JOHN MUIR TRUST No 43 October 2007 Chairman Dick Balharry Hon Secretary Donald Thomas Hon Treasurer Keith Griffiths Director Nigel Hawkins SC081620 Charitable Company Registered in Scotland 2 Abstraction JMT offices Hamish Brown looks at the smaller things. Membership 3 News pages (all enquiries about existing membership) Latest on our renewables campaign plus Ben 41 Commercial Street, Edinburgh EH6 6JD Nevis memorials, millipedes at Sandwood and Tel 0845 458 8356, [email protected] more. Please quote your membership number. 9 Director’s Notes Edinburgh office A beach on Harris 41 Commercial Street, Edinburgh EH6 6JD Why the Wild Landscape Appeal matters so 0131 554 0114, fax 0131 555 2112, much; John Muir Award’s magnificent milestone. Cover story, page 18 [email protected] For development, new membership, general 11 The explorer’s guide to Geodha enquiries Meiril Tel 0845 458 2910, [email protected] Alison Napier’s wild writing prize-winner. For the John Muir Award 13 John Muir Award – the first 10 Registered office years Tower House, Station Road, Pitlochry PH16 5AN The John Muir Award has reached more than 01796 470080, Fax 01796 473514 50,000 people since its launch. Facts and figures, For Director, finance and administration, land one family’s story, and stunning image portfolio. management, policy 18 COVER STORY: Harris & Lewis A yurt in Etive I If your phone call to an office is not answered, North Harris Trust and Galson Estate Trust; plus please leave a message on the answer machine and a the walks, wildlife and heritage of these islands John Muir Award, page 17 member of staff will ring you back. 25 Books Senior staff The French MacDonald; the Mountains Look on Marrakech; Hugh Miller, and more. Director Nigel Hawkins 27 Malcolm Slesser 01796 470080, [email protected] Recalled by Ken Crocket. Development manager 28 Letters + JMT events David Picken Days in Knoydart; more points of view on energy. 0131 554 0114, [email protected] Head of finance and administration 30 Members’ classified ads Alison Russell 01796 470080, [email protected] 32 Last Word John Muir Award manager ‘His single measure was beauty’ A marshal of Napoleon Rob Bushby Bob Aitken revisits Murray’s ‘Highland Books, page 25 0845 458 2910, [email protected] Landscape’. Head of land management Andrew Campbell 01796 470080, [email protected] Policy officer Helen McDade Opinions expressed in this journal do not necessarily represent the policies of the Trust. 01796 470080, [email protected] Senior conservationist Keith Miller JOURNAL Editorial Display Advertising 01528 544741, [email protected] Published every spring [email protected] [email protected] Cover photo From the summit of Todun near and autumn. Next 01488 608672 0131 554 0114 Journal, February 2008. Reinigeadal in Harris, looking up Loch 34, Stockcross 41 Commercial Street, Seaforth. ©2007 James Smith Photography. Editor Newbury, Berkshire Edinburgh EH6 6JD One of many great vistas available from Mike Merchant RG20 8JX James at Oiseval Gallery, Brue, Isle of Lewis. www.oiseval.co.uk. ABSTR CTION Hamish Brown We tend to look at the big picture when in the Outdoors, and certainly the JMT areas offer spectacularly big skyscapes, landscapes and seascapes, but there is a great deal of touching beauty to be seen in the small things: the glitter of dew on a ripe summer morning, watching a crab move among flowing weed through clear water, the circling of a tree by bracket fungi, fallen leaves making an abstract pattern on veined schist, snow turning a row of thistle heads into a serving of coupes maison… that sort of thing. Here then is a selection of what I regard as Natural Abstracts and I’m sure I’m not the only one who would choose them over any or all the recent Turner Prize winners! The abstracts come from: Falls of Orchy, Sutherland, St Andrews, Benarty, Butt of Lewis, Carn Glas-Choire, Steele’s Knowe and Strath. G Author and mountaineer Hamish Brown is a long standing JMT member. Hamish’s recent book is reviewed on page 26. 2 John Muir Trust Journal More funds and more members sought in continuing campaign on renewables News J J o o h h n n H H a u r m r i s p o h n r i e s From left: Schiehallion across Loch Rannoch; shieling ruins at the head of Loch Sealg on Lewis, a beautiful area which would be very badly affected by both the Pairc and Beinn Mhor wind turbine schemes. HE JOHN MUIR TRUST’S CURRENT ‘WILD very large industrial wind developments would be here is Leac Mhor Fianuis, the part of that remote T LANDSCAPES’ appeal will both raise funds seen from much of Lewis and part of Harris, and isle where Frank Fraser Darling secured his hut and boost membership, so as to meet the would damage peatland and harm wildlife. while undertaking research in the 1930s. growing challenges to wild land from renewable The campaign is being co-ordinated by Sam • Even stranger – the surname ‘Strangeway’ energy schemes. Baumber. He said that ‘Most people have joined the originates from ‘strang was’ which means a person It is the most concerted media campaign the Trust on the strength of our wild land purchases, who lives in a place prone to flooding by ‘strong Trust has run. principles of safeguarding wild land, and our work wash’. Nearly 11,000 members and supporters received with local communities. This is a new appeal on a the appeal leaflet in late September. Banner adverts complex issue. Nevis memorials to be appeared in online editions of The Herald and The ‘The 10,000 members of the JMT can do a lot by Scotsman, with further promotion on donating vital funds towards our campaigning work, removed outdoorsmagic.com. December issues of Trail and and can help raise awareness by tracking down local Large numbers of memorial plaques are still being Country Walking magazines are carrying editorial, newspapers and newsletters and, ideally, left on the summit of Ben Nevis. and adverts or inserts. The Trust’s previous approaching them to see if we can gain any editorial The Nevis Partnership recently decided after ‘renewables’ leaflet and recruitment letter were or free advert space.’ considerable consultation to remove all memorials door-dropped to about 10,000 households along the G Helen, [email protected], Sam, [email protected], from the summit and to discourage new ones. Beauly-Denny power line corridor. or www.jmt.org/wild-landscapes. But despite widespread publicity, plaques are still Our most recent intervention in the power line The JMT’s renewable energy policy is at being glued to rocks and new cairns are being built, inquiry was about its effect in the neighbourhood of www.jmt.org/policies. mostly to commemorate those who have died and Schiehallion, whose eastern side the JMT has owned See also: Director’s Notes, page 9; Harris and Lewis, who have expressed a love for Ben Nevis. since 1999. As we went to press, JMT director Nigel cover feature, from page 18. The Chairman of the Nevis Partnership, outdoor Hawkins was ready to give evidence to the inquiry's writer and broadcaster Cameron McNeish, has local Perth & Kinross session. Sleeping around on all expressed dismay at the continuing practice. He The pylon line in this area will sweep across views said: ‘I’m sure people are leaving these things in good to, and from, Schiehallion. It runs 3 miles east from Scotland’s islands faith and are unaware that there are now alternative J the summit, and the 65 m (200 ft) pylons would be o arrangements in place to enable departed relatives h n potentially visible for much of the usual way up the H and friends to be remembered in a tangible way, but u hill, which the Trust has just restored. Nigel m p the fact of the matter is that any new plaque or h r i challenged the official environmental statement e s memorial that is left on Ben Nevis will be removed about the effect of the line. Our opinion is that ‘with and put into storage until identified by the owner.’ a handful of viewpoint wirescapes and even fewer Existing plaques will be disposed of only after a photomontages, [it] does not do justice to the concerted effort has been made to contact those landscape and visual impacts’. responsible for placing them. In their place is a The Trust would like the Reporters to the inquiry collective memorial and place of contemplation, in to make a site visit to the Schiehallion area. Baggers and other assorted list-tickers have been the form of a stone seat and cairn among trees near JMT’s policy officer Helen McDade spoke joined by island sleepers, following the lead of the visitor centre in Glen Nevis. It looks towards the previously at the inquiry’s strategic session, and also Yorkshireman Andy Strangeway, who in August mountain. protested at the Inverness session (about the became the first person to sleep overnight on all 162 During the autumn of 2006 and the early summer Tomich-Dundreggan section and the Corrieyairack Scottish islands of over 40 ha area. of 2007 over 50 plaques were removed from the Pass), and the Newtonmore session (about the On 28/29 August Andy ‘completed’ on Soay in St summit area. In only a few cases has it been possible Feagour-Dalwhinnie and Drumochter Pass areas). Kilda. He has given his name to the activity. His to identify the person commemorated. For most While the Beauly-Denny inquiry takes most staff progress is well documented on www.