I am passionate about Scotland, in particular Aberdeen, its coast and hinterland. I like nothing better than to show off this area to visitors on holiday, on business or tracing their family heritage.
I have recently authored two books on local history: Bloody Scottish History: Aberdeen' and 'Aberdeen in 100 Dates' although my guiding style is to include much more than only history, telling you a little about a wide range of topics and delving deeper into subjects which particularly interest you. My aim is that we all have fun and enjoy our time together.
My particular interests include:
· Scotland’s superb food and drink – including whisky!
· Finding your roots – following in your ancestors’ footsteps
· Wildlife, country living and agriculture
· Scottish folk music and song
· Influence of Nordic languages on Scots dialects
· Scottish ski/snowsports industry
· Dogs, particularly the 12 native Scottish breeds, and sighthounds
I offer full and half day tours, on foot or by car for small groups and individuals or by coach for larger groups. I usually restrict my guiding to north east Scotland: the area around Aberdeen, Dundee, the Cairngorms National Park, Moray Speyside and all points in between.
Here's what a recent ancestral visitor, K Gillett from the USA, thought: "I don’t think that we can thank you enough for such a wonderful day. I was totally impressed by your preparation—it made such a difference. And I was very appreciative that you were flexible with the deviations to our itinerary, even though it threw off the timing a bit. You obviously are at the top of your game, and I would wager, you are one of the class-act tour guides in all of Scotland….Sometimes it’s the little details that are so important. Our tour was filled with a myriad of such details and of enlightening moments, of useful and/or delightful information and facts, and of perspective that was important to understanding what we were seeing. Even if we had managed to get around this area by ourselves, our trip would not have been as rich and fulfilling as it was with you as our guide.”