Roseleen Shanley
Principal Teacher,
Bankhead Academy

Day in Isolation - Part 5

Out of nowhere appeared three men. They mentioned they had got lost. We spoke about the Natural Change Project and their occupations which were a lawyer, restaurant owner and a taxidermist. I know I was not supposed to chat but what were the chances of meeting such a combination of people on your day in the wilderness! It was fate. I took a sip of whisky from them as I was quite cold now (any excuse I know) I did decline a visit to the local pub that evening as I really should not be talking to anyone until Sunday.

  Me in the den

I sat in my den and waited for the heavy rain to go off. Thoughts of work and family chores began to come into my mind. I managed to bat them away though. This was my day to absorb myself in the environment.

Then I caught sight of him in the water. My seal. The tide was low and the water still. He slowly lifted his head out of the water and began to look at me. I had eye contact with a seal - brilliant!. I watched him through the binoculars. I saw his whiskers and his big eyes. He kept disappearing and reappearing as if he were playing a game of pee’p-bo with me. Every time I tried to take a photo of him, he went under the water.

Where the seal first appeared.

After what seemed like an hour he disappeared and I was once more alone. I felt quite sad and began to get bored. I wrote my name in pebbles on the grass. I could really identify with this special place.

The sun came out and I sat on top of the rocks above my den. I dangled my legs and watched the boats come and go. I tried to dry my socks and was able to remove my waterproofs. With the added warmth from the sun my day was becoming fantastic. I had an amazing view and it was all mine. Or was it?

Day in Isolation Part 4

I left the white cairn with loving thoughts and memories of my special father.

I finally reached my “special place” my little bay. I felt so happy and excited by all the beauty that surrounded me. I could easily spend the whole day here. What a treat. I got out my binoculars and started looking around for wildlife. I spotted some Oyster-catchers and Heron and watched them feeding on the mussels and other shell fish. I watched some sea gulls and it was lovely to see them in their natural habitat instead of the streets of Aberdeen where they are quite a problem. They are very noisy and rip open garbage bags. One was even stealing from a local shop! It would creep in and steal a bag of crisps from a shelf close to the door. Now, that is being resourceful.

Suddenly it began to rain very heavily. I quickly looked around for shelter and saw heather overhanging large rocks. I put my spare waterproof jacket over the heather in an attempt to make a little shelter. I managed to snuggle into a space under the heather where I remained for some time. The view from my shelter was still pretty good and I felt dry and safe in my little rocky and heather den.

I began to feel like the earth ( my little shelter)  was looking after me. As I curled up to fit into the dry space, it felt as though I was a small child being held in the protective arms of the earth. A foetus curled up and safe in the womb.  I felt quite sleepy. It was a strange but comforting feeling. Then I began to feel a bit silly for thinking such things.

Just as I was beginning to fall asleep, I heard voices and jumped upright. Who was coming?

Day in Isolation Part 3

I began to make my way down off the large hill to claim my special place at the little bay. It had been raining and it was really tricky coming down. I kept losing my footing so I decided to slide down on my bottom which was really good fun.

It was windy on the hill!

The view from the hill.

I got to the bottom of the hill and ought to have turned left to head for the bay but I got tempted to cross to the other side of the water as the tide was out and I could reach the hill on the other side. I spotted some tracks in the mud and decided to follow them. They looked like deer tracks. I knew I could not be too long as I could be stranded if the tide came in. I followed the the tracks to the opposite hill. I thought I spotted some deer and was surprised they had not run off. As I drew closer, I saw a black and white shape. What on earth was it? I got out my binoculars and realised I was following a group of wild goats. The billy goat was standing his ground as I drew nearer. I decided this might not be so good an idea as I had heard of male goats chasing people. I backed away slowly from the goats and headed finally for my special place at the bay. I did enjoy my first attempt at tracking though.

The weather began to clear and I spotted a little cairn made of white pebbles close to the bay. I placed a small white stone on the top. This reminded me of the last time I had placed a stone on a cairn. On the way home from my father’s funeral at “Cairn a Mount”.

Day in Isolation Parts 1&2

I headed off west towards the sea. I decided I wanted to find a secluded place where I could see otters. The weather was lovely as I set off and I felt very warm in all my outdoor clothing. I walked for about two miles and came upon a waterfall. I stopped and listened to the sound of the water and enjoyed watching the water cascade down over the rocks into a still pool. I felt very lucky to have this precious moment.

I moved on and began to follow the coast. I passed the last remaining houses and saw a lovely bay in the distance. I decided to head there. The tide was out and there were mountains all around the sea. There were oyster-catchers, herons, dippers, shag and a seal. (I will tell you more about the amazing seal later) The scenery was breath taking and I stopped several times to take photographs. I will enclose some for you to view.

I finally reached my bay, the one I hoped would be my “special place” for the remainder of the day. But…..there was a problem. Someone was in that bay. Who were they and what were they doing there?

I decided to climb up the large hills behind me that faced the sea. With no adult worries or responsibilities for a day, I felt like a little child exploring as I had done all those years ago in my childhood. I scrambled up the hill, dangled my feet over the rocks, and laughed my head off trying to put my waterproofs on in the now driving wind and rain. I poured a cup of tea and saw it swirl and jump out the cup with the force of the wind. This was such fun! Finally the winds dropped almost as suddenly as they had begun. As I watched from above, I saw the woman set off in her canoe out towards the open sea. At last, I could claim my special place for the day. Or would I?

The journey begins!

The group met in Edinburgh and travelled to Mallaig where we got on a  boat which took us to Knoydart. We had many good laughs on the journey and the people in the group seem really friendly and nice.

The scenery is spectacular here and I can see why Knoydart was chosen as the place to begin our work into Eco Psychology. We are staying in a place called the “Old Byre” which is a delightful old building which has been tastefully restored. Nature surrounds you within the house with its beautiful wood, stone and slate features. The inside appears to be an extension of the natural environment. The television has been deliberately covered by a man made rug. This will enable us to switch our attention away from daily distractions and concentrate solely on environmental issues.

Today the group completed the following workshops and activities:

We made a group map of Knoydart on the beach using objects we each individually collected from the shore and surrounding area. It was an artistic representation of what we felt was important about our time here.

Co counselling workshop techniques which helped us develop skills of communicating and listening by adopting three roles within a small group. One role was the speaker, another the listener who would ask “open questions” and thirdly, the observer who would guide and support the speakers and listeners in their roles. Group roles were rotated.

An academic talk on basic human needs which drew from the work of Abraham Maslow and Max – Neef.

Walking activity with techniques to improve observation skills.

Visualisation techniques which aided and heighten awareness of sensory experiences when outside in the natural environment.

The final part of the day related to preparing for the day in isolation. Here each member of the group would have to spend a whole day alone in the outside environment from dawn to dusk. We would have to search for a “special place” and spend the day here. Once in that space you could not wander more that 10 metres in any direction from that special location. The isolation day would begin at dawn and each member of the group would not be able to communicate verbally with other group members from 9pm on the Friday evening until Sunday at 8.30am.