In 1984, a local author, Iain R. Thomson, published his first book, Isolation Shepherd.  This was an autobiographical account of Iain's time working as a shepherd in Glen Strathfarrar before the hydro schemes.  As it happened, Glen Strathfarrar sits next to Strathglass.  I devoured the book, keen to discover more about sheperding life in the area that Alexander had lived and worked.  My interest in 'place' was ignited.

In 2018, I trained with and became a Highlands of Scotland Tour Guide.  In 2020 I graduated from the University of the Highlands and Island with an Honours Degree in Gaelic Scotland.  I followed this up with a Masters in Highlands and Islands Literature.  My Masters Dissertation focused on the writings of Iain R. Thomson.  

Guiding allows me to share my passions of history and place with visitors.  In my own time, I had picked up the mantle from my Mum and Grandfather and was busy diving into our family history.  I 've been asked many times by visitors, if I would provide this as a service but did not feel confident enough in my abilities.  I decided to change this and began taking courses in genealogy and family history.  I focused on my own family and made some fascinating discoveries.  Finally, I realised that all my studying and guiding work has been leading me to this point.  I was ready.  Ancestors Unearthed was born.

At Ancestors Unearthed, we will look beyond the names and tell you as much as we can about who your ancestors were, where they came from, what they did and the places in which they lived.  We will place them contextually into the time in which they lived, to give you a better understanding of what was going on around them.  

For those of you who want to 'follow in your ancestors footsteps', we will create bespoke guided tours that take you to the relevant locations.  Some of you may wish to take your time exploring.  We will be happy to create 'self drive' tours for you to follow at your leisure.  For those of you who would love to visit but can't,  we can create a video tour for you to watch from the comfort of your own home - a wonderful keepsake to go along with your report.