04/08/2026
It’s Scottish exam results day and week, and it’s had me thinking about how strange, unpredictable and wonderful life can be.
When I left school at 17, I honestly had no idea where I was going to end up.
I worked at Morrisons, then spent several years at BT. I did an HNC in Admin & IT at Inverness College while working front of house at Mansfield House Hotel. I moved to Perth and worked as a receptionist, then came home and worked at Kirker Europe in various roles. I left to become a driving instructor, then went back when my dad became unwell.
Somewhere along the way I studied for a degree in Child & Youth Studies, got married, travelled around Canada and America for eight months, worked as a project manager, and took the leap to start The Farm Fairy.
Not long after that, I found out I was pregnant with Cassie.
Then when she was only nine months old, I saw an advert for a tour guide role with Thistle Excursions and something in me just knew I had to go for it. I completed my HOSTGA qualification, and in 2023 I did the Impact30 business course — which gave me the push to take myself seriously, buy my first van, and build my website for Macaulay Luxury Travel.
A few years on, Macaulay Luxury Travel has grown into a luxury private tour business here in the Scottish Highlands. In January 2026, I bought my second vehicle (a new Mercedes V-Class), and I now have two V-Class vehicles, three brilliant guides I work with regularly, and guests from all over the world.
Along the way, I’ve also been lucky enough to be shortlisted through the Highland Business Women Awards and the ASB awards, something that meant so much, not just professionally, but personally too. Being part of a community of ambitious, supportive women in business across the Highlands has been incredibly encouraging, especially as someone building a business around family life, local stories, and a deep love for this place.
So if today didn’t go the way you hoped, please don’t think that means your future is decided. It isn’t.
Results matter, of course they do — but they are not the whole story.
You can change direction.
You can start again.
You can take the long road.
You can build something from nothing.
You can become someone your younger self never even imagined.
There is no wrong path. Just your path. And sometimes, the most unexpected one turns out to be the most beautiful.
It’s also my 8 year wedding anniversary today hence the photo!
Emma x
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