TGE: 02 - Scott McClure

Scott McClure is a photographer and filmmaker based in Glasgow, Scotland, and currently works with anOrdain. Scott describes the following photo essay as follows:

One of the remaining fragments of the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest of Scotland Coille Coire Chuilc is a rare and beautiful woodland of predominantly Scots Pine and birch, nestled between the River Cononish and River Fillan near the village of Tyndrum, Scotland. Accessible via the route of the West Highland Way, a path through the forest forms part of the approach to the Munros of Ben Oss and Beinn Dubhcraig.

The approach path to the Munro tops follows the North of the River Cononish, which features many shapely rock pools on its descent eventually joining with the River Fillan at the Eastmost point of the forest. The River Fillan has a long local history as a place of spirituality including its use as a holy healing well at St Fillan's Healing Pool. The river is also known to contain traces of Scottish gold and is a popular location for panning.

Characteristic of the landscape that would have once covered most of prehistoric Scotland, this small yet immersive forest is an example of one of the many locations deserving of increasing pressure to upscale conservation efforts of sites that, like Coille Coire Chuilc, not only serve as a home to many native species of flora and fauna but provide a place for ourselves and our imagination to wander

Coille Coire Chuilc, Tyndrum, Argyll

Photography and words @scottdgmcclure

Find more of Scott’s work here