OUR STORY

Cò sinn is cò às a tha sinn

I’m Kirsty, the founder of Atlas Alba Maps.

I’m a geographer and cartographer from the Highlands of Scotland. I grew up between the Isle of Skye, Wester Ross, and Inverness. My family spent our holidays camping and exploring, using maps to plan our adventures. From that, my love of cartography was born.

I later studied Geography at the University of Edinburgh, where my obsession with maps only grew. In 2020, I began restoring vintage maps and experimenting with adding relief effect: from this, Atlas Alba Maps was born.

I’m a fluent Gàidhlig speaker, and passionate about the language. Feel free to use any Gàidhlig you have in your messages to me. ‘S fheàrr Gàidhlig bhriste na Gàidhlig sa chiste!

OUR MAPS

Curious about how our maps are made?

It's not magic, but the before and after can look a little like it! Making our maps involves a lot of steps, but the (very) simplified process is shown below, using our Argyll map as an example.

Step 1: Restoration of vintage maps

We use museum-quality scans of vintage maps. Damage to the originals, such as watermarks, tears, or scribbles, is restored digitally. Sometimes, if a pencil marking or fold mark adds a bit of character, we leave it in.

Step 2: 3D modelling

We combine the original map with satellite elevation data, and cast a digital sunlight over the landscape. This produces the 3D effect. This step can take a lot of experimenting and adjustments until it’s just right.

Step 3: Colours, edits, test prints

Time to perfect all the colours and details. A few rounds of test prints, and some more final adjustments, until we are happy. Your maps are then printed and framed to order.