About Me

 Testimonials from e-mails received following a personal tour

On tour in the highlands
Andrew Shaw & Perry McDonald, Hapeville GA, USA

We just returned from vacationing in Scotland.  What a fantastic trip.  With the cost traveling these days, we wanted to make sure that would make the most of our limited time there.  Ross was an amazing guide.  Well informed, professional and fun to spend time with, he took us to beautiful parts of Scotland that are often missed by those who don't know the country well.  He was always able to tell us the historical significance of each place we visited, point out the best spot for a "photo op" and keep us engaged as we traveled from place to place. Booking lodging during the peak season can be tough, but Ross was able to find us rooms in exactly the type of inns we were hoping to find.

Probably what sets a tour with Ross apart from other tours we've had is that, from the beginning, this was OUR tour and not his.  It was customized to suit our interests and flexible if something came up that we wanted to do as an alternative (ex. shopping for gifts instead of sightseeing).  There were no set schedules to which we had to adhere so that we could truly relax and enjoy our time at each place we visited. Booking a tour through Black kilt Tours is the best investment you could make to ensure a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable trip.
celebration on Stirling Bridge
Bart Forbes & Antonio Uribe Jr., Alexandria, Virginia, USA  [proposal on Stirling Bridge]

Black Kilt Tours was the perfect choice for our tour of Scotland. Each day trip was expertly tailored to our interests and timed to avoid the usual tourist crush.

Ross was not only well-versed in the culture and history of the region but was an intelligent and engaging companion. The highlight was the special care he provided to a nervous man proposing marriage to the man he loved.

In all ways, Black Kilt Tours excelled in the personal service that made our trip memorable and the start of our new life together momentous.
Admiring the view
Charles and Tim, Illinois, USA

Thanks so much! we had a fantastic time.
We will never forget the beauty of Scotland
Eilean Donan Castle
Jean Marc & Eduardo, Vancouver, Canada
Our Scotland Tour comes to its end! My partner and I had an unforgettable trip in this beautiful country. I never thought I would fall so much in love with what I discovered. It definitely exceeded the expectations we had.
I also would like to take this opportunity to thank our Private Driver/Tour Guide Ross who turned our stay in Scotland into the best experience we ever could have. Without your help, we probably would have missed out on all the unique sights your country has to offer.Thank you for planning a tailor made schedule specifically for us. It was great that you were able to incorporate some of our ideas as well. I can only highly recommend his Company if ever you plan to discover Scotland’s Highlands.

THANK YOU ROSS!!! Eduardo and Jean Marc
On the shore at Loch Lomond
Joe and Robert. New Jersey. USA [Cruise excursion from Greenock]

Found Black Kilt Tours online and contacted Ross to see if he had availability on my day in Scotland. He was quick to respond and we emailed back and forth to create an itinerary that was completely customized to maximize our time based on what we wanted to see. I pre-paid via PayPal, very easy.

Ross was on-time and picked us up conveniently after our departure from the ship in the morning and quickly whisked us off for our private tour. I cannot express how charming, knowledgeable and friendly Ross is. He explained much history of the country as we drove to and from our destinations.

I could not believe how much we were able to squeeze into one day, it was an excellent experience that i would gladly repeat. Ross is just so flexible in customizing your experience! We stopped for a coffee at one point and even stopped for an excellent lunch during the day. Loved every minute of our time with Ross
Marscoand the Cuillins on Skye
Ross is the most amazing, accommodating, and knowledgeable guide we've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Admittedly, we've only had a handful. We travel a lot and generally we do tons of research and try to figure everything out on our own. I recommend you don't do that. Working with Ross allowed us to enjoy exactly the type of sites we wanted but enriched our tour with so much more than we could accomplish without him.  
Alex & Frank, New York, USA


We gave him a rough idea of our high and low priorities. He customized a trip that over-delivered. There is too much to see in Scotland and he really didn't skip anything. He has the ability to go where tour buses can't and is a great raconteur -As much as I loathe text book history, he has a fascinating way of describing all that happened, all over Scotland. We had an incredible comfort level with him and, as a gay couple, that was paramount.

We can't recommend Ross highly enough. If you attempt seeing Edinburgh, the highlands, and all other points of Scotland without him, you're really missing out on a lot.       
                                                                           Alex, New York, NY

Overlooking fort william
Bill, Canada
I can tell you right now that I couldn't have picked a better man to guide me about the Highlands and I have recommended you to a lot of people and I have not yet left Scotland. The best attractions were the Countryside itself, just travelling around the back roads and seeing the places where people lived and how they made a living. Stirling Castle was an excellent stop, Glencoe, Dunfermline Palace and Abbey and the ski lift up to see the countryside were things that will remain in my mind for ever, and the trip through the national park.

When I began to plan this it seemed like the most extravagant thing that I had ever done in my life. When I finished it was the best investment that I had ever made in half a century of travel all over the globe.

I found it great value for the money. We avoided all the major bus tours that seem to "whip" their clients along, in long arduous days and just took our time,, stopped where we liked, stayed as long as we wanted. It costs no more than a Big Bus Tour and is less arduous on a person like me.

Ross anticipates needs and requirements and has it all in hand in the planning process. Travelling with Black Kilt Tours is more like a Road trip with a trusted Friend, than it is a Tour. And it is so great to have lived the experience with someone who has a capacity for understanding the past and the present together as a whole and is able to communicate that to a first time traveller in a lucid fashion.

Never late, always on time, delivers what he promises, Black Kilt tours turned out to be the Highlight of a 41 day stay in Scotland.

It is hard to write down how one would describe the experience to a friend, except to say that you have never Seen the Highlands unless you have seen it with Ross Buchanan and Black Kilt Tours. Many people come away having seen the HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND very few will come away Knowing the Highlands and their Signifigance even less will have experienced the back roads that a tourist on the big bus never gets to see.

Thank you Ross,for your thoughtfulness, for your partner Rob's thoughfullness (those Chocolate Ginger Cookies) {grin} it was a look at Scotland that no one really gets to see, or understand. I now read Burns in a whole new light.
at Balmoral
Noel, Wellington, New Zealand

I spent 10 most amazing days, travelling around Scotland with Ross. He would have to be the most informative travel guide I have ever had the privilege to meet, he totally knows his stuff, you won't get the fairytale stuff about Scotland, but real history and events...

As well as being a delight to be with, and incredibly tollerant, he is a very easy going guy and will help you in any way.

I went as far as the Outer Hebridies and the Orkney Islands, and had a ball with him and the folk we met along the way. I totally recommend Ross, for any adventure that you may want to do in Scotland, he contributed to my having a great time.
Thanks Ross for such a wonderful time.... 
Falls of Dochart
 Trace Boone, NC - the High Country of Western NC, USA
(Home of the Grandfather Highland Games every summer)

I love the website! I originally came across the site looking for a basic itinerary to follow since the time between cities and places to see are hard to determine. Once I saw your site, and the ease and flexibility of the overall trip, then it was even more delightful that you added in the sites I wanted to see that are mentioned in The Outlander book series.  I love how you added in the bits about Castle Leod, Clava Cairns, and the pics from Isle of Skye! I imagine there will be others to contact you about the Outlander series portion of your trip. Read the books!
There is so much more and you'll want to know how it is all linked.It was amazing having a personal tour-guide that also knew all of the historical background of the sites that we visited. He was friendly and fun to hang out with, knew where to go, you don't have the stress of driving yourself or figuring out roads, and once he gets to know a little about you, he adds in places to stop along the way that you are interested in.
The Minto Guesthouse in Edinburgh was great! Very nice hostess and really convenient location. Uig Hostel was great as well, but fancy travelers won't enjoy the very basic amenities. I personally don't mind and it was a beautiful view.
Just one highlight? sheesh! :) All of the hiking in Glencoe, the huge waterfall Lealt Falls on Skye (Cindy's proposal site), and Faerie Glen!
The trip absolutely met our needs. It was 5 star.
Breakfast on tour
Renan, Brittany, France

Scotland, been there, done that, 'got the t-shirt.... you know, you think you know but WAOH that is amazing. With my wife and our two children, we planned a family trip to Scotland in February this year. We wanted to see as much as possible in a week and Ross was such a great help. We had it all: kilts, bag-pipes, old stones and castles, Harry Potter's birthplace for heaven's sake (the boys loved that part) and the incredible changes of scenery, lochs, hills and mountains, whisky distilleries, ski resorts, superb monuments of architecture.... so many things and Ross knows them all.
The tour with him was very alive, always in a good mood this easy-going wee boy. The accommodation (a lodge for us) was very typical and the owners very pleasant and Oh my God! you should see the breakfast, not to be missed. According to my wife, the only black point was the facilities: far too many wild toilets in this country. Can't wait 'till next time!

Forth Bridge
Manuel and Martin, Munich, Germany
Hi Ross,
Thank you so much for your tour and the nice pics, we first got at sea. But we didn`t open there because the internet-cost at the ship are very high, though it is great to have these nice memories of our trip with you and the marvellous surroundings of Edinbourgh.

Thanks you once again for the great tour, we will highly recommend your organisation and services! Have a good time and we are sure we will meet again, wherever!

Enjoy life Manuel and Marti
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