Autumn in Scotland’s Highlands and Islands brings the haunting sound of the rutting red deer echoing across the hillsides. The first hint of snow is on the mountains, mist is settling in the glens and perhaps there’s a golden eagle on the horizon. We need places like this.
Continue reading “Autumn in Scotland”
Are there any wild places left in our over-populated islands? Robert Macfarlane’s book ‘Wild Places’ shows that there are indeed. In fact they’re everywhere. Continue reading “Wild Places”
Iona
A ferry boat full of excited visitors is making the short journey across the water to a small rugged island off Mull in Western Highlands of Scotland. With the gulls calling overhead and the salty wind blowing in their faces, there is a sense of expectation in the passengers. The smell, sounds, and sights in this remote place are refreshingly far removed from the hectic, noisy hype and creature comforts of our modern city lives. With some relief after a long journey, by land and sea, the visitors step ashore on this tiny, but very special place, conscious that they are stepping back in time as thousands of visitors and pilgrims have done before them. This is a ‘thin place’ – where heaven and earth seem to meet. It has been a place dear to many Christians—we feel a sense of connection with our early Christian forefathers here. This island is, of course, Iona. Continue reading “The Wonder and the Mystery”
