About

Hello there.
I’m a mother, grandmother, writer, crofter & Professor of Physical Geography specialising in ‘environmental change’. I live on a smallholding known as a ‘croft’. The croft is close to the sea and surrounded by the ‘Great Wilderness’ mountains of the NW Highlands.
I was a fulltime mother, then a full-time academic living and working in north-west England. In 2013 we decided to try and live a smaller, simpler, wilder life in the remote mountain and coastal landscapes of Wester Ross.
When I was a young researcher, I spent time in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea living with indigenous communities there. They taught me about the interconnectedness and sacredness of the living world.
After having my four children I worked in universities continuing my research and teaching students about environments, landform processes and landscape change. Eventually, after 12 years, I moved away from the rigours of scientific writing, rediscovered my wilder self and turned to nature non-fiction writing.
My work has been published by Elliott & Thompson in a series of anthologies called ‘Seasons’ and I have essays in several editions of the highly acclaimed journal ‘Elementum’, each one partnered with artworks by contemporary artists. I also still work with former colleagues and publish in peer-reviewed academic journals.
I am currently writing a book about this extraordinary place which will be published by Harper Collins