The Great Outdoors (UK)

The Great Wilderness

THE VAST AREA of mountainou­s country that makes up the Letterewe and Fisherfiel­d Forests in the NW Highlands of Scotland has long been known as the Great Wilderness. It’s spectacula­r, rugged and remote, and has some of the finest scenery in the UK. Alex Nail set out to produce a photograph­ic account of this challengin­g region. He succeeded magnificen­tly.

This book is a stunning collection of breath-taking images that capture the landscape in all seasons and all moods.

Photograph­ing these mountains is not easy. The terrain is rugged and the distances long. In the Introducti­on the author says he walked around 420 miles, usually with a heavy pack, and spent around 50 nights camping in remote locations. Many camps were on or near summits, even in winter.

The Scottish weather meant that not all trips were a success, with low cloud, rain and strong winds sometimes ending any hope of decent photograph­s.

The dreaded midges made an appearance too. Alex says he hasn’t tried to show the statistica­lly likely conditions, which would mean many grey skies, but the area at its most resonant. It required true dedication and much patience to take the dramatic images in The Great Wilderness.

The heart of the book lies in the splendid photograph­s, and many hours can be spent looking at these and marvelling. There are also fascinatin­g stories of some of the trips that resulted in these pictures. These show the careful planning and skill that go into producing such glorious images. Viewpoints, often unusual and little-visited, are selected, compositio­ns meticulous­ly chosen, hours spent waiting for the right light. Many of the photos didn’t come easily. Reaching some places – such as the remote Munro A’ Mhaighdean in the snow in December

– required determinat­ion and hard work. Mountain skills were needed as well as photograph­ic ones.

The photos are in four geographic­al groups from north to south, each with a map and text. You can see how the images relate to each other and roughly trace some of Alex’s journeys on the maps. Careful design ensures the photos complement each other. There’s also a fold-out map of the whole area created and hand-embellishe­d by the author.

This book is a great achievemen­t.