Make the most of your journey with Kelpie Quines private Scotland tours
Whether this is your first visit to Scotland or you planning your next visit, we're here to help you create memories of a lifetime.
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Perhaps you fancy a private Outlander tour including a stop by Doune Castle, a visit to the sea paired with a stop by historic St. Andrews, or a walking tour through Edinburgh. Each Kelpie Quines private Scotland tour is unique, but we love sharing ideas to whet your imagination.
+Get ideas for your private Scotland tour
Because no two Kelpie Quines tours are alike, pricing is provided after we discuss your hand-crafted vision for your Scotland adventure. You can trust that our pricing is more than competitive as our goal is to make Scotland, and our passion for her, accessible to our guests.
Imagination is but the beginning as we craft your hand-knitted, personalised Scotland tours
Scotland Outlander tours (and Game of Thrones and Monty Python, too)
Ready for your personalised Outlander experience?
One of our most requested tours is a trip through history and Outlander filming sites like Doune Castle (Castle Leoch) near the village of Glencoe, with greater Glen Coe (read: a Scottish glen named Coe) also the site for filming scenes from James Bond's Skyfall and multiple Harry Potter movies. Beyond Doune Castle, your Outlander tour would not be complete without sites like Linlithgow Palace (Wentworth Prison), Deanston Distillery (Jarrod’s wine house), Dean Castle (Beaufort Estate, home to Lord Lovat), and other filming locations.
“Ye are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone,
I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One.
I give ye my Spirit, 'til our Life shall be Done.”
Explore the real history of the Jacobites, foundational to both Scotland and Outlander. No private Outlander tour is complete without discussing the Jacobite risings, which influenced Scotland's history and the Outlander television series. As history buffs, we'll make sure you end your Outlander tour with a solid understanding of this historic period.
Game of Thrones and Monty Python and fans will also appreciate Doune Castle, with key scenes of Winterfell and Monty Python and the Holy Grail filmed at the castle. Of course, Monty Python fans will also want to visit Castle Stalker (Castle Aargh!) on Loch Laich, the backdrop for King Arthur’s army at the end of the move. At your leisure, we’ll stop for a pint, great food, and photos to round out your Scotland film and television location adventure.
+Book your private Scotland Outlander tour today
Essence of Scottish Highlands tours
Explore wild Scotland with quintessential Highlands destinations. The Scottish Highlands are a vast and fascinating mixture of glens, moors, and mountains with geologic and volcanic wonders unique to Scotland. We can help you make the most of your stay on a “best of the highlands” tour with, as Monica likes to say “a loch, a castle, whisky, a hairy coo, sheep, and great food”.
A hand-knit, private Scottish Highlands tour could well be the highlight of your stay with us, and our knowledge of the best highlands destinations (in our wee opinion) enables us to pack in a lot of experience in as little as six hours. Or, if you’re like us and prefer to meander, we can plan a multi-day highlands adventure that is sure to capture your heart and mind for years to come.
+Plan your personalised Scottish Highlands tour today
Scottish whisky (without the "e") tours
We Scots don’t use the letter “e” in whisky, but we do enjoy a wee dram. Whether you’re new to whisky or know exactly which single malts, single grains, and blends you want to enjoy, we’ll hand-craft a personalised whisky tour just for you.
Whisky, our water of life. "Whisky" is derived from Gaelic phrases uisge beatha and usquebaugh, which translate to "water of life" in English. The origin of whisky distilling is not proven, but we know whisky has existed in Scotland since at least 1494.
Our whisky tours are sure to please your palate. Perhaps we’ll explore whisky while walking about Edinburgh, or you might fancy a tour of distilleries, savoring Scottish whisky from the makers themselves. Our off-the-beaten-path Kelpie Quines whisky tour will be as unique as every scotch you’ll sip.
+Book a private Scottish whisky tour today
The sea, a sandy beach, and St. Andrews
The water is cold, but oh so inviting. A trip to the sea can be a wee Baltic, but the cold and wind shouldn’t stop you from a perfect Scotland seaside tour hand-knitted with amazing seafood, our often quiet yet always beautiful beaches, and stunning seaside cliffs.
Historic St. Andrews, located in Fife, makes for a perfect sea and golf outing day trip. Just along the water's edge in Fife is world-renown St. Andrews, a must-see destination for our golf aficionado guests. Nearby beaches and amazing seafood pair well with time spent on the Old Course.
Squeeze in some sea time during your stay. A lover of the sea (ask her about year-round cold sea swimming!), Monica highly recommends a day by the sea, or even lunch in a seaside East Lothian village near Edinburgh, to capture the essence of Scotland during your visit. If you have your sea legs, we can also schedule a fishing trip to accompany your Scottish seaside adventure.
+Plan your Scottish seaside and St. Andrews tour
Mary, Queen of Scots: Scotland’s pioneer quine
From infant monarch to forced abdication and execution. Throughout a childhood of being moved from location to location, forced marriages, controversy in whether she (and the house of Stuart) or Elizabeth I (and the House of Tudor) was the rightful heir of the British throne, imprisonment, forced abdication to her one-year-old son, and execution, Mary, Queen of Scots, remains a pivotal Scottish monarch. Packed with narrative history, we can set aside a few hours or a whole day touring sites where Mary lived and reigned.
A life of movement. A child monarch without her own authority, Mary was moved many times in her first years of life to protect her and to enable political and familial advantages. She was moved at least four times by the time she was five years old, at which time she was taken to France, where she remained until becoming a teenage bride.
Castles upon castles of a child queen. We can spend days visiting each site Mary lived, but we most recommend
her birthplace at Linlithgow Castle (also Wentworth Prison in The Outlander television series); Stirling Castle, the site of her coronation (at nine months old) that sits atop the formidable Castle Rock; the archaeologically-rich Dumbarton Castle, which protected Mary before she was moved to France at five years old; Loch Leven and island-bound Loch Leven Castle, where an adult Mary was imprisoned; and Dundrennon Abbey, where she stayed after escaping imprisonment.
Enabling the next generation. A perfect ending to a Mary, Queen of Scots tour is visiting Edinburgh Castle, birthplace of Mary’s son, James VI, who would later become James I of England and Ireland.
+Book a Mary, Queen of Scots historical tour