Jings! Things are all of a sudden much more real - its moved on from being an idea, a bit of research, and hours spent on the computer, to something tangible at last. The draft Information Sheet has been sent to me by the publisher. And. . . It includes the first draft of the book cover. Amazing.
Just about to set off for a meeting with the publisher. Brilliant.

Watch this space.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival

Here`s a date for your diary - Wednesday 25th August @ 11.00 in the Peppers Theatre. Thats when and where Ribbon of Wildness will have its first airing. So I guess I`ll have about 25 minutes to say a bit, read a bit, and enthuse a bit. The co-presenter will be Emma Wood, with her `Peatbogs, Plague and Potatoes`.

So get ready to book your seat(s) at this auspicious event! The Book Festival programme wil be out in due course, and booking arrangements advertised. A full-house would be very encouraging.

And then there wil be the formal launch in early September . . .

Final Edit!

Getting nearer, but not quite there yet!
Yes, I spent 3 days last week, refining, checking, reviewing, corretcting and even editing, but its not quite done yet. I`m pretty pleased with all that I`ve written -currently standing at about 86,000 words. The notion that `more is better` does not hold true here, so just adding more words to expand a point, or develop something new, would seem to be a bad idea. So I resolved to add no more.
Now I`m down to the finer points of punctiuation. This will make quite a difference to the flow and sense of it, so it will be worth the time and effort.
Guess what I`ll be doing this weekend?

About to embark on (what I hope will be) the final edit of the text - have set aside a few days, which I will spend in rural seclusion. Log cabin, wood-burning stove, laptop, pot of coffee and no distractions. Its almost as daunting as the day I set off on the long walk in January 2005. This time the thoughts are less about the unknown of what lies ahead: more about whether I`ve got this right. And the occasional thought of what the buying public, if there are any/many, will make of it. Too late now for any major changes. Each time I read the text, I`m pleasantly surprised with what I have written; thats a good indicator. So enough of this pondering - time to look out for typos, missing commas, mis-spellings of all those gaelic mountain names, and any contradictions or repatitions. Down to business on monday.

Publication Schedule

Well, I met with the publisher on Tuesday, and a timetable for the publication of Ribbon of Wildness has been agreed, contract signed, and the whole thing set in motion. From this, I need to do a final edit by the end of March, but the 85,000 words, pics, and general structure will form the main content. The book will appear at the event I`m contributing to at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this August, and the wider launch will then take place in early September - more about this in due course.

Its taken a while to get to this stage, but I`m delighted that the way is now set for Ribbon of Wildness to appear. Its only the start, of course - more, much more,about this in due course too.

Right now though I`m just a bit frustrated as Watershedepic II is on-hold. I broke a bone in my left foot 3 weeks ago, so can`t walk very far (getting grumpy). Watershedepic II is, as the name implies, my second walk along the 1,200 km Ribbon of Wildness - but doing it North to South this time round. So far I`ve covered the Laich March (central belt) from Balfron Station, and well into the Reiver March (Southern Uplands) to Ettrick Head. So as soon as this foot heals, I`ll have my pack on my back and boots on my feet, bound for the Southern end. Then I`ll start on the Heartlands March - mor about his in due course too.

Discover the Watershed of Scotland

It runs from one end of Scotland to the other - 1,200 km of bog, rock, mountain and forest.
The unique distinction of the Watershed is it`s continuous environmental character, as a Ribbon of Wildness meandering all the way from the English Border to Duncansby Head. But it is the sleeping-giant of our landscape, which we can waken through public awareness, appreciation and involvement.

Please visit www.watershedepic.org.uk for the start of this story, and to set you on your own journey of discovery