It has been a few weeks since the Covid 19 pandemic closed big parts of the Scottish economy and as a result,  like many people, I am now being forced to review my career options.  My guiding adventure started in 2013 when shortly after graduating I took over a walking tour in the charming seaside town of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.  Since then I have done walkings tour in Largs, worked on the  Citysightseeing Glasgow buses and conducted bus tours of Glasgow and Edinburgh with people from India and S.E. Asia. Last year was particularly busy and I was in much demand doing day tours to Loch Ness as well as escorting cruise ship visitors around the main attractions of Scotland’s central belt and in these few years I have watched the tourism sector in Scotland boom.

I have no doubt that in time the tourism market will bounce back, but it is beyond my ken to foresee how quickly and to what extent and, so, I am having to think of new ways to make a living, some of which have nothing to do with tourism although there may be some areas of overlap.  For instance, at the beginning of last year I was asked to write the dialogue for a pre-recorded tour which amounted to, perhaps, an hour and a half of dialogue and I accomplished this ahead of a very tight deadline.  Now, looking back on my student days I don’t think I ever handed in an essay on time!  I can’t say that this is the first time that I thought I could cut it as a writer, but this wee job certainly proved to me that I can produce a great amount of wordage to a certain a quality in a short space of time, so who knows?

Anyway, why am I telling you this and what does this have to do with you, the tourist, you may ask?  Well, travel writing is often a precursor for many who are planning trips to foreign climes and although no one really knows the future for the travel industry, my guess is that it will take some time for the good times to return.  In other words, even though visitor numbers will drop, the desire to experience Scotland will remain constant and as a result, more people will read travel writing, right?  Now, I can see some flaws with this theory, nevertheless, I do love writing and I have some spare time on my hands.

Therefore, I propose that I write about my country, its history and culture, the usual and the not so usual attractions.  Guiding, I find, is a two way thing as I am equally as interested in my guests and where they come from as they are in me and at this point I am feeling that I’ve kind of hit the nail on the head; Covid-19 may have robbed you of that dream vacation to the land of your ancestors, but it certainly doesn’t preclude you from learning about and , indeed, experiencing Scotland.  That is my new mission for the new normal and if I am to be successful I need to know about England, America, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain…  so, send me a line.

I haven’t decided what I’ll write about first.  Edinburgh Castle, the Loch Ness Monster, William Wallace (or should I say Mel Gibson).  You tell me.

Right you are then, stay safe, stay well and we’ll talk soon.