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Next morning, I took the group on a tour of the old and new towns of Edinburgh. The weather was great again and we got to go round the Queens Park. At the Highest part of the road, you have no notion of the city surrounding you. Standing by the loch, you could be out…

I spent 2 days in the fine company of teachers and students from the Kandinsky School in the Netherlands. I was working for Senlac Tours for the first time and what a great experience it was. Day one was a tour to the Trossachs in the biggest coach I have ever seen, driven by Ivo,…

My younger daughter, Lindsay is studying to be a teacher at Strathclyde University (my old alma mater) and shares halls with a lovely Canadian girl called Amelia, who plays Rugby. Well, whatever floats your boat! Amelia’s parents, Mike and Sherry visited Edinburgh and Lindsay asked me to give them a tour. What a super day it was with clear skies but a biting westerly wind. Mike is of German origins but is very keen on Scotland and well aware of the part played in the history of Canada by immigrant Scots. So the debate was lively and stimulating. Sherry describes herself as a ‘real mongerel’, having various European nations in her background. Having the girls along too was a great treat and Lindsay got to see her dad in action as a guide. Mike is also a fan of the…

A few months ago I befriended Heidi from Switzerland on a social networking site called ‘Our Scotland. We corresponded several times and when I heard she was coming to Edinburgh, I offered to take her around. In the event, she came with her young friend, Miriam. We spent a super day together, followed by a…

Being a Hawick man, where they are still trying to get their heads round women on horses, its no surprise that new technology is largely a mystery to me, So, when Jackie, my wonderful web designer, alerted me to the fact that some unsavoury postings were being made on this blog she put in a Comments Approval facility. In sorting out the spam I discovered genuine postings which I hadn’t acknowledged. Sorry, but I’ve done that now. and now you wont find the noxious stuff any more. For those who sent it, you’ve been found out and, BTW, the last time I checked, I didn’t need Viagra! Slainthe, Bill.

I was asked this week to provide a tour for Howard, who is a partner in a company which puts together VIP packages for discerning clients who are prepared to pay for a superior product. The company has used me on a number of occasions and I have always greatly enjoyed working for them. I picked Howard up from the Balmoral Hotel and things got off to a good start when the Head Concierge told Him he was in good hands with me. On to the Castle and KIrsty at the ticket desk gave me a very cheery ‘hi Bill, how are you?’ Down the Royal Mile and loads of people were greeting me whilst the guides and drivers on the open tops were waving or shouting down at me to the extent that Howard remarked that it was like…

Now that I’m able to upload pictures to my blog, It is only fitting that I revisit an experience I had with 2 of my earliest clients (friends), Bob and Melina Fox.

Yesterday I met the Duncan family from Ohio. Dave, Lynne and their daughter, Samantha. The weather was fine except for a chilly westerly wind so we were able to undertake a thorough look at the old and new towns. The state of Ohio is known as The Birthplace Of Presidents and I was able to show them Edinburgh University, Old College whre one of those presidents, Ulysses S Grant had studied. The whole afternoon focussed on the links between Scottish and American history and they were very enthusiastic and stimulating people to be with.

This week an enquiry came in for a family who will be visiting Edinburgh as part of a cruise itinerary. I had a few of these last year, most around August and all were enjoyable. Depending on the size of the ship, it might berth at Ocean Terminal or, if it is too big for there, South Queensferry. The August cruises, usually have a visit to the Military Tattoo as part of their Edinburgh visit, so I’d like to give some tips to anyone reading my blog and planning a tour of the city during the day.

Yesterday I spent a great few hours on a coach with 20 or so members of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. I was working for Creative Travel Connections, who are always a pleasure to work with and Alex, my driver, is an old friend and colleague. The weather was perfect for a coach tour, blue skies but a cold wind so the photo stops were brief. Neverthelass, the Americans were enchanted by Edinburgh and particularly the views as we drove around the Queens Park.

I just received a call from Liliane Bois-Simon of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines in France to ask If i would conduct a tour for this year’s batch of students like I did last year. I remember it well because of the intelligence and courtesy of last year’s group and I’m sure the latest crop will be the same. Of all the many pleasures I get doing what I do, nothing is quite as good as a former client coming back.

I spent 4 days over a long weekend in the company of a group of 12 and 13 year old Spanish children with their teachers. It was my first time working with a company from Peterborough which organises educational tours so it was important to make a good impression. We had 2 half day walking tours and 2 day tours by coach planned. The first walking tour, in the Old Town was conducted in the teeth of a North Easterly wind and sleet, but the kids and their teachers fell in love with Edinburgh anyway.