Scotland in 4 Seasons Magazine Winter 2020

Page 66

Hebridean Winter By Scott MacKenzie

Photo: Scott MacKenzie

“The winter months on An t-Eilean Sgitheanach, or, the Isle of Skye as many will know it, offer the visitor an island usually shrouded in mist which gives the isle its other descriptive name of Eilean a’ Cheò, the Isle of mist. Low light, and muted colours often give the winter photographer a sense of a primeval landscape should they find themselves in remote glen or corrie. To those of us that live and are part of the management of this environment, this is just another winter to prepare for and work through. My role here at Fearann Eilean Iarmain will see me working my way through our annual hind cull, often with guests who are keen to experience stalking one of Scotland’s most iconic animals during one of the most challenging times of year. Damp, chilly, mountain top blasts of freshness filling your lungs, it was those wintry days on Skye that drew me in. I arrived on Skye some fourteen years ago with my wife, Michelle, and our first-born Ciara, barely three years old. I have been the Head Gamekeeper Stalker at Fearann Eilean Iarmain for ten of those fourteen years and over that time our family has grown adding another three girls to our brood, twins Ishbel & Orla and Meusaidh, our youngest. 66 Scotland in Four Seasons Winter

Our girls, along with Michelle, have all been very much involved in my work: from making packed lunches for stalking guests to dragging a beast off the hill, it is a normal life for them. Reminiscing back to a time of unsteady legs clothed in an all-in-one rain suit with Peppa Pig wellington boots washing down the dog kennels to talking them through their first greallach of a beast we had stalked together, in my thirty years in Gamekeeping, these are my fondest memories of my family growing up on Skye. The Estate of Fearann Eilean Iarmain extends through Sleat and Strath, a particularly beautiful region of south Skye. Historically forming part of the fiefdom of the Lord of the Isles, Fearann Eilean Iarmain “the lands of Diarmaids isle” was acquired by Sir Iain Noble more than forty-five years ago. Sir Iain’s pioneering initiatives in restoring the ancient woodland habitat of Sleat led to the estate establishing one of the first long-term programs of native woodland regeneration in Scotland. Now Lucilla, Lady Noble, is committed to continuing Sir Iain’s legacy in the careful management of the environment to ensure the future sustainability of this unique part of Skye for future generations.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Scotland in 4 Seasons Magazine Winter 2020 by Scotland in 4 Seasons Magazine - Issuu