Select an image to reveal What Lies Beneath…
Herdsman
The iconic Buachaille Etive Mòr (Great Herdsman of Etive) stands as a sentinel on the edge of Rannoch Moor, its pyramidal form instantly recognisable. From above, the road across the moor blends into the background, hardly more visible than the deer trails that crisscross the ground below. In a postcard view of the landscape, human intervention can seem diminished, while the deer—their trails largely invisible from ground level—leave their own mark, shaping the vegetation in ways we’ve stopped noticing, their impact hidden in plain sight.
Muirburn
A patchwork of irregular shapes marks many upland areas of Scotland—evidence of muirburn, the controlled burning of heather to encourage new growth that provides both food and shelter for red grouse. Bulldozed tracks wind through the landscape, giving easy access to the many shooting butts that pepper the hillsides. From above, the scale of intervention is unmistakable, what appears wild at first glance is, in reality, carefully managed to encourage grouse to flourish—so they can be shot for sport.
Regeneration
The Cairngorms tell a story of depletion—and now, of renewal. Centuries of overgrazing by deer and sheep stripped away what was once a thriving ecosystem, leaving behind open moorlands and fragmented habitats. Today, as grazing pressure is reduced—through controversial deer culls, policy changes, and shifts in land management—signs of natural regeneration are beginning to appear. Young trees and native plants are reclaiming ground, hinting at what the landscape could become if allowed to recover. Yet this transformation is contentious, dividing landowners, conservationists, and local communities over questions of identity, economy, and the future of the Highlands.
Oak Woodland
Kinclaven Wood is one of the largest remnants of native oak woodland in Scotland — extensively replanted after the Second World War and now managed by the Woodland Trust, who promote it as the Bluebell Woods. At the boundary between the old woods and newer plantations stands a solitary beech, made famous by Outlander, where it was known as the Witness Tree. From above, its broad crown marks the meeting point between the textured canopy of native woodland and the darker, uniform lines of conifers.
Hut Circles
A dammed river, plantations, sheep pasture, bare hillsides—it could be almost any Scottish glen. But beneath this familiar landscape lie hidden stories. The remains of abandoned buildings hint at lost settlements, while close to this spot is a memorial cairn for Robert Campbell (1808–1894), a native of the glen and a notable explorer of the Arctic regions of Canada. His life spanned a time when sweeping changes forced many to seek opportunity far beyond their home—a pattern that continues today, as economic pressures and limited prospects still drive people from the land.
Potato Furrows
Much of the landscape in lowland Scotland is dominated by agriculture—fields have become vast canvases, their scale visible only from above. What appears to be countryside at ground level is, in fact, a patchwork shaped by cycles of cultivation, where the natural contours of the land are overlaid with geometry and repetition—a landscape engineered to meet our needs.
Felling View
The aftermath of clear-felling exposes the scale of industrial forestry in Glen Etive. Vast tracts of plantation have been harvested, leaving behind a stark, scarred hillside and long stacks of timber. While run-of-river hydro schemes in this area have blended more discreetly into the land, tree felling leaves an unmistakable visual and ecological impact. Glen Etive is a designated National Scenic Area — yet here, economic land use and environmental values visibly collide.
Run of River
At ground level, the run-of-river hydro schemes in Glen Etive are discreet. Generator buildings are tucked away, blending well into the contours of the land. But from above, the wider impact becomes apparent: excavated channels, vehicle tracks, and diverted water leave visible marks across the glen. These interventions highlight the tension between renewable energy and landscape protection in one of Scotland’s most iconic settings.