Meet our Driver-Guides

What is your favourite Timberbush Tour?

1-day Isle of Skye & Eilean Donan Castle tour from Inverness as I grew up there and usually get my lunch at my sisters most days when up in Portree.

How long have you been a Driver-Guide?

I started in May 2022!

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

Portree as I have lots of good memories growing up there.

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

Getting out and about in all weathers to all different places so every day is an adventure.

What is your favourite Scottish dish?

Scottish west coast  shellfish as probably best in the world: clams, prawns, lobster (I used to catch them too).

What is your favourite Timberbush Tour?

The Outlander, Palaces & Jacobites Experience

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

The Cairngorm Mountains

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

Seeing the countryside change with the seasons and always meeting new people

How long have you been a Driver-Guide?

Since March 2018

What do you find to be the most interesting period in Scottish history?

The covenanters of the 17th century. Many Scottish people stood up bravely for their faith, in defiance of the king.

What is your favourite Scottish band?

Hard to name just one but I'll go for The Twilight Sad

Any hidden gems in Edinburgh you would like to share?

The sculpture of The Last Supper in St Cuthbert's Church

Who in your opinion is the most iconic Scottish person?

Sir Sean Connery

Who is your favourite Scottish inventor?

A G Barr, inventor of Irn Bru. It's our other national drink!

What is your favourite Timberbush Tour?

My favourite tour is our 1-day Isle of Skye & Eilean Donan Castle tour from Inverness. 

How long have you been a Driver-Guide?

I’ve been a driver guide since June 2022!

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

My favourite place is Neist Point on the Isle of Skye. 

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

The best thing is that it’s like being on holiday every day.

What is your favourite Scottish dish?

Stovies!

What is your favourite TImberbush Tour?

My favourite tour is our 3-day tour: Isle of Skye, the Highlands and Loch Ness!

How long have you been a Driver-Guide?

I've been a driver-guide for over 6 years.

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

It's hard for me to choose a favourite place as I love the whole country but if I was to choose I'd say in the Highlands with all the mountains and lochs.

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

The best thing about being a driver-guide is meeting people from all over the world and showing them my beautiful country and blowing their minds with the beauty. I love showing them just how friendly we Scot's actually are and give them an insight into our history.

What is your favourite Scottish dish?

My favourite Scottish dish has to be haggis, neeps and tatties but with peppercorn sauce and wash it doon with some irrrnn brrooo!

What is your favourite TImberbush Tour?

Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands

How long have you been a Driver-Guide?

Just over 5 years.

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

Apart from home, it would be the small town of Dornoch and and surrounding area.

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

Meeting people from all over the world, making many new friends, and doing everything possible to give them a happy and memorable day out. 

What is your favourite Scottish dish?

Either Cullen Skink soup, or my own home made shortbread. 

What are 3 things you couldn't live without?

Probably the most difficult question but I settled for my camera, golf clubs & library ticket although my specs & bus pass nearly made it!

What is your Favourite Timberbush Tour?

Of the 10 regular tours, Skye (easily my favourite, followed by the two 2-day tours). However I also greatly enjoy the variety of the private tours.

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

I am intensely proud of Scotland - its beautiful scenery, its history and its people - and I take great delight & pride in showing it off to our visitors from abroad.

Your favourite Scottish destination?

Barra but the other Outer Hebridean islands and the North-west Highlands are all incredibly beautiful.

Is there something about Scotland, or the Scots, you wish everyone knew?

Another tricky one but possibly that we do get some great weather sometimes!

What is your favourite Scottish dish?

I love Cullen skink, haggis & venison - it's difficult to pick just one.

The best thing to do in Edinburgh?

In Edinburgh, a walk down the Royal Mile then into Holyrood Park before going up Calton Hill for the fantastic views. 

What is your favourite Scottish band or song?

Capercaillie. As for songs I never tire of listening to Moira Kerr singing "Always Argyll" but of course there are many great Scottish songs & pieces of music.

What is your favourite Timberbush Tour?

All Timberbush Tours offer something different, but if I had to choose one I would opt for the Loch Lomond, The Trossachs and Stirling Castle tour. It incorporates a little bit of everything Scotland has to offer; the beautiful scenery of Loch Lomond, the majestic Trossachs with its forests, lochs and mountains, add on the rich history of the wonderful Stirling Castle and this for me encapsulates what Scotland is all about.

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

There are many places in Scotland I enjoy visiting.  

In Edinburgh it is the village of Cramond, located just 5 miles North-West of the city centre. It has a lovely little harbour, riverside walk, waterfalls and some nice cafes if you fancy a bite to eat. A walk out to Cramond Island (when the tide is out!) offers lovely views across the River Forth to Fife and also of the Forth Rail and Road bridges. You can also appreciate the cityscape of Edinburgh.

I also enjoy spending time at the seaside town of North Berwick on the east coast from Edinburgh. It has lovely beaches and coffee shops. North Berwick is a great town to spend a sunny summer's afternoon just lazing around.

What is your favourite Scottish dish?

Haggis, neeps and tatties would be the obvious choice, but I do enjoy a nice plate of sausage stovies to warm me up on a cold winter evening.

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

Being a Driver-Guide gives me the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Like my colleagues, I try to ensure that visitors have an enjoyable and informative time with Timberbush.

What is your favourite Scottish band?

My personal favourite bands have changed over the years and I do enjoy a variety of Scottish music. From my teenage years there were the Bay City Rollers, then Deacon Blue, The Waterboys, Texas, Travis, Simple Minds, and the Proclaimers (despite them being supporters of the 2nd best football team in Edinburgh!). When I became a Guide, I started listening to Scottish Folk music again and I'm currently enjoying listening to Runrig.

What is the best thing to do in Edinburgh?

It depends on the time of year, but during August with the various festivals running you are spoiled for choice on what to do. Despite this being a busy time to be a Driver-Guide, I do try to fit in a couple of days enjoying the music, comedy shows and people watching at the outdoor bars at the Fringe.

What is your favourite Timberbush Tour?

My favourite tour has to be the 1 day Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands tour. It's fantastic as you get to see the Highlands and the best Scotland has to offer all in one day.

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

Torridon. It's a small village on the North-West Highlands, situated north of Fort William and west of Inverness. It has such a fantastic landscape, beautiful mountains and a great atmosphere.

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

I really enjoy showing off Scotland to new visitors, just seeing their faces light up when they see the Highlands for the first time really makes my day!

 
What is your favourite Scottish dish?

I can't promise it's Scottish, but you can't beat fish and chips from the chippy! I hear we do a good deep-fried mars bar, but I'm yet to try one!

 
What is the best thing to do in Edinburgh?

If you want to see as much of Scotland in one day, I recommend taking an open-top bus tour on a sunny day. You can hop on and hop off as much as you like for a reasonable price. 

 
What is your favourite Scottish band?

It has to be Runrig. It's a popular choice with the Driver-Guides, but they really are great.

Hi Martin! What is your favourite Timberbush Tour?

My favourite Timberbush tour is the Skye tour. I've been on this tour many times now and it covers many beautiful areas of Scotland - Loch Lomond, Glencoe, The Great Glen and Skye. There's so much history on Skye from the last two thousand years and the scenery is beautiful.

What is the best thing about being a driver-guide?

The best thing about being a driver-guide is seeing so much of Scotland's scenery and meeting many interesting people.

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

My favourite place in Scotland is Glenfinnan. It has a great history with the Jacobite rising starting there and the world-famous Glenfinnan Viaduct crosses there - a bridge that my great great grandfather Alexander Simpson was consulting engineer for.

Is there something about the Scots or Scotland you wish everyone knew?

One piece of information about Scotland that I would like the world to know about is that Scotland was the first nation in the world to express it's sovereignty, independence and nationhood in a document - the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, supposedly an inspiration for the American declaration of Independence.

What is your favourite Scottish music?

My favourite Scottish music is Runrig. They are a folk/rock band who blend atmospheric Scottish sounds into their music. Many passengers like their music and ask about them.

What is your favourite Scottish culinary delight?

My favourite Scottish delight has to be haggis which I often recommend passengers to try (to varying levels of success) although I have increasingly become partial to Cullen Skink soup - haddock, potatoes and onions.

Who is the most iconic Scottish person in your opinion?

The most iconic Scottish person has to be King Robert Bruce - Scotland's hero king who overcame great struggles and persecutions to lead the Scots army to their greatest victory, despite overwhelming odds, at Bannockburn in 1314.

Who is your favourite Scottish inventor?

Having recently bought a bike and taken up cycling, I think one of the greatest Scottish inventions is the pedal cycle, invented by Scotsman Kirkpatrick MacMillan. Don't think many car drivers would agree with that though!

What is your favourite Timberbush Tour?

Of the tours that I host at the moment, my favourite is Loch Lomond, The Kelpies and Stirling Castle. It is a tour that takes you through truly breath-taking scenery and a great opportunity to experience not only history, but folklore as well.. and I LOVE the magical world. 

However, I can’t wait to be out to Skye or any of the islands! 

How long have you been a Driver-Guide?

I’ve decided to change career three months before the pandemic. Right after I did a few freelance work for Timberbush and last season of 2022 I’ve became officially part of the team and finally I’m following my vocation!!

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

Without a doubt Orkney. You literally step on ancient land and can feel its powerful energy from the past. Neolithic tribes, Viking sagas and the dreadful Second World War.. just to mention a few. Immense history in such a little place.

Then my heart will be always set in Lunga, in The Treshnish Isles, outside Mull. On a visit there, it was a wee puffin the one that help me decide what to do with my life and become a tour guide. 

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

Precisely the reason that made me choose to be a tour guide. I now have the opportunity to share my love and passion for this country with people from all over the world. I enjoy meeting so different folks every day and that means each time is never the same as the previous ones. Also, it is very satisfying being part of a memory of my passengers trip to Scotland!… and yes, I’m going to join the cliché of saying that I work in the most gorgeous office in the planet!!!

What is your favourite Scottish dish?

Scotland has some of the best shellfish in the planet! I love the scallops and lobster from Mull, the oysters from Loch Fyne, the crab sandwiches from Oban and the monkfish fish supper from Anstruther in Fife. And to go all the way traditional, nothing beats a good haggis, neeps and tatties! I know it’s not an original answer, but that it that is actually really yummy!

What is your favourite TImberbush Tour?

In all honesty all of them are on par with each other but if I had to pick one I’d say 3 day Isle of Skye! Stunning all year round. 

How long have you been a Driver-Guide?

I’ve been a driver-guide for just over 1 year and it’s the best thing I’ve ever chose to do.

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

By far the Outer Hebrides. More specifically Luskentyre on the Isle of Harris

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

Getting so many invitations to visit my amazing passengers all over the world! 

What is your favourite Scottish dish?

Spaghetti bolognese? Ha! You can’t beat a good square sausage and tattle scone role, with red sauce not brown! 

What is your favourite Timberbush Tour?

When I was based out of Edinburgh I would say I loved the West Highland tour as you get to see such incredible scenery. Now that I am based up in Inverness I have a soft spot for the Loch Ness tour, any chance to do some Nessie hunting!!

How long have you been a Driver-Guide?

7yrs

What is your favourite place in Scotland?

My favourite spot on Scotland is the Hermitage (which we visit on some of the Edinburgh based tours!). The whole area is stunning and is surrounded by ancient trees.

What is the best thing about being a Driver-Guide?

Easily it's meeting new people every day and hearing what brought them to Scotland. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful country with so much interesting history, it really is a pleasure to show Scotland off

What is your favourite Scottish dish?

I genuinely love veggie Haggis. Veggie Haggis on potato smiles with some melted cheese *chef's kiss*

Any hidden gems in our departure cities that you would like to share?

If you are going to Culloden near Inverness you must visit the Clava Cairns too. Ancient Neolithic burial mounds with loads of spooky stories attached to them! I'm a sucker for anything spooky so I also love the underground city in Edinburgh, just watch out for the ghosts!

Who is the most iconic Scottish person?

Got to be the Big Yin. I grew up on Billy Connolly and his humour has definitely influenced how I host my tours.