When the world's richest people fancy a tour of Scotland, there's one woman who can certainly help - but she's not Scottish. She's from north-west France.
Solveig Kerdranvat, 27, dresses in deep tartans and knee-length leather boots and looks more Scottish than the locals around her.
She's also a whizz when it comes to fulfilling the bizarre wish-lists of her clients - including business high-flyers and foreign politicians - who pay up to £25,000 per person for the bespoke tours.
Among the itineraries she and her partner have arranged for them are a request to see Shetland ponies dressed in jumpers, and a pub crawl between distilleries by helicopter.
If the chopper's registration - G-TRMP - looks familiar, it's because the company they work for, Sandgrouse Travel & Expeditions, transports guests in the Scottish-based aircraft used by a pre-Presidential Donald Trump.
Solveig Kerdranvat, 27, (pictured) is a Frenchwoman obsessed with everything Scottish. After studying in Scotland, she made it her home and now conducts tours there for the super-rich
Among the itineraries she and her partner, Jonny Stage, have arranged for their wealthy clients are a pub crawl between distilleries by helicopter, and a demand to see Shetland ponies dressed in jumpers
A few months ago, some of their clients said they wished to see Shetland ponies dressed in jumpers, after seeing tourism ads where the animals are wearing Fair Isle knitwear. Solveig and Jonny managed to track down the only two Shetland pony-sized knitted jumpers in the world before having them put on two very obliging ponies
If the chopper's registration - G-TRMP - looks familiar, it's because the company they work for, Sandgrouse Travel & Expeditions, transports guests in the Scottish-based aircraft used by a pre-Presidential Donald Trump
Donald Trump - a huge fan of Scotland - is seen arriving by the same helicopter at his Trump Turnberry golf resort in Ayr in June 2016
Chopper hopping: The whisky distilleries visited
- Kilchoman, west coast of the isle of Islay.
- Lagavulin, south of the isle of Islay.
- Macallan, Speyside.
- Talisker , Isle of Skye.
- Dalwhinnie Distillery, Cairngorms National Park.
Meanwhile, another well-to-do tourist wanted a bagpiper playing on the runway as they disembarked the plane. Their wish was granted too.
Not only did Solveig study in Scotland, and fall in love with the country, she then fell in love with a man, too - Jonny Stage, 31, who had previously run tours in Africa.
The pair settled down near the Highlands, invested in some Harris Tweed and now spend their days mixing with the minted.
And they execute each lavish whim with expertise - including a surprise meeting with a 16th generation Laird on one of Scotland's biggest estates, and a tour of a private castle from a clan chief.
In one case, a client who landed by helicopter on a Hebridean Isle wanted a car - which had to be a Range Rover - to transport them half a mile away to a waiting boat. This was, of course, done.
‘We’ll go to distilleries - Dalwhinnie is one of our favourites - and castles; a lot of stuff we do is off-market but obviously if they have a specific request, we cater to that.’
A few months ago, some of their clients said they wished to see Shetland ponies dressed in jumpers, after seeing tourism ads where the animals are wearing Fair Isle knitwear.
'We explained that this really isn't how they normally are whilst living semi-wild on the windswept Shetland Isles,' said Solveig.
'However, we managed to track down the only two Shetland pony-sized knitted jumpers in the world before having them put on two very obliging ponies.'
Before she permanently relocated, Solveig was back in France browsing through the Scottish hashtag on Instagram. Buried between holiday snaps and selfies with Highland cows, she found a man with a red beard, covered in tweed, standing next to a vintage Land Rover. She messaged him instantly. That man was Jonny Stage, and the pair (above) are now engaged
Jonny had been living in Africa where he ran bespoke tours until the Ebola virus hit and he hightailed it back home to Perthshire county
'Our clients flew in by helicopter and couldn't believe their eyes. They couldn't stop laughing and enjoyed posing for photos with the ponies.'
Their clients come from a mix of countries - Russia, India and other parts of Europe.
'I couldn’t say we’ve had a nation that’s been more prominent; it’d be a complete mix, which is cool,' she adds.
'I have always felt a strong affinity with "Ecosse",' she says, using the French word for Scotland. 'Indeed, I have always been fascinated with Scotland and my love of the country led me to choose to study here when at university.'
'I loved the feeling of freedom here, not knowing what I was going to discover in the next glen.'
One well-to-do tourist wanted a bagpiper playing on the runway as they disembarked the plane. Thanks to Solveig and Jonny, their wish was granted
Solveig arranged for a wealthy tourist to have a surprise meeting with a 16th generation Laird on one of Scotland's biggest estates
Their clients come from a mix of countries - Russia, India and other parts of Europe. Above, Solveig makes a new friend
Before she permanently relocated, Solveig was back in France browsing through the Scottish hashtag on Instagram.
Buried between holiday snaps and selfies with Highland cows, she found a man with a red beard, covered in tweed, standing next to a vintage Land Rover. She messaged him instantly.
Jonny Stage had been living in Africa where he ran bespoke tours until the Ebola virus hit and he hightailed it back home to Perthshire county, in the middle of Scotland.
'Solveig was looking at photographs of Scotland and Land Rovers in Scotland, the old square ones, which I have,' he said.
Solveig fell in love with Scotland when studying and now lives in Perthshire with Jonny. The luxury itineraries range between £1,000 and £25,000 per person and Jonny says they can be as lavish as the clients desire
'I don’t know if anyone else has met that way. It's quite a unique story.'
On the subject of their rich clients, Jonny says: 'One or two names people might recognise but I can't say. Some of them are in the 100 wealthiest people list in the world.
'Some have bank accounts that if you goggled them on Forbes, it would rival whole governments.'
The trips range between £1,000 and £25,000 per person and Jonny says they can be as lavish as the clients desire.
'If you can dream it and if you have the money to do it, we can make it happen.'
And while the pair dress in kilts as they fly people between local distilleries, Jonny admits they don't eat the traditional food much.
'We don’t eat haggis very often but we do like it, but yeah, not often.'
For more info, visit Sandgrouse Travel & Expeditions
On the subject of their rich clients, Jonny (above) says: 'One or two names people might recognise but I can't say. Some of them are in the 100 wealthiest people list in the world. Some have bank accounts that if you goggled them on Forbes, it would rival whole governments'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/29/french-woman-who-loves-scotland-runs-luxury-tours-for-worlds-billionaires-around-country/
Main photo article When the world’s richest people fancy a tour of Scotland, there’s one woman who can certainly help – but she’s not Scottish. She’s from north-west France.
Solveig Kerdranvat, 27, dresses in deep tartans and knee-length leather boots and looks more Scottish than the...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/23/16/5194476-6290833-Solveig_Kerdranvat_27_pictured_is_a_french_woman_obsessed_with_e-a-19_1542989112937.jpg
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