An American in the Highlands

Welcome!

I came to Scotland for love and stayed long enough for it to reshape how I see the world. An American in the Highlands follows that shift, weaving together stories, history and the everyday life of a cottage that reminds you it’s been here far longer than you have. It’s Scotland from the inside out—told by someone who arrived as a visitor, stayed as a local and now spends her days exploring the glens, shorelines and small moments that make this place feel alive.

About

Hi, I’m Michelle, An American in the Highlands.

Raised in the southern US, I’m an anthropologist, journalist, storyteller and tour guide whose work has carried me from the Delta to the Levant to the Hebrides. I thought I knew where my path was leading, but then one day I met a man in a kilt and my life changed forever.

These days, I live in Argyll, Scotland, with that very man—my husband, Rab. I split my time between restoring our 300‑year‑old cottage, cooking, keeping a garden alive in rainy west coast weather and playing the drums (with the occasional hopeful thump at a bodhrán!)

I crossed an ocean and found a life in the glen, built on love, a deep sense of place and the kind of grit that gets you through a long winter. This is where I share it.