My private Harry Potter tours won Lux Life magazine's award for best pop culture tour Edinburgh, they anointed it 'Truly magical', bless them.
Potter Tour has been awarded 4 Tripadvisor certificates of excellence & hopes to win more!
Edinburgh university's Old College, JK Rowling graduated from this university while writing Harry Potter
A detective's magnifying glass indepth
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JK Rowling's writing pad writing strategies
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Harry Potter's wand magic
reviews stink

The Real Magical Me

Hi I'm Sam. I'm short, balding with enourmous ears and I'm beginning to feel a tug to shut them in oven doors. An elf's work is never done.

That's right the tour involves Legimancy! (Mind reading). I'd be thrilled to host a

private Potter tour, just for your group

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S M S
Warlock Sam Stratford & 2 Americans on a private Harry Potter tour pose outside St Giles Cathedral on Edinburgh's Royal Mile

"Sam was amazing - his knowledge of all things Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling was impressive and he managed to weave in plenty of interesting Edinburgh history. Sam tailored the tour to our interests which meant every moment was enjoyable.

A great way to see Edinburgh and a fun insight into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter."
Laura C, Tripadvisor

Sam's email for private Harry Potter tours

A Scottish family treat their birthday boy to a private Harry Potter tour, they shoot wands outside Edinburgh Castle
It's Master Potter's birthday! Outside Edinburgh Castle he surrenders to The Dark Lord.
Private tour prices
Benchmarking private Harry Potter tours, cost: £398 on Viator
The hourly rate of my small group private tours range from better than ⅙ the cost of this multi-national's private Potter tour: £398.31, Merlin's Beard! She does have better hair than me. Unarguably better. 6× better Sam? Yes. Speaking of my flaws, let me introduce myself...
Bumbledore
Harry Potter unicorns love private tours too A unicorn. Sam Stratford is not the divinely horned stallion of Potter guides, he's just a vaguely magical flatulent man. Says his sister.

What qualifies you to be a Harry Potter tour guide?
I've experienced the hardships of Harry Potter. Not quite the cupboard under the stairs but a sofa in the kitchen, for some time, sacrificing my way up.

I've been Rowling's postman, albeit just for a day, and I was a postman for the blockbusting book releases. On release day my delivery bag was so heavy with literary treasure it popped the capillaries in my shoulder leaving a web work of red veins like a lousy Splinch repair.

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YouTube outside JK Rowling's Potter era mansion describing this.

Figure shot of Warlock Sam Stratford
Frivolling popinjay?

Building on the strategies acquired writing a couple of history tours I wrote phoenix-lives ago, I created Edinburgh's longest Harry Potter tours from scratch.

My Guide to Harry Potter Britain, inspires tourism, hundreds of thousands of visitors so far. It's also empowered other amazing Potterheads to write their own tours.

What qualifies me?  I've paid in blood, sweat & tears.

I've written a 16 stanza poem about Hagrid, which is pure Mcgonagall (terrible), but I use it to torture rivals, it's a rhyming Cruciatus Curse. Everything's useful in the end.

I used to volunteer with the Scouts, as an assistant leader until my contract with Microsoft completed and I was a role model no more. Like Dobby I like socks and may be completely undeserving but I mostly tries hard.

As a Potter guide
I've been chosen by Scouts and schools and universities over rivals. And by novelists & aspiring novelists.

The universities in particular have been a blessing, their interests have made the tour more wide ranging. A highlight for me was an author-professor telling me I was delightful. My sister, more knowingly perhaps, says I smell.

I have 4 varying tours on Harry Potter, so I can give you whatever you wish, so long as it's not less than 2 hours - I'd have a breakdown. Like Ron in the Deathly Hallows, won't cope at all.

Birthdays

A Merman enjoying Edinburgh's Nor Loch Well if you're considering me - thanks! I think it better to give the kids a choice though. At least two. People value more what they choose for themselves and it's a day of heightened emotions, so offer them a couple of alternatives, just for their birthday let them be the boss. If they choose a tour, brilliant!

In all cases make sure they're warm, the tour has a bit of standing around, but not overheating. If it rains, bring a trident.

Quill writing thankyou letter to JK Rowling in her beloved Elephant House cafe on a private 8 hour Harry Potter tour
Happy 18! Quill writing thankyou letters to JK Rowling, to leave in the Elephant house on a 8 hour tour
An American family wand duels in front of Tom Riddle's grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard on a private Harry Potter tour of Edinburgh

"We are an active family and wanted to show our birthday girl the birthplace of Harry Potter. We chose Sam to lead us on this adventure because he offered a tailored tour and came highly recommended.

Sam met and exceeded our expectations with his wit, energy, and enthusiasm. We walked and talked the hours away and we learned and visited the spots that JK Rowling drew her inspiration and ultimately wrote her novels.

This was no mere pilgrimage as we found new facts and fascinating insights to the author and our beloved books. Birthday girl and her sister had a blast while the tolerant mother and nerd father would definitely book Sam again."
G.A. Washington DC, Tripadvisor

The Complete Potterhead
An extensive 8 hour tour with activities. Popular for rites of passage, teachers and people on a pilgrimmage. It stops at a Harry Potter cafe for a great feast & witchcraft classes but it remains a dark and gritty tour about what we can learn from JK Rowling overcoming hardship.

My longer tours have greater depth and range, chosen by professors & teachers, but the Potterhead also has more magic. My briefer tour, JK Rowling's Edinburgh, has won an award for this, not sure the magic deserves it but I'm thankful, the Potterhead has a wee bit more.

Jemima & her sister from Balwyn Australia, booked a private Harry Potter tour of Edinburgh's Old Town

Thank you so much for the tour today Sam, I really appreciated it - my sister won’t stop talking about it 😂 We both enjoyed your in-depth knowledge and your obvious love, not only for Harry Potter and JK Rowling’s life but also your love for everything Edinburgh.

We made sure we reviewed as soon as we sat down for dinner.

Thank you so much for the fun flairs and for making us laugh at our selves a bit. It was a beautiful way to spend a day and we can’t thank you enough!

Cheers
Jemima (Puddleduck 😂 )

If interested please

contact me

with your party size and availability.

Mount Your Broom!


NEW: Cycle tours of Edinburgh exploring our scenic hinterland & tracking JK's progress, with a seasoning of Harry Potter inspirations.

Put the polyurthane to the pedal, break the Fidelius charm & discover where Edinburgh's most celebrated adopted daughter has lived, written & mastered Minecraft beside her son, for the last ~30 years.

Weave through sleepy villages down past tranquil lochs, wind up cobbled alleys & a craggy volcano to take in our iconic, crenalated skyline. A refreshing ½ day romp around Rowling's true world.

indepth
writing strategies
magic
reviews stink