Small Group Scotland Day Tours

  Highly recommend! - Graeme FaceTimed with us before our trip to ask about our interests. History, botony, and bugs were on my list as a teacher. Spirits and local cusine were... read more on my husbands.

Graeme was prompt. He took us to the highlands the first day. The second day was Fife and St Andrews. We experienced gourmet chocolate, ancient churches and burial sights, the oldest tree in Europe, an outstanding lunch and a whiskey toast in the middle of a waterfall the first day. Day 2 we headed to the costal villages and St Andrews ruins and the gardens at Kallie castle. The day ended again with another scenic toast!

Graeme is very likable and has a generous spirit. We enjoyed hearing his stories of sheep shearing and lambing with his girlfriends family in addition to his wealth of knowledge about Scottish history. It seemed like we had made a dear friend by the end of our time together.

Each tour lasted from 9 am to 6 pm or so.

I will most definitely ask him to tour us again next time we come. We felt complete comfortable and safe with him even though he drives on the wrong side of the road:)))

Thank you Graeme, and watch out for those butterflies😉

  Highly recommend, would tour with Graeme again! - Had a wonderful introduction to Scotland on my tour with Graeme! It was such a great way to tour some sites outside the city without having to worry about renting... read more a car (or diving on the other side of the road.) Graeme knows everything about history, was great company, and provided a fantastic way to see some awesome sites!

  The most unforgettable Scotland Adventure with Graeme. The best storyteller, guide and friend we could ask for!  - Our 12-day Northwest Scotland tour with Graeme from start to finish was absolutely incredible. Words cannot adequately describe what an amazing time we had! Graeme’s knowledge of Scottish culture, history... read more and stories made every stop special; from Grassmarket in Edinburgh to the more remote areas of the NC500 like Applecross and Assynt as well as the islands destinations like Mull and Arran! From the moment Graeme picked us up at Edinburgh Waverly, he was friendly and professional, eager to show us what Scotland has to offer.

It was our second trip to Scotland but Graeme made everything feel new and exciting! He was more than just a tour guide or chauffeur, but felt more like a friend taking us on an epic road trip! Graeme’s storytelling and his knowledge of Scotland’s history, culture and folklore is truly unparalleled and what a joy it was for us to be able to experience it for ourselves! We could really see his enthusiasm and love for Scotland in every story he tells, and we were in absolute awe of how he can remember them all! Moreover, Graeme also has the ability to combine his story narrative with great humor and warmth, keeping us both engaged and laughing the whole way! Graeme is very passionate about what he does and he genuinely cares that both of us have the best possible experience the entire time.

Being a very type A person that loves to plan all our trips down to the minute, I was pleasantly surprised how hands off I was able to be and get to enjoy being surprised at every stop we made! Every day was perfectly planned by Graeme and we never felt rushed or bored. We had meaningful as well as funny unhinged conversations during our long drives that made this trip so memorable. He struck the ideal balance between sharing stories, visiting distilleries, going on walks and giving us time to just admire a good view of the scenery, enjoying picnics by the castle or simply just eating our meal in his car. Graeme managed to include the perfect blend between both of our wants and interests, working through an extremely long list of demands we had set out for him at the beginning of our inquiry. What was even more amazing was that Graeme was able to expertly handle all of our curve balls (spur of the moment requests) with grace and finesse!

Graeme truly went about and beyond for us in every way possible. We hope to have made a lifelong friend and we will never forget all that Graeme had done for us. Hoping to see him again for our 3rd trip to Scotland in 2027!

  Hands down, the BEST way to tour Scotland! - Spent three wonderful days this week with Graeme and Molly touring some amazing places throughout Scotland. Graeme listened intently when we described the type of tour experience we were looking... read more for, and he customized the perfect itinerary for our group. He even included some brilliant surprises along the way. We could listen to him share stories of Scotland 24/7! Graeme is quite knowledgeable, charming, and has a great sense of humour. If you're looking for a customized personal tour of Scotland that you'll never forget, you'll want to book with Graeme ASAP.

  Our very own Scotland Story - This was our second trip to Scotland and this trip was special since it was for our Wedding and Honeymoon. When my then fiancé approached me about hiring Graeme,... read more I was a little bit nervous. Being a very introverted person, and admittedly a bit socially awkward, the thought of spending 12 days with someone who I did not know made me apprehensive, but after spending just a short amount of time with Graeme, all the apprehension went away.

What really made my worries go away and made this trip special beyond the fact that I was getting married, was Graeme himself as a person. Being that he is a published author and has a strong social media presence, made him the closest to an actual celebrity I’ve ever interacted with, but he ended up being just a down to earth and fun person to be around. He did so many little things that ended up meaning a lot to us that he did not have to do. Some of these gestures are helping us carry all our luggage to our room at one of our bed and breakfast accommodation, up three flights of a 100-year-old stairs not built to carry luggage on. He also bought all kinds of different foods for us to try on picnics as well as sharing food with us at our meals after my wife mentioned she comes from a culture where it is normal to share food with each other. Gream even brought bottles of whiskey from his own personal collection for me to try at special places along the way in addition to indulging us by letting us eat “Chippy Tea” and Chinese Takeaway in his car. All of our random conversations were not only meaningful but humorous as well, whether it was about his own personal life or ours, what goes on behind the scenes as an author, a person involved in Scottish social media, a business owner, whiskey related topics, or learning about the differences and similarities between our two countries made me feel that he was invested in us during this journey and was not just simply driving us around like someone would with a bus tour that you find all over Scotland.

But the one thing he did that will forever be extra special to us was the wedding gift he gave to us. During one of our stops, we mentioned that our celebrant wanted us to bring a special cup to use as part of our ceremony and even though we wanted to use a quaich, we were unable to find one, so we just bought a random cup we saw at a Renaissance fair, with no special meaning. The day before our wedding he presented us with a quaich engraved with our names and wedding date on it, so we not only had our own quaich now for the ceremony, but it was special because it was a gift to us. This should tell you the kind of person you are getting when you book a trip with Graeme.

As our tour planner and driver though, Graeme was exceptional and far exceeded any expectations I had. My wife gave him an extensive list of places and things to do, and he made it all happen. Being a whiskey fan, I was especially appreciative that he included stops at distilleries along the way for me to try a dram or two as well as purchase bottles for my own collections. Each day was planned perfectly. Every day, Graeme arrived at our accommodation on time, car fully fueled and stocked with drinks and snacks for the day’s journey, ensuring we were comfortable and had to make minimal unplanned stops. He allowed plenty of time to get to every destination, spend time there, take pictures, ask questions and hear the stories before having to leave for the next stop. Graeme was always flexible with the plans as well. When my wife had mentioned one morning after our walk to the Machrie Moore Standing Stones that she enjoyed doing that, he rearranged our schedule when possible so that each day can start with a morning walk. Another time she wanted to change plans and go to Staffa instead of what was planned that day, no problem with Graeme! He was happy to accommodate and when the boat to Staffa got cancelled due to weather, Graeme not only called and got our tickets refunded, he then replanned the day to make up for it. When our entire day trip to Orkney got cancelled first thing in the morning due to an accident on the ferry, Graeme was able to rearrange our schedule on the fly and made our day just as fun and special. In addition to the planned stops, all of the recommendations he made for accommodations where clean and comfortable as well as the restaurants where we ate were fantastic! We enjoyed so much great food on our trip that it became difficult to pick a favorite (but we did, and it was the Applecross Inn)!

From our first few hours in Edinburgh hearing stories behind the names of pubs in Grass Market and the Royal Mile, to our last few hours hearing about the history behind three bridges leading back into Edinburgh, as we completed our journey in a full circle moment. It was clear that Graeme is much more that just a driver and tour guide, but a wonderful storyteller and historian with deep knowledge and love for Scotland. Everywhere we went, there was a purpose and reason, and every place comes with history or significance behind the location. We learned about the various Scottish Clans who controlled the areas we were in, stories about real life heroes and villains as well as wonderful tales about mythical creatures and the mostly tragic fates surrounding them and those who interacted with them. While driving Graeme would point out the landmarks from lochs and Monroes, ruined castles and Victorian mansions or even what little town we were about to drive through, he always kept us informed about where we were, what we were looking at and the stories associated with them. This made the long car rides between stops engaging and exciting, so much so that after a few days he asked us how many miles we think we had travelled and I guessed a number that was way too low because it had felt like we had only been in the car for a few hours over those first days. I could not believe we had travelled hundreds of miles already!

After spending 12 days, traveling 1900 miles and walking 155k steps on our trip I am reminded of the quote, “A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles” and the modern saying of, “maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way.” While every day was an adventure and every sight something I’ll certainly always remember, I’d like to think what truly made our trip special was the friendship we shared with Graeme. Thank you for everything you did and for being you. We both look forward to seeing Graeme again soon on our next Scotland adventure.

  Master Storyteller & Guide!!! - We (a newly married couple on their honeymoon!) had the great fortune of Graeme’s expertise and fantastic company for a total of four days, and it made our experience all... read more the more enriching and magical! The amount of historical knowledge, and number of tales he’s committed to memory, absolutely boggles the mind and places him square in the ancient oral tradition of brilliant Scottish storytellers! Fortunately, he’s also deft with a pen and has a highly-anticipated book in the works!!! If all this weren’t enough, he packed snacks for our excursions and surprised us with a gorgeous quaich and hand-fasting ceremony (as if he’d read our minds, as we were hoping to do one on that very day!!!) You will not do better than this master storyteller and wealth of information (who also—steel yourself ladies—rocks a kilt with the very best of them!!) We’re gonna miss his company and insight on our remaining days in this gorgeous country. Thank you so much, Graeme!!!

  Brilliant experience! - When we were contemplating our family's trip to Scotland, we weren't sure how to make the most of our time. A friend suggested we connect with Graeme as she'd... read more had a fabulous time touring with him. We met with Graeme over Zoom and provided him with some general ideas of what we hoped to experience. From this basic information, Graeme created a fantastic two day itinerary that considered our interests as well as those of our 11 year old. Graeme also helped us plan the rest of our time in Scotland to ensure we experienced everything we hoped to. He made himself available for any questions we had, both before and during our trip. He was open to modifying our itinerary on the fly when opportunities presented themselves. Graeme is a kind, witty, and very knowledgeable person. The stories he shared with us brought the places we visited to life. We felt like we were exploring with a friend. It was clear that Graeme loves his country and wanted to share it with us. Having Molly adventuring with us was an added bonus. When reflecting on our trip, I asked our 11 year old what his favorite memory of Scotland was and he said, "seeing all the neat places with Graeme and hearing the stories. Oh, and spending time together as a family." I think continuously slipping Molly treats landed somewhere between those, though I don't think we were meant to know the extent that happened. When we have an opportunity to return to Scotland, we will definitely be looking to tour with Graeme again.

  A Day of Discovery in Edinburgh and Surrounding Area with Graeme - Graeme provides an engaging, deeply informative, personalized experience of Edinburgh and Scotland. His knowledge covers a vast array of topics and he is able to make hundreds of years... read more of history come alive and make sense.
Great personality and sense of humor, thoughtful of his clients, and just plain fun to be with.

  Terrific tour!  - We did a one day tour with Graeme from Edinburgh. We had a blast! He planned the perfect variety of stop including castles, nature, archaeology, and hidden gems that served... read more tasty local pies. His stories brought history to life and left us feeling like we’d learned a lot while also having fun. Molly (his dog and copilot) was an extra special highlight! We would highly recommend him, it was a highlight of our trip. Thanks Graeme!