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Category Archives: Wild Places
Neuschwanstein – In the Fantasy World of the “Fairytale King”
With 1.3 million visitors annually, King Ludwig II’s fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein certainly isn’t “off the beaten track” by any stretch of the imagination. The iconic Castle is one of the Europe’s best known tourist haunts and has provided and inspired the backdrop for many a … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, In Europe, Mountain Treks, Uncategorized, Wild Places
Tagged Allgäu, Alpsee, bavaria, Burg Falkenstein, Füssen, Hohenschwangau, Loengrin, Ludwig II, mass tourism, Nesselwang, Neuschwanstein, Oberbayern, Pfronten, Starnberger See, Tannheimertal, Tristan and Isolde, Wagner, Walt Disney
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In the Footsteps of Rob Roy
October is often a great month to visit Scotland and autumn 2015 was no exception, with fine settled conditions prevailing; effervescent morning mists dissolving away to leave clear skies and dramatic low angle sunlight. It was great to be back … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, In Scotland, Mountain Treks, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places
Tagged Aberfoyle, Balquidder, Callander, Clan MacClaren, Creag an Tuirc, Kirkton Glen, Leny Estate, Loch Doine, Loch Katrine, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs National Park, Loch Voil, native oakwoods, Rob Roy, Rob Roy's Cave, Robert the Bruce, Stirling, West Highland Way, Wild goats
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Season of Mists
Autumn is my favourite time of year to be out and about exploring the woods, fields, moors and meadows of the surrounding countryside. As well as the vibrant red, gold and orange hues of wild cherry, maples, birches and beech, there are … Continue reading
Posted in Aachen & Euregio, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces, Urbanism, Wild Places
Tagged autumn, autumn colours, biodiversity, birch, conkers, cultural landscapes, fly-agaric, foraging, Hohes Venn, mushrooms, norway maple, steuobstwiesen, street trees, sweet chestnuts, Urban Greenspace, urban trees, wild cherry, wild harvests
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Alps at the Crossroads: Green Utopia or Developers Paradise ?
It all looked great; a traditional apartment in the alpine village of Oberjoch, located at 1200m in the Eastern Allgaü region of Bavaria and close to the beautiful Tannheimer Valley in neighbouring Tyrol. With Germanic diligence I scanned the latest version of Google satellite maps for any items … Continue reading
Posted in In Europe, Mountain Treks, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places
Tagged Allgäu, architecture, Bad Hinderlang, bavaria, Bavarian Alps, climate change, farm tourism, forest education, Green Tourism, Hintersteinertal, local distinctiveness, Oberjoch, Schattwald, ski developments, Slow tourism, Sustainability, Sustainable tourism, Tannheim, Tannheimertal, timber constructure, Vilsaplsee, wellness resorts
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Range of Light
A week in Scotland at the end of August gave me the chance to revisit some old haunts around Stirling and the Trossachs. I am reminded that the light in Scotland is not quite like anywhere where else; a seemingly … Continue reading
New Life in Scotland’s Ancient Forests
On the banks of the River Tay by Dunkeld in Perthshire stands the ancient “Birnam Oak”, reputedly the sole surviving tree of the famed Birnam Wood of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In Shakespeare’s “Scottish” play, Malcolm’s soldiers camouflaged themselves with branches from Birnam Wood before capturing Macbeth’s stronghold … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, In Scotland, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places
Tagged ancient woodland, birch, Birnam Oak, Cairngorms, Caledonian Pine Woods, charcoal making, community woodlands, coppicing, Forest of Spey, forest schools, Glen Finglas, Glenmore Forest, Highland Birchwoods, highland clearances, Highlands, history, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs National Park, Loch Tay Woods, Macbeth, native woodlands, oak, Pass of Ryvoan, Perthshire, Scots pine, spirit of place, tanning industry, Trossachs, wood pasture, wood turning, Woodland Trust
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Secrets of the Wild Wood
Like a scene from a distant lost world, the damp woods of the Inde valley between Hahn and Walheim hang with a mass of tangled ivy. Dead branches, rotten tree stumps and slippery, moss-covered rocks litter the ground, making for treacherous conditions underfoot. Ominous, … Continue reading
Posted in Aachen & Euregio, History & Culture, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places
Tagged Aachen, ancient woodland, Blaustein, Bluestone, brophytes, Camperdown Elm, Devonian limestone, Eifel, Eifelsteig, Hahn, Inde, Konelimunster, Lime kilns, mosel, nature, nature conservation, outdoors, Raeren, saproxylic species, spirit of place, venwegen, Walheim, woodlands
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Meeting a Himalayan Legend: the Man who Conquered Everest
Mountain tourism in Nepal has been very much in the spotlight recently following the tragic deaths of 16 Sherpa guides on Everest last April. In October last year, unseasonal snow storms in the Annapurna region accounted for a further 43 deaths, including many … Continue reading
Posted in History & Culture, Mountain Treks, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places, World
Tagged Adventure Tourism, Bon Po, Chomolunga, Climbing, Community Forestry, Community Forestry Program, Everest, Everest Base Camp, Gokyo Ri, Himalayan Trust, Himalayas, Kathmandu, Lukla, Mani Rindu, Namche Baazar, Nepal, Nepal Earthquake, Phaplu, Reforestation, Sagamartha National Park, Salleri, Sherpas, Sir Edmond Hillary, Solu Khumbu, Sustainable tourism, Tengpoche, Tibetan Buddism, Tree Nurseries, trekking, VSO
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“Away With the Fairies” – The Legend of Doon Hill and Robert Kirk
As a child I spent many, happy summer Sundays sailing on my Dad’s boat at Loch Ard; a scenic forest-fringed loch, located in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park within the Trossachs region of Scotland. In 2002, this area became part of Scotland’s first National Park, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs, … Continue reading
Posted in Family, History & Culture, In Scotland, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places
Tagged Aberfoyle, Atlantic oak woods, Bonnie Banks, clootie wells, clooties, Doon Hill, Elves, Fairies, Fauns and Fairies, heritage trees, In Scotland, legends, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs National Park, magic and mystery, nature, outdoors, Rev Robert Kirk, sacred groves, spirit of place, The Little People, Trossachs, Trossachs Trail, woodlands
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Off the Beaten Track 