Where have I been?

This is hard.

In 2020, I was lucky enough to get married. It was a glorious culmination, a high point of a long, sometimes bumpy, road. We were best friends for twelve years and had shared a world of travels, of adventures and memories. Two loving souls, absolutely what the other needed and hoped for in this life. But, my new wife was soon to be diagnosed with cancer. A new road was before us, a desperate and brutal one. Kirsty showed a shocking bravery, unwavering class and endless love. Over last winter, she passed away.

This is not something I have, or will, be discussing on social media, or anywhere else, publicly. I’m a private person, we both were, and the digital space I’ve built has never been about me. I’m very aware this is an incongruous and seemingly incompatible position to take in today’s world of blogging and influencing, where unexpressed thoughts are like hen’s teeth…..but I just don’t particularly want to share my day-to-day story, let alone the very painful chapters. If it’s not relevant to my Scotland travels, I’ll continue to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself*. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, it’s just me.

The only reason I’m bringing it up here is because this is my website, my unshared corner of the digital world and, if you are here as a regular visitor, you had certain expectations of me and not seeing a blog post for a year wasn’t one of them. Many of you have been extremely loyal and kind followers over the decade I’ve been doing this, encouraging and inspiring me to push myself further into Scotland’s drizzly mist, and that’s something I remain very grateful for. There have been a lot of enquiries over the last 2-3 years, I’ve tried to answer them all individually but I apologise for not being more present with your usual Scotland inspiration.

*Apart from Harris’ puppy pics. I’ve always conceded there’s space for an exception there.

What I have managed

Upon moving to the Highlands last year, it was immediately clear that I was entering a culture of social contribution. A little alien as it is to the city boy, the community vibe is strong. You’ve got to bring something to the table, whatever that may be.

I did what I’m good at; I re-structured local Tourism strategy. I helped secure a hefty amount of government funding for positive and long-term marketing projects across the West Highlands. I designed a new website for the area and its tourism businesses, created a very exciting new podcast series, and brought some of the best videographers, bloggers and photographers in the land to my corner of the Highlands to help with the aim of making tourism less summer-dependent and reactive, and a greater source of employment. These objectives, I am convinced, are fundamental to arresting the housing crisis for the Highlands and Islands and making it an affordable place for young people to live. This remains one of my absolute drivers.

My medieval novel remains on pause. I’ll get to it, but it requires the kind of total focus that is a while away yet. The same goes for my history book of Glasgow, the aim is to get that back to the publishers in spring/summer 2023. I co-wrote a Lonely Planet book last year, it’s on bookshelves now but it will be my one and only foray into that style of writing. I’ve written the odd article, joined the odd radio chat and rambled in the odd webinar and I’ve done my best to keep you updated on these bits and pieces on the social channels.

What next

Also hard.

I really don’t know. I’ve turned down a lot of projects in the last two years, and have focussed on other areas of work. For the most part, I found that easy. Surprisingly, troublingly easy, and not just for cancer-related reasons. I’d become very concerned at what had become of tourism, and walking away felt necessary for more reasons than one. Covid exacerbated a lot of the issues but sustainability, conservation and environmentalism have been on a dangerous collision course with travel for considerably longer than we have all been held in the pandemic’s web. Gimmicks trumped considered strategy, commercialisation eroded heritage and selfishness broke the spirit of hospitality. Tourism was an absolute mess last year.

What I can say is that the recent return of international visitors, this year’s considerable drop in anti-social tourism behaviour and the bustle of economic activity for countless innovative and resilient businesses is greatly encouraging. Maybe we can turn it around and build something sustainable that’s in greater harmony with communities and the environment. Perhaps that will be enough to tease me back into the game too, I hope so. Scotland remains a comfort, surrounded by and immersed in some of the world’s most soulfully beautiful landscapes every day, and I will find inspiration there again. It just might take a different, certainly less commercial, form.

There’s a long way to go. I’ll dip my toe rather than dive in and will continue to take on only the projects that are compatible with what I need at this challenging point, and that I calculate would still raise a few eyebrows among you. In the meantime there will be lots of contemplative wanders as I turn to my two great comforts – Harris and the hills.

For now, thanks for sticking with me, I will be back. From Scotland, safe travels.

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