Deer are our largest and most populous wild mammal – Are they also an icon of our feudal past, or a conservation whipping boy? David Lintern exhumes the bones of an ongoing debate.
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Shooting the Breeze – Anke Addy
Our occasional series of interviews with photographers living and working in Scotland continues. David Lintern speaks to Cairngorms afficionado, Anke Addy. You are originally from the lowlands of the Netherlands. How did you end up living and working in Scotland and what attracted you here? As is often the case, it was for work. First, a short-term job at a field centre in South Wales, and from there to Scotland. Having arrived in the North East, more than 35 years ago, we soon appreciated the varied landscape and spent a lot of time out of doors, and still do. How…
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A Greener Gear Guide, Part 1
In the first part of a short series, David Lintern looks at choosing clothes and kit that work for you, how to extend the life of your gear, plus some of the eco-labelling to look out for when buying. Responding to questions from readers and followers, Walkhighlands have asked me to pen a few thoughts on ‘green’ outdoor clothing and equipment. I’ve spent a good deal of time studying the issue over the last 3 years, and it’s worth starting on a positive note: It has become easier to find out about the outdoor trade’s environmental impact over that time.…
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Charlie’s Round
Confessions of a non runner
It doesn’t matter how you get there or what you call yourself, the hills don’t care. David Lintern escapes the tyranny of team sports and goes for a jog up a ridge. A few years ago you’d have never caught me doing it. I used to run a bit in secondary school, but only as a way of getting out of games. We’d be allowed off school grounds to run around Shirley hills, but we ran only the pavements and not into the woods themselves. We were on a prescribed route. I tolerated it, but it was mostly an escape…
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Some lessons from Glen Etive
“Fruitful glen of pools and fishes, Glen of hawks, blue eyed, crying” – Gleann Measach Iasgach Linneach – Deirdre of the Sorrows According to Irish mythology, Deirdre and her love Naoise founded Glen Etive after fleeing Ulster. What was a place of refuge has become a place of conflict, where environmental priorities are weighed against each other and land justice issues play out. David Lintern looks at the context and wonders what can be learnt. First, a recap. Last year, developer Dickens Hydro Resources put in planning applications for seven run of river hydro schemes, off every main tributary feeding…
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Snow and Consequences
John Allen – 35 years of mountain rescue
Signs, sticks and stones
When is a pile of stones a work of art, a historical monument or an act of vandalism, and how much signage do we want in the Scottish Hills? David Lintern considers cairns, signposts, interpretation and other human interventions, both seen and unseen. A pile of rocks Cairns are perhaps the oldest marks in our landscape, but their existence is complex – they have different forms and functions. Some designate a summit or an ancient site, waymark a route, others seem to be more about mark making or decoration. Recently, Skye locals clubbed together to remove rock stacks made by…
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Looking after what we love?
Scotland’s environmental record so far this year isn’t that easy to digest, but David Lintern has had a go… It’s 2018, and god knows there’s a lot of bad news competing for our attention. But in a slight change to our usual programming, we’ve decided on less detail but more scope for this, a roundup of Scottish conservation issues. Why? Because there’s only a few of us here at Walk Highlands Towers and many more of you, and we need your help to keep up with what has also been a hell of a year for the Scottish environment. Here’s…
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