Learn more about Arc Guiding
Arc Guiding is the trading name of Malcolm O’Reilly, a self-employed outdoor instructor and guide based in the northern Cairngorms National Park.
Background
Arc Guiding started in about 2003, when Malcolm O’Reilly left full-time employment as an outdoor instructor to work on a freelance basis. Since then, the company has provided a wide range of guided outdoor experiences to visitors. Malcolm also provides freelance/B2B guiding and instructing to several leading companies in the Cairngorms National Park and beyond.
Website
The website arcguiding.com was launched early on, with early development work done by Yellow Cherry Digital, based in Inverness. We don’t use online booking platforms much, partly to keep more control and also to provide lower prices to our customers. The exceptions are AirBnB and Tripadvisor, through whom we sell only a few products. Several years ago, online booking was introduced to the website, and upgraded considerably during 2021. The company takes customer Privacy seriously – for example, by careful management of tracking Cookies. We started producing a newsletter in 2022 (see below) and you can contact us via a variety of channels.
Safety
All activities are led by Malcolm O’Reilly. Currently, Arc Guiding does not employ additional guides (although that may become an option in the future). Guest safety is a key consideration in all our activities, with regular reviews, training and CPD undertaken. All activities are appropriately insured through Howden, or their respective national governing body leader policies. Learn more about outdoor safety and check out details of Malcolm’s Qualifications and Insurance.
Values
As well as high safety standards, we are committed to quality learning, sustainability and customer experience. After freelance leading, private guiding makes up the next largest proportion of our work. We aim to give customers a good amount of flexibility in terms of dates and itineraries, while staying true to our core mission of giving people memorable and enriching experiences of nature. To this end, Arc Guiding connects with selected local organisations and groups in the Cairngorms National Park, together with certain national and international conservation and adventure organisations.