Borders Journeys

27/04/2024

The Kelpies are ten years old 🥰

Artist Andy Scott completed the Kelpies at the entrance to the North Sea near Falkirk in 2014.

26/04/2024

This popped up on my Facebook memories this morning. Doesn't seem like seven years!

This is one of the projects that I have participated in conjunction with VisitScotland.

Filmed at ScotlandsPeople Centre at General Register House, Blair Castle, St Bride's Kirk & Culloden Battlefield.

For Ian Walker, researching your Scottish roots is more than just filling out names on the family tree; it’s about getting a sense of who you really are. Vis...

05/08/2023

Plan for biggest Nessie search in more than 50 years!

Volunteers have been sought for the effort which is to feature drones fitted with infrared cameras.

21/04/2023

A picture of the late Queen surrounded by some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren has been released on what would have been her 97th birthday.

The Princess of Wales took the photograph during a family trip to Balmoral last summer.

Click on the link for the full article and photo.

A new photograph with her great-grandchildren is released on the day she would have turned 97.

23/03/2023

If you're visiting Scotland in April and May look out for colourful decorated sheep ;-)

The Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) is getting set for the start of ‘Flock to the Show’, a public art trail that will travel across Scotland this April and May.

21/03/2023

Heartbreaking.

Lady Smith says sending children away from Scotland as migrants led to physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

18/03/2023

If your considering visiting Lisbon and require a private tour guide contact me for more details. You won't regret visiting beautiful Lisbon 🌞😎

31/01/2023

A Scottish castle said to have inspired Walt Disney is undergoing work to restore its famous pink colour.

The animator and film producer is believed to have based his designs of fairy tale castles on Craigievar after seeing pictures of it.

However, National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said rain was threatening the castle structure in Aberdeenshire.

Masonry work is now under way to "future-proof" the building, with the project scaffolding in pink mesh.

Click on the link below to read more.

Disney's fairy tale castles are said to have been inspired by Craigievar but rain threatens its famous colour.

19/01/2023

Are you considering relocating to Scotland and thinking about owning your own castle? Look no further! Here are nine stunning castles currently on the market 😉

A man’s home may be his castle – but the people looking to buy these properties will have a home that actually is a castle.

12/01/2023

A lovely article about Greyfriars Bobby 🥰

The 18-month hunt for the last resting place of a dog who played Greyfriars Bobby ends in success.

23/12/2022

Wishing you and yours a Happy & Peaceful Christmas with Very Best Wishes for 2023 🥰

05/11/2022

From Braveheart to Batman, Hamlet to Harry Potter, Scotland has provided the backdrop to a vast number of films.

The streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh have been transformed for Hollywood blockbusters, and dramatic highland landscapes have brought atmosphere to countless cinema classics.

From Braveheart to Batman, a new guidebook features more than 150 films that were shot in Scotland.

10/10/2022

Clan Buchanan has a new chieftain - its first in more than 340 years.

John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan was appointed true heir and chief of the Buchanan clan in a ceremony near Callander at the weekend.

The last Buchanan chief, John Buchanan, died in 1681 without a male heir. The new chief was identified after more than a decade of genealogical research.

He was identified by genealogical research after the last chieftain died without an heir in 1681.

19/09/2022

Minute by minute guide of today's ceremonial for the State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Here's what will happen for the Queen's funeral.

09/09/2022

Read all about Operation Unicorn in Scotland following the death of HM The Queen.

Details for what happens when the Queen dies in Scotland, either on holiday at Balmoral or on official duties, have been firmly in place for more than a decade.

08/09/2022

HM The Queen died peacefully this afternoon after a reign of 70 years.

Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon, the palace says.

09/06/2022

Something to make you smile from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee 🥰

The Queen and Paddington Bear get the Platinum Party at the Palace rocking.

20/05/2022

Congratulations to Dunfermline in becoming Scotland's eighth city.

The Fife town was once Scotland's capital - and was the birthplace of King Charles I and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

21/04/2022

Today is HM The Queen’s 96th birthday.

Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York was born on 21st April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London. Princess Elizabeth was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother).

17 Bruton Street wasn’t a royal residence, the house was the residence of the Duchess of York’s parents the Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

HM The Queen is both the longest living and longest reigning British monarch. This year The Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee having ascended the throne on 6th February 1952.

Britain's longest-lived monarch has travelled to the Sandringham estate in Norfolk for her birthday.

06/04/2022

Ten years ago today on 6th April 2012 I launched Borders Journeys providing guided tours of the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway.

Today Borders Journeys offers tours of Scotland along with rest of the United Kingdom and Portugal. Ancestral research and tours along with Street Art and Outlander tours are specialities.

During the last ten years I have hosted hundreds of clients on my tours, many have gone on to become fantastic friends.

Thank you to everyone who supported me during the early days and continue to support me now. Above all, thank you for your continued friendship.

It’s been a fun ten years doing the job that I adore. Here’s to the next ten years meeting friends old and new.

Slàinte

Ian

06/04/2022

The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) Conference 2022 will take place on Saturday 9th April 2022.

The conference will be on-line with speakers giving presentations about how to trace the lives of your ancestors during their hard times through poor relief records, health records, criminal records and more.

Details about how to register for the conference can be found on the link below.

We're delighted to invite you to attend . Discover how to trace the lives of your ancestors during their hard times through poor relief records, health records, criminal records and more. Here are the presentations you can look forward to: ‘It’s a hard life: stories from Dundee’ by C...

16/03/2022

In 2020 I researched Liz Everett’s ancestry. Liz’s story now features in a short film ‘Coming Home – Ancestral Journeys in Scotland’. Over the last two years I have been working with the Scottish Council of Archives to create the film. The film highlights Scotland’s rich collection of archives held by local authorities, national bodies as well as small heritage and community groups while weaving its way around Liz’s story.

The film was launched today at General Register House in Edinburgh in the presence of Ivan McKee, MSP Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise.

The film is now available on the link below.

In addition, scroll down to and click on ‘Case Studies’ for a case study on Borders Journeys and me.

Ancestral TourismComing Home: Ancestral Journeys in ScotlandWatch our new film about how Scotland’s archives support the important ancestral tourism market.For more information about the film, read the press release here. Ancestral Tourism for ArchivistsIt is estimated that over 50 million people...

14/03/2022

Scottish castles featured in the hit television show Outlander are among hundreds of historic buildings that could be in dire need of repair, it has emerged.

Exposure to the elements over hundreds of years has taken a toll on some of the country’s most iconic structures.

Scottish castles featured in the hit television show Outlander are among hundreds of historic buildings that could be in dire need of repair, it has emerged.

06/02/2022

Today marks the Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

On 6th February 1952 Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh ascended the throne following the death of her father HM King George VI.

The Queen is the longest reigning British monarch and fourth longest reigning world monarch in history.

The three longest reigning monarchs in world history are:

1. King Louis XIV of France - 72 years 100 days
2. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) - 70 years 126 day
3. Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein - 70 years 91 days

In 127 days The Queen will become the second longest reigning monarch in world history.

As the Queen marks 70 years on the throne, historian Robert Lacey asks how prepared she was for her destiny.

03/02/2022

If you’re an Outlander fan anticipating season six, here are 10 interesting facts you may not know about the show.

Click on the link below for the full article.

If you’re an Outlander fan anticipating season six, here are 10 interesting facts you may not know about the show.

02/02/2022

A distinct genetic marker carried by descendants of Robert the Bruce has been discovered.

Researchers from the University of Strathclyde have found the marker in male line descendants of the Bruces of Clackmannan, who were related to Robert the Bruce, King of Scots from 1306 to 1329.

The breakthrough means that anyone who tests positive for the marker is descended from the same family as the King.

Click on the link below for the full article.

A distinct genetic marker carried by descendants of Robert the Bruce has been discovered.