Totally Tailored Edinburgh

I was blessed to be able to take my Mom on a cruise around the British Isles. The port of Invergordon was our gateway to the Highlands of Scotland. The cruise excursions were fine, but I wanted to make a better day of it; enter Totally Tailored Scotland (at the time called Edinburgh Tailored Tours).I contacted Charley and explained what I wanted to do. She was so patient as we planned a tour that would take us to beautiful spots, but also accommodate my Mom’s 84 year old, bad knees. Spoiler alert...Itwas one of my Mom’s favorite days.Our guide Austin, fully kitted with his Clan’s tartan, and driver George met us at the port with George’s luxury vehicle (Don’t call it a van, Austin) and we started our day. Austin had wonderful commentary as we traveled and was excited for questions. Our first stop was Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness. Austin and George made sure Mom was steady at every step. They kept to her pace and even helped her on some gravel pathways where the cane was not as steady. We walked the grounds and ruins and were met with breathtaking views of Loch Ness.Mom, Austin, and I took a Jacobite Cruise down the Loch while George drove down to the newly remodeled Visitor’s Centre to meet us. I knew I had made the right decision about this tour when Mom said “ oh, I would have hated to miss this”. Austin had a little grin as well.Once at the Visitor’s Centre, we had a quick look around and a short break. They sell the small batch Loch Ness Gin there. I was tempted, but ultimately didn’t get any. That might be my only regret on the day. We tried to coax the Highland Coos away from the back fence, but they were having a nap, so we made our way to Clava Cairns.Clava Cairns was not a stop I was expecting, but as an Outlander fan it was a nice, quick stop. Austin was very knowledgeable about the area, and he always gave just enough facts about what we were seeing.From the standing stones we drove by Culloden, through Inverness and to Cawdor Castle. My Mom loves English gardens, and that was the highlight for her here. Austin got us our audio guides so we could tour the home. It was a fun walkthrough and fairly quick. We had a little snack in the small restaurant and while I finished up Austin was kind enough to take Mom out to the gardens so she could see them at her slower pace. They were absolutely beautiful. I took far too many photos of the gardens. This was such a peaceful place to see. Austin met us outside and he and I may have shared a wee dram of whisky before leaving. It was peaty and made my eyes water, but I loved sharing it with such a kind Scotsman in such a beautiful spot.We were dropped back at the port and Mom and I both hated to leave them behind. Charley was so good with all the planning. Austin and George were so wonderful to Mom and to me. Totally Tailored Scotland helped us make wonderful memories and I recommend them highly if you want a custom experience totally tailored to your needs.

I went on The Totally Tailored tour of Calton Hill, Edinburgh on the last week of August and I thought it was probably the best thing I did, from a tourist point of view, during my stay here. If you want to get a great snapshot of the History of the city, as well as see a lot of the sights, in a really pleasant and convenient way, I'd highly recommend this tour. It involves one walk, which lasted about an hour, during which you get amazing views of the city, as well as the historic sights on the hill itself. Our guide, Charley was great, really lively and had the balance just right between historical facts and interesting tidbits. She could also be really funny, which helps! It definitely didn't feel like she had just learned everything off from a script, which is my experience of a few other tours went!Me and my mate asked her loads of questions about what stuff we could do in Edinburgh, where we could eat and what we could do at night and she was happy to answer it all, in a friendly, chatty manner. I'd recommend this to anyone who is starting their visit of Edinburgh or who doesn't have that much time to explore the city and wants to pack in as much as possible.

Another year, another another vacation with my mother! Our first experience with Totally Tailored was the Royal Day tour in London. I was so impressed by our first tour I wanted to do another one and I was excited to find out that totally tailored had expanded to Scotland. As I said in my first review of Totally Tailored 2 years ago, I wanted the best for my mother and she got the Best. Our guide was Austin a traditionally clad Scotsman in wonderful authentic garb. There was just so much history crammed and jammed packed into our tour I was very impressed by Austin‘s knowledge of the city. As a local and a Scotsman I could see how much love and passion he had for his city and country. Even some of the more obscure questions I had he had an answer to! The Totally Tailored experience can’t be beat by any other of those mass tour group companies because you get individualized attention with Totally Tailored. We were able to tailor the tour to see things we wanted to see instead of just a pre-designed itinerary. We were given a general one and we added and removed what we wanted. That way we were engaged in everything that we saw and did there. I also enjoyed the personal touch of just getting to know a person who lives in Scotland and understanding the world and the life a little bit better. During our walks in between the major sites Austin pointed out little tidbits and personal stories that you wouldn’t get anywhere else! I look forward to seeing how totally Tailored expands in the future and I will definitely be returning a third time!

Top draw tour! Alan was great! He showed us all the main sites in one day including an amazing whisky place. Like having a friend for the day.

What an amazing two days with Alasdair to educate us on Scotland! He is incredibly knowledgeable and very fun to have as a guide. I wonder at how he can keep everything in his head. Thank you Alasdair and Totally Tailored