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February Update
Kyle Thomson • Feb 24, 2023
A Busy February for Edinburgh Tour Guides
Edinburgh Tour Guides, are now beginning preparations for the busy months ahead. As a tour company the busiest months are through spring and summer, so we have to get all our affairs in order before the busy season starts. Usually February is when we plan, organise, sort admin, accounts, the boring side of our business, however this year we have already started the season with multiple trips up into The Highlands and many tours in and around Edinburgh (and its only February?).
Every season is different, back in 2017 (Pre covid… I know remember those days?) we had one of our busiest seasons to date, almost every day was fully booked up full with a mixture of walking tours in Edinburgh and driven day trips out of the city. It was so busy our guides would pass each other most days at Edinburgh Castle with their private groups. So we label 2017 the season of walking tours for Edinburgh Tour Guides.
Fast forward through to last year when the world started to open up again and travelling was back on the menu. Travelling became fun again it was back to exploring, adventuring, learning and experiencing cultures. This was clear to us as a company as we were booked full with day tours; Culloden, Loch Ness, Outlander, Stirling, St Andrews. Last years season was full of day trips. This allowed for our guides to fall back in love with Scotland’s scenery all over again after the break. This made the year 2022, the season of day trips from Edinburgh.
Now we look ahead to the year of 2023 and this season we are quickly selling out availability in the summer months of our multi-day tours. These are great tours to explore Scotland to its fullest, even spending nights in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. This year is looking like it is going to be the season full of Multi-Day Tours. This is great for us as each season is different which keeps our guides fresh and helps them rediscover areas of Scotland they may not have had the opportunity to share on tour for a long time.
With many Multi-Day Tours being booked Edinburgh Tour Guides have a busy February with lots of different activities before the tour such as - planning itineraries, booking admissions, recommending hotels, restaurants and more to our clients. Speaking of our recommendations, we have to continually maintain our high standards as a company and as such our recommendations must meet a similar high standard to us. What this means is we have to stay up to date with a large variety of restaurants and accommodation all over Scotland. To do this, in the quieter months, our guides follow tour routes getting to sample great Scottish cuisine and spend nights in some beautiful accommodation. Some guides even lucky enough to get to spend time away in some of Scotland’s Castles.
One of the new hotels we stayed at was Tulloch Castle Hotel. This hotel is also a castle and is full of history. Originally the home of Clan Davidson (and links to Bayne). Some parts of the castle even dates back to 1100’s. On the grounds of Tulloch Castle there is a museum in the old Game larder which details the history of the Davidson Clan. Another historic part of the castle is the dungeon which you can still go in and visit. In here is a secret tunnel which stretches from Tulloch Castle across town all the way to Dingwall Castle, however some of the tunnel is now collapsed and it is no longer in use. We were given an intimate tour of the Castle and history at night, which was full of stories, history, ghosts and fascinating castle secrets. Speaking about all the history of the Castle, I almost forgot to mention how lovely the hotel aspect of the castle is. The rooms were beautiful, beds were comfortable, there was great food and the staff were amazing and so helpful.
We also made the decision this year to upgrade our current fleet of vehicles. Which has added to our busy February, because the vehicle we bought was located in... Wales! Although the UK is connected it is a whole different country, so Steve and Kyle set out on the journey travelling to Wales to collect our new vehicle in February. We decided to purchase a luxury vehicle that provides the perfect atmosphere for a private tour. We bought a Caravelle, this is great for the service we provide as it has comfortable leather seats, tinted privacy glass, electric doors, 3 zone A/C but also has the durability to explore the best and most hidden locations in Scotland. While our guides are out sampling great Scottish cuisine and accommodation they have also been getting used to the new vehicle ahead of a busy season.
So although summer may be the busier months in terms of the tours we carry out, we have been hard at work in this off-season making sure our recommendations and tour routes stay the best and most up-to-date to maintain our standards year on year. Looking ahead, we are excited to welcome in the spring and summer as we get to show off how beautiful Scotland is to travellers from all over the world.
We have experienced Scotlands best with horse riding, Highland cow feeding and amazing views. We now have 3 accredited Whisky Ambassadors look out for new tours.
Although Edinburgh is quieter and colder it is still an amazing time to be in here. Markets, theatre, ice rink and Christmas lights have us feeling festive.
Click on the image to go to the booking page for the Edinburgh Castle and Medieval Old Town Live Stream Virtual Tour. It is free to join, no app required and Tips are welcome. This is an introduction tour of 30 minutes duration. Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland's most iconic buildings. Explore the history of the Castle and of the City that grew around it. Perched on a volcanic plug hear stories of the Castle's past from the Esplanade. Travel down Castlehill into the Lawnmarket seeing stunning architecture, hearing fascinating stories of the characters that shaped this wonderful city's past.
Edinburgh is a beautiful city best explored on foot. However, travel is not possible right now. Why not take one of our Virtual Tours? The duration is around 45 minutes can be tailored to your needs. We have an Old Town Tour focusing on the upper part of the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. We also have a Royal Mile and Place of Holyroodhouse tour which focuses on the lower part of the Old Town. Tours are offered via Zoom (free for you to use) or we can also FaceTime. Time zones can make it difficult to do a Live Virtual Tour, we can also offer a Zoom Tour using videos and photos with the guide talking you through the city and answering questions along the way.
The name Eilean Donan, or island of Donan, probably comes from the 6th century Irish Saint, Bishop Donan who came to Scotland around 580 AD. In the early 13th century the first defensive structure was built on the island. The castle played a part in the Jacobite risings which ultimately resulted in its destruction. It lay in ruins for around 200 years until the island was purchased by Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap in 1911. Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap and his Clerk of Works, Farquar Macrae, spent the next 20 years rebuilding the Castle to her former glory. The castle was rebuilt according to surviving ground plans and was completed in the July of 1932. The Castle walls are 14feet thick and the island has its own fresh water supply. Eilean Donan is one of Scotland's most iconic Castles, surrounded by stunning scenery and at the meeting point of three sea lochs. No wonder it has appeared in several movies, Highlander, James Bond and more.
Meet Martin one of our Edinburgh specialists. He loves introducing visitors to the history and stories of Edinburgh's past.