“I was always captivated by myths and legends as a child. The Romans, the Greeks, the Vikings – they all told fantastical stories that shaped the way people understood the world around them. Even at a young age, I had knack for learning and retelling these stories. I still remember the look of amazement on my friends’ faces as I told the legend of Beowulf!”
“I lived in many amazing places, growing up – including Edinburgh, Toronto, Liverpool, Cambridge. But when I arrived in Newcastle as a university student, I felt something special. The local people here were so friendly and welcoming. Straight away, it felt like I had been adopted into one big family! The more I got to know the city and surrounding region, the more I knew I wanted to be part of it.”
“I saw that this region was a cultural gem with a vital role in British and world history that most people didn’t know about. I wanted to show it off in the best way I knew how – by sharing the story of its fascinating past, as well as helping people understand what it is today and where it’s going in the future.”
“With lots to learn, I began by locking myself in the ‘local history’ section of Newcastle library for two months while I read every book on the shelf. In 2013, I gave my first proper tour – for 180 school kids in a single weekend! Iles Tours was born – and the rest is history.”
“Aside from telling stories for a living, the best thing is getting to meet so many interesting people. We have customers who visit from all over the world. I enjoy learning about their own hometowns and cultures as much as sharing my own. It’s amazing that people and places can be so different, yet they can also share so much in common.”
“It’s been an incredible journey already and I’ve loved every minute. We’ve grown from offering a single tour of Newcastle to providing a range of tours on specialist topics all over the wider region of North East England. As demand continues to grow, we want customers to be able to discover more amazing places with the same unforgettable tour experience throughout the UK and around the world.”