Summer swung into play with the end of a big project. By late May I had completed the manuscript for Time on Rock, a nature writing book about rock climbing, and once the major edits were signed off, I was free. My release coincided with another great relaxation – the ending of COVID lockdown restrictions. … Continue reading Of Rocks and mountains // A Summer Release
Beinn a Bhuird and Ben Avon The Table Mountain and the River Mountain A dark drive on frozen winding roads. Star light. Moon light. We cycle in up the glen, passing skeletal alder and birch, following the crystal clear chattering of the River Avon, as the sky starts to pale, yellowing with sunrise. A ruined … Continue reading Winter Cairngorms
Long days. Sunshine. Midges. Rain. Camping. Face masks. And plenty of time on rock. This year I have been hard at work, writing Time on Rock, a nature-writing book all about my route into rock climbing. Sitting at a desk, trying to remember the feel of the rock, the look of a landscape, the emotions … Continue reading Summer
During the topsy-turvy time of global pandemic and international lockdown, when normal life is on hold and bad news proliferates, I had the wonderful and slightly surreal experience of winning two writing awards on the same day. First, the manager of Moniack Mhor called to tell me I had won their Travel Writing Award. Then, … Continue reading Moving with granite
When I was a child, minutes were long. The clock moved slowly. Summer holidays stretched into the far distance and a year was beyond reckoning. People say that as you get older, time compresses. Seconds vanish. Minutes disappear. Weeks race by – and suddenly it is Christmas again – and here’s a whole new year … Continue reading Shadows and Reflections: 2019
How does one know a mountain? Of all the mountains in the Cairngorms, there is something about Braeriach. It is not the tallest one here – across the Lairig Ghru, Ben Macdui stands a little higher. Bynack Mor and Ben Mheadhoin have more interesting summits, studded with weathered granite tors that delight hand and eye. … Continue reading Braeriach
June. The days are long. I head up Glen Tilt to Carn a’Chlamain, the Rocky Hill of the Buzzard. Down in Blair Atholl, oak and chestnut and beech form thick green towers. Hawthorn lines the hedgerows with the sharp sweet scent of May. This is Perthshire: the land of big trees. The countryside is very … Continue reading Glen Tilt: flowers, fights and freedom
Rural Aberdeenshire. An unfamiliar road twists and winds through rolling hills. My feet are busy juggling clutch, brake, and accelerator. The corners are sharp: I am tired but I must concentrate. Navigating yet another bend, I reach a sign: a black silhouette of an osprey, painted onto the face of a pale grey rock. I … Continue reading Sounding the granite sea
This article was originally published on Caught by the River (24 February 2019) I turn my head-torch off and am blinded by darkness. There are no stars, no moon: it must be cloudy. The woods are impossibly dark. I suddenly feel vulnerable. I resist the urge to switch the light back on: nothing external has … Continue reading Forest dreams
This essay was first published on Caught by the River (26 December 2018) Fresh snow lies thick on the ground. Heather, grass and rocks have disappeared under a smooth Christmas cake icing. A freeze-thaw cycle has yet to happen, condensing the crystals into a crusty snowpack, and so with each step, my foot plunges into … Continue reading Dances with hares
New year in the Cairngorms: there is very little snow. Last winter was generally cold and white, snow often fell right down to valley level and the mountains became shining beacons. Walking could be hard work, wading through knee deep drifts, cornices formed over hedge banks. This winter is mild. The Cairngorms have not yet … Continue reading Cairngorms clouded
This article originally appeared on Caught by the River (18 November 2018) I am becoming a boulder. This October morning in the Cairngorms, I have been set the task of letting go of the visual to see how my eyes move. I stand still on the mountain, consciously relaxing my eyes and the muscles all … Continue reading New routes into the mountain
Over 2018-9 an exciting project is taking place in the Cairngorms, inspired by Nan Shepherd, celebrating women’s experiences in the mountains. ‘Into the Mountain’ is a performative journey by Simone Kenyon, a mountaineer, artist and choreographer. The project includes public talks, education workshops for children, training for teachers, and live performances in the Cairngorms in … Continue reading Into the Mountain: A Meet
This piece originally appeared on 'Caught by the River' (23 October 2018). Overhead, the granite boulder glittered in torch and candle light. Our breath made clouds as we clustered away from the drips that worked their way in somehow, running through gaps between rocks, dropping from surfaces. We slept under the shelter stone: an enormous … Continue reading Seeking Shelter: A Journey Into Loch A’an
the granite sea 