Organising a community peatland plug day is one of the most rewarding ways to combine time in the hills with practical conservation. Having led and taken part in several of these events, I know they’re equal parts logistics, weatherproof kit and plain people-power. Done well, a plug day restores bog function, slows runoff, and gives volunteers the satisfying, visible result of filling a peat...
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I shoot kittiwakes from cliff paths more often than I probably should admit, partly because those colonies are such...
Sunset crossings of tidal causeways have a particular, almost cinematic pull: a narrowing ribbon of rock and sand, the...
Wet heather and peat present a particular kind of winter slog: spongy, moisture-rich ground that grips the sole and...
Wet heather and peat present a particular kind of winter slog: spongy, moisture-rich ground that grips the sole and soaks through anything that fails to seal properly. Over the last few seasons I’ve walked hundreds of miles across blanket bogs, coastal heaths and wet moorland testing mid-cut...
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Why a waterproof pack system matters for peatland day hikesPeatlands are beautiful, fragile and, frankly, very wet. I've spent countless days crossing blanket bogs and coastal peat margins where water finds every seam and seam finds every weakness. On a short day hike with a public transport...
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There are few things I find as quietly thrilling as watching gannets wheel and plunge against a late-summer sky, their plunges throwing up silver bursts that catch the last light. Dusk is a particular favourite: the day’s heat eases, human visitors thin out, and the colony settles into a rhythm...
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I spend a lot of time at the edges of fields and lanes watching owls. Barn owls are among the most rewarding birds to photograph from a roadside hide because their hunting flights are deliberate, low and often close to the verge. But they’re also sensitive to disturbance and particularly...
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On a damp morning on the uplands, I found myself crouched beside a small eroded channel where water had cut a neat V into a peat hag. It wasn't dramatic — just the kind of slow, persistent erosion that, left alone, can widen and deepen until a whole patch of blanket bog starts to unravel. That...
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I’ve spent enough days slogging across Scottish blanket bog, lowland peat haggs and wet coastal fringes to know that choosing the right lightweight waterproof can make or break a day on the borderlands. You don’t want to carry a heavy coat that you never wear, but you also don’t want a...
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On an autumn morning I often find myself drawn to a strip of coast where the sea and sky meet in a muted grey and the only regular sound is the wind in the cliffs. Sea-watching in autumn has a particular mood: passage migrants skimming the waves, a scattering of terns and auks, and the long,...
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Why slack-packing a border route works for wild campingSlack-packing — carrying a light daypack while your main kit is moved between overnight stops — is a sweet-spot approach for multi-day routes that cross rail links and settlements. On border routes you often swap between wild edges and...
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Photographing nocturnal otter activity is one of those rewards that asks for patience, restraint and a small toolkit of techniques. Over the years I’ve learned that getting a usable image is only half the job — the other half is ensuring the animals I’m watching can continue their lives...
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Dusk is the hour when red deer feel most themselves. The hills soften, the air cools and stags step into the light to roar, spar and test one another. For me, photographing the rut is as much about restraint as it is about composition — the best images come from being unobtrusive and patient....
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