Peatlands

Beside Camster’s cairns, a handful of dripping moss helps explain how the Flow Country grows, and why its ground contains thousands of years of accumulated life.

The Flow Country spends a year accumulating carbon equivalent to roughly four days of London’s emissions. Beneath those apparently empty miles lies an inheritance we cannot afford to overlook.

Peat cutting still helps heat northern homes. Join me beside the banks, where a household’s fuel takes months of work before it reaches the hearth.

The Flow Country now shares World Heritage recognition with the Grand Canyon and Great Barrier Reef. A royal visit celebrated the achievement, but the opportunity reaches into communities across the north.

Buried timber once helped roof Highland homes, but peat-cutters have uncovered far more unsettling remains. Beneath the northern peatlands lie useful discoveries, unanswered questions and stories best told before dark.

Felled plantations can leave alarming scars across the Flow Country, but restoring this landscape involves more than cutting trees down and walking away.

Forsinard’s handsome little station offers a useful comfort stop, but follow the boardwalk beyond it and a world of bog pools, tiny hunters and unexpected encounters begins to reveal itself.

In the Flow Country, I switch off the engine and ask guests to listen. What follows can be more memorable than another spectacular coastal stop.