85-year-old grandpa's rock map of Scotland has gone viral for its beautiful attention to detail

He’s a rockstar – but while Bob Dylan, Prince, and Janis Joplin will be remembered for their music, 86-year-old Harry Young is proving that it’s never too late to chase your passions. In February 2024, the amateur geologist went viral after his grandson Harry Jeffries posted photos of Young and his geologically accurate rock map of Scotland to Twitter/X.

An intricate, handmade masterpiece, the rock map uses stones and pebbles collected over 30 years of geology trips and spans Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Portee (it also includes the Isle of Bencecula, too!) Since then, that post has amassed 6.3 million views and 159,000 likes.

Young began the map in 1992 with a simple artistic vision: to be geologically correct and aesthetically pleasing. Over the next 30 years, he embarked on various journeys throughout Scotland, collecting gemstones and picking up pebbles, before placing the map's final rock in 2020 during the pandemic. Four years later, in honor of his 85th birthday, Young’s family framed the iconic rock map and gifted it to him.

“I’d never seen [a rock map], so I just started collecting area by area,” Young told BBC Scotland News in 2024. “Every rock you see on that map, I went to that place and collected it.”

Young’s rock map of Scotland absolutely exploded over the internet, garnering thousands of comments praising him for his artistic vision, including “superb – it’s unique, much like Scotland itself,” and “[He] did a wonderful job and I greatly admire his talent and dedication. Beautiful!” Young, who resides in Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire, fell in love with amateur geology when a co-worker at the Clyde River Purification Board returned from America and gave him a few fossils as a present in the ‘90s.

But now, he’s no longer an “amateur.” In July 2024, Young loaned his map to The Geological Society of London, which premiered “Harry Young’s Rock Map of Scotland” as a free exhibition at Burlington House. To celebrate the map, the Geological Society also held a series of special events, in an effort to “encourage more children, young people and adults to engage with geoscience (and science more generally)” – including a webinar led by Harry, who spoke about his inspirations, the memories from his many geology trips, and how creativity in science can inspire and encourage people from all walks of life.

The map, which was on display at Burlington House until October, was placed next to William Smith’s 1815 geological map of England and Wales (which is considered to be the first geological map of a complete country ever made) and a reproduction of John MacCulloch’s 1840 geological map of Scotland (the first map to ever use data collected from an official survey and to be published by the government), and reminds us of what can be achieved with minimal resources when we appreciate the world around us.

And for many, Young is a beacon of hope. Instead of doubting ourselves and filling our heads with negative thoughts like ‘No, it’s too late for me,’ or ‘What if I fail?,' Young's story provides an alternative: rock-solid proof that even if it takes you 30 years, you can still achieve your dreams. Or, as one commenter puts it, "tell your grandad he rocks."

As it turns out, he’s also a shrewd entrepreneur: you can buy mugs, prints, and puzzles adorned with Young’s rock map of Scotland on his online store.