Badenoch writer and wanderer, Merryn Glover’s new book, The Hidden Fires: A Cairngorms Journey with Nan Shepherd, is an exploration of both The Living Mountain text and the iconic range that inspired it. In this extract, she recounts her first time on Braeriach – the mountain that can be equally divine or devilish – with Shepherd and other legendary Cairngorms authors as invisible guides. The next time we could return to the plateau was 1 June and a day at the opposite end of the weather spectrum, one that Shepherd would call ‘delectable as honey’. This time we were on…

As Scotland marks its longest night and shortest day – the Winter Solstice – acclaimed Gaelic writer, broadcaster and storyteller Roddy (Ruairidh) Maclean has compiled a unique Gaelic compendium for NatureScot which celebrates the nature, land and heritage of Scotland in the winter season. 1. Winter Solstice: Oidhche nan Seachd Suipearan (The Night of the Seven Suppers) The 21st of December is the longest night and shortest day of the year. It is so named because it can feel – for good or for bad – like a night so long that you could sit down to supper seven times before the…

I recently had the good fortune to be working in Glen Quoich on three consecutive days. And on each of those occasions I took time to sit quietly among the veteran pines, with my coffee and lunch, and take-in the atmosphere of regenerating Caledonian woodland. It’s one of the most restful places I know. Indeed when we were released from our local authority lockdown limits during the Covid pandemic, this is the first place I visited. Now managed by the National Trust for Scotland, where better to be restored than the very place where restoration hangs in the air? Given…

As the summer progresses and my skin plays host to various biting beasties, I find myself pondering which of them is the most infuriating. Which of them is most likely to sabotage my outdoors enjoyment? I have my own personal torments, but I’m curious what other people think about our wee beasties. Time therefore, for a famously unscientific poll to see how you, the outdoorsy folk, feel about them. I asked…. Which of these lovely wee critters traumatises you the most when you’re trying to enjoy Scotland’s great outdoors? There are of course a whole host of annoyances out there,…

Everyone has their favourite Scottish animal, the one they’re always on the lookout for, the one that stops them in their tracks. But while I love a white-tailed eagle or a red squirrel as much as the next person, my favourite Scottish animal isn’t big, fluffy or familiar. It’s small, it’s uncommon and it’s downright weird. Erm…..it’s a beetle. Yes, I can hear your inward groans, but bear with me. It’s actually surprising to encounter something utterly alien. By that I mean, we’re all generally aware that insects are enormously varied in appearance but we nevertheless expect the ones we…