About Scottish Guided Tours

Hello from Scotland

‘Niall is an experienced Scottish tour guide. Raised in the mountains and glens of Scotland and inspired by his father, renowned Scottish author and historian Dr. Rennie McOwan, Niall feels passionately about his role as a bespoke guide.

Directly descended from legendary Highland stalker Donald Ross, Chief Stalker to the Duke of Portland, Niall aims to give clients the best possible experience whether it be heritage related , historical, cultural or perhaps a mixture of all three – the best that Scotland has to offer’

Niall ‘. . . showing visitors my native Scotland is quite simply the perfect job’.

Niall will ensure you have a truly memorable and bespoke private tour tailored to suit your needs , interests and time frame. .

Private guided tours of Scotland depart from any location - Contact us

Happy New Year to all our friends from Scottish Guided Tours. Traditionally we meet our families for a fun ‘Loony Dook’ on New Year’s Day.

A ‘Loony Dook’ involves getting into freezing water and drinking whisky afterwards !! A truly invigorating tradition and start to the year. After all, it’s how the ‘Highland Fling’ was invented 🙂 Hopefully, see you in Scotland in 2022.

From my family to yours, Slainte ! Enquire about Private Guided Tours of Scotland

Generations of Exploring Scotland - Contact us

Dad had such a passion for Scotland, our history and wild places. Most of these would feature during Rennie’s distinguished career as a Writer and Broadcaster. As children, we explored all over the Highlands and Islands. Every corner of the lowlands and borderlands became childhood adventures.

Like Father like son. This is Rennie, our beautiful wee boy. Baby Rennie has already seen more of Scotland than most. He’s toured the North Coast 500, the Isle of Skye, the Orkney Islands and the Scottish Borders. Nichola and I are always looking for new, exciting locations to show our guests.

The Highland Clans of Scotland are an important part of our culture & heritage. In modern times, the Highland Games have become an incredible spectacle and a great opportunity to witness the Pipes and Drums in full swing. Dad had the honour to be the Chieftan of the Highland Games.

As a private tour guide, I try and paint the same picture of Scotland that my Father painted for me. Dad was inspired by tales from his Great Grandfather, which in turn, inspired his writing. History, folklore, epic castles and incredible scenery await – Enquire about truly authentic private tours of Scotland.

Scottish Guided Tours - Tours of Scotland

Private Tours of Scotland

One of the many benefits of exploring Scotland with a private Scottish guide, is that we use our decades of travelling Scotland and heritage, to provide the very best private tours of Scotland.

Scottish Guided Tours offer the complete door to door service. Pick up and drop off from your Hotel, B&B or even Cruise Ship Terminal.

Full travel planning, including booking your accommodation and attractions, are vital parts of planning relaxed and fun private tours of Scotland with Scottish Guided Tours.

Experience authentic Scottish culture, history and legends with our experienced Scottish Tour Guides.

You Won't Regret a Tour with Niall! In the spring of 2018, our party of 3 adults visited Scotland for the first time. We arranged a day-long private tour outside of Edinburgh with Niall McOwen. Before arrival, we exchanged emails about our expectations. Some attractions the three of us asked to see were probably the usual tourist fair for first time visitors, but Niall also took us to places we didn't even know to ask about! Mr. McOwen was considerate, interesting, knowledgeable and truly concerned about the desires of our group. Around mid-day, the restaurant he chose provided us with good food, a bit of shopping and some time for us to get to know each other better. Getting to see this beautiful country through his eyes helped me to understand more of Scotland, its history and its citizens. If we are ever blessed to visit Scotland again, Niall will absolutely be included as part of our trip.

An Epic Day to Remember! Scottish Guided Tours offers some preplanned itineraries, but their specialty is in working with you to customize a single or multi-day tour to fit your specific needs. We’d been to Scotland in the fall of 2017 and started planning our second trip as soon as we got back. We wanted to go to places a bit off the beaten track this time, so contacted Niall McOwan of Scottish Guided Tours. Niall built on our “must see” request, and suggested some other sites that worked well with our schedule. He picked us up from our hotel, and gave us an absolutely epic day to remember! One highlight was visiting an Old Kirk that is the final resting place of the famous Highlander Rob Roy MacGregor. Just behind the Kirk, we hiked up a trail that took us to a rallying point overlooking Loch Voil. A stone cairn at marked the place where Clan MacLaren would have lit a fiery cross to summon their men to battle. The view from this spot was just breathtaking! Throughout the day, Niall filled us in on the significance, history, and lore related to our stops. In addition to taking us to absolutely stunning viewpoints and ruins, he knew the best places to stop for lunch, coffee, and restrooms. 🙂 Our entire experience with Scottish Guided Tours from planning to the drop off back at our hotel was smooth, professional, friendly, knowledgeable and fun! I can without any hesitation recommend this service to anyone looking for a custom tour in and around Scotland.

First guided tour, Don’t often write reviews but felt the need to for our trip. We live in Spain and decided on a little trip back to the motherland,we were not disappointed and our trip was made even better by Niall,his knowledge and passion for his country and what he does is evident,not your bog standard repitive tour guide,there was not one day of our trip that he didn’t have us laughing. Can highly recommend Scottish guided tours,we will return and when we do,we will definitely be booking with Niall.

Best of Scotland & Edradour Distillery Day Tour We spent a really entertaining and informative day with our guide, Niall ( Neal in Gaelic). He took us north to see the three bridges from different eras that span the Firth of Forth. It was fun to see a train go over the old one. Then we were off to Dunkeld, the river Tay, a wee hike in the woods to find a salmon ladder (alas,, no salmon running at that moment), coffee at a charming shop in Dunkeld, a tour at Edradour Distillery, the only remaining hand made single malt whiskey in Scotland, and the smallest to boot. We had a quick look at the village of Pitlocry, and ended the day at Loch Tummel to see The Queen's View. One more coffee stop, and it was back to Edinburg. But the best part of this fine day was the time we spent with Niall, who was a font of information, jovial and witty. As one does, we compared cultures, talked about everything under the sun, and laughed together much of the time. If you are looking for a tour guide with a warm demeanor and a kind and helpful personality, Niall is the best.

Best Day Ever!!!! My family and I had the good fortune to have Niall as our personal tour guide for a day during our vacation to Scotland. We found that one day wasn't enough! Niall taught us more about his country in 10 hours than a professor in History could have done in 10 weeks. He was an absolute pleasure to be around. He made sure our day was spectacular from beginning to end. We can't wait to go back and let Niall show us more!

Extraordinary and outstanding! With all the great tour guides I have hired, Niall stood out. He was with our family from Nov. 21-25. He picked us up at the Edinburgh airport and we started touring immediately. seeing the Kelpies, South Queensferry and the Forth Bridges all in the first afternoon. After that, we spent four more days together while he regaled us with history, legends and fairy stories. He listened and did not interrupt. Niall seemed to know how much to talk and how much to listen. He played the most beautiful Scottish music as we drove. We felt immersed in Scottish history and culture. He even wore his kilt for two of the five days. He went out of his way to accommodate our dietary needs. (It really helped that he is vegan himself.) We traveled through ancient woodlands, burial sites, battlefields, castles, fairy pools and fairy glens, mountain ranges, Outlander, Harry Potter and other film sites. We ended up enjoying him so much that we considered him part of the family and wanted him for the rest of our stay. Finally, we all noticed how kind Niall was with not only us, but with everyone including other drivers, restaurant staff and hotel staff. I only hope that he will be available when we return. We thought that Scotland was magical and that magic was mainly because of him. We would never tour with anyone else. Niall is the very best.

Private tours are the best! Spending a day doing what you want to do is the best tour option! We had been on many small group tours and found them enjoyable, but for the ultimate tour experience, choosing your day exactly how you want is definitely the way to go! Niall, at Scottish Guided Tours, is the man for the job! He picked us up at our hotel, and we spent the day exploring the Trossachs National Park. We visited four lochs (lakes), several historical locations, explored at our own pace and hiked to breathtaking locations that we wouldn't have known about if it weren't for Niall's expertise of the area. You don't need a headset to explain every step of the way when Niall is happy to provide you with history and insight into each location. He is also kind, funny and a great companion for touring around (he knows all the great food stops, too). During our last visit to Scotland, I felt the tour stop locations were a bit crowded, and I wanted to do a little more hiking into the depths of the beautiful forests of Scotland. We hiked to incredible mountain viewpoints, beside streams and along lochs. It was the best! Of course, if hiking isn't your thing, the beauty of Niall's tours is that you can do anything you want - well, with time and distance considered. 🙂 Don't hesitate, contact Niall to discuss 'your' trip. You won't regret it!

Bespoke Tours of Scotland

Browse our private Day Tours or Multi-Day Tours of Scotland Plan bespoke tours of Scotland and explore with a private guide and transport. Private tours of Scotland designed around your time frame and interests – Enquire about Private Guided Tours of Scotland

Why Scottish Guided Tours?

Door to Door Service

Your private tour guide shall greet you at your chosen location. Hotel, B&B or even Cruise Ship Terminal. The most convenient start possible to your private tour of Scotland. Complete Door to Door service from Scottish Guided Tours.

Your Guide

Transport

Our brand new vehicles ensure great views, comfort and plenty of room for all travellers and luggage. Private Tours of Scotland exclusively for your group of travelling companions.

Private Tours

Scottish Guided Tours deliver fantastic private tours of Scotland exclusively for your group of travellers. No travellers shall be mixed with any other private groups. Bespoke tours of Scotland designed around your time frame & interests.

Covid-19 Precautions

All vehicles are meticulously cleaned. Face masks and sanitiser are provided. Private guided tours are exclusively for family or fellow travelling companions. Private tours of Scotland are the safest way to travel.

Book a Loch Ness Day Tour – Explore Stirling Castle & Loch Lomond with a Private Tour Guide – Rosslyn Chapel & Hadrians Wall – Outlander Tours plus many more private guided tours of Scotland… Contact us

About Scottish Guided Tours

Hello from Scotland

Private guided tours of Scotland depart from any location - Contact us

Generations of Exploring Scotland - Contact us

Scottish Guided Tours - Tours of Scotland

Private Tours of Scotland

Bespoke Tours of Scotland

Private Day Tours of Scotland

Multi-Day Tours of Scotland

Bespoke Private Tours of Scotland

Why Scottish Guided Tours?

Door to Door Service

Your Guide

Transport

Private Tours

Covid-19 Precautions