It was the second year after the wolves came back that they noticed the difference. The patch of scrub land at the bottom of the hill scree had developed into a patch of lush green ground. Over subsequent years the ground became a beautiful high pasture. For as long as anyone alive could remember this had been a poor stretch of land as a result of over-grazing by deer. The wolves had re-asserted the natural rhythm of things, keeping the deer on the move and helping restore lost habitat.

A lto has been written about the restoration of wolves to the Scottish Highlands over the last few years. Naturalist Jim Crumley would argue much of this was pure rubbish and the result of severe ignorance and mythology. And then we have Paul Lister in the Highlands and — no — this is not a book in praise of Lister. Crumely sees the Lister project as a big zoo, maybe better than a small zoo but still a zoo. Rather, this book is about something else indeed.

Crumley’s thesis is that one of the main reasons that so much of the Highlands is no high desert is because of the removal of nature’s top predator. in his view the restoration of wolves would reset the balance and all of us would be better off. Man has never really been able to get to grips with the management of deer heards, something wolves do naturally.

Crumley’s book tackles three issues in an informed and fascinating manner. Firstly, he shows how the myth of the wolf is simply a myth. Simply forget most of what you have heard about wolves it will almost certainly be wrong. As a result, he argues, our debate is framed by un-truths. Secondly, Crumley looks at the real world experience of the re-introduction of wolves. in some places — such as in Yellowstone — this has been done artificially but in other places such as Norway the wolves have simply made their way back to their old ancestral hunting lands. Finally, Crumley looks at the idea of re-introduction and what it would really mean.

The myth of the wolf is explored through the myth of the ‘last wolf’. Many cultures share the myth of the last wolf, a fierce and bold animal that is killed by an exceptional hunter or fighter, always a man a massive stature. The hunter needs to be of massive stature for he has killed a wolf the size of which is almost impossible!

In Scotland the myth of the last wolf centres around the River Findhorn in the Monaliadth, the wolf dying sometime in the 1600s. Crumley authoritatively exposes the myth. For him the home land of the wolf would have been far from man and they probably survived a lot longer. For Crumley, the last home of the wolf in Scotland was most probably somewhere on Rannock Moor near the Blackwater, land which was pretty useless for most things (which is why the current reservoir is built there).

So how about the real world experiments in resettlement? These are described in some detail and, according to Crumley, have been more than a little successful. in Yellowstone wolves have succeeded in living in close association to man without there being any main problems. the wolves have begun to move as well with one killed by a car on a highway many, many miles from Yellowstone a migration that maybe be similar to that experienced by Norway.

Norway farmers have always been frightened by the wolf. They argue Norway is a small country and there must be real limits to the number of wolf packs that are allowed to survive. The government has said it will limit wolves to four packs across the whole of the country but that might not be too difficult as it might be about the right number for nature. In Scotland Crumley argues that the entire Highland landscape could support perhaps 20 wolves. Not a great number but a significant number in terms of dealing with the kinds of natural problems that he identifies. After all, a wolf pack travels over extraordinary distances each year.

One thing I hadn’t realised is that the EU has a directive that asks member countries, where the wolf was hunted to extinction, to examine ways in which they could be re-introduced.Crumley argues that, in Scotland’s case, we should be aiming to use Rannock Moor as the re-introduction point for the wolf. As I said earlier he is not a Lister supporter pointing out that even in a big zoo a wolf that escaped would be likely to be shot and would certainly not be living according to the natural rhythm of life.

I found this a fascinating book and an informed contribution to a debate which is all too often polarised. Although not perfect it works in the main — I could have done without the prose that imagines the life of the last wolf, but I guess there is room for such poetry in such a book.

If this is a subject that interests you the Last Wolf is definitely worth a look.

 

Slowly but surely Cameron McNeish is building quite a portfolio over at his publishing venture Mountain Media. The Skye Trail is the latest in the line-up that I have managed to get hold of and it doesn’t disappoint.

About 18 months ago I reviewed Cameron’s Sutherland Trail which not only caught my imagination but — judging from the comments and conversations I’ve had — yours as well.

The Skye Trail follows a similar format to the Sutherland Trail book. The book has been designed to compliment a TV programme that features Cameron walking the trail. Mountain Media blurb talks about this programme being often repeated but, unlike the Sutherland Trail programme, I’ve not been able to see it yet. But the book is not a simple tie-in. It works very well on its own.

Like the Sutherland Trail volume this is not a simple guidebook, although any experienced walker will be able to follow the 70 odd miles of this trail on an OS map. Neither is the book a travelogue although there is a flavour of that here as well. What Cameron has produced here is a book the brings the trail to life in a number of ways. Yes there is the route and the description of a journey along it. Yes there is a focus on the geology of Skye and the Flora and fauna. Yes, there is an insight into the history and the distant origins of the community here. It sounds a lot but one of the joys of this book is that it is not too much. The book has been written, or edited, with restraint. There’s just enough other information here to wet your appetite and want to load the rucksack. But there’s not too much detail to put off bookphobes.

Cameron addresses the challenge in his introduction.

“In over 40 years of wandering through the wild places of Scotland I’ve often tried to define the curiously quintessential element that gives these mountains, coastlines and forests their essential character and vibrancy.”

“… We an even experience the resonances of the land’s turbulent past. It’s undoubtedly a place that can bring tears to nostalgic eyes and, at the same time, music to the lips. But what creates such a land? Is it the people, or the landscape features, or the weather and its atmosphere? Or is it a combination of all these things, the intertwining of cultures and history, life and death, with the ever changing landscapes of mountain and sea? Indeed, what happens to this land when you remove the people from it?

It is the growing appreciation of this mix of elements and experiences that makes Cameron’s recent work so rewarding. While I love pure landscape and being alone in the elements I have often agreed with one of my travelling heroes Bruce Chatwin for whom landscape was nothing with people.

What Cameron seems to understand is that my experience of hiking through a landscape is enhanced by understanding a little more about it and having an insight into the communities — traditional and new — that seek to eek out a living there.

Skye’s stories and history emerges through the walk of Cameron and his wife Gina, sometimes accompanied by a camera crew. There are lots of characters here, ex-policemen who (rather traditionally) have returned to the land of their roots, J. Norman Collie, a Manchester man who became one of the pioneers of climbing on the isl Macpherson and, David Craig a modern day guru for those who love the wilderness and Alisdair, a modern-day hero with the John Muir Trust.

These are just a handful of the characters — dead and alive — who illuminate these pages. Any long distance walker — and especially one who loves to venture into the Highlands of Scotland — will appreciate their thoughts. Their combined wisdom helps the reader put their own experiences and sense of wonder into context.

But this is a book for walkers and the story of a walk is never far away. Walk the trail and you’ll probably not meet these characters, but it seems to me that knowing they are there (or were there) somehow will make the experience more complete.

The stories and the text of the book are complimented beautifully by the photography of Richard Else which really does help you get a flavour of this special place.

The Skye Trail is only 176 pages long so reading it is no ordeal for anyone, indeed I read it in one sitting (as I did the Sutherland Trail). Despite the brevity of the volume you will also find all that you need to know about travel and accommodation and external resources in terms of books and websites are well documented.

I want to hot foot it to Skye. But dammit I want to hot foot it to Sutherland first. I’d better get a move on before Cameron gives yet another journey to ponder.

This growing range reminds us of what is wonderful close to home. In these days of dwindling carbon resources we don’t need to travel to the other side of the world to experience the wonder of the wilderness. Yet these trails are not just for those who like extremes, they are trails that are within the reach of most leisure walkers.

This is a practical, informative and lovely book. It is not the only book on the Skye Trail but it is the only one that attempts to capture the flavour of the place rather than document a route.

If the Skye Trail interests you then go get a copy. But even if you probably won’t be walking the trail the book will still inspire you to get out there.

Thoroughly recommended.

This book retails at 19.50 but you can get it for under £12 if you are a regular Amazon customer. You can also order the book direct from Mountain Media — link above.

Like many hikers and map addicts I will always have a special affection for the Ordnance Survey. I had always assumed that the real spur for the creation of the OS was war with the French but Rachel Hewitt’s book has put me right. This ‘biography’ of the OS details the life and work of men who embodied the curiosity and ideals of the enlightenment. In a sense they were the cartography equivalent of the Lunar Men. The pit of Hewitt’s approach is that to start with the birth of the organisation would be to ignore the idealism and genius of those who for years dreamed of, and campaigned for, a national survey of the country that was conducted to the highest technical and mathematical standards.

Hewitt’s biography starts with the putting down of the Jacobite rebellion. The tidying up of the fighting was long and messy not least as those who supported the Jacobites were able to head for the hills where they relied on local knowledge , whereas their pursuers had neither knowledge of accurate maps from which to work.

In the aftermath of Culloden the military decided not only to improve the fortifications in Scotland but improve communications as well. William Roy was a young and talented man — a mathematician and engineer — who was given the task of surveying the main routes of Scotland. Past surveys had relied on descriptions and art work. Roy was determined to complete his survey using the relatively new techniques of triangulation. Triangulation works from a standard measurement with angles taken to ‘trig points’ on higher ground. Measure the angles effectively and from the standard measurement the other dimensions of the triangle can be calculated. And once you have one triangle you can go on to define and measure others.

Roy was not the only surveyor interested in, or using, triangulation but the military commissioning of the Highland survey raise his profile massively and established him as one of the most preeminent scientists of his age. Roy became a prominent and respected member of the Royal Society.

The Highland Survey became famous way beyond Britain. The next big development in the move towards the OS came when the French proposed a joint project to properly ascertain the relative positions of Paris and Greenwich. Roy was commissioned to sort out the English side of things. As the base for his triangulation Roy established a new baseline standard on Hounslow Heath, on the site of today’s Heathrow Airport. The project was a great success and the accuracy of Roy’s measurements were astonishing.

Roy dreamed of a complete national survey of Britain, accurately drawn from triangulations made with the use of the special theodolites designed for the French/British collaboration. Roy first proposed a national survey in 1766to George III the establishment of such a survey at a cost of between £15,000 and £20,000 pounds (about £1 – £1.5 millions in today’s currency). Roy’s proposals were rejected but the dream lived on in the work of many cartographers who were working throughout the country.

After Roy’s death in 1790 his dreams were taken up by Charles Lennox the 3rd Duke of Richmond and owner of the Goodwood estate in Sussex. Lennox was quite a figure, a politician and Master General of the Board of Ordnance as well as a major land owner. It was Lennox who was eventually to be in the position to ensure that a national survey was undertaken and the Ordnance Survey was born.

Hewitt’s book details the lives of Roy and Lennox and those who came after and worked on the survey most notably William Mudge and Thomas Colby who established what we know today as the Ordnance Survey.

It would a ridiculous task to summarise the book here save it to say that rachel Hewitt details the lives and struggles of some of the most fascinating and talented men of their times. She also leads the reader through the methods of map creation employed by the survey. Initially the survey concentrated on major triangulation exercises over large spaces using the most advanced instruments of their age. Within each ‘triangle’ a team of surveyors constructed smaller triangles using more portable equipment, gathered details of landscape and of place names. The actual maps and engravings were then drawn by map makers based at the Tower of London. In effect, the first works were collaborations until war led to these different disciplines being combined in one organisation.

Hewitt’s tale is a fascinating and an exciting one. It is the story of passionate men driven on by the best of scientific ideals. But it is also a story of power, eccentricity and intrigue. It is to her great credit that Hewitt tells the story in such a compelling manner. This is not a dry academic history or an impenetrable technological account of change but a warm and human account of the work, passion and struggle that led to the creation of one of our great institutions, one which all of us depend to some extent or another.

The Map of a Nation is a fine book and well worth shelling out for in hardback (although you can get it for as little as £12.50 on Amazon).  For lovers of maps this is a must. Break the bank for a copy or badger the local library to get hold of a copy.

6 or 7 years ago I bought a new Cicerone title from Kev Reynolds, the first in a new series of World Mountain Range guides from Cicerone. This was (and is) a beautifully designed guide to the High Pyrenees. It was a book, book more of a breeze block than a walking guide. You wouldn’t have wanted to carry this in your pack! The book was a resource tool, a great trip planning companion to see you through the long and dark nights of winter. The joy of this guide was that you had one book with which to select an area for the next trek. The guide covered routes, access, local facilities and amenities, local history and the geology, fauna and flora of the Pyrenees. This book gave you everything you needed to select your destination and leaving it a relatively simple task to consult other specialist guides to fill in the intimate details of the area that you’d settled on.

When I complimented Kev and Jonathan Williams of Cicerone on the guide they laughed. They told me that Chris Townsend had been commissioned to produce the second in the series, about the Highlands of Scotland. There were lots of jokes about this being a project that would keep him quiet for a long time! When I mentioned the project to Chris in a phone conversation there was a discernible groan coming down the line. I think Chris had realised what he’d let himself in for.

Fast forward to this earlier this year I was delighted when Jonathan proudly announced that he was in possession of the finished manuscript. The book was ready for layout and design. And now, the finished product has arrived!

I should say upfront that this is every bit as good — and as useful — as the Pyrenean guide. It is a work of which Chris should be rightfully proud. This book is the starting point for the planning of a trip or trek in the Scottish Highlands.

How does the book work?

The book is over 550 pages long and packed full of useful guidance and information.

First up are the introductory sections and guide to the practicalities of Scotland. There are details of when to go, weather, getting to Scotland, getting around Scotland, accommodation, links to important maps and guidebooks and a section on the equipment needed for the Scottish Highlands.

There is a section of the Topology and the geology of the mountains together with a cultural history of mountaineering in the area. Also upfront is an explanation of Scottish names (useful but I’ve long ago given up trying to pronounce them), details of the national parks and a description of the plant and animal life of the Highlands.

Chris also gives us details of the various mountain activities that are available and includes an important section on responsible mountaineering, including advice on wild camping, sanitation and campfires.

There is a lot in the information but it doesn’t seem to be too much. It says something for this book that 60 pages of introductory information doesn’t impact much on the mass of the substantive guide!

Philosophy

There is a clear statement of philosophy in the book. Chris sets out to encourage people to explore the wild land of Scotland and he uses the practical definition of wild land as set down by the National Trust for Scotland:

“Wild land in Scotland is relatively remote and inaccessible, not noticeably affected by contemporary human activity, and offers high-quality opportunities to escape from the pressures of everyday living and to find physical and spiritual refreshment.”

The guide covers: the Southern Uplands; the Southern Highlands; the Central Highlands; the Cairngorms; the Western Highlands; the Northern Highlands; and the Islands.

Each of these individual sections is broken down into ‘regional chapters’ each of which covers a distinct glen or hill chain.

Book Sections

Each of the above sections follows a similar format.

The section starts with a two page Summary, a list of section assets and contents that is beautifully clear and concise by glen or hill chain.

Let’s have a look at one of the sections, the section for the Central Highlands.

The summary lists the following:

Each summary starts with a Highlights section. This one starts with Low Level Passes and Walks, and there are three of these listed here with each labelled with the Chapter number where they can be found.

Next comes a list of long distance walks — there are two in this section, the West Highland Way and a walk from Fort William to Dalwinnie via.Corrour.

Then come summit walks — there are over 20 of these.

After this come details of scrambles, rock climbs and ski tour options.

Then comes a full contents listing for everything in this section. This section has chapters on: Ben Cruachan  and Glen Strae; Glen Etive; the Black Mount; the West Highland Way; Glen Coe; Beinn a Bheithir and Glen Creran; Rannoch Moor; The Mamores; Ben Nevis; The Aonarchs and the Grey Corries; Loch Treig; Loch Ossian; Ben ALder and Laggan hills; the West Drumochter Hills; The Monadh Liath; Creag Meagidh and Loch Laggan Hills; Glen Roy; and a section a long walks — Kinlochleven to Spean Bridge and Fort William to Dalwinnie.

Chapters can be two to four pages long.

This Section Summary is a wonderful thing, beautifully laid out and magnificently designed, and clearly presented over two pages.

How Sections Work

So, let’s go beyond the Summary.

Each section comes with an Introduction to the region and a crisp and clear, large scale map.

Each chapter is accompanied by a more detailed map (or maps) and offers an introduction to the glen or chain of hills. Individual hills, or clusters of hills, each have their own entry and each one easily references the ‘highlights’ that were featured in the Section Summary.

The text is peppered with highlight boxes that might tell us about the history of the area, give details of a key supply village, share with us a famous story or myth (yes Shirl the Grey Man is here)  or feature on the geography or wildlife of the area. And on every page spread you will find one of more of Chris’ inspirational photographs.

Concise Brilliance

All of this detail is given in the most clear and concise manner which really must have taken a lot of work. Chris has the knack of using just enough words to give us a proper flavour of the place.

Here is detail from the entry for Ben Alder.

Ben Alder (1148) is the dominant summit of the area, a big plateau topped hill with steep craggy sides.It’s flat-topped bulk, with the distinctive slash of the Bealach Dubh to the north, is easily identifiable from many other hills and useful for orientation.

… from the top of either Leachas  it’s a walk of about 1km across the plateau to the summit cairn. The Plateau is extensive, with some 4km2 lying above 1,000m. The landscape is a mix of high moorland grasses, patches of gravel and granite boulders, evoking comparisons with the great plateaus of the Cairngorms.

Just a few details here from the entry on Ben Alder. But you can see how — if you don’t know this hill — Chris gives you the basics of everything that you need to know.

Section Resources

Each section is rounded off with the detail off with a resource section covering details of: access to the area; details of bases from which to explore; maps; walking guides; and climbing guides.

Each Section follows a similar pattern. Phew!

Appendices

The book concludes with a series of useful appendices. There’s a glossary of common mountain words in Gaelic and Scots, en extensive bibliography for further reading, the current list of Munros (with height and OS reference), the current list of Corbetts, an index of maps included, and a comprehensive index.

 

There are other comprehensive guides to Scotland and its regions — I’m thinking about the series from the SMC. But this book is both more up to date and more comprehensive.

The First One Stop Book for Route Planning.

This really is a great and practical guide. Look up an area and you’ll find details of its history, the terrain you will be trekking through, help in approaching summits, details of bothies and tips of great camp sites.

‘Scotland’ really does take you a long way before you have to drill down into the detail with a specific hill guide. As such, this is a book that is a real reference guide to the hills.

Wonderful Design

The content of this book has been put together in a wonderfully effective manner. But the layout of the guide is superb as well.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet the design team from Cicerone and to see them at work in their design studio. Cicerone’s new guides — and new series of more substantial books — are characterised by really effective and clear design. In Scotland they have probably delivered their best work yet. The design really does contribute to this being a very useful book.

 

… In Conclusion

This is a book that should grace the bookcases of all hillwalkers and mountaineers that love the hills of Scotland.

I’m loving the detail here and I’m already using the book to plan a couple of trips to Scotland, including a route for next year’s TGO Challenge. I could go on and on but thing I’d better stop here.

The book retails for £26 but you can pick it up at Amazon for £19 or so. And it is a bargain at the price.

I’d like to thank Cicerone for the review copy. You’re not getting it back!

 

 

 

 

My indisposition — nasty bug thing — has offered me the chance to read ‘Wilderness Dreams’, a book that I’ve been wanting to get around to for some time (indeed I think a few of you have recommended it to me).

In honesty I found this to be an un-even and sometimes disjointed book, but that’s not to say there isn’t some very good writing here — there is. I read the book at one sitting and while I found a lot to treasure in it there was a lot that I was indifferent to, or which didn’t seem to work as well.

The book is a collection of pieces written independently of each other, some I guess first published in journals and magazines. It is Mike’s wilderness themes that pull it all together. In the introduction he sets out his aims:

“More people that ever before are now going into the wild places. By wild I don’t mean pristine nature, completely untarnished by human design, which in any case barely exists in Scotland, but areas where, visually at least, nature has the upper hand and holds most of the cards”

I like this definition. It is more honest than much of the stuff you see written about the Scottish wilderness.

“In the eight essays that follow I try to show that Scotland’s last wild places are unified not by the purpose of those who visit them but rather by what they find there”.

I think I know what he means here but I wasn’t’ quite sure about it as I read the book.

The book starts with a confusing piece (for me at least) given that the book is about wilderness. The first essay relates two trips made by canoe along the Dee, from the Linn of Dee to Aberdeen. Interesting enough this but not what I expected from the introduction.

The second essay is more my cup of tea, the account of a ski trek across the length of the Mondaliadth. Cawthorne really has an affinity with the ‘Moanies’ which is one of my favourite places. This is an areas which fits into the framework of the introduction. There is not way this place is pristine wilderness but is a wilderness of sorts and it is a very special place.

Next up is the major piece that anchors the book, an account of Cawthornes’s continuous walk of the Munros. This is well written and quite light — in a good way. The trip was made at the height of the Thatcher recession and Dave, Mike’s mate, ad to break off walking every two weeks to hitch back to Helensborough to sign on! This is an enjoyable and entertaining piece but didn’t strike me as being up to the intentions of the introduction.

I’m being sniffy here. As the boom progresses there is a lot to be fascinated about. The best pieces are those written around backpacking treks in which Mike tells us a lot about the history and the development of the land he is moving through. He is quite non-judgemental, or reasonable, about a lot of things here and I like his style. For example, he discussed wind power, the future of renewable energy and the disaster of the new Hydro plants and reservoirs. He also touches on the moves by some to re-introduce wolves and big cats into the landscape. You certainly know which side of the fence Mike sits on but he does this without preaching to us. Many of those campaigning against these things just rant which gets in the way of campaigning. Mike sets our facts and gives us a commentary which never gets in the way. He treats us like adults and lets us make up our own minds.

Some of the ‘diversions’ work better than others. I really enjoyed a piece written after going on a deer culling expedition. Here Mike crams in an impressive amount of information and observation. Others (for me) don’t quite quite as well. A piece about a couple who moved into the Strathan bothy (near Sandwood bay), after being evicted from their Newtonmore home, was an interesting story but I didn’t really see how it fitted here. This piece is completed by a complementary story about the last hermit in the area. It didn’t really work for me — but then that is probably my fault.

I don’t like writing dodgy reviews and to be honest I hope you don’t see this in such a light. Mike is a great writer of prose and, at his best, he communicates the look, the feel and the smells of this land as well as anyone. Many of you who have walked in Scotland will enjoy this book. he is a talent and I await his next offerings with interest, and will probably buy his other publication “Hell of a Journey: On Foot Through the Scottish Mountains in Winter”, not least because it seems to be a more complete work.

So, I’m being picky. I think the quality control is a bit off in places. But I’d still recommend you to buy it if Scotland’s your thing. You won’t be disappointed.

I should point out that there are two reviews of this book on Amazon and they both give it 5 stars!

Perhaps, I shouldn’t review books when I’m ‘under the weather’.