worth a visit when in Edinburgh and Leith.
The Select Scotland Tour page showing some of my photos from Mull and Iona. Check out Select Scotland Tours.
University of Glasgow
Some grand views of the university on a fine April day. The building is the spectacular creation of Sir George Gilbert Scott and dates to 1870 when the university moved from the original site on the High Street to its current location at Gilmorehill. where it was established in 1451. Former students include 3 UK Prime Ministers, 2 Scottish First Ministers, a signatory of the US Declaration of Independence, 7 Nobel laureates - that's not even mentioning Lister, Kelvin, Watt, Smith. The list goes on and is more than impressive. Scott died before the final touches to the building were carried out but his son John Oldrid Scott completed it and notably added the spire onto the University's iconic tower which stands 278 feet. See the image below showing the tower without the spire.
So what does a tourist guide do when there are no tourists in town? They get ready for the return of visitors to wonderful Edinburgh. Please note Bobby's nose was not rubbed - and never should be!
A wee visit to Greyfriars fabulous graveyard turned out to be a bit more than I bargained for. Was doing some filming with fellow guide Bryan Hogg and having fun.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Your Guide to Scotland Fraser Parkinson posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Your Guide to Scotland Fraser Parkinson:
You can’t beat a wee Highland cow. So cute. These were seen loitering at Blair Castle.
Isle of Skye A wander over the Storr gets you some lovely views of the land and sea.
A wee visit to Greyfriars fabulous graveyard turned out to be a bit more than I bargained for. Was doing some filming with fellow guide Bryan Hogg and having fun.
Burns Day 2021 Perhaps a more subdued Burns Day celebration on 25th January than previous years but still plenty of reason for one of the bard's poems and a dram. This is one of my absolute favourites. When you are touring around Scotland you are never more than a stone's throw away from a line of Burns beautiful and passionate poetry. Hope you enjoy this wee rendition. #burnsnight #scotland #scotlandtravel #robertburns #qualifiedtouristguide #bluebadgeguidesscotland #edinburgh #edinburghscotland #stgaguides #haggis #whisky
Want your business to be the top-listed Travel Agency?
