About Our Guides
The STGA has almost 500 members listed under different categories:
ORDINARY MEMBERS are
BLUE BADGE GUIDES
who are qualified and insured to guide throughout the whole of Scotland. These guides are all University trained in an intensive training course over two years. We list them according to where they are based, but most will travel to wherever you require within Scotland.
REGIONAL AFFILIATES are
GREEN BADGE GUIDES
who are professionally trained, accredited and insured to guide in a specific Scottish region. We have Regional Guides in Skye and Lochalsh, Orkney, Shetland, Argyll, Caithness and Sutherland, Invergordon and Environs and the Western Isles. We have also have Mandarin, Russian and Hungarian speaking Regional Green Badge Guides qualified for Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Central Highlands.
SITE AFFILIATES are
YELLOW BADGE GUIDES
qualified to guide on a specific route or in a particular property. These guides cannot be booked through the booking service, as their affiliation is for the site or route that they have been accredited to guide in. They choose to be accredited by the STGA as a sign of excellence and professional development. Our current STGA Site Affiliates include some guides from: Mercat Tours, City Sightseeing Glasgow, City Sightseeing Stirling, National Trust for Scotland
LANGUAGE GUIDES
We speak your language! The Scottish Tourist Guides Association can offer tours in 18 languages. All of our language guides have been assessed by the STGA as competent to guide in the languages shown. You can search for guides by language using the search facility on the Find a Guide page on this site or by consulting the STGA Guide List.
DRIVER GUIDES
These guides conduct tours throughout Scotland in their own or in hired vehicles. These tours are more flexible and personal. It is a legal requirement under Scottish law, that they have an appropriate licence and insurance to cover driver guiding. Driver Guide members of the STGA have sole responsibility for ensuring that they obtain and retain in force all appropriate forms of licence and insurance to cover their activities as owner or hirer driver-guides and they alone must ensure that they comply with their statutory obligations. The STGA is not responsible for doing so and will not be liable for any loss arising from any such failure on the part of its members.
NON-PRACTISING ORDINARY MEMBERS
These are Blue Badge Members who are currently not available for guiding and therefore are not covered by the STGA Public Liability Insurance.
STGA HONORARY MEMBERS
The following have been granted Honorary life membership of STGA for outstanding service to the company:
- Kevin Connelly
- Dr Con Gillen
- Archie Syme
- W.A.T. Taylor
- Mike Williamson
See Scotland with an expert! Book a professionally trained guide!
Book a Guide online or call Dot on 01786 451 953 or email her at bookings@stga.co.uk
Whatever your interest we have the guide for you
Our collective interests and individual expertise reflects a wide range of special interests which include:

Scottish Architecture

Gardens

Archaeology

Art & Music

Folklore

Outdoor Pursuits

Football

Castles

Agriculture & Land Use

Local & Family History

Literature

Golf

Hill Walking & Snow Sports

Whisky
To find out more about guides own particular interests please look for more details on the Find A Guide pages on this website or consult the STGA Guide List.
See Scotland with an expert! Book a professionally trained guide!