Scottish Geologist
That Girl That Makes Videos About Rocks
Welcome to Scottish Geologist’s website - the home of “That Girl That Makes Videos about rocks”.
I’m Luisa - a Glasgow-trained geologist who ditched the engineering world after nine years to follow my dream of, well… talking about rocks for a living. And it worked! Now I Make funny, Bite-sized geology videos on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook (@scottishgeologist) where more than 600K rock fans follow along.
I started making videos about rocks in March 2023 because I felt like something was seriously missing from social media: a proper appreciation for Scotland’s incredible geological landscapes. So I set out to fix that - one silly, educational video at a time.
As my online community grew, I wanted to take what I do on camera and bring it outdoors. That’s why I created Scot Rock Walks - Scottish Geology Tours ranging from short local walks to full-day and multi-day adventures across Scotland.
Come and explore the birthplace of modern geology with me!
Scot Rock Walks -
Scottish Geology Tours
Want to explore Scotland’s geology with me? interested in learning about the geological history of Scotland and the different rock types you can find?
Come along and explore Scotland’s geology today!!
Upcoming afternoon/evening Geology Tours
Explore the captivating geology north of Kinghorn, where ancient landscapes and striking rock formations reveal Scotland’s rich geological history. This guided tour takes you along the scenic coastline, offering a unique opportunity to uncover millions of years of Earths history and learn about the basic geology of Fife.
Highlights of the Tour
Rock Formations and Layers: Discover sedimentary rock layers formed during the Carboniferous period - 330 million years ago showcasing intricate patterns and evidence of ancient environments, including fossils of marine creatures and plant life.
Basalt Columns, pillows and Volcanism: Marvel at basalt formations shaped by volcanic activity millions of years ago, offering insights into Scotland’s fiery geological past.
Hydrothermal veins, agates and potentially even geodes: learn about how hot hydrothermal fluids running through rocks can precipitate out beautiful minerals forming mineral veins, amygdale’s, geodes and agates.
Marine fossils: learn about the marine creatures that lived in the waters during this period of time and even see if you can find some to take home with you.
Tour Details
Date: 10/08/2026
Time: 18:00-20:00
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Moderate (involves some walking on uneven terrain)
What to Bring: Comfortable footwear, weather-appropriate clothing, and a camera to capture stunning views.
Pick up from Glasgow available for £45 - the bus will leave at 16:45 from outside Costa coffee, 50 George square, Glasgow, G2 1EH.
Or meet us there for £25 at the following location at 18:00 - Kinghorn train station (parking is available on harbour Rd or Nethergate car park https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZdoxmESiEfZd6qe66?g_st=ic
Tour information sheet will be sent out a few days before hand.
Whether you’re a geology enthusiast or simply curious about Scotland’s natural heritage, this tour promises an unforgettable journey through time and terrain. Book your adventure today and unearth the secrets of the Earth north of Kinghorn!
Upcoming Day trip Geology Tours
Discover the Scottish Highlands like you’ve never seen them before. Delve deep into the geological past of the highlands with @scottishgeologist - Be a geologist for the day.
Itinerary
Glasgow - Loch Lomond - Falls of Falloch - Rannoch Moor - Glencoe - Ballachulish - Fort William - Glenfinnan - Return to Glasgow
08:00 Departure from Glasgow - Meet outside Costa Coffee, 50 George Square, Glasgow for introductions.
During the journey there will brief talk on the formation of the Scottish Highlands, focusing on:
The Midland Valley geological Terrane
The Highland Boundary Fault (HBF) - the major geological divide between the Lowlands & Highlands.
The Central Highlands geological Terrane - The Dalradian Supergroup (metamorphic rocks)
The Caledonian Orogeny (~400 million years ago)
The Northern Highlands geological Terrane
The Moine Supergroup (metamorphic rocks)
A geological history of Scotland
Loch Lomond
How Scotland was once near the South Pole and moved northward.
The Dalradian Supergroup - ancient seafloor sediments that were buried, folded, and metamorphosed.
The Highland Boundary Fault (HBF) - the major geological divide between the Lowlands & Highlands.
Evidence of glacial processes shaping the loch.
The falls of Falloch visit
Drive through Rannoch Moor (A82 Route to Glencoe)
Scenic stop at Black Mount viewpoint and Loch Tula
The last Ice Age (~20,000 years ago) and how glaciers shaped Rannoch Moor.
Granite and how it forms.
Glacial erratics, peat bogs, and permafrost landscapes - learn how to recognise glacial features.
Glencoe - Scotland’s 420 Million year old ‘Supervolcano’
We will stop and explore a few points in Glencoe, learning about what rocks form the munro that surround us and how these came to be. There will be a few short walks involved in this area of intermediate nature.
The Glencoe Caldera Collapse (~420 million years ago) a volcanic super-eruption - learn how to identify different igneous rocks
Igneous rocks and there processes (volcanos and that)
U-shaped valleys & hanging valleys formed by Ice Age glaciers.
The difference between different magmas
Lunch in Glencoe visitor centre
Ballachulish Slate Quarry - Metamorphism, fools gold and slaty rocks
Explore the Ballachulish Slate Quarry, where sedimentary rocks were transformed into roofing slates.
How high-pressure metamorphism changed mudstone into slate.
Regional metamorphism and Barrovian metamorphism.
The role of the Caledonian Orogeny in rock deformation.
The quarrys impact on Scotlands industrial history.
Fort William & Ben Nevis Geology
Ben Nevis: An extinct Devonian volcano (~400 million years ago).
The difference between Ben Nevis granite & Glencoe volcanic rocks.
How glacial erosion carved the mountains current shape.
Tectonic movements & faulting linked to the Great Glen Fault.
Glenfinnan - The Moine Supergroup now known as the Loch Ness and Wester Ross Supergroup
Metamorphism of the Moine supergroup in around the viaduct that represent the metamorphic rocks of the northern highlands - we will look at the schists that make up the Glenfinnan Group.
Glenfinnan viaduct - only if parking is available - the Harry Potter train bridge (includes short optional walk and if we arrive on time, we may get the chance to see the train.
On the way home - Recap of:
Scotlands geological evolution from Precambrian to today.
How plate tectonics continue to shape the landscape.
Estimated arrival in Glasgow: 18:30-19:00.
Rock types seen
Slate
Phyllite
Schist
Granite
Rhyolite
Andesite
Ash and tuff
Dolerite
Basalt
Quartz
Meta sedimentary rocks - psammite, pelite, semi-pelite and quartzite
Tour Highlights (1-Day Experience)
See Glencoes supervolcano - one of the best-preserved in the world.
Explore Ballachulish Slate Quarry - a story of metamorphism & industry.
Learn about the Caledonian Orogeny
Learn about Ben Nevis - Britains highest peak and its volcanic origins.
Glenfinnan Viaduct - AKA the Harry Potter bridge
Understand Scotlands Ice Age past - how glaciers shaped the landscape.
This efficient yet immersive tour covers Scotlands key geological wonders in a single day while allowing for scenic stops and short walks.
Please note lunch is not included in the price and you can either buy lunch at the Glencoe visitor centre or bring a packed lunch with you.
Price:
£150.00 per person
What to bring?
Waterproof jacket and trousers (Scotland is known for the rain and that so please be prepared
Backback
Warm clothes, potentially extra layers you can take on and off.
Gloves and hat if tour is in winter/autumn/spring time
comfortable shoes/walking boots for rough wet terrain
Good comfortable socks (maybe a spare pair in the backpack
Sunscreen (recommended SPF30 (UVB) with 4-star UVA protection
Camera/smart phone
Battery pack
Phone charger
Upcoming Weekend Geology Tours
Through Deep Time: A Geology Tour of the North West Highlands with @ScottishGeologist
Join @ScottishGeologist on a journey into the North West Highlands, one of the most geologically important landscapes in the world. Here, billion-year-old rocks, ancient mountain-building collisions, and world-famous thrust faults tell the story of Earth’s deep past in a setting of breathtaking mountains, lochs, and sea cliffs.
What to Expect
🪨 The Oldest Rocks in Europe
Walk across outcrops of Lewisian gneiss, some of the oldest rocks on the continent at over 3.2 billion years old.
Learn how these rocks formed deep in Earth’s crust and were later uplifted and exposed by tectonic events.
🏜️ Torridonian Sandstones
Discover striking red sandstone mountains such as Stac Pollaidh and Suilven, formed from ancient river and desert deposits around 1 to 1.2 billion years ago.
Examine sedimentary structures like cross-bedding, ripple marks and mud cracks that preserve clues to these long-vanished environments.
🌍 The Moine Thrust Belt
Visit the internationally famous Moine Thrust Zone, where older rocks were pushed for miles over younger rocks during the Caledonian Orogeny ~430 million years ago.
See spectacular thrust fault exposures and understand why this region became a cornerstone of modern geological science.
⛰️ Classic Highland Landscapes
Explore iconic sites such as Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve, where geology meets art and interpretation.
Trace how glaciers sculpted the rugged terrain into corries, U-shaped valleys, and polished rock surfaces during the last Ice Age.
👣 Guided Walks and Field Observations
Enjoy carefully chosen walks and stops to study:
Rock textures and mineralogy.
Fold and fault structures in outcrop.
How geology influences today’s landscape and ecology.
Who Should Attend?
Geology enthusiasts and students keen to see textbook examples in the field.
Hikers, photographers, and nature lovers drawn to Scotland’s wildest scenery.
Anyone curious about how mountains form and why the North West Highlands are a UNESCO Geopark.
No prior geology knowledge required—just sturdy footwear and a spirit of exploration.
Event Details
📍 Location: Ullapool, North West Highlands
📍Pick up locations: outside Costa coffee, 50 George’s square, Glasgow at 10:00 or Inverness train station at 15:30/16:00
🗓️ Dates: Friday 14th August (10:00 or 15:30) to Sunday 16th August 2026 (19:00)
⏰ Duration: multi-day tour (2 to 3 days)
🎟️ Price:
£350pp from Glasgow
£320pp from Inverness
£300pp meet us there (guiding and transport included, accommodation not included - book within 5 miles radius of Ullapool)
Places we will visit:
Loch Lomond metamorphic rocks
Glencoe’s supervolcano
The great Glen Fault line - Loch Ness
Knocken Crag - The Moine Thrust Fault
Loch Assynt
Achmelvich Bay
Clachtoll beach
Glencoul thrust fault
The Rock Stop (if opened) - The North West Highlands Geopark stop and rock museum.
Kylesku Bridge
Scourie Bay
Laxford Cutting
Smoo Cave, Durness
Ceannabeinne beach, Durness
Corrieshalloch gorge - the deepest gorge in Scotland
Rock formations you’ll see:
The Lewissian Gniess - the oldest rocks in Scotland
The Torridonian Sandstones
The Moine supergroup
The Cambrian quartzites including the ‘pipe rock’
The Durness Group
The Ardverck Group
The Dalradian supergroup
And many more 🪨😍
Why Join This Tour?
Led by the knowledgeable @ScottishGeologist, this tour will guide you through some of the most important outcrops in Earth science history. You’ll walk across rocks older than life itself, stand at the site of ground-breaking 19th-century geological discoveries, and see how tectonics, sedimentation, and glaciation shaped Scotland’s wild northwest.
Book Your Highland Geology Experience Today!
The North West Highlands are not just Scotland’s oldest rocks—they are pages in the story of our planet. Come and read them with @ScottishGeologist.
Ancient Stones and Atlantic Shores: A Geology Tour of Lewis & Harris with @ScottishGeologist
Join @ScottishGeologist on a breathtaking geological journey across the Isle of Lewis and Harris, where the landscape tells a story stretching back nearly 3 billion years. From the Lewisian gneiss, some of the oldest rocks in Europe, to stunning Atlantic beaches and towering Harris mountains, this tour reveals how Scotland’s Outer Hebrides became a geological wonderland.
What to Expect
🪨 The Lewisian Gneiss Complex
Walk across outcrops of Lewisian gneiss, formed over 3.2 billion years ago deep in Earth’s crust.
Learn how these rocks were altered by intense heat and pressure, creating their distinctive banded appearance.
Understand how these gneisses are fragments of Earth’s earliest continental crust, older than almost all life.
⛰️ The Mountains and minerals of Harris
Explore the dramatic Harris hills, where gneiss forms a rugged, rocky landscape shaped by glaciers.
See how later intrusions of granite and pegmatite veins cut through the gneiss, telling a story of deep magmatic activity.
Trace how these ancient foundations influence the island’s modern topography.
Analyse crystals such as tourmaline, mica and quartz in pegmatic form.
🏜️ The Uig and Stornoway Sandstones
Visit exposures of Torridonian-like sandstones, deposited around 1 billion years ago by ancient rivers and deserts.
Spot sedimentary structures like ripples and cross-bedding, frozen evidence of vanished landscapes.
⛰️ Structural Geology in the Gneiss
Analyse how the Lewisian was deformed over billions of years, recording cycles of burial, heating, and uplift.
Look at isoclinal folds, refolded folds, and shear fabrics, and discuss what they reveal about the pressures and directions of ancient tectonic forces.
Learn how geologists unravel deformation histories by tracing cross-cutting relationships between different fold generations.
Compare the structures in Lewisian gneiss to those found in modern mountain belts like the Himalayas.
🌍 The Outer Hebrides Fault Zone (OHFZ)
Explore one of Scotland’s most significant tectonic structures, stretching for more than 200 km along the Outer Hebrides.
Understand how this ancient fault marks the boundary between the Lewisian gneiss block and rocks further east.
Learn that the OHFZ was reactivated several times:
During the Proterozoic, when the Lewisian basement was fractured and sheared.
During the Caledonian Orogeny (~430 million years ago), when thrusts and folds developed as Scotland collided with North America and Greenland.
Even later, during the opening of the Atlantic, when dykes intruded along fault lines.
See spectacular mylonites and sheared rocks, where the gneiss has been ground and stretched by movement along the fault.
Discuss how this deep crustal fault connects Arran, the mainland, and the Outer Hebrides, showing how Scotland’s geology is linked across regions.
🌊 Glacial and Coastal Landscapes
Discover how the last Ice Age carved corries, valleys, and lochs across Lewis and Harris.
Walk along the Atlantic coast, where white-sand beaches like Luskentyre meet outcrops of ancient gneiss.
Observe how waves and weather continue to shape the coast today, creating sea stacks, cliffs, and machair grasslands.
🏛️ Geology and Culture
Learn how Lewisian gneiss was used in building crofts and stone walls across the islands.
Visit the Callanish Standing Stones, erected over 5,000 years ago, and discuss how the local geology provided both the material and the setting for this remarkable site.
Hear how geology influenced settlement, farming, and industry in the Outer Hebrides.
👣 Hands-On Exploration
Examine thin bands of different minerals in the gneiss and learn how to identify feldspar, quartz, and mica.
Sketch folded gneiss outcrops and glacial features in a field notebook.
Compare the Lewisian to modern geological analogues, such as the Canadian Shield.
Who Should Attend?
Geology enthusiasts wanting to see some of the oldest rocks in the world.
Nature lovers drawn to Harris’s mountains and Lewis’s sweeping beaches.
Anyone fascinated by the link between geology, history, and human culture.
No prior geology background is needed—just good walking shoes and a love of wild landscapes.
Event Details
📍 Location: Isle of Lewis & Harris, Outer Hebrides
Pick up available from Glasgow, Inverness or meet us there.
🗓️ Dates: Friday 24th July to 27th July 2026
⏰ Duration: 2-4 days
🎟️ Price:
£395pp from Glasgow
£365pp from Inverness
£300pp meet us there (2 day ticket - Saturday and Sunday)
(guiding, ferry and transport included. Accommodation not included - please book accommodation within a 10 mile radius of Stornoway)
Places we will visit:
Luskentyre
Scarista
Rodel
Harris tweed
Isle of Harris distillery
Stornoway
Callinish stones
Alpaca cafe
Port of ness
Why Join This Tour?
Led by @ScottishGeologist, this tour offers the chance to stand on rocks nearly as old as the Earth itself, while surrounded by some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery. From billion-year-old gneiss to Ice Age landscapes and ancient monuments, the Outer Hebrides bring together deep time, cultural history, and natural beauty in one unforgettable journey.
Book Your Lewis & Harris Geology Adventure Today!
Step into the deep past of Scotland—where some of the world’s oldest rocks meet the wild Atlantic shore.
Scotland in Miniature: A Geology Tour of the Isle of Arran with @ScottishGeologist
Join @ScottishGeologist for an inspiring geological tour of the Isle of Arran, often called “Scotland in Miniature” because it showcases almost every type of rock and geological process found across the country. From ancient ocean crust found In north Glen Sannox along the Highland Boundary fault line to folded meta-sediments that were deformed during the Caldeonian orogeny (mountain building) to the granite mountains, fossil-rich sandstones, and famous unconformities, Arran is one of the best places in the world to explore Earth’s story in a single island.
What to Expect
🌍 Deep Time on Display
Walk through hundreds of millions of years of Earth history in a single island, from Precambrian metamorphic rocks to Tertiary granites and dykes.
Understand why Arran is nicknamed “Scotland in Miniature”—its rocks represent almost every major stage of Scotland’s geological story.
🪨 Hutton’s Unconformity at Lochranza
Stand at the site where James Hutton, the father of modern geology, found one of his most famous examples of unconformity.
See how vertical Dalradian schists (c. 500–600 million years old) are overlain by much younger Devonian sandstones (~370 million years old).
Learn how this relationship gave Hutton evidence for “deep time” and the endless cycles of rock formation.
🌋 Igneous Geology: The Arran Granite and Beyond
• Explore the granite mountains of North Arran, intruded around 60 million years ago during the opening of the North Atlantic.
• Learn how slow-cooling magma deep underground produced the rugged Goatfell massif.
• Trace dyke swarms that cut through older rocks, part of the same magmatic activity that shaped Skye and Mull.
• See where igneous intrusions altered surrounding rocks by metamorphism (contact aureoles).
🧭 Structural Geology and Tectonics
Identify folds and faults in Dalradian metamorphic rocks.
Learn how these structures formed during the Caledonian Orogeny (~430 million years ago), when Scotland was part of a giant mountain belt like today’s Himalayas.
Discuss how later extension and volcanism reshaped the island
👣 Hands-On Exploration
Use simple field skills: sketching outcrops, noting sedimentary structures, and identifying igneous textures.
Compare rocks of very different ages side by side.
See how Arran acts as a “natural classroom,” ideal for connecting big geological ideas with real-world rocks.
🏜️🏝️Sedimentary Stories
Walk across Devonian Old Red Sandstone, laid down in rivers and desert basins when Scotland lay near the equator.
Visit Carboniferous rocks with limestones, sandstones, and shales, packed with fossils of corals, crinoids, and plants, evidence of warm shallow seas and swampy deltas.
Examine the Permian sandstones of southern Arran, deposited in arid desert conditions, their vivid red colour still striking today.
Who Should Attend?
Geology enthusiasts and students eager to see world-famous outcrops.
Walkers, families, and nature lovers looking to understand Arran’s landscapes more deeply.
Anyone curious about James Hutton and the birth of modern geology.
No prior geological knowledge needed—just sturdy footwear and a sense of curiosity!
Event Details
📍 Location: Isle of Arran, Firth of Clyde
Pick up: from Glasgow or meet us there
🗓️ Dates: Friday 28th August (10:00) to 30th August 2026 (19:00)
⏰ Duration: 3 days
🎟️ Price:
£330pp from Glasgow.
£295pp meet us there.
(Includes guiding, transport and ferry tickets. Accommodation is not included - please book accomodation within a 5 mile radius of Brodick)
Places we will visit:
Brodick
Corrie
North Glen Sannox
Arran geopark
Lochranza
Blackwaterfoot (drumadoon)
Kildonan
Rock Units you’ll see:
Dalradian metasedimentary rocks including psammite, pelite and semipelite with a variety of different textures and folds
Highland border complex
Devonian old red sandstone including sandstone, siltstone and conglomerate
Carboniferous sedimentary and volcanic rocks including sandstone, mudstone, limestone, basalt and tuff as well as a reptile footprints and marine fossils
Permian new red sandstone supergroup
Volcanic mafic and felsic intrusive and extrusive rocks from the paleogene
Why Join This Tour?
Arran has been called a “geological textbook” in the field, and with @ScottishGeologist as your guide, you’ll explore its unconformities, volcanoes, fossils, and glacial landscapes in a way that connects science, scenery, and story.
Book Your Arran Geology Tour Today!
Uncover the island where Scotland’s geology comes together—and where the science of deep time was born.
Upcoming Workshops
Did you Know…
That Scotland has some of the oldest rocks in Europe? Click below to find out more about the geological history of Scotland.
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