It was late February when Robbie Winton and Rebecca Maitland took the reins at Highland Safaris, leaving them six weeks to bed in before the season started in earnest.
Luckily Robbie was already involved, having worked as operations manager in 2022, and so was grateful to feel the support of both the staff and the local community as he stepped up to the lead role.
“One of the most common things people say now, when they come in, is that the atmosphere is really nice and welcoming,” Robbie said.
“The two really important points that have helped us, for the last three months, since we came in, were that all of the staff are very positive about it, and all of the locals have been extremely welcoming as well. We're relatively young, so it's quite a lot to take on.”
As marketing manager, Rebecca is keen to build on the success of the business, which is already a multi-award-winning attraction, as certified by the Scottish Tourist Board.
Her priorities are the shop and the café, which is currently serving a selection of homemade treats, including freshly baked scones, soup, cakes, traybakes and hot drinks.
“In the shop, we want to support local crafters, local businesses and make it more educational and native to Scotland,” she said.
“We've got this great new book in, called Make Every Week Wild.
It offers a different outdoor activity for every week of the year, encouraging children to explore nature by collecting leaves, pressing flowers and discovering the world around them. We also have binoculars, wildlife identification guides and a range of educational resources for children, designed to help them better understand the local landscape, wildlife and natural environment.
“From the adult's perspective, we have history, maps, books and Black Watch tartan scarves and rugs. We want to make it relevant to the local area, and also to who we are as a business.”
On the operations side, Robbie is keen to offer different types of activities and maximise the timetables for the core offerings of Land Rover trips in the area and boat trips on Loch Tay.
“We've got big plans for next season to bring back some of the older products that were taken away, like the Mountain Safari Trek, which is really great, it involves a unique walk on top of the hills,” he said.
“People are becoming slightly more active these days, and looking for activities with health benefits. I think that'll resonate a lot with the public and hopefully we'll get lots of people coming up to Scotland or coming down from the north of Scotland and exploring our area. That's the bit that I'm putting a lot of energy into.”
As with many Scottish tourist businesses, Highland Safaris is very busy during school holidays. Robbie is keen to finely tune the offer for children and young people to maximise this opportunity.
Rebecca knows their key selling points are their very knowledgeable rangers, who are regularly mentioned by name in TripAdvisor and Google reviews.
“Next year, we will be reintroducing the forest safari, which is tailored more towards families and children, because they'll head up into the local area with our ranger and then they'll actually get out of the vehicle and wander through the woods,” Rebecca said. There are various educational points, and the children can try foraging. They get to really feel and learn more about the nature in Scotland, plus there are some surprises on route.”
Children always enjoy the discovery trail on site, where they have the opportunity to put their hands in boxes to see what they can feel and learn from information points along the route. There is also a good view from this trail into the deer park, where visitors can see the red deer and their barn owl neighbours.
“It's quite interactive for the children, but we're looking, in the next few years, to revamp it, and make it more inclusive for all types of children, including those with disabilities,” Rebecca added.
The Loch Tay tour on the 12 seater rib, named Iolaire, which is Gaelic for eagle, is Robbie’s favourite of all the tours on offer, because it offers something so unique.
“The boat is great fun - I think on a good day, the boat is the best place to be. I might have a bit of favouritism because that's where I started,” he joked.
“There's nothing quite like being pretty much by yourself in the middle of the water, because Loch Tay has the benefit of not really being used, I mean for water sports and things like that. At times, you really are just by yourself in the middle of the water. It's an amazing place to be. Guests learn about the local landscape, the history of the loch and the surrounding wildlife from their ranger.”
The new owners are looking closely at the scheduling and are planning to offer more bespoke tours in the future, for wildlife photographers and others who would like to charter a private cruise.
“At the moment a pair of ospreys are nesting by the waterside so they are anticipating lots of interest.
It would seem that not even the changeable Scottish weather can stop them. Not a single tour had to be cancelled last winter; the rangers can change the narrative to suit every season, so that visitors always enjoy their experience.
“When you have crystal clear conditions, we have the most incredible views all the way to Ben Nevis, but every season offers different migratory birds and animals and colours,” he said.
There is just one thing that visitors need to beware of.
“The dad jokes,” Robbie warned. “The rangers have terrible dad jokes and I've heard them all. But they’re so knowledgeable and warm that it doesn’t seem to stop them, and the visitors keep coming back!”
