Walking into Glen Feshie in the western Cairngorms is like stepping into a different world. If this is what can happen after just 14 years of rewilding, what will it look like at the end of this ambitious 200-year project?
Tag Archives: nature
Sounds of lockdown: on the Northumbrian fells, skylarks are still singing
The skylark is in steep decline across the UK, but at a time of lockdown when planes are grounded and roads are empty, there is a newfound silence in which skylarks can still be heard singing in certain places.
Finding the wild closer to home
At a time when millions of people are quarantined and unable to access wild places, Robert Macfarlane’s book ‘The Wild Places’ offers an alternative vision of wildness that we can all connect to in our local areas.
Rewilding and Shifting Baseline Syndrome: the paradox of the Scottish Highlands
Rewilding is a controversial term these days – does it really have the potential to shape the future of the Scottish Highlands? Here I explore the complex ideology behind this novel conservation approach, the ethical and practical problems it raises, and the question of how Shifting Baseline Syndrome influences the way we value particular ‘wild’ landscapes.
The magic of spring daffodils
Daffodils are emerging in abundance this week, marking the beginning of the vibrant Northumbrian spring. Their vivid yellow reminds me of a passage from one of my favourite novels, bringing hope and joy amidst the gloom of a pandemic.
Keeping perspective when the world’s turned upside down
There is something reassuring about the timelessness of mountains. Read more for reflection on how nature remains unchanged despite the huge changes in our lives due to the coronavirus outbreak – providing us with both perspective and peace.
Musings on Mountains 