Custom Hiking Trips in Scotland

In the summer of 2025, we decided to make a trip to Scotland to experience the culture, visit historical sites, and explore the country. After seeing a review for KimKim trip planning service, I messaged them about assistance with our planning, and I was soon contacted by Tatiana. Tatiana worked with me over the months that followed to build a plan that we felt would touch upon all our key desires for the trip. I can’t offer enough praise and gratitude for all the wonderful help we received from Tatiana; especially including when we requested her help to make changes in the middle of the trip.

Our trip then was from 6-16 March 2026, and we began our visit in Edinburgh, which included tours of Edinburgh castle, Rosslyn chapel, St Giles cathedral, and Old Town. We also included Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral and a side trip to Kircaldy for a Fife Flyers hockey game (for several years we have been acquainted with an American player on the team). All these activities were truly wonderful and memorable. Stuart was our Old Town guide and he was excellent. Especially memorable though was our tour to Rosslyn chapel with Rafal, who was a truly amazing guide.

We next went to Stirling and visited Stirling castle. We took the tour with the castle guide, and that was fascinating and wonderful. Then after visiting the castle we moved on to Loch Lomond for a night at the Cameron House. Due to a satnav (GPS) miscue on my part, we didn’t drive through as much of the Trossachs National Park as I had planned, but the views we did see were marvelous. Also, the Cameron House is a fantastic property and superb place to visit, with some local sites and sights to explore as well, and we would probably want to stay there again (and a bit longer) if we ever returned.

Our next adventure was to travel north along Loch Lomond and then head west to Oban. The A82 roadway along Loch Lomond is truly an experience, with breath taking views and also sometimes some heart stopping sections of narrow, winding roadway. Turning west onto the A85 roadway to Oban featured more spectacular views, and a very scenic and peaceful drive without the occasional frights of the A82. Our arrival in Oban was just in time for a walking tour, and our guide David was excellent, sharing the history of the town and taking us to several sites of special interest.

We stayed several days in Oban, and this was truly the highlight of our time in Scotland. As we visited in mid-March, there were no crowds and so the town was very peaceful and calm. We ended up with a room looking out on the bay, and we actually spent quite a bit of time just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful view. We did miss our planned Isle of Mull tour, but we made up for it with a tour of the Oban distillery, home of Oban whisky, and as well visiting some other local castle and scenic viewpoints. Additionally, the No17 Promenade hotel we stayed at was truly a gem, including simply outstanding personal connections with the staff and a superb restaurant. We didn’t want to leave.

We decided to modify the final days of our journey, for a variety of reasons, so we didn’t visit Glasgow or Kirkcudbright as we had originally planned. Instead, we ended our journey in Edinburgh and caught up on a few of the things we didn’t see at the outset of the trip, including some sites and sights around Old Town and Victoria Street; the latter being the area said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series by author JK Rowling.

We are very grateful for everything we experienced and for all the opportunities to meet wonderful people in Scotland. Likewise, all the help and support from Tatiana and KimKim. This was a tremendously fulfilling experience and we have lifelong memories of our wonderful adventures in Scotland.

Hotel Reviews

Virgin Hotels Edinburgh

Edinburgh

This hotel offers a more modern vibe, despite its location practically in the heart of Old Town. The exterior retains the historic look of 100-200 year old architecture, but the inside is generally done in a well-appointed and modern look. The rooms took a bit of getting used to, as they are organized a little differently from other hotels, but the design actually works extremely well. The rooms are all white, which seemed a bit sterile in appearance, but that didn't ruin what was otherwise a very comfortable room. The staff was superb, and extremely friendly, professional, and responsive to guest needs.

Authenticity & Character

The exterior retains the Old Town character, while the inside blends old and new without becoming garish or awkward.

Location

If you want to be in the heart of Old Town Edinburgh, this hotel is the perfect location. A relatively easy walk to the train station as well as most of the big attractions.

Staff

The staff were just wonderful. My wife was not feeling well, and the staff helped us without exception. They even remembered me well enough to ask me how she was doing whenever they saw me, and they asked her directly as soon as she was moving around again. Very personal attention that is hard to beat.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel is kept very clean, and the accommodations were very comfortable. Our room did not have a good lounge chair however. There was something of a lounger extending off the side of the bed, but it was a little awkward and not especially comfortable. It was very comfortable to just sit on the bed however, due to a large, padded backboard on the wall.

No17 The Promenade Hotel

Oban

This hotel was the highlight of our accommodations in Scotland. Initially we were in a smaller room toward the back of the property, but as fortune would have it, we were able to move to one of the largest rooms in the front, with spectacular views. The staff here is simply amazing; very personal, attentive, and capable. We didn't want to leave this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

They have done a superb job with setting a cozy, comfortable, yet stylish, perhaps even a little quirky, character to this property. We found it incredibly charming, calming and peaceful.

Location

The hotel is just outside of the town center, along the boardwalk of the bay. This makes it within walking distance of the town but still away from the hustle and bustle of even this smaller town. The views of the bay from the property were simply marvelous.

Staff

5+ stars for this staff. They were simply the friendliest, most personal, attentive, and capable staff we encountered. It was just a pleasure to even stop by and chat with them for a moment or two each day.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The property is exceptionally well maintained, and accommodations are very clean and comfortable. Our first room was quite cramped unfortunately, but more fortunately we were able to upgrade to perhaps the best room in the hotel. That room was simply oustanding; a mix of old and new style that harmonized perfectly, extremely comfortable, and with a bay view that was perfect.

Cameron house

This is a gorgeous property in a very scenic setting. The staff are simply marvelous and were above and beyond any expectations.

Authenticity & Character

The original areas of the property have the old, grand feeling of being in almost a palace like setting. Very beautiful in every aspect. The rooms were simply amazing.

Location

This is a very beautiful property, and it is situated in a very scenic area. It may be better suited for golf enthusiasts, due to what I was given to understand is the fine golfing nearby. Nevertheless, the local scenery is plenty good enough reason to want to stay here.

Staff

The staff were extremely friendly, professional and helpful. They offered plenty of good insight into the area and sites or sights that were worthwhile. Simple excellent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel was kept impeccably clean, and everything was extremely comfortable. The room was very luxurious.

Apex Waterloo Place

Edinburgh

We liked this hotel quite a lot. It was in a good location to walk around the center of Edinburgh. It's a short walk to the train station, for those that use the railways. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and they take excellent care of guests and the facility itself. We were also very grateful for the wonderful morning breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

It retains the charm of being in a historic area of Edinburgh, with updates that keep it fresh but without ruining the authenticity.

Location

The hotel is very well located for walking around to many of the major attractions in the Old Town and New Town areas of Edinburgh.

Staff

The staff were friendly, personal and professional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness was superb. Overall comfort was excellent. I regret I have to say that the bed was too hard, and it made for uncomfortable sleeping for my wife.

Activity Reviews

Edinburgh Old Town Tour

Edinburgh

The Old Town private tour by Stuart was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable and expertly guided us through the area to be sure we saw little details we never would have experienced on our own. Stuart was very personable and his commentaries ensured we learned so much more about this historic part of Edinburgh.

Oban Guided Town Walking Tour

Oban

Our guide David did a wonderful job walking us through the small town and taking us to a few sites of special interest. We enjoyed learning more about this little port town. Overall, Oban was the highlight of our trip to Scotland due to the peaceful environment. We were told it's extremely busy and crowded in the summer however, so that might be a planning consideration.

Private Tour to Rosslyn Chapel and Castle

Edinburgh

This site is wonderful, and our tour guide Rafal was amazing. He picked us up and drove us to the site, and then walked us through all the important sights, with tremendously good commentaries on it all. 5+ stars. He also took us to a couple spots along the way that weren't originally planned. The Rosslyn chapel and castle is a wonderful bit of history, and with the amusing connection to the movie the DaVinci Code.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Rafal was amazing. We would have been pleased to have him with us for every tour.

Transport

It was simply nice to have the guide drive us, rather than try to drive, park, etc, on our own.

Edinburgh Castle & Old Town Private Tour

Edinburgh

The Edinburgh castle is a wonderful historic site. Unfortunately, we did this tour almost immediately after we arrived in Scotland, and we were very tired from traveling. We probably didn't get as much out of the visit as we could have. Because of a flight delay we didn't arrive in time for our scheduled Old Town private tour; however, we made it up later in our trip (and it is reviewed separately).

Kateryna planned an amazing vacation in Scotland! She was super responsive at all times. She planned the trip according to all my must sees and helped me keep it within the budget I had planned. We had what could have been a disaster while on our flight to Scotland from the US our hotel canceled us for our first three nights. Kateryna had us rebooked into a new, and better, hotel and had our airport transfers adjusted before we even landed. I would recommend Kateryna to everyone I know and hope to plan a future trip with her some day.

Hotel Reviews

Ness Walk

Inverness

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cuillin Hills Hotel

Portree

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cameron house

Activity Reviews

Holyrood Distillery Tour

Edinburgh

Outlander Castle Tour

Edinburgh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kate was wonderful,,, very responsive and a delight to work with. She tied up almost every loose end, went above and beyond on a couple of occasions and when she didn’t know an answer to our questions, she quickly found the answer and provided it right away.
I do want to provide feedback on a couple of things,,, fist the positive,,,,, the itinerary was fine, maybe a little too aggressive for people in their 70s but that was more our responsibility than Kimkims. We made changes on the spot and that was fine. It did result in our not taking a number of tours that we prepaid for.
Transportation was fine, both private cars and trains.
Accommodation’s were of mixed quality. In Edinburgh we enjoyed the Glasshouse Hotel but we wished that our hotel could have been more centrally located and if not in the old city, maybe closer to it. The Leonardo In Glasgow, we would never stay in that prearranged hotel and it should not be used as a choice in the future; out of the way, old and dated, heat didn’t work in our room and not a friendly staff.

Hotel Reviews

Leonardo Royal Hotel Glasgow

Terrible experience here, you should not offer this hotel in the future

Authenticity & Character

Hotel was dated, needed a renovation, dingy and sparse,,,, our room had no functions heat,,,,, they had to improvise and moved a space heated in for our stay

Location

Out of the way, don’t feel particularly safe walking around neighborhood

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Don’t use this hotel,,,,, it was at the end of our trip and did not leave a positive last impression

AC Hotel by Marriott Inverness

Inverness

Clean, efficient, tiny rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Glasshouse, Autograph Collection

Edinburgh

Nice hotel, accommodations were clean and comfortable

Authenticity & Character

Location

Move the hotel choice closer to the old city

Staff

Guest Services/ concierge were great

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had a number of problems in the bathroom,,,, first arrives, no heat in the room, thermostat needed to be replaced; show door did not close, could not be fixed so bathroom floor flooded everyday; temperature control on shower was broken and needed to be replaced. Too many mishaps for one stay

Activity Reviews

The Kelpies Guided Tour

Scotland

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Erie from Executuve Private transfers was a terrific driver. We used him twice on long distance drive….. A real gem and great representative for the company

Transport

Edinburgh Castle & Old Town Private Tour

Edinburgh

Guide was warn and very knowledgeable but provided tooooo much info, couldn’t absorb it all. Appealed tha she had a set program and couldn’t deviate,,, tooo much and too deep of detail

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff