The Bone Cave is a vivid account of a month-long journey in the Scottish Highlands. Walking and occasionally hitching, Dougie Strang follows a series of folktales to the locations in which they’re set, encountering along the way a depth of meaning to them that allows him to engage with the landscape from a different perspective – one where the distinction between history and legend is supple, and where his own narrative becomes entangled with figures both real and mythic. Central to the book is the tale of ‘The Cailleach and the Brown-eyed Hunter’, which illustrates most fully the ways that myths continue to dwell in the landscape, offering a different perspective on contemporary issues such as land ownership and ecological stewardship. Dougie sets out on his walk at the beginning of October, which also marks the start of the red deer rut. The bellowing of stags becomes the soundtrack to his journey and a vigorous reminder that, as well as mapping invisible landscapes of story, he is also exploring a real, living landscape.
'This is a glorious read: measured, insightful, wistful and replete with meaning... a gem of a book' * Scottish Field * 'The Bone Cave is a meditation on the move; a listening to the voices of bird, wind and river, a holding onto tree and stone, a watching of deer . . . As Strang pitches his tent across the Highlands, kindling fire and memory, he draws us into the enfolded layers of landscape, wildlife and folktale that tell us who we were and yet might be. Wise and wonderful' -- Merryn Glover, author of The Hidden Fires 'I loved The Bone Cave. I loved tracing Dougie Strang’s journey through the Highlands on maps and in my mind. The places he describes come alive through his attentive, respectful presence, his affinity for the landscape, and his ability to infuse his travelogue with history, stories, memoir and folklore. It is an inspiring and beautiful book' -- James Macdonald Lockhart, author of Wild Air and Raptor 'Dougie Strang will guide you through the "carrying stream" of places, stories and deep time. Go confidently! You are in the hands of one of Scotland’s finest navigators' -- Alastair McIntosh, author of Soil and Soul and Poacher’s Pilgrimage 'Much more than a travelogue... it's the author's exploration of the connections between the places he visits and elements of Scottish folklore that make this such a special book' -- Ken Lussey * Undiscovered Scotland * 'A mesmerising journey through remote Scotland, full of myth and self-reflection' -- David Robinson * Books from Scotland * 'a sensitive exploration of land, time, modernity and masculinity... ache[s] with a profound, not-quite-lost connection to Earth' * The New Statesman * 'Although the book shines with folk tales and quirky lore, it doesn’t shy away from the real tragedy of the Highlands, where people remain dispossessed and land-ownership and ecological destruction remain a brutal fact of life' * Bella Caledonia * 'A fascinating insight into the ways in which landscape and folklore are intertwined here in Scotland... The ways in which these stories are linked to the landscape - and to the daily lives of the people who used to inhabit it - are expertly teased out by Strang' -- Roger Cox * The Scotsman * 'A unique perspective on place, land, ownership and ecological stewardship... a beautiful book' -- Kathie Griffiths * Oban Times * 'Excellent book' -- Kathleen Jamie 'A lovely well-written book... I really enjoyed my dip into Scottish folklore, the landscape that houses its memories and the tramping of the author’s boots on soggy ground' -- Mark Avery '[Strang] shows that by preserving the stories of our land, we care for our land.... telling these tales is an act of love, rooted in deep knowledge of place' -- Sally Hughes * Highland Bookshop * 'Mixing challenging questions about rewilding, land ownership and Highland re-population with enchanting stories and luminous prose, The Bone Cave is a beautiful book: the perfect companion to a winter’s night by the fireside' -- Susan Flockhart * Herald *
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