Sunday 31 January 2016

Why Scotland for a Tour?

Scotland has so many places to see for visitors. Whether you're interested in history, fantastic scenery, sporting events, the Castle trail, or the Whisky Trail or just coming to see somewhere different. We have something for everyone and I love showing clients around.

I am constantly asked by clients who come on my tours to go and see the remote areas of Scotland. The out of the way destinations where they are literally out in the wilds. They love it and have no interest in seeing the big cities and all the crowds that we associate with big city life. This is not a problem and I am always able to deliver a small village with a local pub that has been in existence since the 17th century. Time seems to stand still in these places and they are peaceful and everyone knows what is going on. Needless to say the locals all know you are a visitor too and this often results in some interesting conversations and history lessons about local sites.

There are numerous locations that I like to take clients who are looking for a bit more history and culture and Orkney is high on my list. To me Orkney is a fantastic destination full of Neolithic sites that will amaze anyone. Everywhere you go on Orkney there is a site that has been explored or a new one that they are working on. Scara Brae one of the older sites is right on the beach and is a wonderful example of how these ancient people lived. There is even a reconstruction of one of their huts that they use to live in, they were very hardy people!
The Orkney Islands also is home to Scapa Flow which is famous for its use as a naval port during WWI and WWII. Old gun emplacements can be seen as you come off both of the ferries that service the island. The Italian Chapel which was a prisoner of war camp during the war it also a must see  when on the island, It's a stunning construction using two old Quonset huts to construct a place of worship and hope that was built by the Italian prisoners. The site is now looked after by the local council who maintain it and keep the chapel in good repair for the thousands of visitors who visit every year.
Last but not least, there are two distilleries on the island worth visiting. Highland Park and Scapa both produce a single malt and both are well worth a visit for a wee dram.

On my next post we are going to look at the Wester Ross region of Scotland

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