A Guide to Guides

A good guide can improve a holiday to an unknown land. They can tell you about the history of somewhere, give you an insight to the culture, and what it is like to live there. They can give you valuable insights and tips, and take you to places not mentioned in the holiday books. They can unlock the hidden gems. It’s one of the reasons we do, what we do. To make peoples trips to Wales better.

There are a wide variety of guides available though. There are Blue Badge Guides. Green Badge Guides, White Badge Guides. Driver Guides. Chauffeur Guides. Unbadged Guides. Food Guides. History Guides. Specialist Guides. So what is the difference between them all. In this blog, I shall give you a “Guide to Guides”, so you can choose which guide is best for you, and your visit to Wales.

Badged guides

We will start with what is prehaps the most well known type of guide. The Badged guide. Or to be specific, the Blue Badged Guide, and how they differ from a Green Badge and a White Badge Guides.

The Wales Official Tour Guide Association is the association of Tour Guides in Wales, or as I call them “Badged Guides. They are responsible for training guides in Wales, and issuing those who pass their courses with either a Blue, Green or White Badge. They are recognised by Visit Wales, and the Welsh Government, as “Official Wales Tour Guides”. To become a “Badged Guide” candidates undertake practical and academic guiding training, and are are tested on their abilities before being awarded a Badge. All “Badged Guides” are trained to the same standard. The difference between the three badges is the area their knowledge covers. A White Badge guide has recieved training for a specific area or town, such as Cardiff or Caernarfon. Green Badge guides have recieved training to a regional level, such as South Wales or North Wales. Blue Badge Guides have recieved training to cover the whole of Wales. The important thing to remember that whether a White, Green or Blue Badge Guide, all have recieved the same level of training and have the same level of knowledge for a given area. A Cardiff White Badge guide will provide just as high a level of guiding around Cardiff as a Blue Badge Guide.

“Badged Guides” will often work with coach tours, providing commentary for coach tours around Wales. They may also provide a very “hands on” one to one experience for small groups, and will often accompany them around various landmarks and venues, providing a very personal experience.

Due to their Badge status, and recognition by Visit Wales and Welsh Government, fee’s for “Badged Guides” will often come at a premium. Particularly for a “hands on” expereience with small groups.

Un-Badged guides

Whilst some people opt to become a White, Green or Blue Badge guide, and many people who wish to use the services of a guide, will choose a Blue or Green Badge Guide, these badges are not essential to be a guide. There is no legal requirement to have one. Anybody can become a guide.

Many “Unbadged Guides” provide an equally good service, and have an equally high level of knowledge as a Blue or Green Badge Guide.. They just havent been through the training course for a variety of reasons. These reasons could include cost, they may not deem the cost of the training course to be worthwhile.

Availability of courses would be another reason. Guiding courses are not held regularly, and only take place when there is sufficient numbers who wish to become a “Badged Guide” This can mean gaps of 2 or more years between courses taking place. So there are those who wish to become a badged guide, but cant due to lack of courses to take.

There are also Guides, who provide a specialised tours, for whom becoming Blue or Green Badged would offer little, or no, benefit. Typically this would be people who carry out specialised tours, such as Food Tours, TV Tours etc.

Alot of “Unbadged Guides” have a background in teaching or history. Some may have previously worked for CADW, or a similar organisation, and gained experience working as a guide around a certain landmark, such as Cardiff Castle. Some may also be retired, and carry out occassional walking tours around their home town or city.

Many “Unbadged Guides” start off a career as a guide, simply out of Love. Either for story telling. History. Or a love of their home town, and they want to share their love with other people.

An “Unbadged Guide” will often provide as good an experience as a “Badged Guide” but will often be a fraction of the price as they are unaccredited and unable to provide any recognised credentials for their ability. Other than Google Reviews and word of mouth.

Driver guides / Chauffeur guides

Driver Guides and Chauffeur Guides could be either a “Badged Guide” or an “Unbadged Guide”. The difference is, they are also a driver so can drive you around, as well as guide you. Whilst anyone can be a Guide, and no formal qualifications, accreditation or licence is required to act as a guide, the same can not be said for Driver or Chauffeur Guides.

To be able to take paying people in their car, the Driver or Chauffeur Guide MUST hold a Private Hire Driver Licence, their vehicle must be licenced as a Private Hire Vehicle, and their insurance must cover them for “carriage of passengers for hire and reward”. They must also have a Private Hire Operators Licence, unless they are working through someone else. If a Driver guide provides a service without all of these, they are not insured and working illegally. Due to the cost of the licences and insurance, many Badged Guides will not be a Driver Guide aswell. There are still some that do though. Blue Badge Guides will often be able to arrange for a driver on request for small groups. Although this will naturally be at a higher cost. As “Badged Driver Guides” are relatively rare, they often command a premium fee. Even in relation to a Blue Badge Guide. A Blue Badge Driver Guide is the most expensive guide you can get in Wales. Some charging in excess of £750 per day!

Driver & Chauffeur Guides will tour with small groups, and provide them with a very personal experience as they take them from landmark to landmark and attraction to attraction. Where as a “Badged Driver Guide” may also show clients around the various landmarks and attractions, unbadged Driver & Chauffeur Guides will usually not join clients in the attractions, and more facilitate the transport between them, providing a guiding service whilst travelling between landmarks and attractions.

There are some that do show clients around various attractions and landmarks, in addition to driving them. Those that dont normally join clients at a stop, will almost certainly do so if asked aswell.

The difference between a Driver Guide and a Chauffeur Guide would be in the vehicle they are using. A Driver Guide would typically have a “standard family car”. Something like a Ford Mondeo, or Toyota Corrola or similar car. A Chauffeur Guide will have a higher end executive vehicle, such as a Mercedes E Class, or even S Class. Or for larger groups a Mercedes V Class. With a Driver Guide, travelling between stops is just that, travelling. With a Chauffeur Guide, travelling is also part of the experience.

Driver & Chauffeur Guides, particularly unbadged ones, may come from a driving background, such as a taxi driver, or chauffeur driver and originally wanted to do something “a bit different”

Specialist guides

I briefly touched on “Specialist Guides” earlier. Whilst some may be Blue, Green or White Badged Guides, many are not badged at all. Specialist guides, normally provide tours in certain field. Examples of a specialised guide would be Food Guide, who carries out Food Tours. On these tours, the guide would take clients on a “culinary experience”giving them the chance to experience the local cuisine. Typically these would be walking tours around a town or city, visiting various eatieries. Similar to Food Guide, there could be a “Drink Guide” who may carry out similar tours, but with the focus on drink, rather than food.

Other Specialist Tours could be TV & Film Tours. Possibly taking clients to filming locations for TV shows such as Dr Who & Game of Thrones, or even where various films have been filmed. Around Halloween, some people may carry out “Ghost Tours”. Or they could carry out tours with a specific theme, such as King Arthur. Another specialist guide could excel in planning and carrying out hikes across Bannau Brycheiniog or Eryri.

Some “Specialist Guides” may hold a Blue, Green or White Badge, but more often than not, they wont. Instead they will have a very high level of knowledge in a very specific area. This means they are able to provide an exceptional experience for their on area of expertise, often above what any other guide could offer, but normally only in that specific area. Someone who is carrying out a Dr Who Filming Location Tour around Cardiff, may not be able to provide a particularly good tour, or have that much knowledge about Pembrokeshire.

Specialist guides will normally of had a love for their chosen specialist subject prior to becoming a guide, and will have turned their hobby into a career, and subsequently become experts the subject.

which are we?

We are unbadged Driver & Chauffeur Guides. I come from a background in Transport and offer advice on places to go, and things to see, and the best most scenic routes between them, with the best views. Knowledge gained from over 20 years working in the transport industry. I carry out the majority of the tours myself in a Mercedes V Class, which is the perfect vehicle for touring round Wales. With large windows to take in the views, and soft comfortable leather seats to relax in. Our primary purpose is helping our guests get to the best places in Wales. Along the way, I tell our guests about the history and culture of Wales, what it is like living in Wales, and about the places they are going to. I am also happy to answer any questions they may have, to the best of my ability.

Assisting me, when needed, are two additional Chauffeur Guides, who both drive Mercedes E Classes. Both of these Chauffeur Guides come from a Chauffering background, and provide exceptionally high levels of service combined with a good knowledge of Welsh history and culture. In addition I also call on two driver guides, who come from a taxi driving background and help carry out local tours, such as our Three Castles Tour, and Cardiff City Tour. Both these driver guides are Cardiff born & bred, and between them have 40 years experience as a taxi driver in Cardiff, with a deep knowledge of Cardiff.

These two additional Chauffeur Guides and two Driver Guides allow me to help more people see more of Wales, and have the best possible visit to Wales.

Choose the guide most suitable for you

There is no “right or wrong” type of guide to pick. When you are choosing what type of guide you want, then you should pick the one that is most suitable for your needs and budget.

If there is a large group of you, and you are likely to be visiting a large area or organising a coach tour, a Badged Guide may be the best option. Likewise, if you want someone whose information you know will be accurate, again a badged guide may be for you.

If you dont like driving in an unfamiliar country, on the “wrong” side of the road, with different road laws, but there is only a small group of you. A Driver Guide would probably be the best option.

If you are happy with a “general knowledge” then you could save a considerable amount with an “unbadged guide”. Many have as good a knowledge as a “Badged Guide” anyway, just arent accredited.

If you want to experience the local cuisine, and find the best foods to eat, and the best places to eat them, a food guide would be a good way to go.

Which ever type of holiday you are taking. Whatever your budget. How much you want to be guided, or how much you want to find your own way around. If you are visiting Wales, and considering a guide of some kind, there will almost certainly be atleast one that will provide you with what you need, at a price in your budget.