We visited Crathes Castle in May, visiting from the United States to trace our Burnett family…read morehistory. We visited the castle several times over three days, including meeting Laird Jamie Burnett, our family Chief. The castle and gardens are immaculate, and many exhibits throughout. I was so delighted to see the Horn of Leys, dating to the 1300s. A cafe and gift shop are also on site, along with wilderness trails for exploring. This was a bucket list item for our family, and we were happy to see so many other families visiting as well.

Very few NTS places are open in November, so finding Crathes still open was an unexpected treat…read more Even more unexpected was the guided tour - in the summer months you are free to wander round the house yourself, but out of season they take you round in small groups. Our guide, Drew, turned out to be a hugely entertaining character. I'm sure he must be a star in the local AmDram society. His patter, his delivery, his charm and his jokes had us all feeling right at home from the start. I can honestly say that I haven't enjoyed a guided tour as much as this in years. The house (calling it a 'castle' is a bit of an exaggeration) and part of the Leys estate was donated to the National Trust in 1951. It had been lived in by the Burnett family for 350 years prior to that, and the 13th Baronet left almost all the furniture and fittings as well, which gives the place a very homely feel - it's not a museum piece where the Trust have had to stock it with period furniture; there is a great spread of history from the medieval to post-war. The painted ceilings in several of the rooms are quite spectacular, one depicting nine heroes of medieval life, others virtues to be aspired or grisly warnings about straying form the path of righteousness, all with exquisite pictures and Gothic scripting along the beams. And of course there are ghosts. Nine of them to be precise, although our guide only told us about two. One of these, the Green Lady, is commonly seen by visitors and is thought to have been a servant girl who fell pregnant and disappeared shortly after she gave birth, along with her unfortunate child. Recent renovations discovered the bones of a small child beneath the hearth in the 'Green Lady's Room'. Another ghost that was spotted in two different locations this year is that of a small boy - our guide was keen to suggest links with the unfortunate servant girl, so maybe he will become the Green Lady's son with another couple of seasons' retelling. It wasn't the best time of year for the gardens, but the walled garden has some impressive topiary and was well worth a stroll in the November sunshine. We finished with lunch in the stable block (soup and a sandwich) and, avoiding the temptation to visit the Go Ape! centre, had a quick look round the gift shop (not that impressive) before heading off.

I have traveled all over the world (I'm a flight attendant) and my recent trip to the Scottish…read moreHighlands, was one of my most memorable and enjoyable vacations to date. On a Sunday morning, Bruce picked us up at our B&B in Edinburgh, and we set off on our journey. We felt very stylish and comfortable in Bruce's clean and cool Land Rover. We opted for the Bespoke tour and took a great route as we made our way North. We stopped to take pictures at the Kelpies monument in Falkirk and viewed the stunning Sterling Castle. We stopped for tea and scones and walked around the gorgeous Loch Lomond. I know I am abusing adjectives in this review, but one can only describe this region as beautiful, pretty, breathtaking, etc. Our group talked, laughed, and discussed the history of Scotland as we drove up to Glencoe, Fort William, and Loch Ness. At the end of our first day, we had a wonderful dinner and a fun night in the pubs in Inverness where we stayed for the night. The next day Bruce drove us to Urquhart Castle and then on to a whiskey tasting in Forres before we caught our train in Aberdeen back to Edinburgh. The pictures don't do the beauty of the highlands the justice it deserves. If you are in Scotland PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do yourself a huge favor and book a tour with Bruce. He is smart and has a knowledge and passion for his homeland that makes you wish you were born Scottish! Did I mention funny? He is a stand-up comedian, so you'll never be bored if your riding alongside him on your tour. He was patient as we asked for pictures and answered our questions with enthusiasm. No doubt, Bruce will make your travels through the highlands 100% better. Thank you, Bruce! We'll be back.

Hands down the best tour I've ever been on. Bruce is incredibly knowledgeable about Scottish…read morehistory, and we felt like we learned more about Scotland in one day than we had in a week with, ahem, another tour company. We chose a bespoke tour, because my friend was visiting from the States and wanted to see Stirling Castle, Bannockburn, Rosslyn Chapel, Midhope Castle, Doune Castle and a few other sights along the way. We both soaked up his narratives and loved the way he wove the rich history into an entertaining story format. If you are really interested in Scottish history, culture and people, this is so worth it! I'd go on another tour with him in a heartbeat.

Brodie Castle was one of our Highlights during our Scotland Trip, the castle has so many…read moreinteresting rooms and sights and our guide (nice lady) from the National Trust of Scotland was so amazing, we really enjoyed the visit and tour

A wonderful place, amazing tour guide of the home. So many winders and beautiful art work, portrait…read moreof the family and more, well worth seeing, great history

I did the Outlander Share-a-Tour Falkland, and it was fantastic. Our vacation was very short so…read morethis was the perfect way to squeeze in as many Outlander spots as possible! Sam is amazing. I cannot imagine doing an Outlander tour any other way. Not only is she also a super fan and knowledgeable about all things Outlander (books/show/filming), but she's also very smart and knows so much about Scotland's history! She was a joy to spend the day with, and always kept us laughing. I will absolutely be back with my mom and sister and we will be booking another tour! P.s. my boyfriend is not a super Outlander fan, but he still thoroughly enjoyed himself visiting the castles and learning about Scotland. He gives it his seal of approval.

We got into town and the first thing we did was go on this tour with Steve from Edinburgh Tour…read moreGuides. We attended this private tour with three other lovely people from Detroit. The five of us and Steve spend a wonderful day together at three different sites where different parts of Outlander has been filmed. Steve made sure to have actual scenes lined up on his iPad to show us the scenes as we walked around the different sites. On the drives between sites Steve was really great about historical points of interest or other aspects of Scottish culture and history. We highly recommend Edinburgh Tour Guides and we loved this tour - if you're even an casual Outlander fan you'll really enjoy this tour!

We were looking for a unique experience during our recent weekend trip to Scotland and found it in…read morethis unique walking tour. It turns out that Dufftown has the highest concentration of distilleries anywhere in Scotland. Michelle, the proprietor and leader of the walking tour, is fabulously knowledgeable and entertaining on the couple mile walk around town. I learned so much both about the whiskey making process, about the history of scotch, and about the area. Going into this, I had very few expectations but we enjoyed this so much! We ended up drinking more than a few wee drams along the way to keep us warm and really enjoyed all the local commentary. This is the most fantastic way to explore Dufftown - highly recommended!

We had been planning our trip from the US to Scotland for many years. We cancelled twice due to…read morethe pandemic but FINALLY got to go. Although there for a couple weeks, we wanted to plan something awesome in advance in terms of learning and tasting the fabulous whisky of the Speyside area for a couple days. After carefully researching all options, we selected Michellle and Speyside Tours. We arrived in Dufftown in the afternoon, checked into our B&B and then met up with Michelle's walking tour. It was a delightful day and a fantastic experience. Michelle has lived in Dufftown her whole life and is a wealth of knowledge! She knows EVERYTHING about whisky, the region, the people, the history and chocolate! That's right, we were on the Whisky & Chocolate Tour! Michelle selected precisely the right chocolate for each whiskey tasting. We started at her home office garage where we were issued whisky glasses tied to a lanyard that we had around our heads. We hiked through town and the beautiful countryside, taking relevant stops along the way. Michelle had a large backpack full of great whiskies and a several tins of different chocolates. We would stop in front of a distillery, and she would give us all the background while pouring tastings and serving chocolate. It was so cool! The walking tour was a group tour of about 12 of us. We weren't done with Michelle. The next day, we had booked a driving tour with her. She used her van and took the 4 of us to Speyside Cooperage where we got to see how whisky barrels are refurbished. Then we went to Cardhu Distillery where we got a professional tour from the distillery. It ended with a nice group tasting plus a cocktail. Then Michelle drove us to the River Spey where we hiked down the riverbank and had a delicious sampling of more whiskies from the area. Then we went to Glenfiddich / Balvenie and did more sampling and gift shopping. From there, Michelle cooked us a traditional Scottish lunch with amazing food (salmon, venison) and delicious desserts....PLUS - a cocktail. Following lunch, we took a digestive walk, looking for local botanicals suitable for making gin. This was so fun! We came back to Michelle's office/garage, and proceeded to distill our own personalized gin using some of our fresh botanicals! Overall, I highly recommend Michelle and Speyside Tours. We felt that it was well worth the cost. This was one of the best parts of our entire Scotland adventure!

Adventured to the Gordon Highlanders Museum on foot on Sunday 7 July 2019. I had seen different…read moreopen hours online on different websites, so I decided to walk here and check out if it was open. Approaching walking down the street, I noticed a gate rolled across the driving entrance. Thinking this meant the museum was closed, but wanting to make sure as it was my first time to the museum, I walked down to the street below to see if there was another entrance. On the street below is a walking entrance to the museum grounds with a nature/sitting area. There was not a gate/barricade in place, so I walked up to the museum building. The parking lot was a good size and spots were well marked. The entrance had a sign posted with hours and entrance fees. Turned out the museum was closed both Sunday and Monday, so as I was leaving Aberdeen and heading north on Monday 8 July, I missed the inside of the museum on my July 2019 Scotland heritage travel trip. The grounds were beautiful, well-maintained, and informative on their own.

Wonderfully put together place with plenty of interactive bits for children. We took a tour of the…read moreWWI trench and the tour guide, John, was both informative & enthusiastic - really enjoyed! We also had a lunch at the cafe where they have a selection of sandwiches & soup. Food was tasty and service was friendly. Highly recommend for families, lovers of history & visitors to Aberdeen!

I had made a reservation with another taxi company for a very early pickup of 5 people plus luggage…read moreto go to the airport but no one came and to make matters worse, our international calling wasn't working. We were lucky enough to have a Taxi 24/7 cab drive by. We flagged him down to ask for help. John was incredible. He called the original taxi company for us but received no answer. He then reached out to his own co. Taxi 24/7 and was able to get someone with the right size vehicle in about 3 minutes. We made it to the airport in time because of John and his co-worker. They were amazing.

Situated just down from the Twn Offces. Did not have to wait to long & in fact got a taxi straight…read moreaway on Games Day, must just hit it right. Lady was friendly behind counter. In fact with pop in to look at the Tourist Information Leaflet just inside the dorm on the left.

A fun and free way to learn a little more about Aberdeen's maritime history…read more This museum has some cool interactive stuff, to help pull in any age, and the displays are well kept and visually appealing, which makes you want to see and learn more. I didn't spend too much time reading every single word written, but I skimmed most things and lingered longer over the things that caught my eye. It's not a huge museum, so if you're a history buff, you might like to read more and spend a bit longer. Overall, it's a nice little gem tucked off to the side behind Vue cinema, and it's definitely worth checking out if you've got a hankering for understanding the city of Aberdeen a bit better or are looking for a few things to do to avoid a rainy afternoon but still get out of the house. I'd visit again if I had folks with me who were visiting Aberdeen!

Good place to take children. For me, the view of the harbour, looking out of the window, from…read moreinside, was the most impressive. Massive boats from Scandinavia and all over the world. Some good displays in particular one oil painting of a ship battling huge waves, dark and foreboding clouds, stood out. It was ok. Does not even come close in comparison to Scott's Discovery vessel.

We visited Craigievar Castle as part of a round trip from Stonehaven to Huntly Castle, the Castle…read moreis very nice, the Tour was interesting and the Guide give some good insight about the history and the different rooms

I love the style of this wee castle. I'd love to build a tower like it to live in.read more

Glamis Castle is a beautiful castle in Angus, Scotland, that is currently lived in by Simon…read moreBowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, who succeeded to the earldom in 2016. Therefore, no photos of the castle were allowed during the tour. Pictures were allowed in the waiting area prior to the tour as well as in a room at the end of the tour. There was plenty of information provided on the history of the family and castle. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Queen Mother) lived here, and her daughter, Princess Margaret, was born at Glamis Castle. It was also home to Queen Elizabeth II. This castle was the inspiration for William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Overall, the castle, gardens, and grounds were well maintained. When we got to the castle, we had to stand in a line to get in. The weather was on and off drizzly. However, the tour was well worth the wait. There is a gift shop and coffee shop. Glamis Castle has many beautiful gardens accessible to the public and are not a part of the tour. Weddings and other events are held at Glamis Castle.

This was a nice photogenic castle to visit, on the exterior anyway as no photos were allowed…read moreinside. It's located in the countryside about 30 minutes to the north of the town of Dundee. It was the childhood home of the late Queen Elizabeth. The grounds around the castle are open and well maintained as there is nothing else in the vicinity of the castle. Our tour group also had a nice little soup and sandwich lunch here in their on-site restaurant.