Your questions about touring Scotland, answered

My tours are priced for the whole group rather than per person, Day tours start from £650 for the whole group of up to seven people. The final price depends on your route, the length of the day and how many days you’d like. Send me your dates and ideas and I’ll give you an exact quote.

Per group. Day tours start from £650, and whether there are two of you or seven, you pay one price for the vehicle, the day and me as your driver and guide. For families and small groups, that often works out good value compared with booking seats on a coach tour.

Your quote covers the private vehicle, me as your driver and guide for the day, pick-up and drop-off, and the planning of your route. Anything that isn’t included, such as entry tickets, boat trips or meals, is listed in your quote so there are no surprises.

You can book online on the Book now page by choosing your tour, date, group size and pick-up, and I’ll confirm by email. If you’d rather have a tour planned around you, send an enquiry on the Plan a trip page. You can also call or WhatsApp +44 7546 832290, or email help@pathsofthepast.co.uk.

For May to September, get in touch as early as you can, because summer dates are the first to go. Shorter notice is often possible, so it’s always worth asking, even for next week.

Yes. A 20% deposit secures your date, and the balance is due before your tour. Payment is made securely online through my booking system, Bókun. Please don’t pay anything until I’ve confirmed your tour details.

If you cancel 14 days or more before your tour, you get a full refund, including the deposit. With less than 14 days’ notice the deposit isn’t refundable. If I have to cancel because of unsafe weather or anything else outside my control, I’ll offer you another date or a full refund. The full details are in the Terms and Conditions.

I collect you from your hotel, home or holiday let in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling or the towns nearby, and drop you back at the end of the day. If you’re staying further afield, ask me and I’ll tell you what’s possible.

Often, yes. Edinburgh and Glasgow airports and the main stations are within easy reach, so a tour can start the moment you arrive or finish with a drop-off for your flight or train. Tell me your times when you get in touch.

Up to seven passengers. If your group is larger, get in touch and I’ll suggest options.

An executive Mercedes-Benz MPV with comfortable seats for up to seven and room for everyone’s luggage. It’s licensed and insured for private hire.

No. I do all the driving, so you can enjoy the views, stop wherever you like and not worry about single-track roads, parking or driving on the left.

Yes. There’s room for everyone’s luggage, which is why the Scenic Transfer works well when you’re moving between hotels.

Private day trips and multi-day tours of Scotland, built around what interests you. Popular themes are history and castles, Outlander filming locations, the Highlands, lochs and boat trips, wildlife, and heritage towns and villages. You can mix themes or bring your own list. See All tours for ideas.

Yes. The Trossachs, Loch Lomond and Perthshire are an easy day out from Edinburgh or Glasgow, and Glencoe is around two and a half to three hours’ drive from Edinburgh. I’ll plan a route that makes the most of the day without too long in the car.

From Edinburgh or Glasgow, Loch Ness is a long day, around three and a half hours each way. It works best as part of a two- or three-day tour, or as a stop on a Scenic Transfer north to Inverness, so you have time to enjoy it.

Yes. Skye is around five hours from Edinburgh, so it’s best over two days or more, or as a Scenic Transfer with stops at Glencoe and Eilean Donan Castle on the way. I can recommend places to stay on the island.

Yes. My Outlander tour visits filming locations in central Scotland, such as Doune Castle (Castle Leoch), Culross (Cranesmuir), Falkland, Blackness Castle and Midhope Castle (Lallybroch), with the real eighteenth-century history behind each place.

Near my base there’s Stirling Castle, Doune Castle, Linlithgow Palace and Blackness Castle, with Edinburgh Castle an easy drive away. Further north are Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, Eilean Donan and Dunnottar. Tell me which you’d love to see and I’ll build the day around them.

Yes. Tours can run over two, three or more days, and I can recommend places to stay along the route, from castle hotels to comfortable, good-value rooms.

A private, door-to-door journey from the central belt to Inverness, Fort William, the Isle of Skye or a ferry port, with stops along the way. Instead of a train or coach, your group and your luggage travel the most scenic roads, stopping at viewpoints, waterfalls, castles and old kirks, with lunch on the route.

Yes, that’s the whole idea. Send me your list, even if it’s just a few places you’ve seen in photographs, and I’ll work out a route that brings them together.

Depending on the season, there are ospreys, red kites, red deer, seals and seabirds within reach of central Scotland. A wildlife day takes in the reserves and hides where you have the best chance of a sighting.

May to September has the longest days and the warmest weather, with daylight until late in June. Spring and autumn are quieter, with lovely colours in October. Winter days are short, with around seven hours of daylight in December, so routes are planned to make the most of the light.

Scotland’s weather changes quickly, often several times a day. Tours go ahead in most weather. On a wet day I can swap an exposed viewpoint for a castle, a historic house or a long lunch somewhere warm, and if conditions are unsafe I’ll suggest another day.

Layers, a waterproof jacket and comfortable shoes you can walk in, whatever the forecast. Some stops involve short walks on uneven paths.

Yes, mainly in the Highlands and on the west coast from June to August, especially on still, damp evenings. They’re rarely a problem on a touring day, but a midge repellent is worth packing if you’re visiting in summer.

It depends on your route. A day around Stirling and Fife is shorter than one into the Highlands. When I send your plan, I’ll include pick-up and return times so you know what to expect.

Yes, families are very welcome, and the day can be planned around younger travellers with shorter drives and plenty of stops. Tell me your children’s ages when you book so the right seats are ready.

Yes. Let me know in advance and I’ll plan the day around you, with stops that are easy to reach and shorter walks.

As often as you like. The route has room for photo stops, short walks and a good lunch, and I’ll suggest places to eat along the way, including ones that suit any dietary needs.

Yes. I can recommend places along your route, from castle hotels and historic inns to comfortable, good-value rooms.

A private tour goes where you want, at your pace, with no one else’s timetable. You can linger where you’re enjoying yourself, skip what doesn’t interest you and reach the quieter places big coaches can’t.

I will. I’m Lima, I founded Paths of the Past, and I drive and guide every tour myself. I moved to Scotland five years ago for its landscapes and history and have explored it every week since, with a particular love of the places most visitors miss. More about me.

Yes. Paths of the Past Limited is registered in Scotland (company number SC890677), and the vehicle is licensed and insured for private hire.

In Stirling, at Unit 83, STEP, Players Road, Stirling FK7 7RP. Stirling sits in the middle of Scotland, within about an hour of Edinburgh and Glasgow, which makes it a good starting point for the Highlands, Perthshire and Fife.

Guest reviews are on my Facebook page, and there’s one on the home page.