Meet the tour guide: Phoebe Sleath
5 MINUTE READ
Whether she’s leading a gentle walk on a Scottish Highlands tour or cracking open the watercolours in Skye, Phoebe helps guests experience landscapes with curiosity, calm – and a splash of creativity.
Join one of GeoCultura’s guided tours of Scotland and you might find yourself discussing landscape formations with someone who can just as easily advise on your climbing harness fit or your pet tortoise’s diet. It can only be Phoebe Sleath – tour guide, PhD researcher, climbing instructor, women’s climbing club co-founder and lifelong tortoise companion!
Based in Aberdeen, where she lives with her partner and her pet tortoise Archimedes (Archie for short), Phoebe brings her infectious energy and an irresistible mix of art, science and storytelling to every tour she leads. No wonder our guests rave about her.
She’s as comfortable sketching a volcanic headland as she is interpreting one – and she might invite you to pull out a sketching pad on tour too. A qualified summer Mountain Leader and co-founder of Granite Girls, a local women’s climbing club, Phoebe is all about making geology and climbing more accessible. Whether she’s pointing out faults and folds in the rock or showing you how to paint the view, she helps people see landscapes – and themselves – in a new light.
We caught up with Phoebe to talk creativity, confidence and what makes a tour moment truly memorable.
What first drew you to geology?
“I was one of those teenagers who just wanted to stay in my room, be on my computer and not come out but my mum encouraged me to do the Duke of Edinburgh Award. That’s how I discovered that we had actual hills and mountains in the UK and that I loved being outdoors with my friends. It inspired me to study geography and geology at A level and I’ve never looked back! I went on to do geology at university – I love knowing how landscapes formed and understanding our place in those landscapes. That’s where the art comes in – it’s such a nice way to capture that emotion and sense of connection.”
How did art find its way into your geology work?
“I’ve always painted a bit, although I didn’t love how my art looked – so when I went on my first PhD fieldwork I took my art materials with me to try painting outside for the first time. It wasn’t meant to be part of my work, but I was waiting for the tide to go down while painting the sea, the sky and the birds. Then I started painting the rocks I was studying, and I realised I was looking more closely at the rocks, noticing more, and seeing the bigger picture. Now I paint outside whenever I can.”
You sometimes invite guests to sketch on tour. What do they get out of it?
“It’s always fun to try something new. Even if you’re arty, it’s unusual to paint outside – it feels really freeing. When we do this on tour, it’s usually a nice moment of peace, just sitting and looking closely at the view. It’s not about how the painting looks at the end. It’s about the process and being in the moment.
The first time we did this was at Loch Coruisk on the Isle of Skye. When we went back to the hotel, our guests started sketching on the hotel terrace before dinner, which was lovely.
Painting the landscape helps you to see the scenery differently, to connect with it more deeply. And it gives you a little book of memories to take home.”
How does your PhD influence the way you guide tours?
“My PhD is all about how people perceive rocks. We all notice different things, and I love exploring that. I love to make geology accessible to all by keeping it conversational, more of a discussion than a lecture.
I love being up close to the rocks – there’s so much movement in them, like little films. It’s interesting no matter what your level of understanding of geology. You don’t need to be into geology to enjoy a GeoCultura tour. So many guests say they got more out of the geology than they expected.
I remember when we were at the Old Mann of Storr on Skye where I was showing everyone the amygdaloidal basalt. It has little geodes of yellowy quartz in – tiny bubbles formed as the lava cooled and were later filled by quartz rich hydrothermal fluids. Watching people realise where those bubbles come from as we were actually touching them – the awe that flickered across their faces – was so special.”
You often guide alongside Ali Motion. What makes that partnership work so well?
“Ali and Phoebe were the best tour guides I’ve ever travelled with – they are both gems, and if you wrote to tell me they would be together on another tour, I’d sign up immediately.” – Guest feedback from GeoCultura’s 8-day tour of the Scottish Highlands, Skye and Outer Hebrides
“That’s lovely feedback! Ali and I are quite similar – both relaxed but organised so we can make decisions quickly. And she’s got such a good sense of humour, we bounce off each other well. Our interests overlap but we have different strengths – Ali’s really into history and culture and I lean more towards the geography and wildlife.”
You can travel with Phoebe and Ali on our 6-day Iconic Scotland & Isle of Skye: lochs & lore tour in September 2025 and our 8-day tours of the Scottish Highlands, Skye and Outer Hebrides in 2026.
If you could take a guest to just one geological site in the world, where would you go?
“The North West Highlands Geopark. It’s beautiful with amazing, craggy, rugged mountains and white sand beaches, but it’s also got an incredible geological story – that’s why it’s a UNESCO Global Geopark. It has changed humanity’s perspective on how landscapes formed. You can literally touch history here as you put your hands on the Moine Thrust – basically on the line which marks two continents colliding 430 million years ago..”.
What do you hope guests take away from your tours?
“I hope they feel empowered and inspired to explore where they’re from in the same way. There’s so much geology around us, so much beauty and colour – I want them to be even more curious about the stories behind the scenery. I hope they go and do some sketching as well; I offer guests a little painting kit to take home with them. And I hope they’ve had a restful and relaxing trip!”
Last question – what do you love most about guiding a GeoCultura tour?
“I love sharing beautiful places with people, having interesting conversations and helping guests feel more confident – whether they’re reading the landscapes or sitting down to sketch. It’s a really fun way to spend a week. The places we stay are amazing – and the food’s so good, too!”
Meet Phoebe (and Ali) on our 6-day Iconic Scotland & Isle of Skye: lochs & lore tour in September 2025 and our 8-day tours of the Scottish Highlands, Skye and Outer Hebrides in 2026.
Discover our guided small-group tours