If I wasn't on my way home I would have offered a guided tour. Whats fair do you think, £30-40 for an hour or so, for a personal guide? Less per person if it was a small group I suppose.
I imagine it would be v easy to make money that way during the summer. It seems coach loads of people arrive and wander around on their own without a clue as to what they are looking at. I'm sure you'd be banned by the NT before you could say "crop circle calendar" if they caught you at it though.
NT would have to "catch you at it" and remember the NT are hard pushed to fix gates and consolidate monuments let alone aggressively patrol against freelance interpretation guides. If you had already reached a private arrangement with a client/ clients to "show them the stones" they cannot do a damned thing to stop you. If they had the rudeness to interrupt you in "full flow" I would suggest contacting the Police for harrassment and firing off a stiff warning letter from your solicitors "Rimmer, Shaftbury and Quiversnatch" on some suitably designed headed notepaper. It should make them think again.
Edinburgh is full of "tourist guides" who flaunt their gawdy trade on the High Street. It is also full of "companies" (ie. they have a minibus or people carrier) who chug tourists all over Scotland for the day to see Castles, Stone Circles, Nessie, Nice Views etc for good money. Or they just walk them around the City. They do well and it adds to visitors experience of the City which is otherwise not catered for at all.
The National Trust For Scotland have two spheres of influence on such goings on - absolutely none and ***k all. I think I would rather eat a ... insert multinational burger chain name here... than endure a "professionally designed" NT guide to anywhere.
