The jumper looked like it had belonged to a child. Rich forest green with a v-neck and distinct ribbing, it was clean and neat …
Category: Writing
Posted on 20th September, 2023
Hidden Fires Short-Listed for Boardman Tasker
My publisher Polygon Books and I are very excited to announce that The Hidden Fires: A Cairngorms Journey with Nan Shepherd has been short-listed for …
Posted on 10th April, 2023
On Nature Writing for The Creative Penn Podcast
I first met Joanna Penn ten years ago at a course in Inverness set up by Peter Urpeth of what was HiArts and then …
Posted on 12th March, 2023
The Courage to Follow Nan Shepherd
“I set out on my journey in pure love.” So said Aberdeenshire author, Nan Shepherd, in The Living Mountain, her now-celebrated account of exploring the …
Posted on 8th March, 2023
Nan Shepherd’s Legacy for Women
Jean Roger (L) with Nan Shepherd (R) on a hillwalk in 1944. Photo: JG Roger International Women’s Day is a good opportunity to remember Nan …
Posted on 11th May, 2022
Chapel of the Swans
On a knoll at the northern end of Loch Insh in Badenoch stands a beautiful little white church with a long history and several names. …
Posted on 6th September, 2021
On the Trail of the Highland Shepherd
We found the abandoned lamb at the edge of a field, bleating plaintively as it trotted towards us on wobbly legs, its mother nowhere in …
Posted on 20th July, 2021
Of Reindeer and Rams Horns
Setting off for an overnight climb and camp in the Cairngorms, our mountain guide friend, John, tucked a shepherd’s crook down the side of his …
Posted on 21st June, 2021
Stone and Sky on Angel’s Peak
On this night, eight years ago, I started writing my novel, Of Stone and Sky. It was the summer solstice here in the Highlands of …