Alastair Learmont

Alastair Learmont

Alastair is an 18th century social and cultural historian based near Edinburgh. As a highly experienced advocate and educator, he has developed an interdisciplinary approach to art and architecture. Through this he has sought to contextualise Scotland’s rich cultural heritage by reference to landscape, literature and social history. Formerly a practising member of the Scottish Bar, he has, since 2012, combined historical research with a wide range of adult educational work.

Alastair’s approach is shaped by a conviction that history and art have intrinsic value, “When we explore them for their own sake, we can’t help making connections and wanting to discover more. If we are to enjoy art and architecture, we must engage with them within a broad cultural framework. With these tours, I seek to encourage a spirit of inquiry, helping participants to encounter something new ,even within a familiar  landscape, as well as provide an idea or insight – a spark – that will lead to a lasting curiosity. In the spirit of Robert Louis Stevenson, we travel hopefully. The journey, in many ways, is more important than the destination.”

Learn more about Alastair

Alastair Learmont, the founder of Picturesque Travel, is a cultural historian with a particular interest in 18th century and 19th century Scotland.

Alastair has enjoyed a varied career. Brought up outside Edinburgh, he read Classics at the University of Bristol, where he was president of the Classical Society, and later combined life as a Scottish advocate or barrister with spells as a publisher in Scotland and walking guide in Italy. Discouraged from pursuing an interest in modern history as a schoolboy, he resumed postgraduate study at the University of Edinburgh in 2012 graduating MSc with Distinction in 18th century Cultural History (2014) , and MSc with Merit in Economic and Social History (2016). As an ESRC funded research student, and MacFarlane scholar at the University of Edinburgh, he later pursued research into Scotland’s connections with the slave economies of the West Indies during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Academic study has provided Alastair opportunities for sharing knowledge. He is a highly experienced educator. Since 2017, he has been a Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Lifelong Learning, and a regular tutor for the City of Edinburgh’s Outlook Project, an adult educational programme aimed at adult learners who have been affected by mental health issues. His involvement with the National Galleries of Scotland has enabled him to develop – and share – a contextual approach to art history. He has devised and led a number of courses for the City of Edinburgh’s adult learning programme including History Through Portraits. For Martin Randall Travel, he is guest lecturer on their Scottish Houses and Castles Tour.

Alastair is also actively involved with several conservation bodies, including the Musselburgh Conservation Society of which he is currently chairman, and the Edinburgh Decorative and Fine Arts Society.  He was formerly Chairman of Variations (Scotland), a chamber music charity, and legal representative of the British Flute Society 

Outside historical pursuits, he enjoys writing his journal, reading Latin and playing the flute.