At Taxi Tours Scotland, we don’t have fixed tours, we literally will take you, where you want to go. If you decide on multiple locations and experiences. We Will do that.
Below are a few ideas from arrival to departure.
Airport Runs
There are only 2 truly international airports in Scotland being Edinburgh and Glasgow. We pick up passengers from both Edinburgh and Glasgow airports and take you directly to your chosen accommodation. Edinburgh customs, luggage collection, and fast pick-up are quicker. We watch the aircraft you are on with an app. We know when you have landed and it's normally circa 45 minutes to the collection point but don't rush. We will furnish you with the driver’s mobile number and when you phone once in the fast track pick up point, the driver will be with you in less than 3 minutes. We use this strategy because the first 5 minutes are free and then it's £1.00 per minute and we do not want to charge you for parking above the £5 entrance and exit charge payable to the carpark included in your price. Glasgow airport is similar but further away. If you arrive during the day, into Edinburgh. As we cross the Forth Crossing, the scenic route begins offering views of the historic Forth Rail Bridge.
Golf Tours
A lot of people come to Fife, Scotland to play on the old course St Andrews, which is the home of golf. Book early. As the course is public. Fife has many golf courses that might be more challenging. If you're visiting Scotland for golf, we can help you assess the difficulty of each course. There are many. Although you may want to look at Leven Golf Club. Pretty much all the courses insist on you having a handicap of 18 or less for men and higher for ladies. There are some golf courses in Fife that will accept higher. This is not a reflection of you as a person. The course officials are just trying to avoid excessively time-consuming rounds and tees with queues forming. However, to be fair, the weather conditions can be so challenging, scratch golfers can't get anywhere near par or allotted time. We can guide you to some beautiful courses off the beaten track. We always hope for good weather for our customers. Scotland can be a country of four seasons in one day. If you feel like to eat after your round of golf, just tell us what you like, and we will know a good restaurant to recommend. The quality of food is excellent in many establishments.
Visit our golf tour website
taxi-tours-scotland-golf-courses.com and we have listed quite a few golf courses but there are far more. I like playing golf and I like to mix it up. I have put several 9-hole courses in. Basically, because I have played them and some are very challenging and some of the courses are just nice to play. I really do not see the point of playing a links course in a howling gale and horizontal rain. I don’t think that is fun. Holding onto the club by the 4th hole has become impossible and you will be lucky to break 90. It really won’t matter what the caddy says, as you won’t make 250 yards into the wind with a 4 wood off the fairway and highly unlikely with a driver off the tee. The ball will probably roll off the green wind assisted.
If you are determined to play, you will be taken to a good course with some cover and forgiving fairways.
Whisky Tours
There are currently 5 whisky distilleries in Fife. I have used these as an example. There are over 150 distilleries in Scotland. There are also some fantastic whisky experiences plus many others all over Scotland worth visiting or buying whisky from or specialist retailer. There are several excellent whisky shops and experiences all over Scotland.
The Macallan Whisky Distillery is further away as many of the best are. It is located near Craigellachie village. If you are a lover of Macallan whisky, it is a definite need to go see. Although you will need a booking time and you cannot be late. They will refuse admission. People think this is mean, but the volume of people is kept to a manageable size. It is impressive. The John Johnnie Walker experience in Edinburgh is well worth the visit. It is probably the best in Scotland but of course, only sells its own brands. Unfortunately, visiting the distillery is not allowed. Owned by Diageo distillers being one of the largest in Europe, simply doesn’t have the necessary safety requirement to let the public in.
Visit our whisky site
www.taxi-tours-whisky.com and you will see a gallery with quite a few distilleries and links leading to even more. In time we will list them all but at present we name 20% at most.
Some o the best distillery tours are not just old distilleries. The new ones bring sparkle to the party. They are committed to making whisky, having won many competitions.
There is a truth in that the most frequented whisky distillery tours are the best in many ways, but the smaller distillery tours have more time to discuss and take time over tasting.
Kingsmill Distillery
This distillery has an excellent tour, whisky tasting and is an experience. There has been a lot of design input to the distillery experience. The distillery is not old. It produced its first whisky in 2019. Please don't believe that age is everything. Albeit, it is true, that the longer in the barrel does produce some of the finest whisky. This is a good tour of a distillery and Kingsmill also produce its own Gin too. In Scotland, Gin is sometimes referred to as, "Mother's Ruin". Gin has made a strong resurgence in the last decade or so. It never really went away but became more fashionable again.
Lindores Abbey Distillery
It is steeped in history; it's not only a distillery but an historical event. In 1495 on the site, their first whisky was born. Better known as, "Aqua Vitae". A lot of thought has been put into this venue, from lessons in making, "Aqua Vitae", through the entire process, plus historical tours, through to a 12-seat dinner table that can be reserved for eating fine food, drinking fine wine and whisky. As in the list of distillery tours and experiences. I have written some more. Please click link to our dedicated whisky content and more in-depth knowledge. That is not just confined to Fife.
Daftmill Distillery
There is no public visiting but purchasing can be achieved locally. It's a smooth whisky. Every year, some is lost to evaporation. Just like every other whisky. This is known as the "Angels Share". It's not a Daftmill Distillery only sells their whisky after 10 years of aging. well-known distillery but it grows its own barley and runs off its own spring water, making it more artisan, than some of the enormous distilleries in Scotland. The distillery cannot be visited as yet. It sits on a working farm. The distillery opened in 2005. A Scotch Whisky is supposed to be 3 years in maturing before it can be sold. Daftmill Distillery won't sell their whisky until it's 10 years old. It's very much a niche distillery with a high-quality product.
Cameron Bridge Distillery
This distillery is the 3rd biggest employer in Fife. It's owned by Diego and has lots of big brands from Jonny Walker whisky, Smirnoff Vodka, and Gordon's Gin. It's full-on industrial production with tankers coming and going pretty much all day. The Cameron Bridge distillery was opened in 1824. It's the largest grain distillery in Europe. There are no tours. However, in Edinburgh. It has an excellent whisky experience. It has a bottle for everyone's pocket. It's best to have a driver for that experience. There are quite a few good whisky shops in Edinburgh but nothing quite on the same scale.
InchDairne Distillery
This is another modern and niche distillery. It won't have a whisky available for sale until 2029. Its focus is only to release vintage malt whiskies. It's truly a labour of love. Part of the finance is conducted through a Cask Club. You can literally buy a cask or part or more than one. Cask whisky purchases have shown high ROI. The older it gets. The more it's worth. It's a finite year. Once it's drunk or sold. The prices seldom if ever go down. Scotch whisky has shown good returns over many years. I am not recommending you buy any part or full cask but it's on our way to the oldest distillery in Scotland, which is about another 45 minutes further on out with Fife. However, that takes us outside of Fife and so does Edinburgh. We can help make an enjoyable and memorable day for you. I would say memorable. We could do whisky distillery tours in Scotland for a week and not get round 10% of them. There are good, special and extra special whisky experiences. A holiday is a finite time. It's good to mix it up and try a bit of everything. Scotland is not just about whisky and golf. Although there is bound to be people who would argue against it. However, we can all agree, that one is a big sport played in many countries globally. Those same clubhouses will stock Scotch whisky but not all of them.
Historical Tours
Scotland is absolutely steeped in history, be it St Andrews Cathedral, Dunfermline Abbey, The Secret Bunker, Adam Smith Museum, The Andrew Carnagie Museum and Falkland Palace but to name a few. St Andrews Cathedral In 1158 the cathedral was built. It basically thrived until the late 1500's and closed when worshipping mass during medieval times became basically genocide. It closed. Many large Scottish houses had priest holes. It was a barbaric time, where Catholicism was most definitely eradicated openly but the faith survived. It's a miracle, that even the ruins survived. Part of the remains of St Andrews are brought into view every 30th November. It's fair to say, that anywhere that had a cathedral or abbey up to and including this time was a centre of wealth. St Andrews had a commercial port and would have been a hub of commerce before coming a hub of learning.
Dunfermline Abbey
The cathedral was built on the remnants of the medieval abbey which had been destroyed during the reformation of Scotland. Many a noble and king are buried in the grounds. Robert The Bruce being the most well-known. The new cathedral was built in 1821. Dunfermline is also the birthplace of a notable Scot by the name of Andrew Carnegie, who at a young age sold up and followed his dream to the US. He became the King of steel, the richest man in the world and then set up trust funds which he bequeathed his fortune. These funds still help those needing help. The Carnagie Museum is well worth a visit. Kirkcaldy is the birthplace of Adam Smith. Whose modern-day economics are based on. He was educated at St Andrews University and made many a trip to Europe to speak about his ideas and thoughts. There is a library nearby, which has an 1804 edition re-run, open to the public, who are allowed to view and hold The Wealth of Nations written in old English. The 3 bridges which span the Firth of Forth are worth seeing. One being a railway bridge and two motor vehicle bridges and it's amazing to see three different technologies lined up. The weight of each dropping by a considerable margin each time a new bridge was erected but the strength increased by a considerable margin.
The Secret Bunker
It's basically a 100-foot-deep underground shelter which was a military hide out if nuclear war broke out. Part of it was built on gravel to minimise the blast from a missile in 1953. It was operated by the military until sold to a private bidder at auction. Falkland Palace is steeped in history. Mary Queen of Scots enjoyed Falkland Palace. It fell into disrepair and was purchased by the Marquise of Bute who restored it. His relative Ninian resides in the palace with the National Trust helping to keep the palace alive with its splendid gardens. This is just but a few, if you follow the link below. You will find many others
Castle Tours
St Andrews Castle dates to 1189 and housed wealth Bishops. Although a castle, it looks more like a haven. It is yet another glorious building laid to ruin during the Scottish reformation. It's still worth a visit Kellie Castle is more like a fortified house. It was built in the 14th Century and was in a state of ruin and Lorimer brought back to its former glory and then some. It's an incredible place to visit with beautiful architecture inside and stunning gardens. Aberdour Castle was built in the 13th Century and was expanded in the 15th, 16th and 17th century. It's believed to be the oldest standing castle in Scotland but it's more like a fortified house. It's worth a visit and the extensive work carried out on the building over 500 years is plain to see. It has exquisite painted ceilings and an extensive garden. MacDuff castle was built in the 13th Century. MacDuff murdered MacBeth which was the death knell of the castle, and it was ruined by King Edward 1st. It has been rebuilt many times with additions but always met an unfortunate end and this continued until 17th century, where it stayed in disrepair. It's worth a visit just to see and imagine the past. It's perched on the coast and who knows, perhaps another person might try bringing the castle back from the dead.
Please look at our historical website
www.taxi-tours-scotland-historical.com and we have obviously not listed every building worth seeing because there are literally thousands of them but we have included a selection that are diverse and appealing
Scenic Tours
The Fife coastline has amazing scenic drives. It truly is a beautiful part of the world. There are many beaches, places to stop, investigate and meet some true artisan craft people during the journey. You won't be disappointed. Fife truly is an amazing place and don't believe the sun doesn't shine. It's very easy to be sun burned. The lack of pollution is evident by the highly oxygenated air and the lack of noise pollution is a blessing. We even have a small airport and if you want a flying lesson, you can fly round Fife for an hour.
It literally doesn’t matter where one travels. The scenery is stunning. I would say that the Highlands is the most dramatic and there are places where the atmosphere can be felt. We will take you on any scenic tour you want, split it up with somewhere nice to eat and do whatever you want. The west coast is as fascinating as the east coast and the further north we go, might still see some snow on the mountain peaks. It really depends on what you want. We will do our best to translate your thoughts into reality or you ma have designated places you want to see.
Bespoke Tours
Is exactly what you want to see, go and do. We are not confined to Fife. We will literally take you wherever you want to go by road in Scotland. There are so many outstanding places, views, experiences all over Scotland. As like most countries. There is regional difference. You might want to propose or visit somewhere romantic, eat some fine food, climb Ben Nevis, visit relatives or just explore. Whatever you want, we fill facilitate. Scotland is a go, do and see country. The landscape has extreme changes. There is a wow factor for sure. "A country full of memories for the taking".
