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Welcome to Tour Guide Tales, an exciting and fascinating new podcast brought to you by VisitScotland. Each week, Grant Stott hears the eclectic and often incredibly rich history found only in Scotland from those who know and tell it best – the country’s captivating tour guides. From locations used to film the hit TV series Outlander to the National Wallace Monument, join us each week to hear expert guides and born storytellers recount their enthralling tales and personal experiences, just fo ...
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In our last episode of the series, Grant is joined by Gerry Durkin from the Summerlee Museum of Industrial Life. Based in Lanarkshire, the museum commemorates Scotland’s industrial and social history, with a particular focus on the mining industry and its role in shaping the people and places of Scotland. With some surprising stories, including the…
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Joining Grant in this episode, the penultimate of the series, is Lara Thomason. Lara has lived on Shetland all her life, and now takes great pride in taking tourists around the beautiful and rugged islands. With a diverse range of things to see and learn about, from the amazing wildlife, to the wild nights of the Up Helly Aa Viking fire festival, L…
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In this episode Grant speaks to Cormac Grogan, Manager of Skaill House on Orkney. Homely, historic and haunted, this mansion houses a treasure trove of stories and artefacts that have been passed down through 12 generations of the same family for over 400 years. Skaill House and its idyllic location is certainly unique with the site of Skara Brae r…
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This week Grant speaks to tour guide Magaidh Smith from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. WIth six generations of her family calling the Hebrides home, her unrivalled knowledge of the rich cultural history, traditions and communities of the Outer Hebrides makes for a fascinating listen. From Moon Gods and stone circles, to Neolithic history,…
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Scotland is rich with history, history that goes back a very long way. In this episode, we’ll be going back 6,000 years with Alan Steele, tour guide at Kilmartin Glen – a site of great archaeological importance in the West of Scotland. We’ll discuss the prehistoric civilisations that once lived there and what remains of them today. There’s a lot to…
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Want to know more about the gory and ghostly past of Edinburgh? In this edition of Tour Guide Tales, Grant speaks to Tania Dron, just one of the tour guides for Mercat Tours in Scotland’s capital. From jealousy-fuelled murder and dismembered ghosts, to witch trials and cheating death at the gallows, you’ll never feel the same when walking through E…
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This week, Grant speaks to Stuart Rich of the Scottish Maritime Museum. With two sites at Irvine and Dumbarton, the Scottish Maritime Museum helps preserve the rich story of a cornerstone of Scotland’s industrial past, its maritime and ship building history. We’ll hear what life was like for families working in the often-unforgiving shipyards, the …
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In this episode, Grant speaks to Mo Tracey from Blair Castle. From royal kidnappings and Queen Victoria's private army to Scotland's final siege, we hear all about how this fairytale castle has been a fascinating place of interest over the last eight hundred years, and why its history is such a draw for people from all over the world - including so…
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In our second edition of Tour Guide Tales, we hear the tale of the Guardian of Scotland, Sir William Wallace. Speaking to Ken Thomson of the National Wallace Monument, Grant finds out the story behind one of Scotland’s most iconic attractions, as well as the national heroes, both old and new, it seeks to commemorate.…
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Ever wanted to know the real history behind Outlander's iconic filming locations? In our first episode of Tour Guide Tales, Grant speaks to Emma Chalmers and Anne Daly from Mary's Meanders. Their tour takes fans of the hit TV show, Outlander to some of the show's most famous places. Tune in to hear about the real Scottish history of these incredibl…
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