I am Ryan Mackenzie-Raymond, proprietor of Sgùrr Tours. A true Sgitheanach at heart, I have spent half my life either on the Isle of Skye or in the West Highlands. I have now settled and now live in Inverness the Highland Capital with my wife and step-daughter.

As a Sgitheanach at heart and experienced tour guide, I have a vast knowledge of the Highlands, especially the west coast, and am intimately familiar with both the main roads and backroads of the Highlands, which enables me to customize tours to match my clients’ interests. Since I am also a professional portrait and landscape photographer, I can offer clients professional photo shoots — or photography lessons — during the tour.

I also have a passion for the Gaelic language and am learning (slowly!) to speak it fluently. So if you take a tour with me, as an added extra I will teach you some of the beautiful language of the Highlands — and you will learn that every place name in the Highlands comes from the Gaelic. I will also entertain you with stories not just about tourist attractions but also about the out-of-the-way places only locals know.

I decided to focus on private tours after spending several years working as a driver/guide for a reputable Scottish tour company opening a branch in Inverness. I did not have a bus driver’s licence when I was hired but underwent thorough training with the company’s help. After taking 3 theory tests in the space of 3 hours (and passing each one), I went to Edinburgh for intensive training. It was tough learning to drive a big bus in a place I didn’t know; however, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I then passed the licensing test with flying colours. Prior to working as a tour guide, I was a firefighter for 4 years and underwent emergency blue-light driving training, which has stood me in good stead for navigating narrow, winding Highland roads
safely (although sometimes I wish I had blue lights and a siren on the bus!).

Whilst working as a driver/guide for almost 4 seasons, I received 150+ 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor, Viator. and Get Your Guide each season. However, something felt missing when I  was giving tours on a 16- or 32-passenger bus, and time after time people mentioned how much nicer it would have been to be on a smaller tour. I started wanting to give visitors a more personal and intimate experience of the Highlands, and thus I decided it was time to fly solo (taking those 5-star reviews with me) and start up my new business offering private executive tours around the Highlands in a smaller — and more luxurious — vehicle.

If you would like a personal, intimate tour of our beautiful country with a fun, kilted tour guide, then please get in touch and we will give you the best the Highlands has to offer.

Phone : (+44)-1463 630 110
Email : tours@sgurrtours.com