Through no fault of her own, Alison was born in England but brought
up in Forres - a beautiful town near the cathedral city of Elgin - and
subsequently in Inverness. A late start at Strathcyle University was
cut short through mutual agreement that primary school teaching was not
going to be her forte!
Deciding to see a bit of the world on a very late gap
year it was through Australia by motorcycle for six months and visa-less
back in the UK she landed a job taking a vintage double-decker bus
through Europe......the only problem being that she was sitting her
public service vehicle test the night before flying to Germany where she
would be collecting the bus and passengers. She passed the test and
guided through France on the Route Napoleon to Nice, Cannes, St Tropez.
She was even thrown out of the Principality of Monaco having been
accused of oil leaking from her vintage vehicle onto their pristine
bus-park! She swears to this day that "Crocus" the bus never dropped a
drip.
Her guiding has majored in Skye,
northern Scotland, Orkney plus Loch Ness, Glen Affric, Culloden, Cawdor
Castle and loves to bring her passion for history to life with verve,
enthusiasm and and ability to help you remember it once you've gone
home.
Add the odd impromptu scramble through the undergrowth to the
seal hide, fighting off the midges before sunset in the midsummer evening
or tromping along the woodland paths in the lightly falling snow to a
picnic of chilled wine and honeyed oatcakes just remember to bring your
woolly hat, boots and gloves!
In 2002 she was the first person to be
awarded four stars for a tour in the Highlands and, together with the
Inverness Tours coordinator, Tony Harmsworth, she ran the first
official five star tour in Scotland.
She went on to achieve the
unique accolade for their operation winning the 2004 award of "Best
Tourist Attraction" in the Inverness-shire area. This has been the only
time the award has been won by a tour with previous winners having been
multi-million pound visitor centres. What secured the award was the
committee being flooded with literally hundreds of letters of praise for
her guiding all sent by the passengers themselves. Since the award the
rules have been changed making it impossible for a tour to compete for
the same award in the future!
Hugh Allison
Hugh was born
and brought up in the western Highlands, in the shadow of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s
highest mountain.
His mother was a
Gaelic speaker, with a broad expertise in Scottish history and Highland culture.
She knew all of the tales and stories of the north, and the locations where
these events unfolded.
Hugh’s spare
time was spent hill-walking on the tracks, byways and drove roads, learning
about the flora and fauna of the area from his father. In this way he built up
knowledge of the prettiest glens, the best views, the most inspiring waterfalls,
and the ruined castles and towers with the blackest of legends.
The degree Hugh
studied for, at the historic Glasgow University, included Geography, Geology and
Scottish History. His early career included work for a couple of different
Scottish Tourist Boards, and he later became a senior manager in Cultural and
leisure services, for local government in the Highlands.
This meant that
he had responsibility for developing and promoting heritage and tourism; and the
1980’s and 1990’s saw Hugh gaining a string of prestigious awards for good
practice. He also wrote several publications on walks, car-tours, and the
geology; natural history; and myths and legends of the Highlands.
At the turn of
the millennium he chose to take employment with the charity “The National Trust
for Scotland”, managing both Brodie Castle and Culloden Battlefield for them. It
was also during this period that he realised the long-held dream of becoming a
fully-fledged author.
He has now
written three acclaimed books. The first book, “Roots of Stone” is an
easy-to-read journey through the last 2,000 years of Scottish history. The next
work, “Rivers Running Far “looks at the emigration of the Scots to America and
Australia. His most recent book “Culloden Tales” has become a popular buy, and
as well as outlining the role that each of the clans played at that tragic
battle, the book also tells the other tales and stories relating to the
Inverness area. Researching these books has also developed his ability to
undertake genealogy and archive searches for other people.
In the last few
years Hugh has delighted in showing visitors around his beloved Highlands, and
has now left “the National Trust for Scotland” in order to concentrate on
guiding full-time. His background in history and landscape combines perfectly
with his lively sense of humour, skill as a storyteller and his knowledge of the
area. A true Highlander, he is waiting to share his culture with you.
The
Finest Private Scottish Highland History, Heritage & Scenery Tours.
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