JOHN MUIR TRUST 10 Looking back at 25 years of caring for the Sandwood Estate 20 Chris Packham’s UK Bioblitz JOURNAL comes to the Scottish Borders 22 Celebrating adventurous female 65 AUTUMN 2018 role models in the outdoors Reshaping the land Rewilding our island FOCUS BRINGS REWARDS THE LHOTSE JACKET Our best-selling and multi-award winning GORE-TEX® Pro jacket for hill walkers and mountaineers who require absolute protection. The Lhotse Jacket provides unstinting weather protection for those that head into the mountains whatever the weather. Whether battling blizzards on a Scottish winter Munro or tackling an alpine north face this is a serious shell for almost any occasion. contents 03 REGULARS 05 Chief Executive’s welcome 06 News 30 Wild moments Long-time Trust member Yvonne McCrone returns to Knoydart 32 Books Kinder Scout – the People’s Mountain, Ed Douglas and John Beatty; Into the Mountain: A Life of Nan Shepherd, Charlotte Peacock 10 34 Interview Kevin Lelland chats with poet Helen Mort who stars in a new film shot on location at Quinag and Sandwood Bay 24 FEATURES 10 Bay of plenty Famed for its glorious coastline, the Sandwood Estate has now been in the Trust’s care for 25 years. Romany Garnett reflects on the Trust’s time managing this special place 14 Rewilding an island Chris Townsend explores what the concept of rewilding might mean when translated to Britain’s small, heavily-modified landscape 19 Inhabiting nature Alan McCombes profiles acclaimed artist and environmental campaigner Ravi Agarwal 20 Bioblitz in the Borders Kevin Lelland reports on the Trust’s involvement in Chris Packham’s UK bioblitz project 22 Women in the wild Coralie Hopwood considers the need to celebrate female role models in the outdoors 20 24 Three of a kind 32 A trio of women share their experiences PHOTOGRAPHS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): KEVIN LELLAND; BACKBONE CIC; KAREN PURVIS of working in the outdoors with Coralie COVER: THE EURASIAN BEAVER – A SYMBOL OF REWILDING ON OUR CROWDED ISLAND, Hopwood DANNY GREEN/NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY 26 River wild JOURNAL 65, AUTUMN 2018 John Low explains why the Trust recently objected to several hydro scheme applications in Glen Etive Managing editor: Alan McCombes [email protected] 28 Path ways The completion of two major footpath Contributing editor: projects has provided a much-needed boost Rich Rowe to the infrastructure of Skye and Assynt, writes Design and production: Alan McCombes Neil Braidwood Connect Communications connectmedia.cc This journal is printed on Cocoon 100 If you would rather receive HEAD OFFICE uncoated stock, a recycled grade publications from the John Muir paper containing 100% post-consumer Trust electronically, please email John Muir Trust t. 01796 470 080 waste and manufactured at a mill [email protected] accredited with ISO 14001 Tower House w. johnmuirtrust.org environmental management standard. The John Muir Trust is a The pulp used in this product is Scottish charitable company limited Station Road bleached using an Elemental Chlorine by guarantee. Registered office: Pitlochry Follow us on: Free (ECF) process. We use a Scottish Tower House, Station Road, Pitlochry printer, J Thomson Colour, which has PH16 5AN Perthshire PH16 5AN @JohnMuirTrust excellent environmental credentials, achieving environmental standard Charity No. SC002061 ISO 14001 plus FSC and PEFC Company No. SCO81620 Sign up for our monthly enewsletter at standards all in 2006. johnmuirtrust.org/newsletter Keep up-to-date with events and local activities at johnmuirtrust.org Eco-Shell PFC-free impregnation Fjällräven,s ha rdshel l. Waterproof, breathable and sustainable. NATURE IS WAITING FOR YOU As you’re reading this, there is a glade in a great. And that’s why we use 100% traceable down forest ready for you. 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What are you waiting for? equipment that makes any outdoor experience fjallraven.co.uk/storelocator WELCOME 5 From the Chief Executive THIS IS the third issue of the Journal that I have together we can help build a better future for many contributed to and, as always, we have a great rural communities. selection of features, including an excellent spread We have always resisted the idea that people on women and the wild by Coralie Hopwood (p22), don’t belong in wild places – with the principle of plus an evocative homage to Sandwood Bay from forging partnerships with local people written into Romany Garnett (p10) to mark the 25th anniversary the very earliest documents published by the Trust of our acquisition of the property. in the 1980s. The challenge now is to turn those We also have an important piece from trustee ideals into reality across the diverse range of Chris Townsend (p14) that explores the theme of properties we manage, from Sandwood Bay to rewilding. Chris’s focus is on the specific cultural Glenridding Common. and political challenges we face in trying to restore Recently, I have been reading some little-known natural processes on an island where our large works on wildness, including a series of essays predators were driven to extinction long ago. published in 2017 by the University of Chicago. Of course, the issue of wildness has always been I was particularly struck to find that in the at the heart of what the Trust is about, but we must languages of most native peoples in the Americas, continually figure out what there is no word for ‘wild’. This is because their that means in practice and, culture and relationship with place is such that where necessary, revise and they do not require the separation of people and update our approach in the nature. light of changing It is sometimes, misleadingly, argued that circumstances. Over the past humans are now a ‘keystone species’. The term few months, we have been is generally used to refer to species that have a working on a new document, positive impact on the ecosystem, helping to Wildness and Wild Places, create, maintain and shape habitats and which sets out our key landscapes. The presence of keystone species values, policies and protects ecological diversity and maintains the priorities. This, in turn, will harmonious balance of nature that is the result form the backbone of a wider of millions of years of evolutionary adaptation. corporate strategy which is Humans, on the other hand, with the aid of founded on three aims: technology, have evolved to a level capable of inspiring and engaging changing the natural environment so rapidly that people; conserving and all other processes and species are left far behind. protecting wild places; and Unless we are willing and able to constrain our rewilding, or repairing, damaged landscapes. demands and curb our habits, we run the risk of In the meantime, we are making strong progress. irreparably damaging the natural systems that Eco-Shell The decision by the Scottish Government in the provide us with food, clothing, shelter, clean air, PFC-free spring to refuse consent for two major developments fresh water and much more besides. impregnation at Caplich in Sutherland and Culachy near Loch For some people, outdoor recreation is merely Ness was a major success for the Trust and marked a ‘frivolous’ activity with no useful value to wider Fjällräven,s ha rdshel l. a further milestone in wild land protection, although society. But aside from the economic benefits that Waterproof, breathable and sustainable. as John Low’s piece on Glen Etive (p26) points out, outdoor recreation brings, especially to sparsely we must still remain vigilant. populated areas, it also provides a vital bridge One of the beauties of setting things down in between people and nature. Those who walk in the writing is that it forces you to think about the detail woods, climb in the mountains, swim in the rivers, and encourages others to respond. To be effective run in the hills, or participate in other outdoor in what we do, we need first to get our own activities are far more likely to understand and thoughts in order. During the process of developing protect our natural systems. It’s no accident that our Wildness and Wild Places policy, we’ve had to the author of the rewilding article in this issue is confront alternative sets of values, including from also a veteran mountaineer and explorer. NATURE IS WAITING FOR YOU those who fear that the concept of wildness could As we have learned from the life and writings of run counter to the interests of those who live and John Muir himself, discovering nature is the first work in or around wild landscapes. step on the journey towards protecting and Our conclusion is that we need to do more to conserving it. So, enjoy this issue of the Journal, As you’re reading this, there is a glade in a great. And that’s why we use 100% traceable down reassure people that wildness is a potential ally that and let’s continue discussing how to broaden forest ready for you. A winding trail expecting you. to keep you warm, pfc-free impregnation to keep can improve the quality of human life and help support for the work we do in bringing people and At Fjällräven we’ve been walking with nature for you dry and recycled wool to keep you comfortable. regenerate local economies. We also want to nature closer together. over 50 years. That’s how we create timeless, durable Nature is waiting for you.