Much of the book was influenced by Jeanette’s love of the Scottish Western Highlands, in particular the area north west of Ullapool known as the Coigach peninsula. In this remote and stunning landscape, it is easy to imagine you are a million miles away from civilisation.

Photo of Suilven


Suilven is a magnificent mountain. Although just over 2300 feet, it is breathtakingly craggy and a challenging climb. It is extremely remote, and can only be accessed  from Inverkirkaig by a long and boggy seven mile trek.  

Cover image



The cover image is taken from the summit of Conival, part of the Ben Mor Coigach range. The view is looking west out to sea over the Summer isles.

Oldshoremore Beach


The beach was my inspiration for the southern sands in the book, and readers will recognise the spit of land stretching into the Atlantic. This is one of the most remote beaches in Britain, and one of the most spectacular.

During the early nineteenth century, much of Scotland’s highlands were cleared of its native trees, not to mention its native people, to make way for sheep. Recent attempts have been made to return the land to its former shape, but climate and poor soil make growth a slow business. These thin woods of birch, hazel and hawthorn are typical of the trees that can be found in the highlands.

You can see more of the area by following these links:

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ustours/coigach-assynt/index.html

http://walking.visitscotland.com/walks/northhighlands/

http://www.briarcal.co.uk