#hillwalking

Rocks, Ben Chonzie, 2025

📸 E.J. Lord

Other photos in this series

Ullswater seen from Glenridding Dodd, & Glenridding Dodd, Glenridding & the Far Eastern Fells beyond seen from Sheffield Pike.

The first Scottish hillwalking fanzine. Included a comic as a regular feature. You can read it all here.

Scenes from the trail - new episode

I haven't been here much recently because reasons. Yesterday was an opportunity for me & the Bean to stretch our legs and clear our heads.

I was recently appointed to the board of directors of the local Forest Trust, which is on the threshold of a huge, once in a generation opportunity. Over 1100 acres (450ha) of land neighbouring the forest is on the market, and the owners are willing to consider a community purchase. We're forming a joint venture with another local organisation and hope to raise the funds to buy it.

That's no small endeavour - we'll need to raise more than £1 million - and at any stage, an external buyer could step in and beat us to it.

Anyway, as it's for the community, what better way to put a plan together than to ask the community for their views, ideas, and aspirations? So we're holding drop-in sessions here and in the neighbouring village. I thought it might be useful to have some images of a wilderness that many folks may never have seen.

Although this used to be the drover's route from Fort William to Inverness, there's little evidence of it today. Apart from the prolific heather, much of the ground is peat bog, giving us a clue that this was once a very different wooded landscape. It's ripe for rewilding, and the presence of well-established willow and juniper suggests that either the deer are few enough to be manageable (unlikely) or they stay out of sight in the forested areas. We'll also have to be aware of the wild boar that are regular inhabitants of Glenurquhart because this land adjoins the Glen, and its inevitable that they'll continue their eastward migration.

Peatland restoration holds massive potential for carbon capture and the opportunities for healthy pursuits are endless. Meall na h-Eilrig at 465 metres (1526 feet) sits above Loch Glanaig and provides spectacular 360° views. It's a grind getting there, but restoring and extending the old peat cutting tracks would make it much more accessible for both foot and cycle traffic.

I don’t normally share my oh-so-philosophical thoughts but I had a really good walk today and I really love this photo so here we are.

I am normally quite a domestic creature. I like my video games and reading and long evenings cross -stitching and writing. I have also lived in Scotland for the past seven years but been forcing myself to leave the house and explore only since last year.

Let me tell you guys, there there is nothing that works as good for creativity as a walk in beautiful setting does. Whether it’s plotting out a fanfic or edits to the flaming pile of poo book attempt (finally done with that first draft!), like creative juices be flowing in the wild.