Wilding by Isabella Tree and A Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks, have been two of our most popular books at Mainstreet, so we are delighted to welcome journalist and blogger, Patrick Laurie who shares much in common with both in his approach to landscape, agriculture, science and folklore.

“I love this book.”  – James Rebanks (author of A Shepherd’s Life)

Desperate to connect with his native Galloway, Patrick plunges into work on his family farm in the hills of southwest Scotland. Investing in the oldest and most traditional breeds of Galloway cattle, he begins to discover how cows once shaped people, places and nature in this remote and half-hidden place.

As the cattle begin to dictate the pattern of his life, Patrick stumbles upon the passing of an ancient rural heritage. Always one of the most isolated and insular parts of the country, as the twentieth century progressed, the people of Galloway deserted the land and the moors have been transformed into commercial forest in the last thirty years. Much has been lost, and the new forests have driven the catastrophic decline of the much-loved curlew, a bird which features strongly in Galloway’s consciousness. The links between people, cattle and wild birds become a central theme as Patrick begins to face the reality of life in a vanishing landscape.

Portrait: Duncan Ireland Photography 

EVENT DATE : April 2020 (CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19)