A lengthy journey

Today sees the official launch of our new website, mckinlaykidd.com, which brings together our holidays in Scotland and Ireland under one “roof” and also sees the launch of our new programme in the North of England.

Thirteen years ago, over a warm and sunny Scottish Easter weekend, Heather and I sat on a Kintyre beach and scribbled our initial plans for a travel business. Thousands of miles of recce visits, uncovering many a hidden gem, meeting hundreds of other small business owners and employing some great team members later, this website is the culmination and by far the most ambitious project we’ve undertaken. We are proud of the new look and hope it’s even more informative and inspirational that the last one.

We also decided it was about time we gave our branding a refresh. The keen-eyed among you will notice a new look for our logo, including our revamped symbol, the swallow.

“Why that logo?” I get asked every so often. Simple really: our good friend who initially designed it said, “Well, swallows are famous for heading south each winter but they always come back to Scotland every spring – indeed to the exact same location.” A very appropriate choice, therefore, for a Scottish-based company which hopes its customers will become loyal and return year after year. And since that spring day in 2003, we are delighted that so many have indeed done so.

Our own business “journey” so far may not have been quite as mind-blowing as the thousands of miles covered by a small bird every spring, but it’s a very personal adventure for us and the team at McKinlay Kidd, and one we hope will continue for many years to come.