BALLOCH tour guide John Stevenson has received Scottish tourism’s highest accolade for his 'Experience Scotland’s Wild' tour.

The tour, which was set up in May this year and takes visitors through Loch Lomond, has become one of only ten tours outside of Edinburgh to receive VisitScotland’s five-star Quality Assurance (QA) award.

The QA scheme is a benchmark for quality across the tourism industry and operates across accommodation, visitor attractions and food sectors.

On receiving the plaque, John said: "To receive a five-star tour award on first application is awesome, really awesome. Experience Scotland’s Wild is not about sight-seeing, it’s about sight-doing.

"I like to take people off the beaten track so they can truly experience and immerse themselves in Scotland’s beautiful landscapes.

"Getting this fantastic recognition is very exciting and shows that all the hard work has paid off.”

Having felt like a “caged animal” in an office job, John now enjoys guiding visitors from around the globe through the great expanse of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

As an experienced traveller, who has visited the fjords of New Zealand and the beaches of Hawaii, John maintains Loch Lomond is his favourite place and is committed to showing others exactly what make it special.

John also offers detailed help and itineraries for self-guided walks of the West Highland Way – a service he intends to develop into a guided trek. He also wants to expand his day excursions into other parts of Scotland.

Gordon Watson, Chief Executive of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, said: “Getting people out enjoying and experiencing the amazing landscape and beauty of our National Park is one of our top priorities so we’re delighted to see this local business being recognised for the excellent quality of experience being offered to visitors of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs.”

David Adams McGilp, Regional Director at VisitScotland added: “To get a five-star grading from VisitScotland’s world-leading Quality Assurance Scheme is a superb achievement, but to get it at the very first time of asking is rare.

"I would like to congratulate John on his outstanding success. Experience Scotland’s Wild is a brilliant and unique way for visitors from all over the world to experience what Loch Lomond has to offer and I wish the company every success in the future.”

To find out more about Experience Scotland’s Wild, go to www.scotlandswild.com