Hammock Camping in the Scottish Highlands With My Dog

Darach and I spend the weekend hammock camping and exploring at Inshriach and Invereshie in the Cairngorms National Park. After our camp we head up the hill to talk about a critically endangered habitat in Scotland.
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Additional Links for this video...
My Norway Video - • Rewilding Scotland's F...
Mountain Birch (Mossy Earth) - h • Our Search for Scotlan...
Bringing Back The Birch Belt - tinyurl.com/yppttk82
Lessons For Scotland From Norway - tinyurl.com/3y6tdtv4
Mountain Woodland Action Group - www.msag.org.uk/
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Welcome to Highland Woodsman!
Join us as we explore the Highlands of Scotland from a unique, combined perspective of a Forester, outdoor enthusiast and local resident with a passion for nature restoration and sustainable land management.
What to expect from this channel?
You’ll find me camping in various locations in the Highlands using a range of setups and gear whilst discussing various topics related to Scotland’s natural landscapes. Forest management, nature restoration, woodland ecology and land ownership to name but a few!
Let's reconnect with nature and restore our natural world together!
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Connect with Us:
Instagram: @Highland_Woodsman
Website & Blog: www.highlandwoodsman.com
Email: [e-mail]
Equipment
Camera: amzn.to/3OJWZ5o
Drone: amzn.to/45ynL7s
GoPro: amzn.to/45hU2jD
Camera Accessories: amzn.to/4199Rr1
00:00 Intro
00:54 End of Intro
02:36 Setting up the hammock
06:38 Firewood collection
08:17 What have been up to?
13:00 More firewood processing
14:22 Making dinner in the evening
16:02 The next morning
17:08 Breakfast
17:30 Walk and talk around the forest
22:43 NOT Forest Thoughts
28:24 Packing up camp
29:08 Forest Thoughts - Natural Treeline Woodland
rewilding ecology ecosystems nature wildlife biodiversity climate Scotland
woodland forests landscape restoration camping bushcraft reconnect

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks for watching - links to more information and the gear I use in the description! 🌲

[@HikingWithHenry]

The world needs more men like you!

[@HighlandWoodsman]

You are too kind 🙂

[@CryptoKrill]

lovely video mate, enjoying the back to basics nature vibe, just a bloke and his dog enjoying our wonderful land

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks so much for watching 👍

[@hsceo14]

i just found your channel, this has got to be the best scottish youtube channel and i cant believe i have never seen it before. great work with the videos this is well needed 👌🏼

[@HighlandWoodsman]

What a fantastic comment to receive - really appreciate that!

[@tammym2753]

Wow … absolutely gut-wrenching to see how we abuse and destroy this beautiful earth/land … You are a beautiful soul, Sam 🥹🌲🥺

[@HighlandWoodsman]

I really appreciate you watching all these videos 😊

[@tammym2753]

⁠@@HighlandWoodsmanNo worries! Thank you for educating me and raising awareness 🌲😎

[@gunterbecker8528]

Nice to come across a real woodsman, one who cares ! Keep it up mate 😊

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thank you 😄👍🏻

[@jokeogh9939]

I've become fascinated with helping the temperate rainforests of Britain. I love camping videos but also educational ones which yours always are.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks again for watching Jo, I'm glad you get something out of the videos.

[@anniemack4282]

Forest Thoughts was brilliant. Thanks a lot. My heart aches for what we are missing. Appreciate your efforts. Best wishes

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks so much for watching Annie 🙂

[@tammym2753]

😂 happy 10 year anniversary at the Forestry🌲 and happy 10th birthday 🥳 to Darach 🥳

[@HighlandWoodsman]

😄

[@lyallbaybum69]

Another cracking video. Inspirational.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thank you, really appreciate that 👍🏻

[@pikefishingscotlandhighlan6664]

Brilliant stuff .

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thank you 👍🏻

[@herbsmith6871]

Very nice my friend! Thanks for sharing😎

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks for watching 😁👍🏻

[@irenejankowski4247]

Wonderful and informative. Thanks for sharing so much of your passion and knowledge. May your journey inspire others to become involved in restoring the natural environment of Scotland’s Woodlands.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks so much for watching as always Irene, if I can get one more mind thinking about these things then it's worth it.

[@obiblooze5902]

Darach is gorgeous, can't believe he's 10. What a great life he has with you 🙂

[@HighlandWoodsman]

We've created a lot of memories that's for sure! 😀

[@MoosebearAdventures]

Very nice and relaxing video 🤗🌞

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thank you 😁👍🏻

[@K81986]

Hi Sam, I love your videos and was wondering if I could share your channel with a few Scotland groups I am in? I think your content is most definitely worth watching. Like many millions of people I have always thought of Scotland as a beautiful place and while I still do my heart now breaks for what it has lost. I hope in my lifetime to see even half of it restored. Thank you for your content.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Hi there, thanks so much for watching. Yes please do share as much you want to, it's appreciated 👍🏻

[@tracyross98]

Dig the aerial shots

[@HighlandWoodsman]

😁👍🏻

[@trevormacfarlane1967]

Great video as usual Sam. I keep saying to myself that I am going to get out in the Cairngorms National Park but never seem to get round to it. I need to get myself sorted and get back to the Motherland.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Many thanks Trevor, you should definitely visit if you can, I would avoid mid-Summer!

[@wulliescottishoutdoors]

Good to see you back out Sam, another great wee video mate informative as always 😀, keep up the good work. Atb Wullie ✊🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Cheers as always Wullie 😀👍

[@wulliescottishoutdoors]

@@HighlandWoodsman no problem at all mate ✊🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@chazi4760]

This was a great video! It's nice and cosy

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thank you!! 😊

[@Scotland_my]

Another belter of a video. And I loved the bonus rant. I've said it before but the health of the forests in the Pyrenees is worth a look. Almost no "management" but loads of hunting control. They also don't shoot silly little birds for fun.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

It's definitely on my list and hope to travel there soon. Quite a few people have mentioned the Pyrenees to me now 😀👍

[@edpikestone6800]

Sam - great content and loved Forest Thoughts. Interesting point about the wild tree line in Scotland. I used to climb in the Alps a lot and a guide once told me that an aid to guessing elevation was the tree line would peter out at 2,000m. i did not realise that it varied from region to region. Every day is a school day. It would be really cool to get a simulation of the Highlands if they were regenerated back to the original state. Anyone out there in KZbin land could do this?

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Hi Ed, thanks as always - I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Yes as with most natural things it really does depend on the weather and environment. As the UK is quite harsh when it comes to wind and exposure trees aren't able to grow as high as they would in the more sheltered mountains of Europe. That's why the comparison is often made between Scotland and South West Norway as the climate is almost identical. In some cases Norway being even more windy and wet. I would love to see that too, I haven't come across anything like that yet unfortunately. There are projects that have used modelling to estimate potential full extent of forest cover but not quite the same as actually visualizing it.

[@pawoutdoors9290]

Can’t believe how relaxed and happy you looked sitting by the fire with doggy just before the steak cook shot. Great to see thx again for sharing scenes from Scotlands woodlands. Cheers

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks as always for watching 🙂👍

[@paulsmeaton2667]

Happy 10th birthday to Darach - still looks like a young pup! Always enjoy your videos and learn a lot!

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks so much Paul, appreciate you watching 👍🏻

[@tracyvernon9467]

Good to see you back, It always saddens me to see how much forests and woodland we have lost over the years, to think I spent most of my childhood playing in the fields and woods where I lived. Its nice for someone like you to actually let people know exactly what's going on and what the problem is. As far as grazing is concerned I can't see why farmers etc should keep their livestock away from the forests, and have organised shooting parties to cull the deer population and sell the meat and for the proceeds to be used to protect the forests. I know It's not that simple but It's a thought.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks Tracy! What we really need is one of two things. We need a robust public hunting system in place where anyone with the appropriate training and license can go and shoot their dinner. Or we need to break all these large estates up into smaller holdings so people can shoot their dinner on their own land whilst helping to manage their own patch or forest. At the moment we have such vast areas of land with such high populations of deer but the majority of the population just doesn't have access to either in terms of owning and the resources it provides.

[@tracyvernon9467]

@@HighlandWoodsman I totally agree! It really doesn't make sense why this isn't happening, surely its better for the woodlands and the nearby community's etc in the long run. Very frustrating!

[@HighlandWoodsman]

@@tracyvernon9467 It's because huge areas of land are owned by wealthy private landowners. Many of them overseas. No real interest or connection to the land. Just want a vast Scottish estate as a playground and a status symbol.

[@tracyvernon9467]

@@HighlandWoodsman 🙄I'm not going to comment on that as it would be too lengthy and inappropriate but I think the emoji say's it all..

[@JRG64]

💪💫🌲

[@HighlandWoodsman]

😀👍

[@haggishunteroutdoors]

Brilliant sam love your knowledge about the pine reminants i love them would love to get a camp with you. the closest one to me is in tyndrum its called Coille Coire-Chuilc but the sheep is all over it im going to do a camp in it this year. ATB .sam

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks a lot Sam, appreciate that! I really don't know down that way much at all but I'd love to visit them all one day!

[@l2e9aL]

The estate that pinewood sits on is going up for sale, hopefully someone “good” gets it…

[@nozo61]

Your videos are so enjoyable. I’ve started catching up from the beginning. Can you comment on the ‘buy a piece of woodland’ movement? It’s my dream and must be of so much benefit to these small areas. Is there a downside though?

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks so much for watching! I'm all for it. I would love to see a much more diverse land ownership in Scotland especially many many more small holdings. The problem we have though is even if you are able to buy a piece of woodland planning regulations make it so difficult to utilise as anything other than a small piece of commercial forest which then becomes extremely difficult and expensive because you don't have the scale! It's all back to front.

[@NicoleKaii]

I love Darroch, he is so cute! Is there a reason why the councils or forestry don't plant more food trees around everywhere? Apple, plum.. things that would easily grow in Scotland without any maintainance? In a world where food prices are rising so drastically, doesn't it seem like a no brainer? Money doesn't grow on trees but food does.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

Thanks so much for watching! And it's a great question! A big problem in Scotland is that huge swathes of land are owned by private landowners who are just not connected or interested in the land. Councils can barely cope with providing basic services with huge cuts. Public forest doesn't really have the time or resource to do it on any scale either. Most forestry land isn't that accessible for the general public. What we really need to see are large landholdings being broken up and returned to communities and small scale landowners who then make the most of it including growing fruit and nut trees. Many people who do have a small holding do this already we just need to scale up and have many more small land holdings diversifying and making the most of our land.

[@NicoleKaii]

@@HighlandWoodsman Great answer. I didn't know so much of the land was privately owned before watching your video. I Hope to have a small holding one day. I'm a fan of the 'food is free' projects. I'd love to see more of that happening in Scotland. I'm based in the Central belt, and not many people here seem bothered about it. Maybe up north there are more people thinking along these lines.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

@@NicoleKaii there are definitely a small amount of people trying these food sharing projects. The problem is getting enough small holdings in close enough proximity to make it work. But I think more people than ever are at least thinking about these things.

[@NicoleKaii]

@@HighlandWoodsman Honestly, even if we traded our own food via small holdings at much more affordable prices, it would make a huge impact. Doesn't necessarily have to be free. It's good to hear at least some people are thinking that way! There's only so long we can rely on fragile supply chains and never ending inflation.

[@HighlandWoodsman]

@@NicoleKaii I agree, many of the systems we have come to reply on are on the verge of imploding - something has to change.

[@Welshwildthing]

Darach in that hammock😍

[@HighlandWoodsman]

😀

[@clintromine802]

Well hell, I did not think it was possible for a dog to share a hammock. Was it hard to teach him to sleep in it with you?

[@HighlandWoodsman]

It didn't require any teaching at all really. He's been out camping with me for a long time in tents and different shelters so he was quite happy sharing it with me 😀