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The Horizontal Oak – Polly Pullar

Growing up in a remote corner of the Scottish West Highlands, animals and nature have always been at the heart of Polly Pullar’s world. But an otherwise idyllic childhood was marred by family secrets which ultimately turned to tragedy. As her new book The Horizontal Oak is published, she tells us how the natural world has given her the strength to rebuild her life. There’s a single oak high on the flank of Ben Hiant, overlooking the Sound of Mull. I have known this resilient tree since my early child­hood. It’s in a place I love very much. Massaged by

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Posted in Features, Magazine

Simply Red

Polly Pullar has had a passion for red squirrels since childhood. As a wildlife rehabilitator, she knows the squirrel on a profoundly personal level and has hand-reared numerous litters of orphan kits, eventually returning them to the wild. As her new book A Scurry of Squirrels is published next week, she tells us of the charming rodent’s fight for survival. Perhaps it may come as a surprise that until 1981 when the red squirrel received legal protection, it was still legal to cull it. I certainly find it hard to imagine now that we have raised this enchanting little rodent

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Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

The child in nature: an endangered species

Polly Pullar tells the powerful story of a challenging personal journey, which had it not been for the restorative powers of nature, might have ended very differently. Words by Polly Pullar, Images by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture. It’s January, the season when a fox’s hormones fuel the urge to breed. At night I lie in bed and hear their eerie yattering as they wander on their nocturnal forays, their soundtrack accompanied by tawny owls – they too are preparing for breeding. The wood is also thick with the aroma of red deer.  My son Freddy and I are following a

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Posted in Features, Magazine

The Return of the Taghan

Despite centuries of persecution and habitat loss, pine martens have proven themselves to be survivors, and as they expand their range, they’re revealing some surprising secrets. Even a dead pine marten leaves its mark. I won’t forget that first sighting. In front of me lay a beautiful cocoa-coloured animal brought into the public bar of my parent’s hotel in Kilchoan, on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. It had been caught in a snare and then squeezed into a bloodied game bag. Now it lay on the table revealing an exquisitely furred body so soft to the touch. Its tail was full and

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Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature, Photography


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You should always carry a backup means of navigation and not rely on a single phone, app or map. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Information is provided free of charge; it is every walker's responsibility to check it and to navigate safely.