Douglas MacQueen's blog

Michael Yellowlees from from Birnam in Perthshire, Scotland, along with his Alaskan husky Luna, have trekked the width of Canada from the Pacific to the Atlantic to raise money to rewild the Scottish Highlands. They started their 5,000-mile journey in March and have so far raised over £40,000 for Moray-based rewilding charity Trees for Life. The money will go towards planting trees and restoring the natural habitats of the ancient Caledonian Forest, which once stretched across Scotland.

Talking of his journey Michael said:

The Royal National Mòd (Scottish Gaelic: Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail) 2021, held at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Nis), has been described as a "huge success". The event, that celebrates Gaelic song, music and poetry, had to be postponed in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. However it went ahead this year between October 8-16, in a hybrid version.

In 2014 a haul of Viking-era treasure was found in a field in Galloway (Scottish Gaelic: an Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) by a metal detectorist Derek McLennanin. It was the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Scotland. Since the find detailed conservation work has been carried out on the collection of over 100 artefacts by the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann).

Nearly two million trees have been planted since the Borders Forest Trust was set up in the south of Scotland 25 years ago. It is a charity established with the aim to restore native woodland habitats to Southern Scotland. They are justifiably proud of their success which they would like to present as an example to other parts of Scotland. Their work demonstrates large scale ecological restoration in action and by doing so encourage others to embrace this alternative model for land use and conservation.

Ullapool Museum is leading a two-year community project investigating the sites of two Scottish Highland townships cleared of all their residents by a landowner 200 years ago. Archaeological digs have started at the sites of the townships, Inverlael and Balblair, near Ullapool. Ullapool (Scottish Gaelic: Ulapul) is a coastal village in Ross and Cromarty in the Scottish Highlands.

Ullapool Museum is leading the two-year community project investigating the sites of two Highlands townships cleared of all their residents by a landowner 200 years ago. Archaeological digs have started at the sites of two Highlands townships, Inverlael and Balblair, near Ullapool. Ullapool (Scottish Gaelic: Ulapul) is a coastal village in Ross and Cromarty in the Scottish Highlands.

In a appointment that has led to accusations of "cronyism" and "contempt for democracy" a Conservative party donor, who failed to win election to Holyrood (Scottish Parliament), is to be made a Scotland Office minister. Malcolm Offord is to be made a minister in the Scotland Office by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This is despite him failing to win a seat in the Scottish Parliamentary elections in May of this year.

A charity based in Moray (Scottish Gaelic: Moireibh), Trees for Life, is working with Rewilding Europe, 20 landowners and six other organisations on a project to rewild an area of more than 500,000 acres in the Highlands of Scotland. Trees for Life have the aim of Rewilding the Scottish Highlands (Scottish Gaelic:  Ath-fhiadhachadh na Gàidhealtachd).  They state their objective as "a revitalised wild forest in the Highlands of Scotland, providing space for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive".

The Castle of Old Wick is a ruined castle that stands on a narrow promontory above the North Sea near the town of Wick, Caithness, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Ùige, Gallaibh, Alba). It is thought that a fortress was built here by Earl Harald Maddadson in the 1100s, although the ruins that can be seen today probably date to the 14th century. Harald Maddadsson (Old Norse: Haraldr Maddaðarson, Gaelic: Aralt mac Mataid) (c. 1134 – 1206) was Earl of Orkney and Mormaer of Caithness from 1139 until 1206.

In the history of the Earth there have been at least five significant ice ages. Approximately twelve epochs of glacial expansion have occurred in the past one million years. The last ice age known as the Last Glacial Period (LGP) ended about 20,000 years ago. Glaciers extended over much of northern Europe and covered many of what we now call the Celtic nations.