Genealogy and Ancestry Tours of Scotland

Discover your Scottish Ancestry

So, you have the results from your DNA discovery match testing, and it reveals your bloodline in Scotland. Perhaps you have sourced your family tree archives, or studied your genealogy, and uncovered the regions where your family dwelt. Is your surname Scottish, and you have a hankering to investigate further your family history and even your clan?

Planning your Scottish Ancestry Tour

The next step is discovering and exploring these areas on a unique Scottish Ancestry Tour, where you can walk in your forefathers’ footsteps, see the sights they may have seen and experience what life was like for them. Let us take you on that journey of a lifetime. It will be your very own, private, ancestral tour of Scotland. Immerse yourself in Scotland’s historical locations, take photographs of the roads they walked, the parks they may have relaxed in on sunny days, the beaches they built sandcastles on or the castles that they dreamt of being the laird of, as children. Perhaps after a day of hard work, they enjoyed a Friday night dram in a local hostelry, or attended their place of worship at weekends. Some may venture further back, perhaps on a pilgrimage to a battlefield where their clan fought and died. Whatever it is that you wish to discover, we can help. We will pick you up from your accommodation, about their lives, we can transport you from your accommodation, and you can sit back in our executive, air conditioned MPV, and begin your ancestral journey through time.

Many of our forefathers would have left their homeland and travelled to the New World. Some went voluntarily, searching for a better life, but others were transported, from the late 18th to mid nineteenth centuries, to the colonies as punishment for such petty crimes as stealing a loaf of bread. On one of our popular tours we visit Inveraray Jail, from where many convicts were transported to serve out their time.

For centuries, however, Scottish people have migrated to all four corners of the world including USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Asia. Despite their success in carving out a good living in pastures new, many felt that their hearts belonged in Scotland. giving them, and their families a brand-new start in life. This is often the longing that their descendants have, to discover what was so wonderful about this historical, cultural, mystical land we know as Scotland.

Follow in your family’s footsteps on Scottish Genealogy Tours

We at Kilted Piper Tours, take pride in our personal approach with our customers in ensuring that every Scotland Genealogy Tour is exactly as you would wish it to be – making memories of wonderful times. One of the first tours we undertook involved a family group visiting from Canada. Their parents had emigrated to Canada over 50 years ago from two of the largest cities in Scotland. Their children were now embarking on a Scottish Genealogy Heritage Tour, to all the places they had lived, worked and courted. This family were also, sadly, on a personal mission, as they wanted to spread their father’s ashes in the country of his birth. We at KPT helped to make this very emotional time a poignant and memorable occasion for them. At their request, as a private bespoke tour, we took them to a loch that was significant in their father’s life. Whilst Graeme played a lament on the bagpipes, they carried out their ceremony, and afterwards we all toasted their father with a wee dram in his honour.

Another tour we recall with fond memories was in the company of a young woman who had spent a few months over here researching her family tree. She discovered that she was a descendent, indeed in direct lineage of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Royal Stuart family. As part of her quest, we took her and her family to castles and lands belonging to the Stuarts. It was at one of these locations, against the backdrop of an island and a yacht sailing by, that she spread her Scottish father’s ashes, to the skirl of the pipes in the background, as Graeme played on a hill overlooking the castle.

These are some of the unforgettable memories that are carried back home and retold to family and friends for years to come.

Let us assist you in designing your Scotland Genealogy Tour itinerary

Your tour can range from one day to several to suit your needs, allowing you the time necessary to discover  all you want about your family’s life here in Scotland. Your journey may take you to ancient churchyards, old schools, ancient hostelries and inns, or to explore the transport that was used in  bygone days. Some may have learned of their ancestors’ service in the armed forces and wish to find old regimental records. Or you may just want to see what working life was like for them in their day. There are several old workplaces of importance dotted throughout Scotland – old mills, factories, shipbuilding yards, hospitals and farms. 

We will do our utmost to accommodate you on this fantastic  journey, which can take you to various regions in Scotland. We have conducted  Scotland genealogy tours that involved island visits, quaint fishing ports and off-the-beaten track farmland areas. Previous  clients were overwhelmed to find the churchyards and cemeteries where their grandparents and great-grandparents were laid to rest many decades ago. Perhaps you will discover new stories and information, mysteries solved, secrets unearthed – who knows where this adventure will lead you?

Get in touch to check availability for your personal Genealogy Tour of Scotland Today!

Your journey will commence with a warm welcome from Graeme, your driver and guide throughout your tour. You will have the opportunity to outline and devise a bespoke itinerary prior to your first meeting with us. We will collect you from your preferred pick-up point, ready to begin your ancestral journey of Scotland. You will be transported in our nine-seated executive vehicle, to your chosen locations, and offered light snacks and bottled water on your journey. Graeme will play a selection of tunes on the bagpipes for you, at various locations. Remember, private tours are exactly that, designed for you and by you, and it will be only you and your group who will be on the tour. No waiting around for buses and trains, or having to adhere to someone else’s schedule. This is your bespoke, intimate tour to ensure your experience leaves you with wonderful memories, interesting information and fascinating discoveries about your roots.

Tour dates fill up fast on our diary for the year ahead, so to avoid disappointment, it would be advisable to book your uniquely personalised Scottish genealogy heritage tour as soon as possible. Then you can look forward to  your trip to Scotland, going back in time and realising a dream come true.