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Private tours in Scotland

Bespoke tours of Scotland with Fergus Halliday:

Fully accredited Blue Badge tourist guide and member of the Scottish Tourist Guides Association.

From the remote Highlands and Islands to the heart of our bustling cities, there are secrets and senses to be found in every nook and cranny. Explore them in comfort with a Highlander to guide you.

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Get up close and personal in Small & Private Groups

Scotland is best in a small group. Taste the salt spray from a sea loch, feel the rough and ancient stone, listen to the raucous fiddle in a cosy pub corner.

All tours are

Personalised to your tastes

Your exclusive tours are personalised based on your preferences. Whether it's Mountains & Castles, Music & Dance or Food & Drink, I can design a trip to remember, just for you.

A warm and honest

Scottish Welcome

We're a hospitable lot, here in Scotland. I'm certainly stereotypical that way. It's my honour to be your host while we explore Scotland together.

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Fergus is quite simply everything you would want from a guide and frankly a person. He is passionate about what he does, knows SO MUCH about the history of Scotland and details others don't, as well as extremely organized and pays attention to details - details we even forgot we mentioned ;) While he stuck to the original plan, the little things he did on the fly for our kids and us really touched our hearts and we consider him a family friend at this point.

Davis Family, USA

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George Square, Edinburgh - Ambient Walkabout
11:24
Fergus' Guide to Scotland

George Square, Edinburgh - Ambient Walkabout

Ambient virtual walkabout of Edinburgh's George Square in Spring 2021. I made this for a webinar I am hosting on the history of the square, but thought it is a nice thing in its own right! Please do get in touch if you are interested in a guided tour around George Square. In 1766, before Edinburgh's famous New Town was planned and built, a builder called James Brown purchased an old estate to the south of the city walls. His plan was a square for the landed elite to live comfortable city lives, no commerce or manufacturing, just dinner engagements and spacious leisure! While the smooth ashlar fronts of the New Town are neat, polished and perfect, the deeper coloured sandstone here speckled with black basalt in the mortar is beautiful in its patterns! Though it was critiqued by some at the time as resembling a sailor's shirt, hardly the aesthetic for George Square's finery... Between 1914 and 1950, Edinburgh University bought up almost the entire Square. Enlisting Sir Basil Spence to design an ambitious project to connect it all the way to Old College and provide state of the art new facilities. The controversial plans saw much of the original buildings demolished and replaced with Scottish Modernist and Brutalist architecture. While not universally approved of, the University Library and the 40 George Square (previously David Hume Tower) are both award winning, listed buildings themselves now. #virtualtour #edinburgh #visitscotland
Ardhaven - Tenor Guitar
02:49
Fergus' Guide to Scotland

Ardhaven - Tenor Guitar

What would you do for your home? On this day (17th of April) in 1882, residents of Camastianavaig on Skye refused to pay rent to their landlord. Lord MacDonald was one of many landowners who was trying to replace tenant crofters and farmers with more profitable sheep herds, during a period known as the Highland Clearances. They forced the local sheriff to burn their eviction notices, so reinforcements were called up from Glasgow. The arrival of these policemen from far a-field, here to evict them from their homes, incensed the crofters. They hurled sticks and stones at the bailiffs, defending their homes with anything they could find. A number were injured and several crofters were arrested and fined for their actions. The publicity of what became known as the Battle of the Braes led to a government inquiry, and eventually the Crofters Act of 1883. It was a small step towards the protection of tenant crofters from exploitative landlords. The tune Ardhaven was written by trad musician Fiona MacAskill, about her home on Skye. It's a tune that's often stuck in my head and I thought I'd dust off the tenor guitar for a go on the anniversary of the Battle of the Braes. Accompanied of course by cheesy footage of my current home, that I do rather love. Thankfully, I don't need to hurl stones at my landlord! Instagram: @fergus_guides_scotland If you'd like to buy me a cup of tea to warm me up after a long day, then my Paypal tip jar is open for generous donations and you will have my eternal thanks! https://paypal.me/fergusguide #scottishmusic #traditionalmusic #tenorguitar
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Keep in touch

If you're interested in a tour, then visit the Get in Touch tab. But if you've just got a general question then drop me a line on the form or use the email below.

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+44 (0) 77198 35759

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