Meet Ross
Professional Guide based in Edinburgh
Ross McDowell founded Tartan Compass Tours to offer private guiding in Scotland with care, judgement and proper attention to place. From the Scottish Borders, long based in Edinburgh and with strong family connections to Perthshire, Ross brings together city knowledge, outdoor leadership and a professional background in complex delivery.
A guide shaped by Scotland, not just trained in it
Ross is from the Scottish Borders, has strong family connections to Perthshire, and has lived in Edinburgh for more than thirty years. Those three geographies shape much of how he understands Scotland: Borders directness, Perthshire depth and Edinburgh curiosity.
His route into guiding was not a standard tourism path. Before founding Tartan Compass Tours, Ross worked in digital delivery, consulting and leadership, where preparation, judgement, communication and complex logistics mattered. That background now shapes how he approaches private guiding: clear planning, honest expectations, practical care and attention to the people travelling.
Scotland has been part of Ross’s life for as long as he can remember: Borders towns and rugby country, Perthshire family ground, Edinburgh’s streets and archives, the Pentland Hills, the Forth, the A9 north, the A82 west and many long days in the hills.
Professional grounding
Ross is currently completing the STGA Blue Badge training route and is already cleared to guide professionally in Edinburgh. He is also a qualified Hill and Moorland Leader, Outdoor First Aid trained and a Mountaineering Scotland member.
These credentials do not replace judgement. They support it. Ross will be clear about what is suitable, what can be adapted and what should not be forced, especially on walking-led or weather-dependent days.
- Founder of Tartan Compass Tours
- Professional Guide based in Edinburgh
- Cleared to guide professionally in Edinburgh
- Currently completing the STGA Blue Badge training route
- STGA candidate tourist guide
- Hill and Moorland Leader
- Outdoor First Aid trained
- Mountaineering Scotland member
- Edinburgh resident for more than thirty years
- Scottish Borders origin, Perthshire family connections
How Ross guides
Ross’s guiding style is warm, direct and careful. A private day should feel personal, but not vague. It should have shape, pace and purpose. It should give visitors enough context to understand what they are seeing, without turning every stop into a lecture.
He is interested in how places connect: Old Town and New Town, Glasgow’s civic confidence and industrial memory, the Pentland Hills and Edinburgh’s skyline, Rosslyn’s carved stone and careful interpretation, the Forth Bridges and the outward movement of Scotland by rail, road and water.
The aim is not to overwhelm the day with facts. The aim is to help people look properly, understand more and leave with a clearer sense of Scotland than they arrived with.
"A place understood. A story shared. A day shaped around you."
Borders, Perthshire, Edinburgh
Scottish Borders
Ross was born in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. The Borders matter to him because they combine landscape, rugby, textiles, directness, craft and a strong sense of place.
Perthshire
Ross has strong family connections to Perthshire, including the Scone area. Perthshire gives his Scotland story depth: trees, rivers, old routes, royal memory and the pull of the A9 north.
Edinburgh
Ross has lived in Edinburgh for more than thirty years. The city remains the centre of his guiding work: Old Town, New Town, Leith, hills, gardens, institutions, sport, stories and quiet details that reward slower looking.
Start with the person, the place and the pace.
You do not need to arrive with a fixed itinerary. Tell Ross where you are staying, how much time you have, what kind of Scotland interests you and anything that should quietly be kept in mind. He will help shape a private day that is realistic, thoughtful and worth your time.