Wild History: Journeys into Lost Scotland

by James Crawford

From the presenter of BBC One's Scotland from the Sky. You scramble up over the dunes of an isolated beach. You climb to the summit of a lonely hill. You pick your way through the eerie hush of a forest. And then you find them. The traces of the past. Perhaps they are marked by a tiny symbol on your map, perhaps not. There are no plaques to explain their fading presence before you, nothing to account for what they once were – who made them, lived in them or abandoned them. Now they are merged with the landscape. They are being reclaimed by nature. They are wild history. In this book acclaimed author and presenter James Crawford introduces many such places all over the country, from the ruins of prehistoric forts and ancient, arcane burial sites, to abandoned bothies and boathouses, and the derelict traces of old, faded industry.

Genres: Scotland, History, Nonfiction, Travel, Nature, Audiobook

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 4, 2023

About the author

James Crawford is a writer and broadcaster. His first major book, Fallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of History’s Greatest Buildings was shortlisted for the Saltire Literary Award for best non-fiction. His other books include Who Built Scotland: 25 Journeys in Search of a Nation, Scotland’s Landscapes and Aerofilms: A History of Britain from Above. The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World was published in 2022.

Crawford wrote and presented three series of the BBC One landmark documentary series Scotland from the Sky, which was Shortlisted as ‘Best Factual Series’ at the Royal Television Society Awards Scotland. In 2019 he was named as the Archive and Records Association’s first-ever ‘Explore Your Archives’ Ambassador. He lives in Edinburgh.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve mentioned in other reviews that there’s an independent bookshop in the town nearest to where I live, and that I like to support it. I picked this up on my last visit, and it turned out to be a good purchase for me.

As the author says, the concept of “wild history” is perhaps a contradiction in terms, but he has used it to cover historical sites in Scotland that can be listed amongst “the un-curated and the ignored, the unfiltered and the abandoned.” We get 55 sites in total, each of which gets a few pages about what it is (or was) and what became of it. The author also describes the visits he made to each of them.

I’ve only ever specifically visited 3 of the sites listed. There are others I have seen but not set foot in or on, and some that I must have passed without being aware of them. Many are visually unspectacular, (even if the landscapes around them are not) and almost by definition most of them are off the beaten path. Although I’ve only been to three of these 55, I have been to many similar locations over the years. Again to use a line from the author himself, he may have chosen 55 sites for the book, but he could just as easily have chosen 10,055.

I really liked the way the book tells the story of each location, and that’s the main point of the collection really, that every place, “no matter how meagre or ruined or faded or diminished” has a story attached to it.

The book has inspired me to visit at least a couple more of the locations mentioned. I think this book would be of interest to those who live in Scotland, are interested in its history, and who like the idea of abandoned places.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been fortunate enough to visit some of these places, which the author also describes quite idyllically, and I can only be happy about that. It would take another ten trips to see them all, but for now it's good enough.

Ho avuto la fortuna di visitare alcuni di questi posti che l'autore descrive anche in modo piuttosto idilliaco e non posso che esserne felice. Ci vorrebbero altri dieci viaggi per vederli tutti, ma per ora va bene cosí.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was really good at evoking the imagery that I may have missed from reading the book (I think there were pictures and potentially a map in the book version). A mix of lore, reality, and speculations makes Scotland even more mysterious than it originally had been for me.

[Annamarie Ogunmola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually hate reading about the setting in books, so who knows why I picked up a book that is all setting. But I'm so glad I did! Crawford's descriptions make me truly see the places he describes. I'm jealous of his journey, as I've always loved to wander ruins and imagine who lived there!

[Jim Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up a while back, and I have to admit that it took me a long time to read, far longer than it’s 252 pages would have you believe. Not because it is dull (it most certainly isn’t) or complicated (the author has a very enjoyable style of writing). It’s because each of the 55 short chapters takes you on a journey to parts of Scotland which are (in the main) unfamiliar territory. Alongside the title of each chapter is an Ordnance Survey grid reference which invites you to explore the landscape with the author – to walk in his footsteps as he guides you through a hidden world of hidden history, and it’s a fantastic journey which is not to be rushed. The book is also accompanied by a photograph from each of the historical sites visited, and these bring the sites to life wonderfully.

James Crawford is a former archivist with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), and the book details some of the sites he learned of while carrying out his work. The book examines four categories of historical monuments, from industrial heritage to the spiritual, and from battlefields to homes. These all have one thing in common, in that they are hidden in plain sight – they are there if you know where to look. Some, like Mingulay Village in the Outer Hebrides are hidden by their remoteness, while others, like Cathkin Park in Glasgow are hidden within the boundaries of the city, abandoned and overgrown and within walking distance of houses and shopping centres.

I’ve always been fascinated by the hidden history of the areas where I have lived: lost people, lost villages, lost industries. Old dolerite quarries where stone was extracted for kerbstones, the rigs of long abandoned farms on land no longer worked, the long footprints of railway lines which served coal mines, all of which were of national imprtance in their day, and which now go largely unnoticed as people speed past in their cars. I have sped past a few of the sites in here myself, such as the “Atlantic Wall” at Sheriffmuir, and after reading this book my eyes have been opened to a number of places which are more than worth a visit, and which I hope to incorporate in my future travels. Others I have visited in the past, such as Cramond Island or the Cauldstane Slap, and these were presented to me from a new perspective and I enjoyed revisiting them alongside the author.

This could easily have been a catalogue of such places, numbered and categorised, to be ticked off as collectible places to be seen visiting. Instead, James takes us on a journey not only to the past, but to his present, as he lays out his feelings for these sometimes wild and forgotten places, bringing the past into the present. If you are in any way like me you will soon find yourself trawling maps, satellite images and websites, and disappearing down your own historical rabbit holes too.

[Karen Criggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book with atmospheric photographs that show the formidable Scottish landscape and weather in all their glory. As a Scottish walker with a degree in archaeology this book spoke to me. The hidden stories of vanishing people and the remnants they leave. This was given to me as a birthday gift and was very appropriate. I can’t wait to get out there and find some wild history for myself.

[Adeptus Fringilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent book. It describes 55 places in Scotland and explains the history a little bit. I only been to one of them, and heard of a handful of others. The remaining ones are new to me, so a road trip (by bike of course) is being planned.
I would have liked the chapters to be longer but as the author said in the postscript, there will be hundreds if not thousands of these sites around.
I like the description "the lost shadows of the past".

[Chrissy Sneddon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Love a book that makes me want to go straight out and explore. Of course I'd have loved more photos, but that's part of the point. Photos in a book or on a screen can't compare with the experience of seeing places with your own eyes, where sight is not the only sense involved.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a quick fun way to learn some more history. each chapter is 3-5 pages & describes the authors experience visiting a historical site that has been lost or left in ruins. Paired with the context and history this was so fun and quick to read

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful writing telling the stories of some of the wild and less explored parts of Scotland