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What’s in issue 08?

A roundup of Scotland’s most impressive gardens.

The article serves as a guide to ten standout gardens across Scotland, blending native and exotic flora. It highlights the cultivation effort behind these tranquil refuges, emphasising their role in offering unique scents, colours, and tranquillity amidst the rich sensory experience of the Scottish outdoors.

At One with the Mountains - An interview with Nick Gardner

Nick Gardner and his wife Janet were living an idyllic life on a croft in northwest Scotland when Janet received a devastating diagnosis. When she was moved into a care home, Nick felt powerless. Having climbed mountains his whole life, his instincts took him to the hills, and he set himself a challenge: to climb all 282 of Scotland’s Munros (mountains higher than 3,000 feet). He was 80 at the time. His goal was to raise £10,000 for Alzheimer Scotland and the Royal Osteoporosis Society. Two years after he set out, not only had he completed his challenge a year sooner than expected, but he had smashed his fundraising target. Now, a documentary has been made about his achievements, he is writing a book, and he has said, “I don’t think my life, whatever is left of it, will ever be the same again”.

In a nutshell, how would you describe yourself?

Before the challenge, I would have described myself as quiet and introverted. Janet and I were a devoted couple who loved being together and our life on the croft was idyllic. However, after beginning the Munros challenge, I found myself enjoying the publicity, and particularly the fundraising aspect of it. Perhaps I’m not as introverted as I thought.

In 2020, you set out to climb all 282 Munros in Scotland, completing the final one, Cairn Gorm, in August 2022. What drove you to pursue this challenge?

The driving force was my love for Janet. It was bad enough realising that something was wrong and then getting the diagnosis, but when I couldn’t look after her any more, that was devastating. I knew that I was heading for mental health problems and I realised I needed something to focus on. Since I had been a climber all my life, I turned to the mountains for help. I had seen a story in the magazine “Alzheimer Scotland” about a young woman who climbed 20 Munros in memory of her grandfather and raised a substantial sum of money. I thought, “I wonder if I could do that”. On further thought, I went for the lot. I hadn’t heard of anyone over 80 starting to climb them though, so I thought it would take me three years. It turned out that two was enough.

You were 80 when you started the challenge. What did your training look like?

I didn’t need to do any extra training as I was already fit. Our lifestyle was such that we spent most of our time gardening. I would go climbing about twice a month and this was sufficient to maintain a reasonable level of fitness. In fact, I found that I was more tired after a day’s gardening than a similar length of time in the hills!

“As I grow older, I just want to be in the mountains. In the mountains, I am at peace with the world. ”

Have you always enjoyed climbing and mountaineering? What is it about these outdoor pursuits that appeals to you?

I have always been fascinated by mountains. Even as a small boy I remember looking at pictures of mountains and asking if people could climb them. “Mountaineers can” was the answer I was always given. I asked my parents to take me to a mountain. They took me to Bradgate Park in Leicestershire – can you imagine my disappointment? I was expecting the Matterhorn. But the real beginning was when I went on an Outward Bound Mountain Course when I was 17 and then joined the University Mountaineering Club the following year. I fell in love with mountains. The feeling of wellbeing they give you is amazing – even in bad weather. I also found that I liked rock climbing and I used to spend time on crags, experiencing the enjoyment of moving on rocks. When winter came, I went ice climbing. As I grow older, I just want to be in the mountains. In the mountains, I am at peace with the world. To me they have very powerful therapeutic qualities.

You are based on the northwest coast. Logistically, you must have had to travel some distance to many of the summits. Did the trips involve wild camping, or how did you manage this? 

Climbing the Munros in the southern ranges was very difficult because of the large distances – for example, Fort William is three hours away and the Perthshire hills are almost five hours’ drive. But last winter I had a wonderful piece of good fortune: a couple from Taynuilt, who owned some self-catering cottages, offered me the use of one of their cottages anytime during the low season as a base for climbing the Munros that are a long way from my home. I also bought a campervan, to allow me to be more flexible, but I regularly slept in the back of my car if it was more convenient. In the summer I did some bivvying or wild camping to access the remote hills.

Were any of the Munros more challenging than others? Are the biggest ones always the most difficult?

The degree of difficulty varies considerably. There are some areas where the Munros are so close together that many can be climbed in a day – on two occasions I managed to climb seven in a day. Also, there are some with a road that takes you to 2,000 feet, which makes climbing them easier even than climbing a Corbett or a Graham. In fact, there are lots of hills, particularly in the northwest, that are far more difficult to climb than many Munros – some are only accessible via long estate tracks, others require scrambling and even rock climbing. However, lots of the Munros are very demanding, in particular those on the Cuillin Ridge on Skye – these are my favourites. They form a magnificent ridge that I find exhilarating to traverse. I also love An Teallach in Wester Ross.

How did you feel after achieving all 282 summits? Is it possible to put the emotion into words?

Words cannot describe the emotion of walking through the “guard of honour” on that final day. It was surreal. I felt sorry that my beloved wife couldn’t be there, but if she could have been, there would have been no Munros Challenge.

You were awarded the title “Fundraiser of the Year 2022” in the Endurance category of the JustGiving Awards and in October 2021, you were invited to have afternoon tea with the then Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House in recognition of your fundraising – both because you smashed your JustGiving target of £10,000, going on to raise over £82,000 for Alzheimer Scotland and the Royal Osteoporosis Society. Could you tell us more about your connection to these causes?

Janet had been suffering from osteoporosis for 20 years, with periods when she was in a lot of pain. Then in 2016 I began to notice behavioural changes and she was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia. It wasn’t such a shock as I knew there was something seriously wrong. When I had decided on my challenge, I contacted both charities. But I always hasten to add that the initial spark for the challenge was me. I knew that I had to do something – though the charity connection came very quickly afterwards. The support and encouragement I have had from people has been unbelievable and I cannot thank my friends, old and new, enough. The figure raised has exceeded my wildest dreams and if my knees behave I hope to raise more.

Do you have any advice for people wanting to attempt all 282 Munros? What are the essentials for your rucksack?

For inexperienced people who want to climb the Munros, they must be aware that they are dealing with mountains. They are very beautiful, but they are also very dangerous, and every year people are killed on our mountains. I recommend joining a club, buying appropriate gear and attending skill-building courses. If you plan on going alone, a map and a compass – and knowing how to use them – are essential. I’d also recommend packing survival gear, a first aid kit, a torch and spare batteries, as well as water and food. You must always make provisions for an emergency and possibly an overnight bivvy. Mobile phones make things easier, but they must not replace the map and compass because there is no guarantee that there will be a signal.

This article was taken from Issue 06 of the Hidden Scotland Magazine, to read the full article this can be purchased here. Follow Nicks Journey here.

The Selkie of Sule Skerry

A long time ago, a young Orcadian woman found herself spending the night with a dark, mysterious stranger. When a baby boy arrived nine months later with no father in sight, the poor girl was distraught.

She had no idea how to provide for an extra mouth, but she loved her son and was determined to find a way. One day, while scraping together a meal by the shore, a large seal bull approached. To her surprise, it spoke, explaining that he was the one she had spent the night with. He was a shapeshifting Selkie who lived amongst the rocks of Sule Skerry.

He would make sure the child was provided for, dropping a pouch of gold at her feet, but there was a catch. When the boy reached the age of seven, he would begin to feel the call of the sea and that was time for him to don a sealskin, joining his father as a Selkie.

The mother raised her son, joyful for every day they had together but aware that each was a step closer to losing him. Not long after his seventh birthday, down by the shore, the Selkie father appeared once more. The time had come.

He put a gold chain around the boy's neck so that the mother would always recognise him, then turned with a prophecy for the mother. She would be happy again but sadly his own days were numbered. With that mysterious comment, the father and son disappeared into the sea.

Years went by and the woman married a loving man although she kept her story about the Selkies a guarded secret. Every so often, she spotted a glint of gold amongst the seals and smiled at the thought of her son.

Then one day, her husband came home from a hunting trip, boasting that he had managed to kill two seals with beautiful skins. Not only that, but one of them even had an expensive gold chain around its neck!

To the man's surprise, his wife burst into tears. She finally understood the Selkie's parting words and knew that her son was lost.

Words by Graeme Johncock

Around Scotland with Graeme Johncock

Graeme Johncock, the travel blogger and storyteller behind Scotland's Stories, is now bringing his adventures to us in a weekly column. He will journal about his explorations around Scotland, sharing fascinating stories and highlighting unique places to visit. Accompanied by his dog Molly, Graeme continues to uncover and share the rich history and beauty of Scotland.

After bouncing all over Scotland for the last few weeks, it was nice to finally have a breather. That didn’t mean I had my feet up the whole time, just that I was sticking closer to home. Molly the labrador and I had the privilege of taking a friend on a tour around the Kingdom of Fife!

Even as a born and bred Fifer, I can’t explain exactly why it’s called the Kingdom. Some believe it’s down to the region’s former status as a Pictish Kingdom, although there were at least six others. Others think the title is due to the region’s close connection with royalty and its palaces, abbeys and cathedrals.

Our first stop was one of those palaces, in the wee village of Falkland. It’s gained popularity in recent years after being used as a stand-in for 1940s Inverness in the filming of Outlander. However, the true history of Falkland is far more interesting than fiction.

Before the palace that stands here was a popular retreat for Kings and Queens, it was home to the Duke of Albany. This was where he held Prince David captive in the dungeon, starving his own nephew to death in an attempt to take the throne. A brutal story for such a pretty place!

From Falkland, it was on to St Andrews, one of Scotland’s great pilgrimage sites. Once, people from across Europe made their way to this corner of

Fife to see the relics of St Andrew. Today, thousands still make the journey to play a round of golf on the Old Course or study at Scotland’s oldest university.

Following the coast round from St Andrews takes us to the East Neuk, a beautiful stretch of coastline dotted with fishing villages. Crail, Anstruther and Pittenweem all have their charms, but we were heading for St Monans. The 650-year-old church there is one of my favourites in Scotland!

The last stop on our tour was another old harbour, but this one is particularly special to me. Dysart near Kirkcaldy also gained attention thanks to Outlander, but I’ve been coming here for years because my dad is commodore of the local sailing club!

Once a large quarry, later flooded and turned into a harbour, Dysart looks a little odd, but it’s full of rustic charm. I’d highly recommend anybody who visits Fife takes a wee wander down there to see it for themselves. It’s just one of the many reasons that the Kingdom lives up to its grandiose name!

Written by Graeme Johncock

Black Water Falls - Taken by Simon Hird

Did you know we published our first book this year?

Our first ever guidebook is still available from our online shop here, and also some shops including, Toppings and co, Waterstones, WHSmith, Lifestory, Tartan Blanket Co, The Blue Magpie, Typewronger Books, Meander, Royal Botanic Gardens, Beech & Birch and from our shop at Milton of Crathes in Banchory.

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