‘Being in Nature’ author James Farrell has returned to the Shetland island that inspired him 26 years ago.
James was 26 years old in 1997, and managed the Isle of Noss National Nature Reserve.
This article in the Shetland News described how he felt on his return.
“[The jobs were] really, really different but still about a love of nature I think, and about the importance of nature to people,” he said. “I missed the space, the uncrowded space, [and] I also missed the people…Coming back here in a strange way, it feels like home.”
Working as a warden on the edge of Britain was formative for James. It deepened his appreciation for the natural world, his personal connection with wildlife, and helped him develop stronger human relationships too.
James is planning a book about his time there, and how things have changed since.