Tag: scotland

  • Read All About It!

    Read All About It!

    My book will be published one month today, and I can’t believe I’m writing this but there are two double page spreads about it in the latest issue of The Scots Magazine! At the end of last year I was interviewed by journalist and outdoor enthusiast Nick Drainey. Although our main topic was my book,…

  • Celebrating Scotland

    Celebrating Scotland

    Yesterday I attended a conference in Kingussie, down in the Cairngorms National Park, about Scottish community tourism. It was hosted by SCOTO, a collaborative group of community tourism enterprises from all over Scotland. One of my favourite speakers was Calum Maclean – a presenter, writer and Gaelic language activist who’s probably best known for his…

  • On The Wing Magazine III

    On The Wing Magazine III

    Winter is the time to reflect. I love looking back on what I’ve done over the year, and once again I’ve put a summary of my work projects into my own mini magazine. I did this for the first time during lockdown when I was painfully idle and needed a project to distract me. It turned…

  • Calm Before The Storm

    Calm Before The Storm

    After 1145 hours of travelling, researching, writing and proofreading (yes I counted), I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve submitted my book! I could have tinkered and tweaked until the end of time so I’m relieved it’s finally out of my hands. It’ll now be edited by the fab team at Bradt and after I’ve answered…

  • Summer Blends to Autumn

    Summer Blends to Autumn

    Today was the first day I’ve missed my woolly hat while out walking. I should have anticipated this from the sound of the moaning wind down the chimney, but I saw diluted sunshine and overestimated its efforts. We’ve hit that indecisive time between summer and autumn, when dressing for a walk becomes a series of…

  • Beavering Away

    Beavering Away

    This summer is zooming by! I’ve been spending the past few months travelling and writing my book, which is now due in three months. That’s quite a terrifying thought actually… My research trips have involved stomping through Caledonian pinewood, sampling local whiskies and searching for hidden stone circles. I’m absolutely loving this challenging yet rewarding…

  • A Breath of Icy Air

    A Breath of Icy Air

    I’m currently writing my first book. It’s a Slow Travel Guide to northeast Scotland, which will be published in spring 2023. The book covers Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Cairngorms National Park, so basically a huge chunk of the country! My daily routine has become a contrasting blend of emailing accommodation providers, walking, writing copious notes…

  • Stig, Rex and Misty

    Stig, Rex and Misty

    It was time to go back to Assynt on the west coast this week. Friends of mine own a wood cabin on the edge of a loch –  with no phone service and barely anyone else around, it’s one of my favourite places to stay. The weather has been unpredictable for weeks where I am.…

  • January Highlights

    January Highlights

    We’re one month into the year already! As usual I’ve been beavering away and forgetting to update my blog, so here’s a summary of what I’ve been up to in January. My 2022 started with my best mate Luke coming to visit for the first time since I’ve moved to Scotland. This year we celebrate…

  • Review: ‘If Women Rose Rooted’

    Review: ‘If Women Rose Rooted’

    I couldn’t help a slight eye roll when I read the shower of adjectives on the cover reviews of this book: “powerful… inspiring… mind-blowing…” But it actually ended up being all of those things for me, even the last one. If Women Rose Rooted is a combination of three topics I care strongly about: nature,…