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 Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, India and the US.
tour links
High quality one day travel from Edinburgh, Heart of Scotland Tours and one day and multi-day travel, Rabbies Trail Burners including trips to Loch Ness, Hadrian's Wall, North Berwick and Dunbar.
For eco-friendly cycle tours combined with storytelling around and about Edinburgh I recommend Andy Hunter at Storybikes.
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: private group tours of Scotland, England and Ireland. Also, self-drive tours.
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 .
For hotels near the Royal Mile in Edinburgh try Royal Mile Edinburgh Hotels Their goal is to provide the best rates on hotels in area around the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland and from experience they do offer good discounted rates.
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 Angus, just to the north of Arbroath and close to wonderful Lunan Bay, I recommend Cross Wind Lodge with friendly owners, Shirley and Beverley.
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!
For a unique experience in Ayrshire try:Craufurdland Castle where you can sleep in a room used by Charles I in 1648, and browse the library with books dating back to the early 16th century! (Virgil)
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 .
For very comfortable and good value accommodation 3 miles from Fort William in the rural settlement of Torlundy, I very much recommend Mayfield Bed and Breakfast; a family run 4 Star B & B, and a great base where you can enjoy wonderful views of Ben Nevis.
Distant Hills is a friendly four star guesthouse in Spean Bridge convenient for Ben Nevis and Loch Ness.
On the Great Glen (Albyn) I recommend Glen Albyn Lodge which is an ideal base for day trips exploring the Highlands and the Isle of Skye, is friendly, comfortable, and has hot tubs.
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.
If touring the wonderful and less-visited Moray Coastline you can do no better for value, money and friendly hosting than: Ashtree Cottage in Macduff. A great base for exploring places such as Banff, Crovie and Pennan.
In Angus, five miles to the north of Dundee I recommend: Duntrune House and the Real Retreat therein.
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!
If you feel inspired and fancy a spot of recording while you are in Edinburgh I recommend my friend Andrea Meneghini's 21seven.co.uk recording studio. Andrea combines an open, affordable and personable approach, and will work on your behalf to perfection.
Holiday Cottages in Scotland - Mackays Agency offers a wide variety of Scottish cottages, lodges and other self catering accommodation throughout Scotland. Mackays Agency has the largest network of self catering Scotland holiday cottages at locations across Scotland.
other serenity scotland links
A networking resource for expats living in the UK and throughout the world.
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.
GNWS - A Travel Guide for Scotland - online boookings and tourist information for Glasgow and all the main cities and towns in Scotland.
Also for accommodation, attractions, restaurants, shops and travel companies in Glasgow and the surrounding area: Glasgow B & Bs.
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.
Steayban is a real find of a restaurant offering a fine dining experience in relaxed and intimate surroundings in the small village of Glassford, near Strathaven, South Lanarkshire.
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.
Tour to Ethiopia - Blue Sky Ethiopia tour offers great Ethiopia holidays, Honeymoons and private tours all over Ethiopia. They offer complementary Hotel and Travel Service including car rent, airport shuttle service, air ticket reservation; tours are fully customizable.
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.
Indian Maharaja Train: Looking for a luxury train journey between Delhi and Mumbai? Opt for the Indian Maharaja tour. Aboard the Indian Maharaja experience one of the classic train trips.
Also, Royal Rajasthan on wheels is a fantastic luxury train which would take you on an epic journey through the regal former Princely states as well as the incomparable Taj Mahal.
Beijing Luxury Hotels- For Luxury Accommodation in Beijing.
For private, guided tours in Amsterdam and Holland, with experienced English speaking guides, .and using Mercedes vehicles: AmsterdamCityTours.com; in Berlin with Mercedes and VW vehicles, try: BerlinCityTours.com.