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Wild Winter: In Search of Nature in Scotland's Mountain Landscape
In Wild Winter, John D. Burns, bestselling author of The Last Hillwalker and Bothy Tales, sets out to rediscover Scotland’s mountains, remote places and wildlife in the darkest and stormiest months. He traverses the country from the mouth of the River Ness to the Isle of Mull, from remote Sutherland to the Cairngorms, in search of rutting red deer, pupping seals, minke whales, beavers, pine martens, mountain hares and otters. In the midst of the fierce weather, John’s travels reveal a habitat in crisis, and many of these wild creatures prove elusive as they cling on to life in the challenging Highland landscape.
As John heads deeper into the winter, he notices the land fighting back with signs of regeneration. He finds lost bothies, old friendships and innovative rewilding projects, and – as Covid locks down the nation – reflects on what the outdoors means to hillwalkers, naturalists and the folk who make their home in the Highlands.
Wild Winter is a reminder of the wonder of nature and the importance of caring for our environment. In his winter journey through the mountains and bothies of the Highlands, John finds adventure, humour and a deep sense of connection with this wild land.
As John heads deeper into the winter, he notices the land fighting back with signs of regeneration. He finds lost bothies, old friendships and innovative rewilding projects, and – as Covid locks down the nation – reflects on what the outdoors means to hillwalkers, naturalists and the folk who make their home in the Highlands.
Wild Winter is a reminder of the wonder of nature and the importance of caring for our environment. In his winter journey through the mountains and bothies of the Highlands, John finds adventure, humour and a deep sense of connection with this wild land.
224 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2021
3 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
John D. Burns
9 books40 followersFree to down load; the first two chapters of The Last Hillwalker. Click here https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qpwf5mu3ik
Listen to an extract from the audio book
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jo...
The combination of John’s love of the outdoors with his passion for writing and performance makes him a uniquely powerful storyteller. In his writing, John tells tales of his travels in the mountains, in his performance he talks of the profound relationship between men and wild places.
John has taken his one man plays to the Edinburgh Fringe and toured them widely around theatres and mountain festivals in the UK. John ‘s first play, Aleister Crowley: A Passion for Evil attracted great audiences in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2010.
His second play, Mallory: Beyond Everest, is a re-telling of the life of the legendary Everest mountaineer. The play was first performed in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2014 and in John portrays a man torn between his love of his wife and his burning ambition to conquer the world’s highest mountain.
Despite the serious subjects he deals with, humour is always close to the surface in everything he does. In The Last Hillwalker John brings together over forty year’s experience in the mountains of the British Isles to stories from our hills with humour and compassion.
Originally from Merseyside, John moved to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness, over thirty years ago, to follow his passion for the hills. For over 40 years he has walked and climbed the hills of Scotland whilst also making occasional trips to more exotic location like the Alps, the Pyrenes and the Canadian Rockies.
An expert ice climber, he was also a member of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, and has taken part in numerous rescues in the Highlands. More recently he has rediscovered his love for remote bothies (isolated mountain shelters) and regularly visits the wilder places of his Scottish home.
John is an award-winning mountain writer and has just released his book about the wild places of Scotland, Bothy Tales. He is currently working on an audio version of his best selling book, The Last Hillwalker.
Listen to an extract from the audio book
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jo...
The combination of John’s love of the outdoors with his passion for writing and performance makes him a uniquely powerful storyteller. In his writing, John tells tales of his travels in the mountains, in his performance he talks of the profound relationship between men and wild places.
John has taken his one man plays to the Edinburgh Fringe and toured them widely around theatres and mountain festivals in the UK. John ‘s first play, Aleister Crowley: A Passion for Evil attracted great audiences in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2010.
His second play, Mallory: Beyond Everest, is a re-telling of the life of the legendary Everest mountaineer. The play was first performed in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2014 and in John portrays a man torn between his love of his wife and his burning ambition to conquer the world’s highest mountain.
Despite the serious subjects he deals with, humour is always close to the surface in everything he does. In The Last Hillwalker John brings together over forty year’s experience in the mountains of the British Isles to stories from our hills with humour and compassion.
Originally from Merseyside, John moved to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness, over thirty years ago, to follow his passion for the hills. For over 40 years he has walked and climbed the hills of Scotland whilst also making occasional trips to more exotic location like the Alps, the Pyrenes and the Canadian Rockies.
An expert ice climber, he was also a member of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, and has taken part in numerous rescues in the Highlands. More recently he has rediscovered his love for remote bothies (isolated mountain shelters) and regularly visits the wilder places of his Scottish home.
John is an award-winning mountain writer and has just released his book about the wild places of Scotland, Bothy Tales. He is currently working on an audio version of his best selling book, The Last Hillwalker.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 20, 2021
I eagerly anticipated the arrival of this fourth book, written by John Burns, having read his first three since the first lockdown began. It did not disappoint. It offers humour, beautiful descriptions of the Scottish landscape and a wonderful familiarity of experience that any hillwalker and bothy goer would recognise "Martin and I enjoy the peverse pleasure of moaning about our soaking in front of the bothy fire. The pleasure in rain is not being in it but out of it." The book undoubtedly makes you think on the challenges facing our wild places and wildlife which are woven throughout John's writing, but not in a way that you feel you've been lectured on or 'taught' I learned a lot.
March 18, 2021
I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. It was interesting following the author's bothy adventures and quest to see different animals in Scotland. It was also very interesting to read his views on the future of the Scottish Highlands, it gave me some hope for the future, and also some leads to follow up with regards to work being carried out on different estates.
Definitely well worth a read.
Definitely well worth a read.
December 12, 2023
I really enjoyed Wild Winter. I liked the mix of humour balanced with the seriousness of environmental issues such as shoots, farming & culling etc told through the changing seasons. The authors passion for the Scottish mountains really came through and although Burns points out the negative man made effects he has noticed he still has a positive vision for the future through his connection to the countryside and the rewilding & reintroduction of species. A very thought provoking read.
May 9, 2021
Winter is my favourite time in Scotland. The mountains achieve a majesty in winter as the weather turns cold and changes the landscape. Wild Winter depicts this change as the chapters focus on the autumn and winter months in the Highlands.
Each month focuses on John Burns’ trips to Scotland and how the changing season affects the wildlife there. Starting in October with a trip to see the deers rut and whale watch, the book progresses through to March, with trips to find mountain hares, pine martens and beavers.
The book follows the same format as Bothy Tales, factual information on Scottish endeavours to re-wild, interspersed with Burns recounting trips to remote locations to be in the landscape.
“Mountaineering plans are made in a warm room with a map spread out in front of you and a glass in your hand. Mountaineering decisions are made on aching legs, sweating, gasping for breath with reality howling about your ears.”
As he looks at the natural world he also discusses man’s impact. From salmon farming to the culling hares by grouse farmers, he is critical of man’s control of wildlife for our own profits. The constant battle between nature and man is best recounted in the discussion on beaver reintroduction to Scotland.
That Scotland’s wild spaces are anything but due to the management for deer and grouse is something most visitors overlook but wild winter brings to the fore.
“Where I once saw wilderness and stood in awe of a magnificent landscape, now I see desolation. Now I see the scars we have wrought on this earth. I see the high moorland burnt for the shooting if driven grouse. I see our hills denuded of trees.”
Wild Winter is another beautiful book by Burns. If you love Scotland or just love literature which celebrates the landscape rather than tries to tame it, or battle through it – then Wild Winter is a book you will love.
Each month focuses on John Burns’ trips to Scotland and how the changing season affects the wildlife there. Starting in October with a trip to see the deers rut and whale watch, the book progresses through to March, with trips to find mountain hares, pine martens and beavers.
The book follows the same format as Bothy Tales, factual information on Scottish endeavours to re-wild, interspersed with Burns recounting trips to remote locations to be in the landscape.
“Mountaineering plans are made in a warm room with a map spread out in front of you and a glass in your hand. Mountaineering decisions are made on aching legs, sweating, gasping for breath with reality howling about your ears.”
As he looks at the natural world he also discusses man’s impact. From salmon farming to the culling hares by grouse farmers, he is critical of man’s control of wildlife for our own profits. The constant battle between nature and man is best recounted in the discussion on beaver reintroduction to Scotland.
That Scotland’s wild spaces are anything but due to the management for deer and grouse is something most visitors overlook but wild winter brings to the fore.
“Where I once saw wilderness and stood in awe of a magnificent landscape, now I see desolation. Now I see the scars we have wrought on this earth. I see the high moorland burnt for the shooting if driven grouse. I see our hills denuded of trees.”
Wild Winter is another beautiful book by Burns. If you love Scotland or just love literature which celebrates the landscape rather than tries to tame it, or battle through it – then Wild Winter is a book you will love.
July 24, 2023
A sweet book about hiking and then about lockdown. It feels weird reading about Covid when it is (seemingly) over(ish) and it is just getting started in this book. I especially enjoyed the parts about the Cairngorms and the bothies I've visited myself. But somehow the book left something to be desired, some deeper philosophical quest or personal yearning, I don't know, I like reading about other people's hikes and yet this book felt incomplete. 3.5 stars
April 12, 2021
Loved this fourth book from John Burns.
I think it really summed up some of the frustrations of an amateur seeking wildlife encounters in the Highlands. I really empathised, considering my own attempts. As with John's pine martin viewing you sometimes do need to engage a guide and attend a wildlife hide. On other occasions when frustrated by missing otters at Ardtornish, John unexpectedly sees one from his flat window overlooking the R Ness. I remember driving along the single track road west of Salen, heading for Ardnamurchan, keeping an eye out for otters on the loch when I glanced in the rear view mirror to check on traffic and saw an otter dash across the road heading for the loch. You never know what's behind you! The kitkat advert will come to mind for those of a certain age.
Reading the book during our current lockdown and stay local restrictions I was easily transported into the outdoors again. The tales were real and provided much in the way of enjoyment of things missed and plans to be made when we can travel again.
As well as his tales of wildlife and bothies, John shares several positive conservation and re-wilding stories being undertaken by some enlightened landowners but warns of the risks still posed by others who continue the ways of the past and highlights the dreadful sterilisation impact they have. Time for a change. Read this book and support that change.
Good on you John. I raise a glass to your next one.
I think it really summed up some of the frustrations of an amateur seeking wildlife encounters in the Highlands. I really empathised, considering my own attempts. As with John's pine martin viewing you sometimes do need to engage a guide and attend a wildlife hide. On other occasions when frustrated by missing otters at Ardtornish, John unexpectedly sees one from his flat window overlooking the R Ness. I remember driving along the single track road west of Salen, heading for Ardnamurchan, keeping an eye out for otters on the loch when I glanced in the rear view mirror to check on traffic and saw an otter dash across the road heading for the loch. You never know what's behind you! The kitkat advert will come to mind for those of a certain age.
Reading the book during our current lockdown and stay local restrictions I was easily transported into the outdoors again. The tales were real and provided much in the way of enjoyment of things missed and plans to be made when we can travel again.
As well as his tales of wildlife and bothies, John shares several positive conservation and re-wilding stories being undertaken by some enlightened landowners but warns of the risks still posed by others who continue the ways of the past and highlights the dreadful sterilisation impact they have. Time for a change. Read this book and support that change.
Good on you John. I raise a glass to your next one.
April 25, 2021
Thanks John for this positive and reaffirming book that connects hillwalking and bothy staying over a fifty year period with the current local, national and international situation particularly the impact of climate change but also the coronavirus pandemic and the importance of the natural world in helping to rebalance us.
August 22, 2021
John D.Burns is a very evocative writer of the outdoors, he brings it to life as you read and you just want to be there. You learn a lot as well about the troubles that the Scottish Highlands face, it stirs you into action to try and ensure we don’t lose these beautiful landscapes and wildlife. This book is also set across the impending lockdown of COVID-19 pandemic and how that affected him, but also brought new energy to him for his urban surroundings. Another great book from John D.Burns.
April 17, 2022
As always Johns books are a great read, full of atmosphere - you could almost be sat around the bothy fire yourself. Hopefully he will write some more soon!
November 24, 2025
Reading a book by John D. Burns is like catching up with an old pal you haven’t seen in a while. In this book John sets out to chart a winter season on the hills where he attempts to focus not on big hills and snowy peaks, but on the things that formerly he has bypassed. In our quest to tick off lists and bag summits, how much of the environment have we ignored along the way? It’s something that we are all probably guilty of, myself included. As a hillgoer of some 40 years or more, John is first to admit that in some areas his knowledge of the plants and birds in his surrounding environment is sadly lacking, he has difficulty telling his sycamore from his chestnuts, his Skuas from his Guillemots.
As winter approaches, the author sets out his goals for the coming season, casting his eye over the things he has never seen and resolving to see them, or at least try to. In the process he tells us of how he gets into the writing process, setting off alone to isolate himself in some remote bothy, just him and his thoughts. Occasionally he is joined by his regular hillgoing pals Martin and Joe, who join him on his misadventures, in which it seems to me they seldom successful, but always entertaining. Isn’t that part of the joy of it all.
Across the course of the book John touches on a great range of subjects, such as access, deer conservation and rewilding, and I found myself nodding along in agreement with many of his opinions, and although these are serious topics he always seems to manage to approach them with a level of humour which I find appealing. His humour spreads across the book, and it will often raise a smile. Even when he is faced with the prospect of his winter project becoming derailed by the looming spectre of COVID, he, like many of us had to, finds inspiration in the smaller things, the closer to home things which often go unnoticed as our focus lies elsewhere, and yet he still doesn’t lose sight of the bigger picture, closing off the book with a cry against the lack of action on land reform in Scotland and against land owners who often put conservation at the bottom of the list, and business interests first.
I’m quite sure that a night in a remote bothy with John, Martin, Joe, a bag of coal and a bottle of malt whisky would be a memorable one. As that’s probably not an option, I can recommend this book as the next best thing.
As winter approaches, the author sets out his goals for the coming season, casting his eye over the things he has never seen and resolving to see them, or at least try to. In the process he tells us of how he gets into the writing process, setting off alone to isolate himself in some remote bothy, just him and his thoughts. Occasionally he is joined by his regular hillgoing pals Martin and Joe, who join him on his misadventures, in which it seems to me they seldom successful, but always entertaining. Isn’t that part of the joy of it all.
Across the course of the book John touches on a great range of subjects, such as access, deer conservation and rewilding, and I found myself nodding along in agreement with many of his opinions, and although these are serious topics he always seems to manage to approach them with a level of humour which I find appealing. His humour spreads across the book, and it will often raise a smile. Even when he is faced with the prospect of his winter project becoming derailed by the looming spectre of COVID, he, like many of us had to, finds inspiration in the smaller things, the closer to home things which often go unnoticed as our focus lies elsewhere, and yet he still doesn’t lose sight of the bigger picture, closing off the book with a cry against the lack of action on land reform in Scotland and against land owners who often put conservation at the bottom of the list, and business interests first.
I’m quite sure that a night in a remote bothy with John, Martin, Joe, a bag of coal and a bottle of malt whisky would be a memorable one. As that’s probably not an option, I can recommend this book as the next best thing.
December 28, 2025
Wild Winter is a beautifully observed and quietly powerful journey into Scotland’s mountain landscapes at their most unforgiving and most revealing. John D. Burns writes with the eye of a seasoned hillwalker and the heart of a naturalist deeply attuned to the fragile rhythms of the wild.
Travelling through Scotland in the harshest months of the year, Burns captures not only the drama of winter weather but also the subtle, easily missed lives that persist within it. His search for red deer, seals, whales, and elusive Highland mammals becomes a meditation on absence as much as presence, reflecting a habitat under strain and species clinging to survival.
What makes this book particularly compelling is its balance. Alongside the stark realities of environmental decline, Burns finds hope in rewilding efforts, signs of regeneration, and the enduring human connections formed in bothies and remote communities. His reflections during the Covid lockdown add an unexpected layer of poignancy, underscoring how deeply the outdoors sustains those who walk, study, and live within it.
The prose is unforced and quietly lyrical, rich with humour, memory, and hard-earned insight. Burns never romanticises the landscape, yet his affection for it is unmistakable. The mountains are not a backdrop here; they are living, changing participants in the story.
Wild Winter is both a celebration and a warning a reminder of nature’s resilience and its vulnerability. It will resonate deeply with hillwalkers, nature lovers, and anyone who understands that the wild places we cherish require not just admiration, but care.
Travelling through Scotland in the harshest months of the year, Burns captures not only the drama of winter weather but also the subtle, easily missed lives that persist within it. His search for red deer, seals, whales, and elusive Highland mammals becomes a meditation on absence as much as presence, reflecting a habitat under strain and species clinging to survival.
What makes this book particularly compelling is its balance. Alongside the stark realities of environmental decline, Burns finds hope in rewilding efforts, signs of regeneration, and the enduring human connections formed in bothies and remote communities. His reflections during the Covid lockdown add an unexpected layer of poignancy, underscoring how deeply the outdoors sustains those who walk, study, and live within it.
The prose is unforced and quietly lyrical, rich with humour, memory, and hard-earned insight. Burns never romanticises the landscape, yet his affection for it is unmistakable. The mountains are not a backdrop here; they are living, changing participants in the story.
Wild Winter is both a celebration and a warning a reminder of nature’s resilience and its vulnerability. It will resonate deeply with hillwalkers, nature lovers, and anyone who understands that the wild places we cherish require not just admiration, but care.
April 12, 2023
John Burns writes a fairly straightforward story about his walks in remote places across Scotland as he searches for wildlife and new bothies to experience.
He takes the reader through the winter months, stays in bothies with friends both old and new. He writes during the spring when covid takes hold and reflects on its impact without getting sidetracked by it.
He touches on the rewilding efforts, the return of the beaver, the potential for landowners to work to restore the land to its more original condition. It’s a story that all mountain wanderers can see themselves in.
He takes the reader through the winter months, stays in bothies with friends both old and new. He writes during the spring when covid takes hold and reflects on its impact without getting sidetracked by it.
He touches on the rewilding efforts, the return of the beaver, the potential for landowners to work to restore the land to its more original condition. It’s a story that all mountain wanderers can see themselves in.
August 31, 2022
As I finally gave this book another chance, I surprisingly breezed through the book in no time. I would say that this is like the author's journal about his trips into Scottish Highlands wild nature during the last winter before the pandemic commenced. Sleeping-over in the bothy is not what I think is still happening in this current time. How he casually told these stories quite motivated me to try it once at some point.
September 10, 2022
It’s amazing to read something written by someone who shares such similar values to your own and who has such a clear love for the Scottish landscape. Burns talks eloquently about what the Scottish landscape has to offer and indeed it’s future potential. He weaves the natural with the political in a sensitive, thought provoking and powerful way. It’s also ignited in me the desire to spend some time in a bothy ! Highly recommend.
January 8, 2023
The wait was worth it indeed, I purchased this in summer 2022, and decided to keep it until the colder months were here to enjoy it. A great descriptive book taking us on a journey through Winter in Scotland. I think I'd love to see a photo of Martin to find our if my mental image matches the real man.
Recommended. The peak back too at the recent curtailing of nearly all outdoor activities is interesting.
Recommended. The peak back too at the recent curtailing of nearly all outdoor activities is interesting.
April 7, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written by someone who clearly knows his subject. Having had many years experience in the Scottish mountains enabled the author has a good eye for detail and good storytelling skills when recalling past memories of time spent hillwallkibg in search of bothies.
October 4, 2022
Wonderfully captivating book with some lessons for future generations to boot. His sentiment for the outdoors shines through and is a lovely read.
January 1, 2023
Delightful little book. Very easy to read, modest unassuming style. Sometimes insightful
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews