About us and our tours
About us
A number of years ago, Nory and Louise Hope welcomed their first son Harris, and everything changed. They quickly realised that they didn’t want to leave Harris in childcare to return to their demanding careers at Coca Cola and Standard Life. It was the pivotal decision that would create Heartland Travel.
The search was on for a livelihood that made them happy, and would provide better work-life balance for their growing family. A visit to Doune Castle one weekend gave them their answer. Louise spotted a tour bus in the car park and floated the idea that running their own tour company might just work for them too. They spoke to the driver, put in some research at home, and discovered a promising gap in the market.
Nory and Louise’s first 16-seater tour bus came pre-loved from another tour company and was soon put to work doing short tours of Stirling. It wasn’t long before they added their signature tour of the Highlands, Skye and Loch Ness – to the delight of their passengers. Trip Advisor soon lit up with glowing testimonials from clients across the globe, and their run of 5-star reviews is still unbroken.
They have recently taken delivery of a brand new 16 seat luxury mini coach built to their specification.
Louise delivers the backstage detail, while Nory drives, revealing Scotland with a passion that you’ll hear echoed back in all of their reviews. And Heartland don’t only provide their organised tours – they’ll create bespoke tours for anyone who comes with the glimmer of an idea they want to make real. Small groups and an exhaustive knowledge of Scotland also mean that Nory and Louise are able to drop the itinerary to pursue that unexpected magical detour – all without disrupting arrangements. From finding snow for those who’ve never seen it, to scallop fishing with local fishermen, Heartland Travel have given scores of clients some once in a lifetime memories.