About Us

Tartan Trailblazer Tours

Tartan Trailblazers is a Highland tour company and travel blog. Established by two local lassies in 2020 with the aim to showcase the best of the Scottish Highlands and Islands to visitors and locals alike.

If you are looking for an authentic experience in Scotland with great stories along the way and epic picture opportunities, then you have come to the right place.

Our tours will we take you to all the must-see destinations, while also including lessor known (but equally impressive) historical sites, areas of natural beauty, and hidden gem locations. We provide plenty of opportunities for photographs, comfort breaks and stories to make your experience as pleasant and interesting as possible.

Our tours have a maximum group size of 12 to ensure we can give every single person the care and attention that they deserve. We want you to get the most out of your experience.

Unlike most small group tours, every single one of our tours has both a driver and a tour-guide. We have you, your comfort, and safety at the forefront of our mind. Freeing up our guide means they can point out landmarks, fully engage with every guest, while the driver focuses fully on the road ahead! Our priority is providing you with a quality experience in the safest way possible!

We live and breathe everything that the Highlands has to offer. Please have a read through our blogs to get inspiration for your trip to Scotland!

Let us make our home your home.

Meet our team

Finella Annand

Tour guide and co-founder

Finella grew up in and around Inverness and while her travels have taken her far and wide her heart has always remained firmly in the Highlands. Finella loves outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming and paddleboarding. After playing competitive football for most of her life she needed to find a replacement activity. That came in the form of exploring and adventuring across the beautiful Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Finella’s background in creative writing means that she loves a good story- and luckily Scotland is packed full of them! She will make sure that your trip has the perfect balance of adventure, history, storytelling, and unbelievable scenery! Finella recently completed a diploma in Scottish History to ensure that everything you are told is factual- with a twist of fun!

Michelle McCaig

Tour guide, Driver and co-founder

Michelle has always had travel and adventure running through her blood. There is rarely a week that goes by when she isn’t out discovering new hidden gems around the Highland and Islands. If she isn’t climbing to the peak of a Munro, you will probably find her uncovering a hidden waterfall or discovering a lesser-known historical site. Michelle’s ability to find secret spots is unrivalled and she has made capturing them through photography an artform! Luckily Michelle is on hand to drive us to all these fantastic spots! She is always ready with cold drinks and snacks at each stop after Finella has shown you all around. In her spare time Michelle volunteers for the RNLI, where she trains in being part of our volunteer lifeboat crew. Rest assured you are all in very good hands with Michelle at the Tartan Trailblazer's helm!

Sustainable travel

Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photos…

We love our home, and we know you will love it too, but in order to keep the highlands beautiful we need to do our part to protect the environment for generations to come!

Here are a few ways that Tartan Trailblazers helps to keep the highlands beautiful.

Litter picking and clean-ups: As the Highlands and Islands continue to increase in popularity it is more important than ever to all do our part to keep the areas that attract visitors clean, tidy and litter free. On every tour you will see one of our guides with a litter picker and a black bag in hand cleaning up around some of the most popular sites. Just a small way in which we like to give back.

Recycling: We attempt to recycle any litter that is left on our vehicles and make it easy for you to dispose of your litter in a responsible way. Every little helps!

Environmentally friendly: Our small minibuses are better for the environment than a large number of travellers individually navigating their way around the Scottish Highlands and Islands. With one-way roads, small villages, and hairpin bends to contend with a group tour is the safest and most eco-friendly way to see the area.

Educate: We are passionate about the Highlands and Islands being treated with respect and care. We specifically take road safety and the Scottish Outdoor Access code seriously. We like to educate our groups about the expectations that locals have, and the rules regarding travel, exploration, and overnight stays. This helps everyone to enjoy their experience of Scotland to the fullest while simultaneously keeping the locals happy!

If you are interested in sustainable tourism during your stay in Scotland, then you can find more information at the Scottish Outdoor Access Code website here: https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/