Whisky & Tweed - Luxury Highland Tours

25/07/2024

Check out the gorgeous photo I received from some wonderful visitors Neil's touring with at the moment!! 😍

I love working with customers to design their best itinerary but I do miss the sunshine and scenery at times.

This little snap made my day, and I'm sharing it here in the hopes it'll have the same effect on you!

Slàinte!

25/06/2024

This picture was taken at midnight while we enjoyed a gentle hike at a secluded little Loch. It was still 17c/63f, not a breath of wind and the air was heavy with the heady scent of wild honeysuckle. We encountered red deer, frogs, a pine marten and a lone owl.

Midsummer always feels like a special time in the Highlands. The countryside is so alive, and with the light never completely fading from one day to the next, it means we get to enjoy being outdoors for longer.

23/06/2024

Although we're based in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, we do venture south on a fairly regular basis - most often for customer collections from Edinburgh or Glasgow - but there are so many fab things to stop and see along the way, it would be rude not to!

Who knows where we were on Tuesday?

18/05/2024

We love seeing our customer's holiday snaps and it's normally those moments where you're not posing for a photo that make us laugh!

Those of you who have been to Skye with us may know what's going on here...but of course, it's our little secret!! Shhhhhh! 🤫

If you know, you know!! 😜

16/05/2024

The beautiful yellow gorse is in full bloom just now, and on a sunny day like today, it fills the air with it's amazing coconut scent.

There's a Scottish saying that goes "It's kissing season when the gorse is in bloom". This is because, while it's main flush of flowers is in spring, you can find gorse blooming all year round - even in the depths of winter! 💋

14/05/2024

Who has seen the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights?? We get so many requests to include them in our tours but they are never obliging enough to turn up on queue!

They are actually caused by magnetically charged particles blasted into space from solar storms on the surface of the sun. If they travel far enough to reach the earth, most are deflected but some reach our magnetic field and when they collide with the atoms in our atmosphere...and if it's a clear night...it causes these dancing lights.

The display we got last weekend was the strongest Aurora in 20 years!

Photo of Findhorn Beach courtesy of John MacAulay

13/05/2024

I think Spring is my favourite time of the year in the Highlands but, this year, I've not had a chance to appreciate it much as it's been so busy - a nice problem to have!

This weekend saw some calm within the storm and what a weekend it was! Temperatures of 22C/71F, blue skies by day and breath-taking auroras by night, and bird song & blossom everywhere.

If you're thinking of heading to the Highlands and would like to tour in style, drop us a message! Or follow us on our new Instagram account to see what you're missing!

https://www.instagram.com/whiskyandtweed/

03/04/2024

Looking for something a little different on your tour and fancy seeing how the Royals live? For the first time in history, you can now wander the halls and corridors of Balmoral Castle. And if that wasn't enough, maybe afternoon tea would be just the ticket!

Since its completion in 1855, access to the interior of Balmoral Castle has been restricted to the public, until now.

For the first time in history, we're thrilled to announce the launch of interior castle private tours - The Balmoral Experience.

Learn about Balmoral's history and heritage, led by our experienced guides through several of the exquisite rooms within Balmoral Castle.

Travel through time from the purchase of the Balmoral Estate by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, through to the present day, where you can see a selection of rooms within the Castle that are used by Their Majesties The King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

Tickets are limited to 40 per day, from July 1st to August 4th. Available at https://www.balmoralcastle.com/tickets.htm

17/10/2023

Folk ask us if it's still worth visiting the Highlands in October...
..I'll let you decide! 😎

05/09/2023

As the years tick by, one of the benefits is that we get to see more and more familiar faces returning to our bonny wee corner of the globe. "Auld freens" - Scots for 'old friends' - and we treasure every last one of them! ❤️

07/07/2023

It's been an exceptionally busy summer so far, both for our tour guiding business and Scotland as a whole, and the bookings for 2024 are already filling up!

We've been to some regular haunts and places that we seldom get to see, some of the popular 'must see' stops and off the beaten track to some well kept secrets but with every tour, it's our lovely customers that make it special for us! ❤️

23/04/2023

Congratulations to the lovely Sean & Dominique!!!

We couldn't make the sun shine for them but magic was in the air at Dunrobin Castle today as Sean proposed and Dominique said yes!! 💍

We couldn't be happier for them and will be raising a wee dram to toast their health tonight. It's days like this that make us grateful for the job we do!

31/12/2022

As the curtain comes down on 2022, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank all the wonderful customers who trusted us with their bookings this year, who laughed with us, asked questions, and made memories with us. Thank you for the cards given, the reviews left, the incredibly generous tips and the emails from those who have kept in touch once they’ve returned home. You made our year amazing!

Here’s to 2023 - to memories that last a lifetime, to sharing stories and laughter, and to friends we’ve yet to meet. 🥂 Happy Hogmanay!!

23/12/2022

Even with the sun in hiding and the days so short, it’s lovely that there’s still so many visitors enjoying the Highlands. It’s been an incredibly busy year and we’re not done yet - two more tours between Christmas and New Year before we call it a day and welcome in 2023 with a wee dram, much gratitude and an equal measure of optimism for what the next 12 months may hold. 🥳

11/08/2022

We're touring the North Coast 500 with a wonderful group this week and the seascapes just. don't. stop.

We're all a little tipsy from the warm sun, fresh air and good food each day. West coast, here we come!

07/07/2022

We've had some wonderful customers so far this year and it just makes our day when they go home with happy memories of their time in Scotland!

01/06/2022

It's a tough life as a guide in the Highlands - some days I just don't know how we keep going!! 😳🤣

Bookings for 2023 already starting to roll in!

29/03/2022

The days are getting longer here in the Highlands, the skies are filled with bird song and we've had some amazing sunsets. Who's planning a visit in 2022?

13/10/2021

October is fast turning out to be our busiest month and a dull day on Skye was made a whole lot brighter by touring with this lot - 50 students from the University of Aberdeen!

25/08/2021

It's not always about the touring, sometimes it's about the company that you keep 🙂

From one of our customers...

"Cannot say enough glowing things about Neil!! We arranged a private, two day tour with him and it was better than we ever could have imagined. Having hired a number of tour guides during our travels, we have to say that Neil surpassed them all. He had the prefect mix of information, humour and flexibility that made it feel like we were being shown around by a good friend. After our tour, once we were left to our own devices again, everyone kept saying "I miss Neil!""

08/08/2021

The North Coast 500 is Scotland's answer to Route 66 and it's got a lot to offer, although living on the route, we may be biased!! If you want to see the Highlands in all their rugged beauty, come travel the NC500 with us!

18/07/2021

With travel restrictions to contend with, this year has been slow but with views like this, it's always easy to find things to be grateful for. Summer sunsets are the best!

15/06/2021

The Highlands really do have some amazing prehistory just lying about the place!

2,200yr old iron age broch ✔️
2,800yr old carved Pictish cross-slab ✔️
4,000yr old bronze age chambered cairns ✔️

I've lived here all my life and it still blows my mind what our lands must have witnessed. There are still places were it feels possible, no...easy, to slide gently back in time and touch on the way lives were lived back then. The hard part is prioritising how you spend your time and that's where we can help - just get in touch.

10/06/2021

One of those evenings that you wish would just go on forever. The east coast benefits from some great views and not as many nasty little midges!

If you're planning a visit this year or in the future, get in touch to discuss itinerary options.

14/05/2021

Spring has been a cold one in the Scottish Highlands but I've not minded this year. The icy cold reminds me of the winter lockdown we've come through, the connections that we've missed, the pause in our lives...
..a pause before something new. New life, new warmth, new opportunities. It may still look a little bleak but I can feel the thaw :)

02/04/2021

Spring is officially in full swing in the Highlands. Lambs are jumping, daffodils are blooming and I had to pinch myself while strolling along my local beach. Left or right...it was a tough decision to make! 😂

19/02/2021

Looking back through our touring photos, the smiling faces and sunny days (with maybe just a little rain!) are a stark difference to the short days and long nights of the last few months. But Spring is just around the corner :D

28/06/2020

As and when the government deems it safe to reopen the country to domestic and international tourism, we're happy to say that we'll be operating as conscientiously as possible. Our risk assessments and working practices mean that we meet the Industry Standard which makes us as well as giving our customers peace of mind.

21/06/2020

From a peaceful stretch of the , a very happy Mid-Summer to you, wherever you are!

14/06/2020

As people venture a little further afield, meet up with friends and see some of their much missed establishments open up again, we sit patiently and wait. We wait for the right time for Scotland to welcome it's tourists again - first UK tourists, then international. We don't know if we will see our international visitors this year but we wanted to reassure you that we're still here for any questions or advice as well as fully flexible bookings for 2021. Get in touch if you want to find out more 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿