Following In the Footsteps of Nan Shepherd
By
Elise Wortley was delighted to discover the benefits of a 1940s tweed jacket when she spent 17 days walking and camping in the Cairngorms.
The itchy underwear, hobnail boots and canvas tent were more of an acquired taste.
Yet Elise, 30, was determined to make her adventure as authentic as possible. Her aim was to follow in the footsteps of the late Nan Shepherd, the trailblazing Scottish hillwalker and writer in the early to mid 20th century.
In 1945, Nan wrote a part-memoir, part-field study of the Cairngorms, The Living Mountain, although it was not published until 1977. Today, the book is described as “one of the finest books ever written on nature and landscape in Britain”.