A Daylight Approach to Maol Bhuidhe

Some places get inside you, and the remote Maol Bhuidhe bothy is one of those places. My first visit was in the winter of 2008-09 by the most obvious route, a long icy cycle up Glen Elchaig followed by a climb over the Aonach Bhuidhe – Foagaich bealach. We returned a further three times, using a […]
Prehistoric bothy trips
Kiloran Bay, Colonsay. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of large scale hazlenut processing by mesolithic hunter-gatherers I’ve always been more interested in prehistory than in history. Up until quite recently there has been very little reading matter on the topic, however recent advances in science are allowing us to build up a far more complete picture […]
Living the dream in Alaska
Over the last few years Bruce Parry has become one of my favourite television presenters. I was introduced to his work through the documentary series ‘Tribe’ in which he spent time living with a variety of indigenous peoples around the world. The aspect of ‘Tribe’ which I found most interesting was his participation in rituals, […]
Jonathan Meades: Off Kilter in the Outer Hebrides
Jonathan Meades has been a favourite commentator of mine for some years. Despite his predilection for the tackling of esoteric and often unfamiliar subject matter, a combination of insightful criticism and beautiful cinematography make his television programmes a joy to watch. It was a delight to see the great man bring his rose-tinted spectacles and […]
Alone in the Wild
Take one man, issue him with a camera, drop him in the midst of grizzly country and leave him there, fretting about the risk of bear attack, for three months. This is the wonderfully simple formula for the Channel 4 series ‘Alone in the Wild’, the first episode of which was broadcast on Thursday night. California’s High […]
Capitalism and the Zeitgeist
Michael Moore’s documentary ‘Capitalism: A Love Affair’ kept me up later than intended at the weekend (ironically it was an excessive quantity of adverts, rather than the length of the film, that padded it out until one in the morning). If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend seeking it out so that you can […]
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