The scenery bursts into life: making Scotland wild again

I walked the Highlands as it should be, with a beautiful diversity of trees, plants and animals, at a world-first rewilding centre

Birdcall breaks the morning silence as I potter past the stretching Scots pines and ancient oaks of Dundreggan, the rewilded estate of the charity Trees for Life in Glenmoriston in the Scottish Highlands. Woodpeckers drum and cuckoos call from on high, while around the trail, finches and thrushes flutter from tree to tree, avoiding beard lichens dripping off the branches.

I’m the first one out in the forest this morning (or the first human, at least), a feat easily achieved when you have spent the night here. The Dundreggan Rewilding Centre, the first of its kind in the world, opened in April and includes An Spiris, an L-shaped accommodation block with 20 double/twin rooms and a spacious communal area.