When I first started guiding in 2023, I assumed the job was mainly about knowledge. Learn enough facts, remember enough dates and share them accurately. While that is certainly a big part of the role, I have gradually discovered that guiding is really about people. Looking back, my early assumptions were a little naïve and perhaps even slightly arrogant. I thought the most important thing I could bring was what I knew. What I have learned is that a guide's real role is to help people connect with a place, and that even after hundreds of tours there is always something new to discover. These are some of the lessons that have stayed with me.
People remember stories, not dates
It’s easy to tie yourself in knots with dates, particularly when visiting places with a long and storied history such as Melrose Abbey, St. Giles Cathedral or Hadrian’s Wall. What I have found is that while you should always know the dates and history, your guests don’t necessarily want to hear them all! They will be much more interested in the stonemason who came from France to build Melrose, the rivalry between the men entombed in marble inside St. Giles or the Roman solider, singing the blues on the wall.
Guides learn just as much from guests
Guests look to you for stories, entertainment and instructions - but of course as a guide we learn just as much from our guests! That might be directly related to a location, such as the time I met the grandson of the last people to live in Neidpath Castle or it might be learning about different cultures and ways of seeing the world. It sounds strange given that guiding involves a lot of talking, but some of the best moments on tour come from listening. If you spend all your time thinking about what to say next, you risk missing these magical moments. The best tours should feel like conversations rather than lectures.
On a tour, energy and enthusiasm goes a long way
There have been times when I am not sure if my guests are enjoying themselves! Did I pick the wrong location, are they jet lagged or is it just not a great day? I always find that maintaining good energy levels and being enthusiastic about the tour is the best way to go in all cases, but especially if the guests don’t seem to be feeling it. I see it as my job to showcase the places we go to the best of my ability, so keep smiling and do my best!
You have to think on your feet
Weather, toilet stops, closed roads, bullocks blocking paths, illness, injury - anything can happen when people come together! A tour guides mind is always racing with multiple tabs open - the key however is to keep all that in the mind, and ensure the guests experience is smooth and unruffled!
Walking is the key to unlocking a place
I love driver-guided day tours, allowing my guests to cover large distances across a day and see the sweep of Scotland’s beauty. Nothing, however, beats exploring on feet. I will always try to find a way to get out there and explore with a walk. You notice more, get to meet more locals and it allows for a different type of conversation. You don’t notice birdsong, smell woodsmoke, chat with a gardener or notice an old carving when you are in a car, minibus or coach. This is how to get under the skin of Scotland.
It’s far more tiring than you might think
I am not sure what I expected when I started guiding., perhaps I thought “och, it will just be the same as the days I go for a drive and visit a few castles”. How naïve was I! Of course it is not - this is work, you are responsible for guests safety, enjoyment and carry the responsibility of being an advocate for your chosen location. I apply all the professional standards I have accrued over my adult life to my job and it means after a long day of driving, thinking on my feet, recalling facts and (some) dates and ensuring guests are looked after and happy I end up very tired. The best kind of tired however, doing the job I love :)
If there is one lesson that ties all of this together, it is that guiding has made me more humble. Places are far more complicated than any guidebook can fully explain, and every guest arrives with their own experiences and perspectives. However many tours I lead, there will always be stories I haven't heard, questions I can't answer immediately and details I've never noticed before. That's one of the reasons I love the job. The day you think you know everything about a place is probably the day you stop seeing it properly.
Find out more about my driver guided tours by clicking here, or explore Scotland on foot with private walking tours. Private tours are available all year round.
Public walks and events on selected dates can be found by clicking here.
Stewart Wilson is a Tour Guide and Blogger, passionate about connecting people with place.
Stewart lives and works in The Scottish Borders.
