The water lapping on the shore and o my heart is here in Uist. The day bright and breezy skylarks rising over the bleached moorland, the cuckoo calls here now cuckoo cuckoo the long winter has surely passed. Heaven is the light sparkling on the water. Approaching Tabha Mor, a raven lifts, croaking from among … Continue reading From South Uist with love
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
A fierce wind blows down the ridge. Hail comes in and I burrow deeper into my hood. The frozen flecks sear the skin. My feet wade through snow and slide over frozen rocks. Each breath is snatched from the elements. The mountain forecast on Sunday promised ‘arduous’ walking conditions. Gale force winds, 40% chance of … Continue reading Chasing rainbows on Schiehallion
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
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 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 Cairngorms are home to many great rivers whose distinctive ecologies have shaped life for millenia. The Dee and Spey are known as two of the ‘big four’ Scottish salmon rivers. Fishermen travel here to fish for salmon that have travelled thousands of miles across the Atlantic, returning from distant feeding grounds to spawn in … Continue reading Highland River
Exploring the Cairngorms, I am often struck by the changing shades, tones, and hues of the area. Light on the plateau can change by the minute. In the fog, the brightness dramatically alters: as though someone switches on a light, all is suddenly illuminated and the mist gleams white. Then, just as quickly, the light … Continue reading Cairngorm Colours
the granite sea 