Private travel

Private Tours of Scotland

Your Scotland, arranged around you. A private tour with MacLean & Bruce begins with a conversation, not a brochure. We ask what you love, how you like to travel and what you hope to bring home, then build every day around the answers.

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Since 2013

What Makes a Tour Private

Since 2013 we have arranged private journeys for families, couples, friends and small groups from around the world, from a long weekend in Edinburgh to three weeks from the Borders to the Hebrides.

Your own chauffeur-guideFor the whole journey, someone who knows the roads, the history and the best place to stop for lunch.
Your paceLong lunches, early starts for wildlife, or a day with nothing planned at all.
Doors that are usually closedIntroductions to owners, makers and families, and visits to places rarely open to the public.
Somewhere special to stayCountry house hotels, castles and exclusive-use houses with their own staff.
One team throughoutWe are available while you travel and quietly keep track of each day so you never have to.

Journey inspiration

Where a Private Tour Might Take You

Edinburgh

Galleries, the Old Town and some of Scotland’s best restaurants.

The Highlands

Glencoe, sea lochs and the great sporting estates. Highlands private tours.

The Isle of Skye

The Trotternish ridge, island distilleries and seafood landed that morning. Skye private tours.

Speyside and Islay

Whisky at source, with private visits and warehouse tastings.

Perthshire, St Andrews and Fife

Big trees, golf, castles and coastal villages.

Every itinerary from scratch

Tell us what you love and we will shape the journey around it.

Whisky

Whisky at the Heart of It

Whisky runs through almost every journey we create. MacLean & Bruce was founded with Charles MacLean MBE, one of the world’s leading authorities on Scotch, and our whisky team knows the distilleries, the warehouses and the people behind them.

Private distillery visitsBeyond the standard tour: the stillhouse, the warehouses and time with the distillery manager.
Tastings at the caskDrawing samples straight from the barrel in traditional dunnage warehouses.
Every whisky regionSpeyside, Islay, the Highlands, Campbeltown and the Lowlands, and the island distilleries in between.
Private tastingsLed by our whisky team at your hotel, castle or country house.
Rare bottles and casksHelp finding older bottlings, or choosing a cask of your own.

Private whisky tours Speyside Islay

A private bottling of Longmorn in a library

Experiences

Bespoke Experiences

The moments guests remember most are often the ones we create just for them. Along the way we design private experiences around who you are and what you love, and we are only limited by our imaginations.

Wild diningA long table in a forest clearing or on a loch shore, with a chef cooking over fire.
A bonfire on the beachAs the sun goes down, with local musicians playing into the night.
A luxury camp on a remote Highland moorWhisky, cigars and fine food in front of spectacular views.
Music, stories and ceilidhsFrom a lone piper at dawn to a storyteller by the fire.
CelebrationsAnniversaries, milestone birthdays and proposals, planned in quiet detail.

A sample week

A Sample Week

Day 1–2, EdinburghA private guide through the Old Town’s closes, then dinner in the New Town.
Day 3, PerthshireThrough Big Tree Country to a country house beside the Tay.
Day 4–5, The HighlandsGlencoe, the West Highland Line and a day on a sporting estate.
Day 6, SkyeThe Quiraing and Kilt Rock with a local guide, and langoustines for dinner.
Day 7, SpeysideA private distillery visit and tasting before the journey home.

Every itinerary is built from scratch; this is simply a glimpse of the shape a week might take.

Our guests

Who We Travel With

Couples marking an anniversary, families spanning three generations, friends on a golf trip, and private groups such as alumni associations and business forums. Some come for whisky, some for ancestry, some simply for the landscape.

The time spent understanding who we are and what we enjoy was invaluable… the trip itself was exceptionally well tailored to our preferences.Zak & Tayla, private guests

Questions

Questions Guests Often Ask

How long should a private tour of Scotland be?

Seven to ten days lets you see two or three regions without rushing. Shorter trips work well when focused on one area.

When is the best time to visit?

May to September brings long days and the most open houses and gardens. Spring and autumn are quieter, with beautiful light and colour. And it is always worth considering travelling out of season: Scotland’s winter brings snow on the hills, crisp clear days, fires lit in country houses and the magic of Christmas and Hogmanay, with the most special places all but to yourselves.

Can you include whisky, golf or family history?

Yes. Most journeys combine several interests, and we plan each day around what matters most to you.

How far ahead should we book?

Six to twelve months is ideal for the summer and for the most sought-after houses. That said, we receive many enquiries at short notice, and while a late booking brings its own challenges, we will always do our very best to make a last-minute journey happen.

Plan your private tour of Scotland

Tell us when you would like to travel, who is coming and what you enjoy. We will suggest a shape for the journey and arrange every detail.

Begin a conversation