What I’ve been reading this week, 21 March 2021

Regeneration: the Mar Lodge Estate — rewilding efforts at the Mar Lodge Estate are starting to pay off. In this piece for Walkhighlands, Andrew Painting describes a walk around Clais Fhearnaig.

The Winter that Was — it feels bittersweet to share this, because it’s a Scottish winter that I completely missed, along with countless other mountain lovers. But these pictures are gorgeous.

Country diary: a winter swim, and a bolt of blue — Carey Davies comes face to face with a kingfisher.

Springtime in Galicia — this superb piece of writing is a fascinating window into what it’s like to walk across a country during a pandemic. ‘In Galicia, all the layers of life upon life are still visible, the dust of generations lies thickly in every corner.’

Beyond Craigellachie — Chris Townsend goes beyond a favourite summit for the first time.

Wild Winter by John D. Burns — a fantastic first full review for Wild Winter, which I edited. I’m so glad that this reviewer has understood what we tried to achieve with the book. ‘But this is what makes Wild Winter so readable; this is not some expert lecturing us on things only they can do, it’s someone a bit like us.’

Nature notes – Blackbirds sing of better days — ‘Today, it’s all about the blackbirds. I count a dozen on my short walk through the Farmlands, mostly glossy black males whose fluting song has me pining for my family.’

A Safe Space For Women? | We Need To Talk About Bothies — a helpful piece here by Phoebe Smith, who knows a thing or two about bothies.

“Tinged with fear” – how safe do women feel in the great outdoors? — good to see a wide range of voices represented here, including some of the most experienced mountain folk I know.

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