I have operated Serenity Scotland with great pleasure since 2003. I am based in the wee rural village of Meigle, Perthshire, Scotland. Meigle is the home of Scotland's finest Pictish stone museum and a place connected in Scottish folklore and legend to Macbeth and Arthur.
I was born in the 'fair city of Perth' and grew up in the town of Kinross and in the village of Auchtermuchty. I studied in Dundee before heading to the States where I gained a BA in History from the University of California at Berkeley (GPA 3.53). In 2006 I completed a Masters Degree (with Distinction) in Ethnology and Scottish Folklore at the Elphinstone Institute, a part of the University of Aberdeen. I am currently working on an article for publication on the popular set dance, Strip the Willow.
My work/ life experiences include working and travelling extensively in Europe, North America, and Asia. I spent eight years working with young people for charitable organisations both at home and abroad. I have professional training in counselling and massage. In 1998 I co-developed the highly popular Wester Caputh Independent Hostel which in 2002 was one of the first Perthshire recipients of the Green Tourism Gold Award.
I am working towards Serenity Scotland becoming a carbon neutral business The first principle is to minimise the use of transport, paper and electricity. The internet is used wherever possible. I do not print brochures. Almost all paper used since 2003 has been recycled. Carbon emissions are offset through the Global Trees initiative.
Serenity Scotland has received national TV coverage on the BBC1 Holiday Programme. I have worked over the last two years as lead guide in Scotland for a major US film company.
My hobbies are playing the fiddle, wanting to throw the fiddle out of the window, running, swimming, cooking curries, travelling and writing. Presently I am attempting to learn Dutch.
Iain Stewart
