useful links
These are links that are personally recommended and some have come from individuals on small group tours and self-drive tours from far and wide including India, Netherlands, Canada and the US.
tour links
High quality one day travel from Edinburgh: Heart of Scotland Tours including trips to Loch Ness, Hadrian's Wall, North Berwick and Dunbar. Discreet Scotland also provide guided travel by Range Rover from Edinburgh.
Five Senses, a great company doing interesting elemental tours in Orkney
For fascinating and entertaining personal tours of Loch Ness including folklore, history, geology and tranquility by boat contact Augusta Tours (this can be incorporated into a Serenity Scotland Tour also). Augusta can also take you out on Loch Ness for a day / half day's fishing on Loch Ness.
For tours from Aberdeen, sightseeing, including castles and Speyside I recommend a real gentleman, Duncan: Duncan's Flexible Tours.
Cats Whisker's Tours - a Glasgow based tour operator and guide with a focus on genealogy, archaeology (especially Roman) and other aspects of Scotland.
Another very personal company specialising in tours of England: Discover England.
Accommodation Links:
Comfortable and homely Bed and Breakfast, good base for day trips to Edinburgh by train, and close to Edinburgh airport: Craigbrae Farmhouse. In Edinburgh, for value and very high quality, I heartily recommend
Ross and Kathleen's family-run 23 Mayfield. At 23 Mayfield you have friendly hospitality, tasteful and comfortable accommodation up to four poster luxury, and fabulous breakfasts (including locally sourced fish and homemade pancakes); all at an affordable price.
Apex Hotels have three design led 4 star contemporary hotels in Edinburgh with stylish, affordable accommodation that are very convenient for central Edinburgh (also Apex has hotels that I would recommend in Dundee and London).
For self catering accommodation in Edinburgh I recommend The Wright Place in the City , a four star flat on the edge of Edinburgh's New Town and Edinburgh Holiday Rentals who have three apartments.
Other places that come recommended in Edinburgh are the Clan Walker Guest House and the Clan Campbell Hotel .
In Glasgow I recommend the Kelvingrove Hotel for friendly service, great location, and value for money. Close to the newly refurbished and celebrated Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
For other hotels in Glasgow City Centre try Glasgow City Centre Hotels.In St. Andrews, people on tours have had great experiences staying at Jerry's Castlemount , directly opposite St. Andrews' historical castle.
In Argyll I highly recommend Duncraigaig House. Set in the heart of Kilmartin Glen, surrounded by enigmatic standing stones, cairns and rock carvings, Dunchraigaig House offers quality Guest House accommodation with a warm welcome and good food. Go D, B&B and try Lynn's baking. it's a must!
As a convenient base for a self-catering vacation in Highland Perthshire try Robert and Laureen's two bedroom flat on Brae Street in beautiful and historic Dunkeld; also, try: Riverside Log Cabins and Killin Highland Lodges .
A great Whisky Inn in the heart of Speyside - Highlander Inn with Tatsuya and Duncan, your whisky experts as hosts.
Also on Speyside I recommend Cragganmore House, set in the heart of Malt Whisky country and overlooking the Spey river. They offer the best food in a house full of character, having once been the family home of John Smith, founder of the Cragganmore distillery Cragganmore House.
In Ayrshire I recommend Doonbank Cottage in Alloway, a beautiful thatched property set within four and a half acres of its own secluded private woodland.
Richmond Hotel - a small and friendly hotel in the picturesque village of Strathpeffer, ideally situated for exploring the Northern Highlands of Scotland.
For a traditional country house hotel with many original features at Achnasheen in Rossshire try Ledgowan Lodge.
For a lovely self-catering cottage in peaceful Galloway with great walking I recommend: Tynron Kirk Cottage
For an unusual choice of accommodation try a wigwam. Wigwams can be found throughout the UK at Wigwam Holidays.
For top quality five star accommodation just over the border in Northumberland I recommend Chatton Park.
other links
Welcome to Scotland is a very useful resource for accommodation, and events, also Undiscovered Scotland, Visit Scotland, The Internet Guide to Scotland, ScotlandBy.com, BBC Scotland Website, and Rampant Scotland.
Castles: Historic Scotland, National Trust for Scotland.
National Museums Scotland , The Elphinstone Institute , The School of Scottish Studies.
Scottish Cultural Events: Celtic Connections, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Events in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Hogmanay Celebrations, Edinburgh Traditional Arts, Scottish Traditional Dance, Traditional Music and Song Association.
For wildlife trips I recommend: Sealife Adventures at Clachan Seil, to the south of Oban. Great for wildlife watching and education and they will even take you (safely) to the Corrievreckan Whirlpool!
other serenity scotland links
For high quality bespoke tours of India, Siddharth Travels.
Daytours Victoria - Australian private guided tours, catering to the needs of tourists and visitors to Melbourne, Australia, who want a discrete and attentive sightseeing experience. Luxury transport and luxury treatment for small groups.
A great experience if you are planning a trip to the Netherlands, or are living there, is for Jock Shaw to organise you a Whisky Night. Jock, who has led several whisky tours for Serenity Scotland, and is a former champion noser and taster, can offer you an introductory or masterclass experience, augmented by his own music, storytelling and humour, see Scotch and Folk.
For anyone who is proud of their Scottish ancestry - Clans on Canvas will bring together your clan's history, tartan, crest and painting of their seat, all in one unique product.
Other Reciprocal Links:
Scotland has some of the best hotels in the UK and combined with its striking cities and landscapes it makes for a perfect holiday. See Travel Scotland for hotels.
Scotland Tours: a portal that allows you to find great Scottish holidays.
For self-catering it is also worth checking out: Edinburgh and the Borders Cottages.
For a great selection of cottages on the Ayrshire coast and in Dumfries and Galloway try www.bookcottages.com.
For hotels in Oban try the Glenrigh Guest House .
Consistently a favourite among budget Perth hotels, Scotland the Express by Holiday Inn Perth hotel offers 81 tastefully decorated guestrooms complete with satellite TV, tea & coffee making facilities and Wi-Fi internet access.
For walking holidays:Camino de Santiago Pilgrim Route hiking and walking holidays.
For value accommodation in London : Airways Bed And Breakfast Hotel - offering budget hotel rooms in central London.
Tours to India customized India tour packages portal online.
India Tours - Tour India travel and tourism company offering various tour packages at affordable prices.
Delhi Tourism India Delhi Tourism offers a guide to Delhi hotels and accommodations including tourist attractions.
Delhi Tour Packages provides Information on exclusive Delhi tour packages.