08 Revisiting the Trust’s land partnerships

20 Celebrating a half-centuryof Journal issues

26 A long walk across the Highlands

JOHN MUIR TRUST

JOURNAL50 spring 1 1

Spreading the wordWhether through hands-on conservation work or stimulating public support,we would be unable to undertake our work to protect wild places without you,our members. Thank you for that support and for spreading the word throughthe new Member Get Member initiative (which includes a special discountcard from our corporate supporter Tiso).

Turn to page 11 for more details ...

CONTENTS 01

R E G U L A R S

02 Foreword from the Chief Executive

04 News round-up

1 1 TestimonialTiso – the outdoor specialist

30 Classic textsHamish’s Groats End Walk: One Man & His Dog on a Hill Route Through Britain & Ireland, Hamish Brown

31 Book reviewsThe Hebrides, An aerial view of a cultural landscape; The Carrifran Wildwood Story; Dibidil – a Hebridean Adventure

32 Our properties: Ben Nevis EstateA personal look at the Trust’s most heavily-visited property

F E AT U R E S

08 Supporting roleAn update on the Trust’s land partnerships around Scotland

1 2 Private practiceA look at the Trust’s work with the private Corrour Estate

1 4 Restoring the wildwoodCharting the gradual greening of a historic Borders valley

1 6 Gathering paceAn update on the Trust’s Wild Land Campaign

1 8 The Journal at 50A celebration of the Journal’s half-century of issues

22 Strength in numbersForging links through the John Muir Award

26 Walking wildReflecting on a long walk from Glen Clova to Beinn Alligin

28 Hand-crafted journeysExploring wild areas using an unconventional means of transport

J O U R NA L 5 0 , S P R I N G 1 1Editor: Richard Roweemail: journal@jmt.org

Design and production: Various Creativeemail: ask@various.uk.comThis Journal is printed on Revive 100 Uncoatedstock, a recycled grade paper containing 100%post-consumer waste and manufactured at a mill accredited with ISO 14001 environmentalmanagement standard. The pulp used in thisproduct is bleached using an Elemental ChlorineFree (ECF) process. We use a Scottish printer,Thomson Colour, who have excellent environmentalcredentials, achieving environmental standardISO 4001 in 2006 and the FSC and PEFCstandards in 2006. If you would rather receive your publicationsfrom the John Muir Trust electronically, pleaseemail membership@jmt.org

The John Muir Trust is a Scottish charitablecompany limited by guarantee. Registered office:Tower House, Station Road, Pitlochry PH16 5ANCharity No. SC002061Company No. SC081620

L E I T H O F F I C EJohn Muir Trust 41 Commercial Street, Edinburgh EH6 6JD telephone: 0131 554 0114fax: 0131 555 2112

P I T L O C H RY O F F I C EJohn Muir Trust Tower House, Station Road, Pitlochry PH16 5ANtelephone: 01796 470 080fax: 01796 473 514

www.jmt.org

Cover photographyHuishinish beach and big sky, North Harris

Inside front cover photographyBeach clean at Camasunary, Isle of Skye

PHOTOGRAPHY: KEITH BRAME

FOREWORD02 Celebrating the Trust’s work in partnership with others

JOHN MUIR TRUST JOURNALSPRING 2011

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Welcome to this special 50th edition of the John Muir TrustJournal. We are extremely proud of our work and the propertiesin our guardianship and I am glad to say that this pride extendsto our publications and, in particular, this Journal. We take theopportunity of this ‘diamond jubilee’ to reflect on the evolutionof the Journal and the many stories and milestones that havebeen highlighted in its pages. I’d like to extend a huge note of thanks to the many members and contributors who haveprovided words and images to convey their own stories of the wild and done so much to inspire others.

Land in Trust ‘ownership’ often takes precedence in ourcommunications. However, while this is very important, it is by no means the sole focus of activity. We have pinned ourcolours to the mast and published maps indicating where wesee the most important wild land areas in the UK but it is hardly credible to advocate purchase of anything other than a small percentage of this. In delivering our overall Visionwhere ‘wild land is protected and enhanced and wild places are valued by all sectors of society’ we have to look at otherways of influencing both land and people. This is where ourwork in partnership with others is so essential.

Such partnerships take many forms. Some, such as our workwith the North Harris Trust, Knoydart Foundation and GalsonTrust, have their roots in community ownership where localpeople share a passion for conserving their natural heritagealongside an economically sustainable future. Our involvementhas changed over time as these organisations have gatheredmomentum, skills and experience, but we remain committed to learning from each other for the benefit of wild land and the communities that live and work there.

With similar objectives, we strive to work alongside people and communities on our own estates. This is not always acomfortable situation and we need to work hard at listeningand responding to ideas and criticisms – after all, partnershipsare not always easily ‘won’.

More recently, the Trust has developed some very positiveworking relationships with private landowners. In this issue,Mike Daniels highlights some of our work with the CorrourEstate in the Highlands. Much of the ‘best’ wild land is inprivate ownership, so these kinds of relationships are crucial for helping the Trust better understand the issues andpressures at play.

We also revisit Carrifran in the Scottish Borders where the vision for ecological restoration at a landscape scale isbeginning to bear real fruit.

Of course, some of the very best examples of partnership can be found in our work on the John Muir Award. There are currently more than 600 organisations that use the Award to help encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to experience and value wild places. Rob Bushby highlightssome of these organisations and explores the constituent parts of a successful partnership.

I do hope that you can find time to read the Journal. Pleasecome back to us with comments, ideas and your own opinions.We’d also be delighted to hear from you with ideas of what youwould like to see covered in future editions.

Stuart Brooks chief executivejohn muir trust

From the Chief ExecutiveStuart Brooks highlights the partnership theme that runs through this celebratory 50th issue of the John Muir Trust Journal

Photography1 The Knoydart Foundation ranger service2 Thistles, Oldshoremore, Sutherland

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NEWS04

WIND FARM FOLLYThe John Muir Trust has lodged anobjection to the proposed extension to a wind development scheme on the Isleof Lewis that will further spoil one ofScotland’s most remote areas of wildland. The extension of the Muaitheabhalscheme would add six 150-metre highturbines to the 33 turbines alreadyconsented in January 2010 following a Public Local Inquiry.Visualisations prepared by the developer show some of the impact the full development will have on one of Scotland’s wildest areas. However, a key viewpoint from the summit ofUisinis, which would show the impact of the six-turbine extension, has notbeen fully examined due to health andsafety reasons, according to developerCrionaig Power.“We are amazed that a crucialphotomontage which would show the true impact of the extension on anarea of high quality wild land has notbeen created because of health andsafety,” commented Helen McDade, theTrust’s Head of Policy. “It is ridiculous to expect anyone to judge the impactthese turbines would have withoutseeing a realistic picture of what thelandscape will look like.“It is remarkable that after a majorpublic inquiry to determine the size of this development, an application toextend it by nearly 20% could potentiallybe passed through without this level of scrutiny.”The turbines at Muaitheabhal will behighly visible from Beinn Mhor, which at 572m is the highest peak in the Paircrange in southeastern Lewis, and alsofrom an area of high quality wild landsouth of Loch Sealg, which has beenidentified by Scottish Natural Heritage asone of only four areas in Scotland morethan 5 miles (8km) away from any road.

MODEL T CARRYThe John Muir Trust has reached anagreement with the organisers of amajor car rally in Lochaber that will see a Model T Ford carried, piece bypiece, to the top of Ben Nevis where it will be reassembled. The event isplanned to commemorate the centenaryof a publicity stunt by an Edinburgh cardealer which saw a Model T driven to the summit of the Ben in 1911. The car, which has already beenprepared by Model T enthusiast NeilTuckett, will be dismantled at Achintee,near Fort William, and reassembled on the 1,344m-high summit of the Ben. The carry of the car, planned for 18 May, is part of a week-long rally being organised for the Model T Register of Great Britain.

Local company No Fuss Events will co-ordinate the carry with the support of Fort William Community Council,Friends of Nevis, John Muir Trust, Nevis Partnership and The OutdoorCapital of the UK, working with theModel T enthusiasts.Following a meeting between Model Tenthusiasts and a number of local groups,John Hutchison, Chairman of the JohnMuir Trust, commented: “We are verypleased that all parties have reachedagreement on an appropriate way tocelebrate this event and we will beworking to make it a success.”Volunteers with hill walking experienceare needed to carry the car to the summit.Anyone interested should contact NoFuss Events by emailing: > spook@nofussevents.co.uk

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NEWS 05

MOUNTAIN CULTURE AWARDIan Sykes MBE, the founding figurebehind the Nevisport chain, Nevis Rangeand Nevis Radio, is the recipient of thefourth Scottish Award for Excellence inMountain Culture, announced at the FortWilliam Mountain Festival in February. The annual award goes to a person whohas made an outstanding contribution toScotland's mountains in sport, theatre,art, photography, film or literature. Sykes,a native of Fort William, was a MountainRescue Team member for many yearsand in 1970 opened a ‘wee climbingshop’, Nevisport, in his home town; itwent on to became a hub for outdooractivities in Lochaber and, later, anationwide chain. A keen skier, Sykes was one of thosebehind the development of the NevisRange ski centre, which is now alsosynonymous with downhill mountainbiking. He also started Nevis Radio as a ski weather and information station,SkiFM, in 1992. In 1990 he was awardedan MBE for services to sport andmountain rescue.> www.mountainfilmfestival.co.uk/

mountain-award

GLEN COE TOPS POLLGlen Coe has been voted Scotland’s mostromantic landscape in a poll organisedby the John Muir Trust as part of its WildLand Campaign together with outdoorswebsite Walkhighlands. Visitors to Walkhighlands were asked tovote from a shortlist of 15 beauty spotsacross Scotland. Glen Coe was a clear winner, attracting19% of the vote, followed by SandwoodBay and Glen Affric. “On top of the votes in the poll, we’vehad a whole host of recommendationsfor places that didn’t make the shortlist,including Loch Maree, the beaches ofNorth Harris and numerous views from

the Isle of Skye,” commented PaulWebster from Walkhighlands. “This polljust goes to show how passionate peopleare about the variety of sights thatScotland has to offer.” Although a light-hearted poll, theresponse adds further weight to theTrust’s argument for the need to protectand value such areas, not only for theemotional connection we have with wildlandscapes, but for the wider benefitsthat they bring to the country. Researchby Scottish Natural Heritage in 2003found that visitors to Scotland’s wildlandscape areas contributed as much as £751m to the Scottish economy,supporting 20,600 jobs.> www.walkhighlands.co.uk

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NEWS06

CELEBRATING OUR WOODLANDThis year is the United Nations’International Year of Forests (IYF),declared to raise awareness of the conservation and sustainablemanagement of all the world’s forests.Conservation and woodland restorationbodies are organising a range of UK-wide activities, events and initiativesdesigned to encourage a greaterappreciation and enjoyment of nativewoodlands. For its part, the John Muir Award willcelebrate how current Award activityengages people with forests and measurehow participants make a difference toforests across the UK through the JohnMuir Award Conserve Audit 2011. > www.jmt.org/jmaward-conserve-

audit2011.asp

MINK PLAN ANNOUNCEDA major new conservation initiative to establish an area free of invasiveAmerican mink begins in April. Thepartnership between Rivers andFisheries Trusts of Scotland, ScottishWildlife Trust (SWT), the University ofAberdeen, Scottish Natural Heritage(SNH) and more than 16 otherorganisations will see the creation of a mink monitoring and control zoneacross northern Scotland, with the aimof protecting native wildlife, includingsalmon, water voles and ground-nestingbirds such as greenshank and lapwing.“This exciting project is the first stage of a strategic approach to managing thespread of mink in mainland Scotland,”said SNH species adviser Rob Raynor.“The zone will extend from the mid-Tayto the South Esk, around the east coastto the River Nairn, and across fromDornoch and Cromarty on the east toUllapool on the west. As we graduallyestablish areas free from mink, we hope to expand the zone southwards in future.” The fisheries trusts’ networks of ghillies,water bailiffs and gamekeepers will bekey to the alert system, explained SWTHabitats and Species Officer PaulGallagher. “This project will monitor the animals’ movements using minkrafts to identify their footprints, andhopes to maintain mink-free zones bystrategically undertaking the minimumamount of control necessary.”

INTRODUCING VICKY JACKThe John Muir Trust is delighted toannounce that Vicky Jack will presentthe Spirit of the Wild Places lecture atthe Trust’s AGM and Members’ Gatheringat Rheged Centre, Cumbria on 4 June. Vicky is the first Scottish woman to haveclimbed the Seven Summits – the sevenhighest peaks on each of the world’scontinents. She developed her love ofthe outdoors through her father whointroduced her to the hills at a youngage. However, in her mid 30s, Vickyrealised that she still didn’t know greatswathes of Scotland so took up sailingand climbing the Munros. A decade later, having climbed all the Munros, she then set her sights on bigger targets. In 1996, she climbedMount Elbrus where she first heardabout the Seven Summits, which sheduly completed in 2004 when she reachedthe summit of Mount Everest – becomingthe oldest British woman to scale theworld’s highest peak. “In many ways Vicky is an ordinary hill walker who has pushed herself to extraordinary heights, which makesher journey all the more compelling,”commented John Hutchison, Chairmanof the John Muir Trust.The Spirit of Wild Places lecture issponsored by the Ben Nevis Distillery.The AGM and Members’ Gathering isopen to all Trust members. Bookingsclose on 20 May. > www.jmt.org/gathering11.asp

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NEWS 07

LANDSCAPE CONSERVATIONEarlier this year, 20 of the UK’s topnature photographers visited Coigach andAssynt in the northwest Highlands as partof 2020VISION, an ambitious two-yearproject that aims to inspire people aboutthe benefits of repairing, restoring andreconnecting our natural environment. Mark Hamblin, 2020VISION photographer,commented: “The natural landscape ofCoigach and Assynt is a photographer’sdream. The goal for the 2020VISIONteam is to capture this landscape andvisually communicate why we must domore to protect and restore the naturalenvironment here and across the UK.” The 2020VISION team chose this areabecause the Scottish Wildlife Trust isalready working with local landowners,including the John Muir Trust, AssyntFoundation, Culag Community WoodlandTrust, Tanera Mor and Eisgh Brachaidh,to look at the environmental issues facingthe area on a landscape scale and planhow to work together to address them.

The ambition for what is being called the Coigach and Assynt Living LandscapeProject is for the area to become thefocus of one of the biggest conservationrestoration projects ever attempted inthe UK. “Ultimately, our vision is to createhealthy and resilient ecosystems across large areas of Scotland whichserve the interests of visitors and localcommunities alike,” commented JonnyHughes, Director of Conservation,Scottish Wildlife Trust. “Restoration of nature on this scale will create jobs;paths will be built, trees grown andplanted, peatlands restored and landactively and sustainably farmed toprovide livelihoods as well as places in which nature can thrive. “Working in partnership is vital toachieving such an ambitious vision and everyone will have a part to play if we are ultimately going to bring about positive change.”> www.2020v.org

STOP PRESSJohn Muir Trust members are beinggiven an opportunity to visit threeexciting conservation projects in theScottish Borders as a prelude to theAGM. Members are invited to take part in guided tours of Glenlude nearInnerleithen, which passed to the Trust following the recent death of the benefactor Sheila Bell, and the two Borders Forest Trust properties at Carrifran and Corehead, near Moffat. Tours will be organised forFriday 3 June, the day before the AGM. For more information, see: > www.jmt.org/events.asp

(Members Land Days section)

or, contact: > John Thomas, j.p.r.t@btinternet.com

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CONSERVING08 Land management support for local communities

Supporting role

In addition to managing its own land, the John Muir Trust works with communities on a variety of land partnerships acrossScotland. No two partnerships are the samebut all aim to support specific local needs,writes Richard Rowe

“We were about to embark on a venture with relatively littleexperience in land and estate management,” recalls CalumMackay, Chair of the North Harris Trust. “We were a group of teachers, crofters and business people with no experience of such matters.”

How things change. Today, the North Harris Trust successfullymanages one of the largest community-owned estates in Scotlandfollowing its buyout of the 22,500ha North Harris Estate in 2004and the neighbouring 2,500ha Seaforth Estate two years later.Bounded by the sea on three sides, the area comprises croftland, common grazings and rugged hill ground, including An Cliseam, the highest peak in the Western Isles.

The success of the North Harris Trust is largely due to thecommitment and zeal of the community itself, although theJohn Muir Trust can rightly claim to have also played a valuablerole. When the steering group for the buyout of the estate wasbeing formed, an approach was made to the John Muir Trust forsupport and assistance. “We were aware of their experience inland management and particularly on land similar to our ownwith its many environmental designations,” explains Mackay.

Fast forward seven years and the John Muir Trust remains theonly external representative on the North Harris Trust’s boardof locally-elected volunteer directors. During that time, thecommunity group has made impressive progress across itsbroad remit of social, economic and conservation aims thatinclude increasing employment opportunities, addressing localhousing needs and protecting and enhancing the cultural andnatural heritage of North Harris.

“It’s a very interesting partnership and unique from the start in that the North Harris Trust approached us,” comments MickBlunt, John Muir Trust Area Manager, based in Lewis. “At thetime, they were one of the earlier community buy-outs, so werereal pioneers in a sense. We were able to support in the processof the buyout, help develop the first management plan andoffer assistance in areas such as ecological surveys and footpath maintenance plans.”

As Blunt explains, in this instance the John Muir Trust wasapproached because of “who we are and what we stand for”rather than simply to source funding. “One of their mainobjectives was to keep North Harris ‘wild and beautiful’ and they very much saw it as an environmental asset. That’s important: partners must have the same fundamental aspirations.”

S TA RT I N G O U TSuch beginnings are common to many of the John Muir Trust’sland partnerships: young community organisations invariablywant for little in terms of commitment, energy and ideas but often need support in the shape of funding assistance,development plans or specific areas of land managementexpertise.

In the northwest of the Isle of Lewis, for instance, the John MuirTrust has supported Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (The GalsonEstate Trust) since its buy-out of the 22,600ha Galson Estate in 2007. While some financial assistance was provided for theinitial buy-out, much of the input since has concentrated onsupporting the estate’s ranger service, led by Julie Sievewright.“At the time, I was the only employee and we were starting fromscratch, so to have that support was fantastic,” she explains.“There are now three of us and we are a lot more structured in the way that we operate.”

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it’s a veryinterestingpartnership and unique inthat the northharris trustapproached us

Today, interpretation and environmentaleducation are at the heart of the rangeringwork on the estate, although with morethan 20 crofting townships within itsboundaries, the role also includesworking with crofters on a variety of land management issues. During thesummer months, the focus is on visitorsand the provision of guided walks andother activities, while work with localschools provides an important year-round community link and also helpsraise awareness of the natural heritage of the area.

As Blunt explains, the relationship withGalson is quite different from that withthe North Harris Trust. “At Galson, weare not directors – our role is more asspecialist environmental advisor. It wasagreed from the outset that we wouldspecifically provide support for the rangerand other environmental services as andwhen needed, and also be on hand toprovide advice. This means that we gettogether a few times per month and helpwith getting particular projects off theground.”

Of course, both partners also benefitfrom the groups of dedicated volunteers

that attend John Muir Trust work parties on the islands each year. Whether undertaking beach cleans,assisting with native woodland projectsor helping remove invasive plant speciessuch as gunnera (giant rhubarb), suchwork continues to make a clear, visibledifference that is greatly appreciated by local communities.

D I F F E R E N T A P P R OAC H E SBack on the mainland, two furtherpartnerships highlight the very differentnature of such relationships – and thefact that partners don’t always need toentirely agree in order to work together.

In 2005, the John Muir Trust helped the Assynt Foundation raise £550,000towards the purchase of the Drumrunieand Glencanisp Estates – large tracts ofphysically imposing land that neighbourthe Trust’s own Quinag property inSutherland.

“For our part, it was an opportunity to workwith an organisation with similar valuesin terms of sustainable management andconservation of land for the benefit ofthe wider community,” explains MarkLazzeri, Assynt Foundation Manager.

“The funding was important but so too wasthe way that the John Muir Trust was ableto bring in other organisations to assist.They helped us with the fundamentalquestion of ‘how do we do this?’”

As both parties admit, it is a partnershipthat has not always run entirely smoothly,with differences of opinion on some of theFoundation’s more commercially-mindedplans for economic development. Thisled to the John Muir Trust stepping awayfrom its seat on the Board of Directors.Today, things have moved on and thereis a much more relaxed relationship –one that that sees the Trust as a friendlyneighbour working collaboratively withthe Foundation on joint conservationprojects rather than being intimatelyinvolved with the running of theorganisation.

On a broader scale, the two are workingtogether with other landowners as part ofthe recently-launched Coigach and AssyntLiving Landscape project – an initiativethat aims to connect fragmented habitatsand create thriving communities over alarge swathe of Sutherland. “The projectis interesting in that it looks to gainconsensus on an approach to land

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management – with much for us all tocollaborate on,” says Lazzeri. “For instance,we all want to see more woodland cover;the protection and enhancement ofpeatlands; and educating people aboutthe management of large landscapes.”

A similar kind of background role nowexists within the Knoydart Foundation –the community group that purchased the Knoydart Estate in 1999 with supportfrom the John Muir Trust, HighlandCouncil and others.

“Knoydart will always be very personal to the John Muir Trust with it being thelocation of its first property and thefounding directors having triggered theidea of a buy-out,” says Angela Williams,the Foundation’s Development Manager.“Since then, it has provided financialbacking, fund-raising and moral supportas much as anything.”

Williams admits that it is only in recent years that the Foundation has been able to invest more time and money on the land managementside of its operations, principally deermanagement, rhododendron control and running ranger-led guided walks.Prior to that, it focussed on issues suchas housing, establishing the Foundationbunkhouse, refurbishing the hydro-electricscheme which now powers most of the properties in the community, andestablishing its various trading companies.

“We are now financially viable which is abig achievement in itself, but we are byno means comfortable,” says Williams.“It’s still pretty knife-edge.”

As Fran Lockhart, the John Muir Trust’srepresentative on the Foundation board,notes: “In an isolated and marginal placelike Knoydart, these will always have tobe a priority so it’s important that theTrust continues to understand that theFoundation has more than just landmanagement issues to consider.”

F O RWA R D P R O G R E S SOf course, over time, land partners canbecome so skilled and resourceful thattheir need for assistance diminishes.That’s certainly the case with the NorthHarris Trust which can list transportinfrastructure improvements, thedevelopment of path networks, renewableenergy projects, ecological monitoringand successful lobbying for the buildingof community housing among its manyachievements. Perhaps most importantof all, it has secured employment forseven staff – a significant number for an area like Harris – and is about tocomplete its own office building inTarbert to house all but one of them.

Given the dynamism of the group, it isperhaps little surprise that the John MuirTrust’s role is now more as a catalyst fornew initiatives – including the first HarrisMountain Festival planned for September.“The North Harris Trust these days hassuch skilled and able staff that they canabsolutely take something like this on,”says Mick Blunt.

Similarly, the Assynt Foundation hasmade great strides forward, with arounded programme of activitiescovering its various economic, social and environmental aims. Habitatrestoration continues apace, helpedconsiderably by achieving target deerpopulations. “We are already seeingimproved and recovered habitat,” reports Mark Lazzeri.

Crucially, in terms of generating income, the Foundation has completedits renovation of Glencanisp Lodge, aonce grand but since faded Victorian pilethat now generates healthy rents fromholiday groups and shooting parties. The Foundation is busy exploring howbest to source a sustainable, long-termsupply of wood to feed the Lodge’s newwoodchip-fuelled boiler, including thepossibility of working with crofters onplanting and harvesting of willow coppiceon their own land or on the estate.

Meanwhile, in Knoydart, the Foundationcontinues to pursue a wide range ofactivities including running an extremelyactive ranger service – for its first threeyears part-funded by the John Muir Trust – that offers visitors guided walksas well as organising conservationvolunteer days.

Here, the John Muir Trust acts both asboard member and friendly neighbour,offering support and advice as and whenrequested. As Angela Williams notes, it isquite an intangible partnership but onethat works despite some contradictionsin focus. “I hope that the relationshipcontinues,” she says. “It certainly hasvalue and we are very happy to have theJohn Muir Trust as a board member.”

Further informationThe John Muir Trust is involved in a variety ofland partnerships from the Western Isles toCorrour in the Central Highlands (see page 12)and the Carrifran Wildwood Project in theScottish Borders (see page 14). For more detailson the partnerships mentioned in this article,visit: North Harris Trust www.north-harris.orgGalson Estate Trust www.galsontrust.comAssynt Foundation www.assyntfoundation.orgKnoydart Foundation www.knoydart-foundation.comAbout the authorRichard Rowe is editor of the John Muir TrustJournal. He can be contacted at journal@jmt.orgPhotography1 Rhododendron control, Knoydart2 Carolla Bell, crofter, Galson, North Lewis3 North Harris Trust guided walk4 Glencanisp Lodge, Assynt5 Spying deer, Knoydart6 Classic coastal scenery, Lewis7 Work party footpath repairs, Galson

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knoydart willalways be verypersonal to thejohn muir trust

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Tiso – the outdoorequipment specialist and the John Muir Trust

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We value the contribution of the growing number ofcompanies that support the Trust through membership,donations, promotional initiatives and in-kind support. If your business would like to help our business of protectingwild land and wild places, please contact Fiona Mackintosh on 0131 554 0114 or email recruit@jmt.org

The John Muir Trust would like to thank Tiso and all ourCorporate Members and Supporters and all other corporateswho provide support such as payroll giving schemes.

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“Tiso has supported the John Muir Trust from very early on,”commented Managing Director Chris Tiso. “Both my late fatherand, more recently, my mother have served as Trustees and ourcompany’s commitment and sponsorship remains as strong asever. Tiso recognise that as a membership organisation it is vitalfor the John Muir Trust to raise awareness and recruit newmembers in order to carry out its work to protect our treasuredwild places. For this reason, we are delighted to have theopportunity to offer this discount card as a thank you to theTrust’s existing members for their ongoing support. We hopethis offer will also be seen as a nice added benefit to thosethinking of joining the Trust in 2011.”

For further information on your nearest Tiso store, visitwww.tiso.com

testimonial 11

Tiso has had strong links with the John Muir Trust since 1983 and continues its support as a Gold Corporate Member and through the provision of office space in Edinburgh

In 2011, this support has increased in the form of an exclusiveJohn Muir Trust discount card entitling Trust members to a 10% discount on selected purchases in Tiso stores during setpromotional periods. In addition to offering the 10% discountTiso will donate 5% of the value of the discounted purchasesthat members make back to the John Muir Trust. So, membersknow that the more they take advantage of the exclusive offer,the more they help the Trust.

CONSERVING12 Outlining an important partnershipwith an innovative private landowner

Over the past three years, the John Muir Trust has forged anexcellent working relationship with Corrour Estate – an exampleof the kind of land management partnerships that are possiblewith private landowners, as Mike Daniels explains

Since 2008, the John Muir Trust has worked in partnership with Corrour, a privately-owned estate that covers more than20,000ha of wild land sandwiched roughly between Ben Nevisand Rannoch Moor. Since buying the estate in 1995, the currentowners’ approach has been about “moving towards a balancebetween a sporting estate and a natural wilderness”.

Central to this approach has been the development andimplementation of a management plan that puts biodiversityand sustainable thinking at the heart of everything the estatedoes. Former Trust Chairman Dick Balharry was commissionedto write the original management plan, and it was through Dickthat the link between Corrour and the Trust was first forged.

W H AT I S S U S TA I NA B L E ? Rather than being run purely for sport shooting as per theprevious management regime, the estate now aims to take amore holistic view of its activities. Everything that the estatedoes is underpinned by the environment; there are plans for the restoration of woodland and montane scrub habitats,and restructuring commercial forest to the original blanket bog and native woodland. Such work is reinforced by a detailed programme of monitoring and biological recording of everything from blanket bog and dwarf birch to bats andblack grouse.

Visitors are a key part of Corrour too,with open access for all being encouraged.But this is not a place that is ever likely to be overrun. The special wild land feelis preserved by the challenge of actuallyaccessing the estate. It’s a long walk infrom the nearest road, with the favouredroute for many being the railway and astop at remote Corrour Station on theWest Highland line.

Income from tourism is generatedthrough a range of accommodation onthe estate, with two SYHA-operatedyouth hostels – at Loch Ossian andCorrour Station – a selection of self-catering cottages and the old shootinglodge all available for booking. Once on site, guests can choose from a rangeof activities, from climbing any of theseven Munros on the estate to canoeing,fishing and deer stalking.

Ultimately, however, to be trulysustainable, the estate is striving to be economically self-sufficient. Most sport shooting estates rely onsignificant inward investment, withincome generated from shooting andvenison only recovering some of the costof the staff and infrastructure required.Instead, Corrour’s management plansees it look to generate income not justfrom sport shooting, but also holiday

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accommodation, growing and sellingtimber and, most significantly, renewableenergy.

Since the last century, every drop ofwater that falls on Corrour has generatedelectricity, but elsewhere and for someoneelse – with the energy used primarily for the production of aluminium inKinlochleven and Fort William. Today,the estate is developing three smallschemes on-site to supply its own needsand generate the income needed forcontinuing the environmentalmanagement plan.

T H E T RU S T ’S R O L ELike all good partnerships, the Trustsrelationship with Corrour is based onmutual benefit and, in this case, a sharedvision for wild land that focuses on:

– Protection – ensuring the wild landqualities of the estate are preserved

– Enhancement – by encouragingnatural processes and minimisinghuman impacts

– Engagement – through interpretationof the management aims of the estateto thousands of visitors each year

– Ensuring a thriving community – byinvesting in staff, infrastructure andlocal contractors and businesses

On the ground, the Trust’s role continues to evolve. Initially, the Trusthelped establish habitat monitoring anddevelop a detailed plan. But now that theplans are embedded and beginning to beimplemented, the Trust is involved morein active support, including an annualwork party to repair footpaths and removeinvasive non-native spruce. In addition,Trust staff are paid by the estate asadvisors and give ongoing advice on the development and implementation of the plan. We also hope to hold aTrustees’ meeting at Corrour this year.

F U T U R E C H A L L E N G E SThis type of partnership is a new one for the Trust. As it evolves, it is worthscrutinising the effectiveness of therelationship for both sides. It should be said that working in partnership is not without challenges. The two partnersdo not agree on every issue and being an advisor does not mean that the Trustautomatically gets its way. Similarly theestate may not always want to adhere toall of the Trust’s Wild Land ManagementStandards, or be associated with all its policies.

Overall though, beyond a shared visionfor the estate, the link to the Trust givesthe estate the benefit of our widerexperience of land management in terms of the environment, communitiesand public access. For the Trust, the main benefits are that we can help tomanage another piece of wild land; and,of course, gain a valuable insight into the workings of a private estate; and ofcourse, generate income that helps coverthe running costs of the Trust as a whole.

So, can this model be replicatedelsewhere? It is early days, but the keytool is the development of a sustainablemanagement plan based on the Trust’sWild Land Management Standards. If an estate is willing to undertake theproduction of this then we can certainlybegin to engage with them and help todeliver sustainable management acrossother areas of wild land.

This will not be easy. The fact is that manyprivate estates simply do not share ourvalues, while some of the managementpractices required are potentiallycontroversial. Deer management is aparticularly emotive subject. Movingfrom a legacy of high numbers to a moresustainable model usually requires asignificant culling effort. This in turnrequires a culture shift away from‘traditional’ management – a change inthinking that rarely happens over-night.

The problem is that our wild landcontinues to disappear at an alarmingrate, so time is not on our side. We urgentlyneed to encourage more private ownersto show the courage, conviction andcommitment already demonstrated by Corrour.

About the authorMike Daniels is Head of Land Science at the John Muir Trust. He can be reached atmike.daniels@jmt.orgFurther informationCorrour Estatewww.corrour.co.ukPhotography1 The grass-roofed lodge sauna with jetty

stretching into Loch Ossian2 Snow melt filling the Allt Feith Thuill burn3 A stag feeding on the flanks of Leum Uilleim4 Work party volunteers in action

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CONSERVING14 A valley reawakens thanks to theefforts of dedicated volunteers

John Thomas reflects on a remarkable project that, over thepast decade, has seen the planting of half a million trees andthe gradual greening of a historic valley in the Scottish Borders

The hills of the Scottish Borders have been grazed by cattle, sheep and goats for well over 1,000 years. Dr Johnson noticed the distinct lack of woodland in 1733, remarking: “Ibelieve few regions have been denudedlike this”. The Forest of Ettrick – a royalhunting ground – that once coveredthese hills was present up to the MiddleAges, but the woodland was long gone by the time Johnson and Boswell rode by.

Some 200 years later, in the mid 1990s, a group of volunteers set out to re-establish part of that ancient woodlandin the Carrifran valley, adjacent to theNational Trust’s Grey Mare’s Tail property.The aim was to restore a wildwood ofindigenous trees and plants consistentwith how it looked before man set foot there.

In pursuing this vision, the group receivedgreat support and encouragement fromthe John Muir Trust. This partnership in a shared vision, which included muchpersonal help rather than funding,brought immense goodwill to the public

appeal for the £300,000 required to buythe land. More was raised than was askedfor, with not a penny from the public purseand, after tortuous negotiations, Carrifranwas purchased before the seller’sdeadline expired.

Over the following decade, starting onNew Year’s Day 2000, no fewer than halfa million trees have been planted – aneffort that has extended to more than justvolunteers. Lottery funding, grants fromthe Forestry Commission and other publicand charitable bodies, including someclimate change funding, all helped, as didsome generous voluntary funding fromindividuals. And it was individual forestryworkers local to the Borders who did thework all year round, not the big forestrycompanies.

In addition, the Wildwood Group, as itbecame known, could not have appliedits ideas to such a huge canvas had it notbecome part of the Borders Forest Trust,itself a developing voluntary body at thetime that the Millennium Forest andReforesting Scotland programmes wereemerging.

Restoring the wildwood

none of nature’slandscapes areugly so long asthey are wild

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R E S E A R C H I N T O P R A C T I C EThe process of turning vision into realityinvolved a systematic, evidence-based,yet practical, approach. The WildwoodSteering Group was comprised ofenvironmental scientists, craftsmen,foresters and business people, bothprofessional and amateur. Once thelikely site had been identified, theyorganised a conference at the RoyalBotanic Garden in Edinburgh which laid the groundwork for ecologicalrestoration at Carrifran.

The group was fortunate in having access to excellent pollen records of peatsamples taken at the head of Carrifran byan earlier research project. Described asone of the best records from an uplandsite in Scotland, the project indicatedwhat had grown in the valley over thepast 10,000 years. In particular, itdemonstrated that pine had largely been superceded by oak, alder and birch from about 6,000 years ago.

Soil samples were then taken showingthe distribution of soil types throughoutthe valley. The Borders has richer soils than much of the Highlands andCarrifran is no exception with calcareoussoils appearing in places, as well as itsshare of peat, scree and bog. Following a detailed study of the valley using a siteclassification system developed by theForestry Commission, a comprehensiveplanting scheme was drawn up matchingtrees to specific soil types and locations(see map above).

And these were not just any trees; allwere grown from seeds collected by

volunteers from fragments of ancientwoodland taken from as close toCarrifran as possible. This led to someexciting adventures up crags and cleughs(a Borders term for ravines) across theSouthern Uplands and northern England.The seeds, mainly brought on by an EastLothian nursery and all paid for by agenerous supporter, were then plantedby a combination of independent, self-employed contractors and verycommitted volunteers.

A feature of the project is the range ofhabitats it offers for regeneration. Thevalley is 665ha, rising from 165m at itsmouth to 821m at the highest point ofthe plateau at White Coomb. And the site covers the whole catchment of theCarrifran burn from its many sources inthe bogs and screes on the top almost tothe point where it joins the Moffat Waterin the valley floor. This range is reflectedin the planting scheme which includeseverything from dense lowland woods to montane scrub.

The association between Borders Forest Trust and the John Muir Trust has continued beyond the restoration ofCarrifran. Recently, the John Muir Trustlent its support and goodwill to BordersForest Trust’s purchase of CoreheadFarm, a 640ha tract of hill land betweenthe Devil’s Beef Tub and Hart Fell. And with the John Muir Trust taking full ownership of its property at GlenLude, kindly gifted by Sheila Bell, therewill be further opportunities for the twoorganisations and their members to work together. Slowly, the great forest of Ettrick is being restored.

T H E N E X T C E N T U RYFrom the beginning, the WildwoodGroup was committed to restorationrather than simply conservation of thestatus quo. But what part does extensiveplanting on this scale have to play in thefuture management of wild land?

Come off the hill on a rough winter’s day into indigenous woodland such as that found at Rothiemurchus or theQuoich and the welcoming protection of the woods is keenly appreciated. And not just by people, but by all sorts of wildlife. If we want our hills to be alive and not just empty sheep walks and so-called deer ‘forests’, we need toput something back. Comprehensiveplanting on the scale of Carrifran maynot be widely applicable, but many glens and hillsides have been denudedby man’s intervention and will notrecover their lost biodiversity withoutsympathetic restoration.

Once planted, the trees at Carrifran willface a number of threats for many yearsto come. The stock fence will excludegoats and sheep, but all 12km of it willneed regular maintenance. Meanwhile,roe deer and hares will put the woodunder constant browsing pressure, withthe control of deer alone costing morethan £1,000 per annum.

Added to that are large areas of brackenwhich compete with the young trees andrestrict their light, although the mostdifficult problem of all is the thick grasssward which has been grazed for 1,000years and in which the seeds of manynative trees are unable to germinate and become established.

It is for these reasons that the greatestchallenge now is to sustain the wildwoodfor the next century. During this time its health will depend increasingly onvolunteer labour and the generosity of individual members of the public,since public money is rarely available for long-term projects. Only then, after a century or so, the relatively matureCarrifran ecosystem may finally be ableto sustain itself against most threats –other than, of course, man himself.

About the authorJohn Thomas is a lifelong hillwalker andmountaineer, John Muir Trust Trustee and volunteer with Borders Forest Trust. Further informationFor much more on the Carrifran Wildwood, visitwww.carrifran.org.ukSee also page 31 for a review of The CarrifranWildwood Story: Ecological Restoration from theGrass Roots, by Myrtle and Philip AshmolePhotography1 The valley in its winter coat2 Trust staff were involved from early

in the project3 A volunteer hard at work tree planting4 Detailed mapping helped match trees

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Our Wild Land Campaign met with a fantastic response, withthe submission of our petition to the Scottish Parliament inJanuary a significant milestone. Mel Nicoll explains

CAMPAIGNING16 Reporting on strong backing for our Wild Land Campaign

Our Wild Land Campaign is now welland truly up and running, with thearticle in the last issue of the Journalexplaining how to get involved spurringmany members into action. More than3,700 members signed our petition to the Scottish Parliament, while over 3,000 have added their voice to our UKone – with many more getting in touch to inform us about other actions theyhave taken.

Members have also been extremelygenerous in donating to our Wild LandCampaign Appeal, raising more than£15,000 so far. The Trust would like tothank all those who have contributed for their generosity and encouragement –such commitment is helping us to makea real difference.

S C O T T I S H S U C C E S SThe submission in January of ourpetition to the Scottish Parliamentcalling for a new designation to protectScotland’s wild land represents a keymilestone in our Wild Land Campaign.Our actions have made a big impact in the Scottish media with the petitionsuccessfully raising awareness of theneed for better protection for wild land.

Responses to our petition from consultees,including the Scottish Government,VisitScotland, Scottish Natural Heritage(SNH) and the National Trust for Scotland,show a wide consensus that wild land should be protected. The ScottishGovernment responded that, “the PublicPetitions Committee’s consideration ofthis petition is timely. The question of

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how we identify and protect Scotland’swild land is one which the ScottishGovernment and its agencies have beenactively considering, and we welcomethe Committee’s contribution to thisdebate”.

In addition, the Scottish Governmentalso referred to work underway by SNHto prepare more detailed and accuratemaps of wild land than have been used previously. Very encouragingly, it suggested that the maps are expectedto be used by local authorities to identifyand safeguard areas of wild land, andperhaps also at a national level.

SNH gave further backing to ourCampaign, saying: “There is a history, in the field of environmental protection,of acting decisively only when theresources in question are under extremethreat. Given the distinctiveness andrarity of Scotland’s wild land resource –in a western European, not purely a UK,context – we must surely avoid this trapand act before it is too late.”

We are now building the momentum for improved wild land protection, using the opportunity of the ScottishParliament elections on 5 May. Submittingour petition before the Scottish electionswas vital; it should now receive attentionas soon as the new Government is elected.There is certainly no time to lose. Newfigures from SNH highlight that the areas without visual influence of builtdevelopment fell from 31% in January2008 to 28% in December 2009. Thatdrop represents an area around 14 times the size of Glasgow.

The need for action is further reinforcedby developments that will impact onScotland’s best wild land – such as plans to extend the Muaitheabhal winddevelopment on the Isle of Lewis, andthe Dunmaglass wind development inthe Monadhliaths. A new designationshould stop developments of this scalefrom being proposed in wild land areas.

With the Scottish elections fastapproaching, we need members andfriends to continue to demonstratesupport for our campaign in the lead upto 5 May. The remaining weeks provide avital opportunity to influence candidatesand increase political understanding thatwildness is a necessity in our lives andthat action to protect it is needed at alllevels of government.

You can pursue this by writing tocandidates as well as the local andnational press, and encourage debateabout wild land at any public meetings.If you are not eligible to vote in theScottish elections you can still write tothe leaders of the main Scottish parties

(see www.jmt.org/wildland for a templateletter). And, please, keep up the pressure– the first few months after the electionwill be crucial.

U K C A M PA I G NWith elections on 5 May for the NationalAssembly for Wales and the NorthernIreland Assembly, and also for localgovernment in some areas, wherever youlive, this is the time to lobby your politicalrepresentatives and candidates about theneed for better protection for wild land.

And with the ‘localism’ agenda, localcouncillors will have an increased role inplanning decisions in England, so don’tforget to ask candidates for their viewson landscape protection and continue topress them on this matter post-election.

Meanwhile, our UK petition continues to gather signatures and we aim to makean impact at Westminster later in the year.Please sign our petition and encourageothers to do likewise – we know thatpetitioning works.

the need foraction isreinforced bydevelopmentsthat will impacton scotland’sbest wild land

About the authorMel Nicoll is Campaigns Coordinator for the JohnMuir Trust. She can be contacted atcampaigns@jmt.orgFurther informationTo find out how you can support our Wild LandCampaign, visit www.jmt.org/wildland, or callMel Nicoll on 01796 484938. To keep up with thelatest Campaign news and actions, sign up toreceive our monthly email newsletter atwww.jmt.orgPhotography1 Trust staff and helpers spell out their

message in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh2 Stuart Brooks and Campaign supporter

Cameron McNeish (left) prepare to deliverthe wild land petition signatures to theScottish Parliament

EXPLORING POLICY ALLIANCES

Helen McDade reveals howthe Trust is working withothers to highlight major campaign issues

For many years, the John Muir Trust has been part of Scottish EnvironmentLink, a forum for Scotland’s voluntaryenvironmental organisations with over30 member bodies representing a rangeof interests. It is primarily an information-sharing network that works through sub-groups, called task forces. In the past, theJohn Muir Trust has had representativeson the landscape task force (chairing it for several years recently), as well asthe biodiversity and planning task forces. But while Scottish Environment Link is a great way to benefit from a largerpool of knowledge and interests, it can be difficult to obtain agreementfrom a number of bodies to issue press statements or to take a morecampaigning focus. Sometimes, it isuseful to form a more informal alliancewith a smaller group of organisationswhose aims on one particular issue are very closely aligned. This allows for a quick turnaround on decisions and statements, as the grouping has aclosely agreed position and a clear goal. One such partnership was the BeaulyDenny Landscape Group which wasformed to put the national, strategic and environmental issues to the BeaulyDenny Public Local Inquiry (PLI). Thegroup, chaired by the John Muir Trust,included the Association for the Protectionof Rural Scotland, Mountaineering Councilof Scotland, National Trust for Scotland,Ramblers Scotland and the Scottish Wild Land Group. In the fast-changing pseudo-legal world of a PLI, it was essential to be able to make decisions or issuestatements without the days or evenweeks of negotiation which occur inmore formal partnerships. Although theresult of the Beauly Denny PLI was notwhat we wanted, we felt this groupinghad worked well within the limits of theknowledge we had then (we know somuch more now!) and the resourcesavailable. The Trust wishes to extend this way ofworking south of the border. As such, we have agreed with several other UKlandscape-focused organisations tocreate an informal grouping to exchangeinformation, work together to promoteour message through the media andconsider joint policy events. The organisations involved in theseinitial discussions include the CambrianMountain Society, Campaign for NationalParks, Campaign for the Protection ofRural Wales, Friends of the Lake District,Outdoor Industries Association andYorkshire Dales Society. We lookforward to a fruitful partnership.

About the authorHelen McDade is Head of Policy for the John MuirTrust. She can be contacted at policy@jmt.org

CAMPAIGNING18 Tracing the story of the Journal from humble beginnings

Many will wonder where the time has gone, but this edition of the Journal marks a half-centuryof issues. To celebrate, Richard Rowe includes the thoughts of former editors as he explores theevolution of a publication that charts the story of the John Muir Trust itself

Leafing through the 47 issues thatpreceded my own editorship of the JohnMuir Trust Journal is something that Iwould recommend to all future editors of the publication. Doing so reveals thestory of a fledgling organisation that grew from a somewhat obscure, almostunderground group to its position todayas a highly-respected guardian of wild land.

And like the Trust itself, what began as a simple, eight-page, A5 newsletterhas come a long way. As original editor, Ben Tindall, recalls, the early newsletterswere decidedly homespun: “They wereliterally cut and paste affairs, typed in my office with headings by architecturalLetraset, and illustrated with woodcutsby David Bellamy and, as far as I canremember, photocopied at EdinburghUniversity’s law department.”

But never mind their simplicity, whatmattered most – and what I foundparticularly humbling – was the sheerenergy and sense of purpose that drove

the Trust’s founders and its earlysupporters. There is a touch of the diaryabout the first newsletters, as they revealthe inner anxieties and uncertainties of an organisation committed to theconservation of wild land, but notentirely sure of the best way forward.

“The first newsletter was born out of afrustration about not being able to shareconfidential information about efforts topurchase Li & Coire Dhorrcail, our firstproperty,” explains Ben. “It also hadprescient and passionate articles from W H Murray and James Hunter about the tension between wild land for its own sake versus its cultural and socialimportance.” Essentially, they asked,what is it that the Trust stands for?

The eventual, rather low-key purchase of Li and Coire Dhorrcail was officiallyannounced in Issue 2 – published twoyears later in August 1987. In a similarlyunderstated vein, it was not until Issue 4(May 1988) that a report appeared on thepublic launch of the Trust in Dunbar.

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The issue included a reprint of an articleby Chris Brasher, one of the Trust’s fourfounding members, that appeared in TheObserver and which resulted in a surgein membership (from 98 to 200). It alsoannounced that the Prince of Wales hadagreed to be patron of the Trust – aposition he continues to hold today.

The early newsletters portray the Trust as a rather nervous group, one slowlyfinding its feet, gaining confidence but cautious about growing; for whilethere was recognition that it had to beheard for reasons of fund-raising andrecruitment, the Trust was wary ofraising its head above the parapet lest it draw too much attention and increasethe public pressure on wild land.

But the Trust, and its newsletter, became gradually more assured. Issue 5(September 1988, price 40p) saw theannouncement of a star-studded lectureprogramme with mountain men HamishBrown, Chris Bonington and Tom Weirrecruited to help deliver the Trust’s wildland messages.

What is particularly striking both then and throughout later issues is thelevel of engagement of members – asdemonstrated by the always busy letterscolumn. Here was a supremely vigilantaudience, one not afraid to take the Trustto task if it felt a wrong turn had beentaken, however small or innocent.

A N Y T H I N G A N D E VE RY T H I N GIn these early years, the newsletter wasthe home of not just news and letters,but also accounts, calls to arms, workparty details, job vacancies and more.Issue 14 (January 1993) recorded a mostgenerous donation of £250.00 from theBishop of Newcastle, while otherscontained some real delights, such as this gem in Issue 11 (July 1991):

Dear Sir or Madam

My name is Shariff. I am seven years oldand I live in London. Our topic is livingthings. What wild places do you lookafter? What kind of animals live there?Do you have zebras or snakes? What is itlike in Scotland? Is it snowing still?

Yours sincerely

Shariff

By Issue 12 (January 1992), the Trust had added Torrin in Skye to its landportfolio and was negotiating to acquireMar Lodge Estate in partnership with the World Wildlife Federation and RSPB.It was to become the second of threefailed attempts to acquire property in the Cairngorms with the Trust havingpreviously missed out on buying UpperGlen Avon and later suffering the samefate with Glenfeshie Estate.

By Issue 16, the newsletter had anothernew editor, Colin Eastwood, who arrivedthanks to the persuasive powers of hispredecessor Terry Isles, who had becomethe first full-time director of the Trust.“Terry always had the facility to make his

suggestions apparently innocuous,” notesColin. “Since I am naïve, I fell prey to hisblandishments.”

Colin edited seven issues during whichtime the newsletter became much moreadept at highlighting the Trust’s stanceon how wild land should be managed. It grew significantly in size and content.So, too, did the postbag. “I got a fair dealof flak,” he recalls. “One view voiced wasencapsulated in a letter to me that all the Trust needed was a sheet about itsactivities that could be passed round a coach on the way to meets.”

Undaunted, it was Colin who oversawthe changing of the name to Journal &News, with the intention of exploring the major conservation issues of the day, often including opinion fromoutside organisations, in addition tocovering the Trust’s own work.

The subsequent growth of the rebrandedJournal & News coincided with the Trust’sacquisition of Strathaird in Skye – thelargest purchase in its 11-year history –which saw the well-being of croftingcommunities added to its previous maininterest of caring for wild landscapes.The successful capture of Strathaird wasconsidered a direct result of time spenton earlier failed bids in the Cairngorms,with each seen as having helped theTrust establish itself as an importantplayer in conservation circles.

Such standing certainly proved favourableto Strathaird’s owner at the time – IainAnderson of Jethro Tull fame – who was

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WORDS FROM PREVIOU S EDITORS

Ben TindallIssues 1–8 “I believe that ultimately it’s our approachand philosophy that’s the most importantand influential aspect of our work andtherefore communicating this is ourmost important mission. Whether this is done through our Awards, by exampleon the ground, lobbying in parliament or other means, the keen support ofmembers is crucial and newsletters are a powerful link. Our newsletters also provide another purpose; theyprovide an institutional memory, and to this end I suggest that all back issuesshould be searchable/ indexed and puton our website – another vitally importanttool, undreamt of in 1985.”

Colin EastwoodIssues 16–22 “How much is the Journal read? By members? By people outside theorganisation? I don’t know. But I remainconvinced that the voice of the Trust iscrucial to our wild environment, to itssafeguarding and management. The penof the one whose name we recognise in the title of our Trust never tired ofproclaiming those things he held in the very core of his heart.At the time of writing this contribution,the issue of what happens to our forestsand woodlands, and who should ownthem, has become a political matter.Thank goodness, after a huge outcry,this fatuous and dangerous idea hasbeen dropped by the Government. Evenso, read what John Muir had to say:“The battle we have fought, and are stillfighting, for the forests is a part of the eternalconflict between right and wrong, and wecannot expect to see the end of it ... so wemust count on watching and striving forthese trees, and should always be glad tofind anything so surely good and noble tostrive for.”

In our time, in our smaller way, we can,and should, add our two penn’orth.”

sufficiently impressed to take the estateoff the market and negotiate an agreementwith the Trust, so sparing the usualagonies of an open bid.

The Strathaird purchase caused thenChairman, the author and naturalistNicholas Luard, to use his Chairman’smessage to muse, somewhat provocatively,about the Trust’s change in direction,noting how its founders, himself amongthem, had created the Trust to conserveand regenerate wild landscapes, butperhaps didn’t foresee people being apart of the picture. In future, he asked,should the Trust be involved with“wilderness alone, or wilderness withpeople?” His question generated a flurryof correspondence, much of it printed in Issue 20 (January 1996); people andwilderness – at least in Scotland – areinseparable was the general thrust.

O N WA R D S A N D U P WA R D SIssue 26 (Winter 1998) saw the Journal & News adopt a colour front cover for the first time, while inside each issuecontinued to reflect key moments fromthe Trust’s history: an increasing presencebeyond Scotland, thanks in large part tothe launch of the John Muir Award; theaward of the first John Muir Award forLifetime Achievement to Tom Weir; aparticularly forthright letters special on the Trust’s response to the Foot andMouth outbreak in 2001; and, later, talesfrom the Journey for the Wild in 2006.There were also moments of sadness,with obituaries for Chris Brasher,Graham Tiso, Andrew Raven and othermajor figures who had helped shape the Trust from its earliest days.

By Issue 28 (Winter 1999), the Journal & News was in the hands of its longest-standing editor to date, Mike Merchant,who was at the helm through to Issue 44.Mike recalls an interesting start to hiseditorship having been hired following a “pleasantly informal interview”. “In notime at all it sank in that I had five weeksto get the first one to press, more or lessfrom scratch. It was an A5 saddle-stitchedmagazine with a colour cover; the bigstory was the purchase of Schiehallion.Nine years later I was sending my last Journal to press; by then A4 and full-colour.”

Mike’s time in the editor’s chair sawmany highlights, not least when he wasable to give space to people who hadinspired and informed him down theyears. “John Cleare and Irvine Butterfieldnever failed with a photo, and theywould be well-documented as well asexpertly shot,” he remembers. “Unbiddenbut always welcome, Hamish Brownwould submit type-written musings andsketches, and Tom Weir, on the occasionof his lifetime achievement award, sent a bunch of bromide prints – from whichwe chose for the cover of Issue 30 a viewof Liathach’s swooping ridge in winter.”

But best of all, he says, were thesurprises, “the contributors with no‘form’ in the writing business but whocame up with pieces that, as an editor, I could only stand back and admire”.These included a piece in Issue 34(Winter 2003) by Mike Nurse in which he wrote of his John Muir Award questfor Dryas octopetala (Mountain avens) in Snowdonia: “At the end of a longretreat … far from alpine avalanche,

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snow and the arctic birch scrub, in Walesit is an outpost, a representative of thosewildernesses …”.

Another memorable piece exploredmemories of Lewis from a radartechnician posted long ago to RAF AirdUig. “Mervyn Southam’s story in Issue 44(February 2008) was full of humour andwry observation, and I thought of it whenI finally saw Uig’s great sands for myself,”says Mike. In the same issue, the Trust’sown Lester Standen seemed surprisedwhen told how good his piece was. “Anaccount of the hind cull in Strathairdestate, it was vivid, tautly paced, exactlydescriptive.”

And then came the leap into the currentformat – one that saw the visual identity ofthe Trust extend to the Journal for the firsttime. It was overseen by another Mike,this time Mike Brown, my immediatepredecessor whose appointment appearedto coincide with a changed attitude topublicity within the Trust. “The Journalwas, for the first time, being seen as partof the promotional mix,” notes Mike.

One of his first acts was to uncouple the Members’ News from the Journal,leaving the former to deal with largelyinternal matters and the latter to serve as the Trust’s window to the wider world. “The Journal was designed to be strategic,influential and have a longer shelf life. It was something we wanted members to be proud of.”

The visual change that came with Issue46 (Spring 2009) brought a lot of positivefeedback but was not without criticism,recalls Mike. “There are always some in a voluntary organisation who are uneasy

about looking professional or ‘slick’ assome would have it. This is a view I donot share: if one wants to yield influenceand make a difference, the organisationneeds to be taken seriously.”

I have attempted to continue in the same vein, hopefully producing a Journalthat informs, inspires and – dare I say it –also entertains. It is far too early in myown editorship to make any weightypronouncements on its past or futureimpact. Much better instead for the lastwords to belong to Trust Chairman JohnHutchison: “The Journal is very muchpart of the outreach of the Trust and, asan historical record, will exist long intothe future as a reference source for thosestudying our natural environment. It is adynamic time capsule, the period to dateoffering not a simple snapshot but 50separate exposures of the issues thathave faced the Trust, matters that areimportant to our membership which has grown many-fold.”

So, happy 50th birthday Journal.Although much has changed since 1985, much also remains the same, with intrusion into wild land as serious a threat as ever. The signs are that theJournal – and the organisation it reflects– will be needed more than ever over the next 50 issues.

WORDS FROM PREVIOU S EDITORS

Mike MerchantIssues 28–44 “It was the land that had led me to jointhe Trust years before. I’d felt there werelobby groups and pressure groups around,but none that had put money where theirmouth was, bought the land and in theirown way restored it in perpetuity to ‘the people’. So the core of the journals I managed was a celebration of the placeswhere the Trust was the landowner or apartner in community ownership. I believe that there were big changes inthe national awareness of wild land inthose years. I can remember startingwith a sense of how pioneering, indeeddaring the Trust was to take charge ofthese famous places. But before verylong the views we put forward in theJournal had almost become receivedwisdom. As community buyouts, accessrights and ‘sustainability’ emerged onthe political landscape, the Trust took its place in a spectrum of – let us say –enlightened, inclusive landownership inthe Highlands and Islands. It was a seachange and I’m convinced the Trust’sbrave example helped bring it on.”

Mike BrownIssues 45–47“I’ve been a member since the early 1990s and from early days believedpassionately that the Trust, like JohnMuir himself, should have a campaigningvoice. I believed that the Trust not onlyhad to communicate with its membersbut become a high-profile campaigningbody. During my time as editor we started to reflect the Trust’s new mantra of‘conserving, campaigning, inspiring’throughout the publication and alsointroduced themes for each edition. I took particular pleasure in coveringtopics such as the campaign to restoreHetch Hetchy which both widenedhorizons and addressed fundamentalissues. I also felt it was vital to carryarticles about our campaigning to helpour members and the wider audienceunderstand why we were takingparticular public positions.While outspoken campaigning was an integral part of John Muir’s work,some members appeared uncomfortablewhen the Trust challenged official policyor conventional wisdom. I believe theJournal has a vital role in engaging the membership in the need forcampaigning.”

About the authorRichard Rowe is the current editor of the Journal.He can be contacted at journal@jmt.orgCall for helpWe are missing issues 28, 29 and 31 of theJournal. If any members can help us retrieve acopy of these issues, please contact the editor onthe email above. Photography1 The cover of Issue 2 featured a line drawing

of Li & Coire Dhorrcail by David Bellamy2 A montage of early front covers3 The Journal was produced in A4 and

full-colour from Issue 364 Mike Merchant’s favourite cover image:

a shot of Rum from Laig Bay on Eigg by Joe Cornish (Issue 41)

INSPIRING22 How the John Muir Award workswith partner organisations formutual benefit

Strength innumbers

G R A S S RO O T S D E L I VE RYEach year, at grassroots level, we partnerwith between 600 and 800 organisationsthat all see value in delivering the JohnMuir Award as an integrated part of theirown activity. Schools, outdoor centres,volunteer groups, prisons and walkingclubs all make use of the Award for avariety of reasons. Helping with curriculumlinks, establishing conservation activityso that it isn’t a ‘bolt on’, recognisingachievement, promoting celebratoryevents, offering an experiential basis fortuning in to sustainability issues… all are highlighted as motivations for linkingthe Award’s four Challenges – Discover,Explore, Conserve, Share – to their own work.

But what’s in it for the John Muir Trust?Primarily, this activity helps deliver on one of our top-line aspirations thatwild places are valued by society –clearly not something that we can

The value of working in partnership is no better illustratedthan in the delivery of the John Muir Award – with hundreds of relationships and several major strategic links fostered withorganisations around the UK. Rob Bushby explains

Partnerships are all about mutual benefit. At best, they makemore happen than would be the case without them. They addsomething to the work of all parties. And they are based oncommon interests, shared goals, communication and a fairamount of trust.

Developing partnerships with like-minded organisations andgroups is one of the things we do best through the John MuirAward. Early last year, we passed the £1 million mark – that is,£1 million of staff time funded and hosted by other organisationsto help manage the Award across the UK. Each year, since 2003,between three and six full-time equivalent staff members havebeen employed in a variety of major partnerships to further thework of the Trust. And that’s on top of the working relationshipswith hundreds of groups using the Award at a local level.

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achieve on our own. It also extends theTrust’s reach beyond its membershipdemographic by engaging people fromdifferent backgrounds. At least 25% of those achieving Awards each year are ‘socially excluded’, while 80% ofparticipants are under 25 years of age.

In addition, the Award gives the JohnMuir Trust a substantial presence beyondits wild land properties, including southof the Scottish border, and locates it in a range of operational and governmentpolicy settings from National Parks andWildlife Trusts to school curricula,inclusion and health.

A wide range of case studies of theseinformal partnerships can be found onthe John Muir Award web pages. There’salso a collection of 25 ‘Biodiversity Stories’showing how Award activity can link the Trust with major initiatives such as International Year of Biodiversity2010. We haven’t yet calculated thefinancial value of these grassroot-delivery partnerships, but we have begun to collate all the ‘Conserve’activity undertaken in 2011 that forms a fundamental part of the collective John Muir Award experience. This willhelp demonstrate a cumulative impact ofthis collaborative work to Trust members,funders and participants.

S T R AT E G I C L I N K SThere is another very important level of partnership – one that extends themanagement capacity of the John Muir Award to reach more people andstrengthen its presence. This is a strategicarrangement in which an organisationmanages the Award jointly with the JohnMuir Trust with an additional, explicitpurpose of meeting its own aims. This is achieved by creating dedicated posts,shared fund-raising efforts, staff hostingarrangements and allocating existingstaff time to manage the Award. Over40% of Award activity in 2010 wasmanaged in this way by staff notemployed by the John Muir Trust.

Such an approach recognises thatrunning the John Muir Award can deliver demonstrable organisationalbenefits (see the strategic partnershipcase studies). It is also measurable. For example, over a seven-year period,more than 10,000 people engaged in theAward via our partnership with CumbriaYouth Alliance, while last year’s YHA Do it 4 Real summer camps generated9,000 hours of conservation volunteering.Meanwhile, National Parks are interestedin bringing the ethos of Muir to life, whilethe likes of Durham County Council arelooking to get more communities involvedin their local wild places.

The bottom line is that organisations are willing to invest in the Award to helpdeliver their aims in a cost-effective way.And as an initiative that is provided forfree to the end-user, it is a relationshipthat offers a sustainable business model,sharing the cost – and benefits – ofmanagement. This approach is at theheart of our thinking for the future. Andwe are aiming high: how about a millionpounds a year invested by others, on a win:win basis, in the educationalinitiatives of the John Muir Trust by2020? You never know…

C ASE ST UDY:

Cairngorms National ParkAuthority

The first board meeting of the newlyformed Cairngorms National ParkAuthority (CNPA) in September 2003agreed to support a full-time fundedpost of John Muir Award Manager for the Cairngorms. Eight years on, the JohnMuir Award continues to be the principalenvironmental engagement and outdoorlearning scheme promoted by the CNPA.Chiefly this is because it helps address keystatutory aims by creating opportunitiesto learn about, enjoy and becomepractically involved in caring for theNational Park and its special qualities –especially for young people, those withdisabilities and people on low incomes.It also helps deliver outcomes in theNational Park Plan and for the John Muir Trust that are mutually beneficial.

The 10,000th Award to have beenachieved in the Cairngorms, by a pupil atBallater Primary School, was presentedin November by the Scottish EnvironmentMinister Roseanna Cunningham, whosaid: “Learning in the outdoors can make significant contributions toliteracy, numeracy and health andwellbeing. The John Muir Award plays an important part in this by motivatingpeople to get outdoors and make themost of their natural environment. It’swonderful to see the pupils at BallaterPrimary getting involved and learningabout nature and conservation in a waythat is fun and meaningful.”

> continued

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this activityhelps deliver onone of our top-line aspirationsthat wild placesare valued bysociety

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Youth Hostels Association (England and Wales)

Mention the initials YHA and mostpeople think of buildings and bunk beds. But read its charitable objectiveand the links with the John Muir Trustare easier to spot: “To help all, especiallyyoung people of limited means, to agreater knowledge, love and care of thecountryside, and appreciation of thecultural values of towns and cities,particularly by providing youth hostels or other accommodation for them intheir travels, and thus to promote theirhealth, recreation and education.”

The John Muir Award was approached in2007 to help provide a context for informallearning and development in the Do it 4 Real Summer Camps run by YHA inEngland and Wales. Over the past fouryears, positive engagement in naturalenvironments has become a morecentral feature, and over 2,000 Awardswere achieved as 10 out of 23 campsplaced the John Muir Award at the heart of their programmes last year.Operating at this scale, over an intensesix-week period, was only possible withsenior YHA management support and a YHA-employed full-time John MuirAward Manager.

“Our partnership with the John MuirAward has been an integral part of the success we have achieved with the Do it 4 Real summer camp programme,”commented Carl Stanforth, YHA ProductDelivery Manager. “Many young peoplehave stated that they preferred some ofthe conserve activities to more familiaroutdoor activities such as canoeing or climbing!

“We are certainly looking to build on thesuccesses the partnership has achievedto date with the intention of integratingthe award into our schools packages as it is so in line with YHA’s vision and keyobjectives.”

An additional feature in 2010 was anaudit of everything that Do it 4 Realcampers achieved as part of the ‘Conserve’challenge of the Award. Here’s a summaryof Conserve contributions and activities:

– 2,839 Do it 4 Real campers (at least!)involved, as well as staff thatsupported them

– Over 9,143 hours of Conserve activity(valued at £57,144 at National Lotteryvolunteering rates)

– 100 wildlife habitats created

– 1,812m2 of invasive species cleared

– 6,050m2 of heather seed planted

– 370m of footpath maintained

– 180m2 watercress beds recreated and weeded

A N D F I NA L LY …Besides the three strategic partnershipshighlighted, the John Muir Award ismidway through a Natural England/Access to Nature-funded project withDurham County Council and its Outdoorand Sustainability Education Service.

Elsewhere, and following a successfulhosting arrangement with CumbriaYouth Alliance from 2004 to 2010, themanagement of the John Muir Award inCumbria has now been taken on by theLearning Service of the Lake DistrictNational Park Authority.

About the authorRob Bushby is John Muir Award Manager at the John Muir Trust. He can be contacted at rob@johnmuiraward.orgFurther informationFor much more on getting involved with theAward, visit www.jmt.org/jmaward-home.aspPhotography1 / 2 John Muir Award Green Team participants

in Vogrie Country Park3 Exploring the River Spey4 Outward Bound sea kayaking expedition

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The Outward Bound Trust

Outward Bound is one of the biggestnames in outdoor learning, developmentand adventure. Every year, nearly 30,000people have ‘the experience of a lifetime’at one of its five centres in North Wales,the Lake District and Scotland. TheOutward Bound Trust’s mission is tounlock the potential in young peoplethrough discovery and adventure in thewild, and key to this is a high level oflearning and challenge on its programmes.In recent years, it has been particularlyfocused on inspiring concern for andraising awareness about the naturalenvironment.

Outward Bound has worked with theJohn Muir Trust for nearly a decade.With keen support from instructors and senior management, a revampedpartnership was instigated in 2009,recognising the common ground betweenour values, ethos and significance placedon first-hand experience of wild places.Our educational and environmental processes are complementary: OutwardBound provides a programme ofadventurous outdoor learning andpersonal development; while the JohnMuir Award provides a framework forencouraging awareness and care for the natural environment.

Working arrangements include a tailored staff training package (with 50 instructors trained by Award staff in 2009), Outward Bound-branded John Muir Award certificates, nationalco-ordination by a Deputy Head ofCentre, case studies and instructor blogs. All create a consistent approachacross a range of multi-centre provision.

Sir Chris Bonington, Deputy Patron ofThe Outward Bound Trust, commented:“I’ve long been a supporter of bothorganisations and am delighted to seethem working closely together andplaying to each others’ strengths. This [joint] approach recognises thatlearning through frontier adventure andenjoyment, awareness and care for thenatural environment, can and should bepart and parcel of the same experience.”

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INSPIRING26 An account of a wild walk from one side of Scotland to the other

Last summer, Cairngorm Mountain Ranger Nic Bullivantundertook a 300km walk from Glen Clova to Beinn Alligin as aJohn Muir Award activity. Here, he reflects on the journey andwhat wild places mean to him

Have you ever had an idea for a longwalk – one that lasts for several days,connecting parts you know through wildland, and visiting unfamiliar places? Ithought of connecting my three children’smountains. They don’t have title deedsto these mountains and their ‘ownership’is little more than the rest of us enjoy but I think of them as theirs, and that is a good start.

The three mountains – Mayar, BeinnEibhinn and Beinn Alligin – are dottedacross the Scottish Highlands with longstretches of wild country all around them.Through-valleys and remote bothiessuggested a journey. I was suggestible.

I admire the travel writing of John Muir,and as a member of the John Muir Trust,I wanted to engage in an exploratory waywith my journey – and share it afterwards.I thought this would make a good topicfor a John Muir Explorer Award and havingcontacted the local Award manager, wasduly signed up. The Award was notessential to my journey, but it soundedintriguing and the John Muir Trust wasinterested in how I related to it as anindividual entrant.

F O RWA R D P L A N N I N GSome of the major considerations for my journey would probably not havebothered Muir in his early forays. I had tocarry food and shelter as our countrysidehas changed immeasurably since hisday. There are no longer the isolatedcottages where travellers are welcomedand accommodated. Many of the well-trodden paths of the past have fallen into disuse. Even the climate haschanged, and not for the better.

In considering my predecessors whowalked from the Highlands to Aberdeento go to university, or from Lochinver toDingwall for a judicial hearing, I felt veryhumble. In today’s world, there are somany easy alternatives that cut us offfrom the experience of such travels by transporting us to our destinationeffortlessly.

I’m not sure whether Muir intended hisjourneys to be pleasurable, but as thiswas my holiday I was determined that it was at least not going to be unpleasant.The journey had to be kind to me, or I would forsake it. When the going getstough, the tough get the bus, I resolved.

So, as part of the preparation, I had my kit worked out in great detail and had two large dry-bags transported tocrucial places where I could collect moreprovisions and leave behind gear I didn’tneed any more. The support of my familyand the patience of staff at the two pointsthat agreed to keep my bags was crucial.Friends in Rattray were delighted to ferry me to the start, so overcoming the greatest transport problem of theroute: the lack of public transport in Glen Clova.

D I S C OVE R A W I L D P L AC E Very soon after starting the walk, I realised that ‘wildness’ was everywhereand that our evaluation of a wild place isutterly dependent on personal experience.For people from downtown Dundee ontheir first foray to the big hills, the KilboPath [an ancient right of way in GlenClova] would be like the Khyber Pass, full of unknowns, dangers andamazements. To me, it was a steep,eroded path through a managedcommercial woodland, leading toovergrazed moorland with artificialplantation blocks.

Walking wild

JOHN MUIR TRUST JOURNALSPRING 2011

About the authorNic Bullivant is Head Ranger for the CairngormMountain Ranger Service.www.cairngormmountain.co.uk/see-do/other-activities/ranger-serviceFurther informationNic is available to speak to members’ groupsabout his journey and has a wide selection ofimages available for presentation. For muchmore, visit www.panoramio.com/user/2135544,or go to www.geograph.org.uk (and search for‘Nic Bulivant’).Photography1 Beinn Alligin, Sgurr Mor from Tom na

Gruagach2 Loch nam Breac, en route to Barrisdale

So, where was this wild place I was goingto discover? Most of the unfamiliar partsof my journey were in some ways theleast wild, because I have made a pointof visiting and enjoying obvious wildplaces all my life. But if the premise isaccepted that wildness is everywhere,then even the less wild is truly wild – at least in someone’s opinion.

The unfamiliar parts of my journey were the ones I needed to discover and,in fact, it was these parts where there was a real scarcity of other people. Suchareas do not attract the crowds, so thereare fewer paths, less erosion and litter.There are also fewer opportunities tomeet people and enjoy conversation –and fewer chances of rescue if all goeswrong.

Three examples of really wild placescome to mind. Glen Geusachan in theCairngorms is, for me, a gold standardwild place. Although the Gaelic nameimplies that there used to be a pine woodthere, and none is present now, one mustassume that something, probably people,acted to get rid of it. Perhaps they onlygot rid of the wolves that controlled thedeer, and then the deer prevented thepinewood from regenerating and the oldtrees died out naturally. I don’t know.

Glen Geusachan shows no sign of anyhuman activity at all. I found this quite ashock, arriving from Deeside and Derryon the Lairig Ghru, where there areshielings and walls, tracks, fences andenclosures. In Glen Geusachan, therewas not a fence post, not a rock on arock, no sign of clearance or ploughingand no footpath (until further up).Absolutely nothing.

The second example is Coire Dhorrcailand Li – the John Muir Trust’s first propertyand one that, through the efforts of somany volunteers and fencing contractors,is now a recovering wild place. I visitedon my rest day at Barrisdale. As thefenced-off area receives no visitors, it has no footpaths. The trees have grown

well in the quarter of the exclosure thathas been planted. So has the heather,molinia (grass) and bracken. Together,they make a knee-high and unsupportivelayer of vegetation on which walking isnigh-on impossible.

This area has become so overgrown itdiscourages visitation. Combined withmy unrealistic expectation of learningabout the property by reading a sign or even something in the nearby bothy, I felt out of place and unwelcome. Istruggled uphill and crossed the exclosurefence onto the normal deer-bitten heathabove before retracing my route over the spur to the Coire Dhorrcail path and back to Barrisdale. That was prettyexhausting for a rest day!

The third example of wild areas are theso-called sporting estates. These, like the moorland above Li, had a subduedwildness brought on by heavy grazing orburning, and were intimately decoratedwith the tracks of machines used fortransport. Some, in the Cairngorms,showed signs of being regularly burnt for heather moor management. In manyplaces this had exposed the stones andcharred the crags.

Meanwhile, in the west, the influencewas more subtle, relating to the imperativeto control numbers of our largest landmammal. I found the lack of trees inthese places rather depressing andwished the deer-controllers well.

E X P L O R E – I A LWAY S D OExploring was a major theme of my walk.Even revisiting places I had been beforewas like a new exploration; after all, thetime of year, season, day and the weathermake each visit different. The wildlifeencountered, companions met, evenone’s own state of health and mind make every visit unique.

My greatest elation was on the high tops,with the high points of the route far morethan just physical highs. Reaching thesummits of Mayar, Beinn Eibhinn and

Beinn Alligin were obvious causes forcelebration, but so too were Lancet Edge,Sgurr na Ciche and the Saddle.

I must admit that conservation is theweakest aspect of a long walk like this.On a schedule and a budget, settingaside time to make a management inputto a place on the way is difficult. Thevarious bothies I swept out and rubbish I collected and carried away amount tovery little in the scheme of things. Usingzero-impact techniques meant I avoidedmaking things worse, I suppose.

In my formative years I understoodconservation to mean ‘wise use’, ameaning largely ignored nowadays,especially when people start to talk aboutbalancing conservation and use, which is not the point at all. Conservation is use.So, I hope I used the resource wisely.

S O W H AT ?Is this wild place a physical place or is itinside me? During the walk, I discoveredthings about myself – principally that I can still do this sort of thing despiteadvancing years, that I still enjoy it andthat other people are prepared to helpme, perhaps even listen to me when I get back.

I tested my preconceptions, came toterms with things I didn’t agree with and resolved to continue to opposethings I cannot stand. I kept my mindalert, filled it with new ideas andexperiences, all of which is well-known as good activity for a healthy life, and my physical health has never been better. I think I can claim to havecontributed to my own conservation.

And in sharing anything, such as thestory of an endeavour, one shares one’sself. So, perhaps, yes, the wild place I have been engaged with is myself.That’s the sort of dangerous conclusionone can come to by spending too muchtime alone!

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Further informationFor more on the art of traditional coracle making and wider bushcraft, visitwww.coracle-craftsman.comwww.coracle-bushcraft.co.ukWritten in memory of the late Ronnie Davies,master coracle craftsman of CenarthPhotography1 The author carrying a Teifi coracle in Skye 2 All stocked up and ready to go

INSPIRING28 Exploring the wild by unconventional means

Coppice craftsman Richard Taylor outlines his love ofexploring wild areas and why a hand-crafted coracle is his transport of choice

Wilderness in all its forms has been animportant part of my life, particularly as a place of sanctuary and spiritualrenewal. The coracle, a boat consisting of a waterproof skin on a wooden frame,has on many occasions played a majorrole in my wilderness journeys. At times,these have felt like modern parallels of the pilgrimages of faith made bymissionaries of the early Celtic churchwho set to sea in simple skin coraclesand curraghs to be taken by wind andtide in the name of Christ. For me, withmy more ‘pagan’ beliefs, the coracle has been both a tool of self-discoveryand a means of accessing wild nature on its own terms.

I have always been drawn to the moretraditional methods of crafting my owncoracles where the essence of the materialsis preserved in their most natural andstrongest state. This is why I am a strongadvocate of framing coracles from rivenlaths and woven withies rather than thesawn lath and nail construction typicallyseen in modern coracle making.

Sadly, while sawn lath coracle makinggrows ever more popular, the skilledcrafting of traditional cleft wood fishingcoracles appears to be a dying art. Indeed,I seem to be unique outside of Wales incrafting coracles ‘properly’ and, in Wales,one of two remaining ancestral coraclemakers on the River Teifi, Ronnie Davies,my own teacher and inspiration, sadlypassed away recently.

My earliest wilderness adventures madeuse of primitive hide and hazel coracleswhich I found to be heavier and lessstable than the craft coracles of theWelsh salmon netsmen of the Afon Teifi,so in the 1990s I began to use self-craftedWelsh coracles. Being light and strongdue to the riven flat lath, withy andtarred canvas construction, and stable as a result of the flat-bottomed design, I found the Teifi coracle, along with myown design Witham coracle, to be a farsuperior craft for long river paddles, sea loch exploration and for reachingsmall islands.

Construction of a coracle begins in thedormant winter months when willow forthe floor laths is sustainably harvestedfrom riverside pollards where the coppicepoles are maintained above the height of grazing animals. Knot-free poles someseven-to nine-feet-long are selected andcarefully cut before being riven, or split,along their lengths to create laths whichare then finished to a thickness of justunder a quarter of an inch. Hazel coppiceis also visited over winter to harvest thefinger-thick rods that are peeled andeventually plaited to weave the rim or gunwale of the coracle.

Construction takes place around thepreviously made seat or ‘thwart’ and itsintegral nine-railed bulkhead after thelaths and withies have been soaked for a week or so. Considerable speed andskill are required to weave and turn up the floor laths and plait the gunwalebefore the materials dry and crack. No nails, screws or staples are used in the construction of the coracle, which is instead held together by the naturaltension of the materials.

Coracles were at one time covered or‘skinned’ with animal hides, but the

Welsh netsmen switched to tarred fabricssuch as flannel, canvas and later calicowith good reason as a hide coracle couldweigh as much as 80lb – hence the oldWelsh adage of ‘a man’s load is hiscoracle’. My largest canvas coracle, theWitham, weighs half that and a Teificoracle is lighter still – an importantconsideration if it is to be carried anydistance with wet nets, fish, or even thelimited survival equipment I take intothe wild.

Compared to a canoe or kayak, a coracleis very sluggish on the water as they arenot designed to travel very fast or far andtheir shallow draft leaves them at themercy of the wind. A variety of paddlestrokes are used to propel the craftforwards or even sideways, and single-handed techniques allow the handling offishing rods and nets with the free hand.

Indeed it is the manoeuvrability of thecoracle along with its easier storage,transportation and portage over roughground which I believe gives it the edgeover more conventional man-poweredboats. The natural ‘give’ in the materialsand shallow draft allows it to scrape overobstacles that would damage a canoe,therefore enabling a coracle to explorethe most inaccessible areas.

Seals, otters, porpoises, eagles and evena minke whale have been companionson my wilder solo paddles which arealways the most profound. I was gratefulthat the whale wasn’t too close, althoughit was near enough to unnerve me insuch a small boat.

Nothing comes close to fishing from a coracle either – after all, that is what they are designed for. Shellfish and evenmushrooms have also been collectedusing coracles on extended wildernessquests. It is perhaps paddling alone tothe call of curlews beneath sunset skiesthat, more than anything, has possiblybrought me closer to the Pure Truth thatdwells in the heart of nature.

Hand-crafted journeys

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CLASSIC TEXTS30 An account of an epic venture acrossthe hills of Britain and Ireland

Hamish’s Groats EndWalk: One Man & His Dog on a HillRoute Through Britain & Ireland,Hamish BrownRory Syme revels in a recentlyrevised account of one ofHamish Brown’s typicallyambitious long-distanceventures – one that is full ofthe author’s trademark wit,warmth and observationalflourishes

Hamish Brown comes across as aninspiring travelling companion. He isknowledgeable about the landscape he is walking through, good-humouredand keenly conscious of the need forconservation. He also has a stubbornrefusal to do things the easy way.

Groats End Walk is an account of one of the author’s typically epic ventures,describing a trek from John O’Groats to Land’s End, via the highest points ofEngland, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.The journey, which spanned 175 daysbetween March and October 1979, islargely completed solo with just Storm,the author’s Shetland collie, forcompany.

In the wrong hands, an account of such a trip could easily have become just another walking diary, but happilyrelatively mundane concerns aboutdistances covered, the weather and the heights of mountains are dealt with quickly and without fuss, leavingmore room for the author’s personalreflections and experiences. The diarystyle so familiar from his earlier Hamish’sMountain Walk, does lend itself to casual

reading though, with the reader invitedas much to dip in and out as read longpassages in one sitting.

True to the winding train of thought that so often accompanies a long solowalk, Brown’s entertaining account ispeppered with an eclectic mix of ideasfrom sometimes unlikely sources:Norman Collie, John Muir, championmotorcyclist Barry Sheene and AgathaChristie are quoted alongside LewisCarroll, but taken together it somehowall makes sense.

And what at first glimpse might seem tobe a distracted meander turns out to be a meticulously planned trip. Excess kit is sent ahead to be re-used further alongthe route and sacks of letters are handedover at strategic points to be answeredduring breaks from walking.

Along the way, the outside worldintrudes fleetingly through newspapersand hotel televisions. Early in the journey,Brown passes a polling station in Thurso;two days later, we hear that MargaretThatcher has been elected PrimeMinister. Elsewhere, we learn of thedeath of John Wayne, a disastrousFastnet race and, most affecting, theassassination of Louis Mountbatten, but all of these affairs appear as events in a far-away land.

Here, social history is as important asnatural history. The legends of ancientssuch as the Irish giant Finn McCool sit alongside the consequences of theHighland Clearances; we learn as muchabout the people who have occupied and coloured the hills as the glaciers and rivers that carved them out.

Rather than romanticising about hisadventure, Brown is at pains to point outthe hard slog involved, as one excerptfrom his log-book – written during a heatwave in Ireland – makes clear: “Battle on,collapse and brew, read, snooze, catchup on this for yesterday. Shoulders ache.Feet ache. Sun no fun. Soul and solesbeing punished. A landscape ofinescapable sameness.”

Written in an age before mobile phonesand the internet, much has changed inthe 30 years since Brown undertook thisjourney, but sometimes what is moststriking is not so much what has changed,but what has remained the same. Theauthor outlines concerns about recordconsumption of oil and the “aberration”of urban life, as well as the need forconservation of both wildness and rural communities.

But such observations never dominate;the noise of screaming fighter jets, litterand the erosion caused by mass

mountaineering are all discussed, but sotoo is an inconvenient boil on Hamish’sbackside, and an infestation of fleaspestering Storm’s. This refusal to takethings too seriously, and to find lightmoments among deeper thoughts, is anendearing quality. A brief and unexpectedencounter with a “Rubenesque” group offemale ramblers is a particular highlight.

Above all, Groats End Walk is a timelyreminder of the simplicity and personalreflection that can be enjoyed on a longwalk. And it’s pleasing that this particularwalk, which takes in both well troddenand seldom travelled routes alike, ismeasured in days, not miles.

B o o k d e t a i l sA fully revised edition of Hamish’s GroatsEnd Walk was recently published bySandstone Press. www.sandstonepress.com

The reviewerRory Syme is Press Officer for the John MuirTrust, based at the Pitlochry office. He can becontacted at rory@jmt.orgPhotography1 Storm in full gallop at Sandwood Bay with

the pinnacle of Am Buachaille behind2 Hamish and Storm on top of Carrauntoohil,

Ireland – the country summits linked

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BOOKS 31From aerial photography to inspiringstories of visionary people – and places

Th e Heb r i d e s , A n a e r i a l v i e w o f a c u l t u ra l l a n d s c a p e by A n g u s & Pa t r i c i a Ma c d o n a l dReviewed by Denis Mollison

The complex history of the Hebrides iswritten and re-written across its landscape.It is beautifully matched by this literaloverview, to which the Macdonalds bringscientific minds, encyclopedic knowledgeand artists’ eyes.

The Hebrides are for the most partrugged, poor for agriculture but rich inwildlife. The latter helped attract some of Scotland’s earliest inhabitants, 9,000or more years ago. Indeed for most oftheir history the islands’ geographicalposition held distinct advantages: the sea was a highway rather than a barrier.

Their decline began with the powervacuum created by James IV when heabolished the Lordship of the Isles in1494: the crown was too strong to allow a rival power in the Hebrides, but notstrong enough to bring law and order.When that was resolved, new problemsarose, particularly a succession of clanchiefs and incomer landowners whoshared an ambition to extract more than was sustainable from the land and its people.

This complex story is teased out in all its twists and turns through to thepresent, where the authors see muchhope in today’s community activism, and in the positive engagement with that movement of conservation bodiessuch as the John Muir Trust.

While the economic history of the isleshas often been poor, the intellectual and cultural life has been rich, as isbrought out in many excerpts of poetryand description throughout the book.And, above all, the photographs bothillustrate the history with pinpoint detailand celebrate its richly varied beauty.

Birlinn, 2010, £30.00

ISBN: 978 1 84158 315 0

Th e C a r r i f ra n Wi l d w o o d S t o r y by My r t l e a n d Ph i l i p A s h m o l e a n dm e m b e r s o f t h e Wi l d w o o d G ro u pReviewed by Nigel Hawkins

In July 1997, I received a call from AndrewRaven, then director of land managementat the John Muir Trust, enthusing aboutthe plans of a group who wanted to re-create a wildwood in the southern uplandsof Scotland. I had been aware for sometime that the group had been boggeddown in the purchase of the land theywanted – the Carrifran Valley – whichthey deemed perfect for realising theirvision for ecological restoration.

Andrew had just visited the valley andwas convinced that the moment wasright for the John Muir Trust to getinvolved. Thanks to Andrew, two dayslater Philip and Myrtle Ashmole, leadersof the Wildwood Group, came to Perthfor a meeting during which they bowledme over with their enthusiasm, energyand clarity of purpose.

But they needed help with fund-raisingand an assurance for funders that theWildland Group and the newly-bornBorders Forest Trust (BFT), which stoodbehind them, had the backing of anorganisation with a track record. And thatis where the John Muir Trust came in.

I had these thoughts in mind when visitingCarrifran 12 years later for the launch ofThe Carrifran Wildwood Story. To walkup the valley and see the wonderfullandscape of trees where only a few yearsago there was desolation, was one of themost inspirational moments I have hadwith the John Muir Trust. What is doublyinspirational is the huge voluntary effortthat has gone into all aspects of the projectand which is so faithfully recorded in thisbook. It is a wonderful read for anyonewith an interest in wild Scotland.

Available from the Carrifran WildwoodGroup, £15.00 plus p&p atwww.carrifran.org.uk or via the BordersForest Trust, www.bordersforesttrust.org

For more on the project, see page 14

D i b i d i l – a Heb r i d e a n Ad v e ntu re by I r v i n e B u tt e r f i e l dReviewed by John Allen

The recent re-publication of IrvineButterfield’s limited first edition from1972 is not for the profit of the publishersbut for the love of the game involved. It isalso to help the objective of the MountainBothies Association (MBA) “to maintainsimple shelters in remote country for theuse and benefit of all who love wild andlonely places”.

David Robertson and Roderick Mansoncombined selflessly with John Mitchell to recreate this edition in modern form,with additional text and colour photos. Itis a fitting tribute to a man whose energyand drive propelled him from Yorkshireto the Munros in Scotland, and a passionto enable others to enjoy similarpersonal explorations.

Enthusiasm sells, is infectious and likelyto galvanise the common man into belief– even to rise from a backside riveted in Yorkshire by puddings and ‘krikit’ torenovate a tumbledown ruin on a remoteisland called Rum, and to get others to gothere voluntarily and undertake much ofthe work. Irvine’s belief in the end productruns through the book like an expresstrain and, of course, he brings home theAshes: Dibidil is rebuilt and a cornerstoneof the MBA assured.

This tale is about young people doinggood, with most of them completestrangers before coming together on theboat from Mallaig. These bothy builderswill now be grey-haired or in a higherplace – the great bothy in the sky. Maytheir heirs read all about them here, andthen get up and go for it themselves.

Available for £8.00 from Roderick Manson,33 Cedar Avenue, Blairgowrie, PerthshirePH10 6TT with the wholehearted supportof Irvine’s sister, Irene.

PROPERTIES32 A glimpse at working life on Trust land

JOHN MUIR TRUST JOURNALSPRING 2011

Ben Nevis Estate, LochaberSarah Lewis looks back on a fruitful year ofbanana skins, bridge repairs and soggy workparties at the John Muir Trust’s most heavily-visited property

There’s never really a quiet time in Nevis. Each magical seasonsees to that – not least winter. When the temperature drops lowand long enough for ice to form in the Northern Corries of theBen, and for snow to fill the gullies and blanket the high tops,the glen is transformed into a winter playground.

Climbers come from all around to test themselves on the many world-class routes, while others sample the delights ofthe area during the annual Fort William Mountain Festival inFebruary. For the past four years, the Trust-run adult’s writingand children’s poetry competition have been an integral part ofthe event, with the collection of writing on wild places a fittingreminder of why we look after special places such as Nevis.

Then, as winter gives way to spring, Nevis fever really begins.The warmer months see the whole gamut of sightseers, naturelovers and peak baggers descend on Nevis from all over the globe;a recent survey suggested that of the 140,000 hill walkers whoattempt to climb Ben Nevis each year, more than 50% come to Fort William primarily to set foot on this iconic hill.

That’s good news for the local economy, but not always so great for the Ben itself. Large quantities of rubbish – bananaskins and plastic bottles being the worst offenders – are collectedeach year, while footpath repair work helps contain furtherdegradation. Funds for the path work are overseen by the NevisPartnership, which shares in delivering conservation objectivesand presents interpretation projects in the glen.

And it’s not just the track up the Ben that can suffer. Let’s notforget the temporary closure of the Steall Bridge in upper GlenNevis when one of its steel cables succumbed to the combinedweight of several overseas visitors. It was an incident that lentitself to the start of a poor joke: ‘How many Dutch police traineescan the Steall Bridge take at one time ..?’ Not that many as itturned out.

Built in the 1970s by the local mountaineering club, the bridgeserves as an important link over the Water of Nevis to and fromthe Mamores. The jointly-owned bridge was duly repaired, butnot before undertaking the arduous job of carrying in thereplacement steel core galvanised rope.

The carriage of anything in or out of the Steall and upper glen isalways an adventure, so working on improvements to the footpathon the meadow flats means shimmying wheel barrows andmattocks around boulders and braving energetic burns.

Our July work parties offer the hope of spotting the elusiveMountain ringlet butterfly (they only fly in July, sunshinepreferred) and the presence of a prospering population of water vole. Sightings of either are never guaranteed, althoughtorrential rain usually is. This past year was no exception,although the downpours did not prevent our industriousvolunteers from greatly improving an area of badly eroded path just below Coire Guibhsachan.

There is a reliance on ‘joined-up’ efforts within the glen, withvolunteers, community groups and local authorities comingtogether in the name of partnership. In the same spirit, Neviswill soon benefit from the placement of wildlife cameras giftedby CARE International, one of the Three Peaks Challengecharity groups that are taking a pro-active approach to thesustainable management of Nevis.

We hope to gain new insight into a range of species – additionallearning that I suspect will lend itself to some colourful localschool project involvement. It’s just another example of howNevis touches visitors and local people alike.

About the authorSarah Lewis is Nevis Conservation Officer for the John Muir Trust. She can be contacted atsarah.lewis@jmt.orgFor more on this property, visitwww.jmt.org/ben-nevis-estate.aspPhotography1 Members day at Nevis (the banana skin

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PROPERTIESPine in Nevis gorge with the slopes of Ben Nevis behind

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