#1 ROOTS

This collection of poems emerged from being warden of a tiny, uninhabited Scottish island near the Isle of Skye, called Eilean Bàn. Surrounded by sea, seals, and otters, immersion in the tiny details of the mysteries of nature was possible.

The ever-changing light and weather, and the varied wildlife, accompanied the bracing walks around the island each morning and evening. There was a strange calm in the routine of watching the rituals of the courtships of birds, seeing the small fishing vessels chugging through choppy waters on their return every evening and searching for otters at dusk. Seasonal changes brought the scent of bluebells, the birth of seals, the roar of stags on the mountainside and the fire-bright flames of mombretia.

From the minute the gate to the island is opened and that first step is taken, the magic is immediately apparent. Most people feel it. There is a peace along the path made dark by close hanging silver birch and rowan trees. After following scampering tiny voles, the tunnel suddenly opens to a fanfare of brightness as the view becomes panoramic across Loch Alsh down to the Five Sisters of Kintail mountain range.

Access to the island used only to be by boat but now the Skye Bridge goes over the top, with few knowing what they are passing underneath. Still the island keeps its mysteries and guards its secrets. At night there are no streetlights and stars burn fiercely in inky, unpolluted skies. Part of the cottage is now a holiday home, but occasionally it stands empty, and you can experience the sensation of isolation, alone on an island with just occasional ghostly sounds for company.

The changing history of the island is evident from the volcanic rocks to the shepherd’s bothy, lighthouse and museum. It’s history stretches back to Vikings, shepherds, lighthouse keepers and in the 1960s it was a final home for the author of Ring of Bright Water, Gavin Maxwell. This local history shines its light on the atmosphere of the island and informs the poems.

It was the perfect place to write when duties were finished. The poems evoke the ethereal aspects of nature, the changing light and unpredictable weather. Myths, local history and magic thread through the poems, taking you through a moving, sometime playful and lyrical experience. I hope you will be able to taste a sample of the sights and wonder that I found on Eilean Bàn.

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