Once upon a time..
Once upon a time, Lettoch was a small family farm. The farmer grazed some cows, sheep and a few ponies. Hay crops were taken for winter feeding. The land covered low-lying pasture and a hillside moor. Livestock mingled with deer, mammals and birds.
When we came to Lettoch 20 years ago, its days as a farm were long gone; replaced by a focus on field sports across the wider estate. This and unmanaged sheep grazing has reduced the abundance of wildlife and silenced a chorus of birds. The presence of badgers, foxes and hares has all but ceased.
Rewilding Lettoch is just one sentence in a world-wide story of wildlife and habitat loss. Learning to restore what once was a richer, natural ecosystem at Lettoch, has become our passion.
What do we mean by Rewilding and why is it important?
Rewilding means 'setting the scene' for nature to repair and restore itself. It's not about targeting one species or managing one habitat that we assume to have priority. It's about removing invasive land management practices that debilitate nature recovery eg. overgrazing. Rewilding means minimising human intervention like tree large-scale planting to allow nature to re-establish and re-balance itself.
David Attenborough said that “no single species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth." He explains that as a species we have lost our connection with the natural world. "Being in touch with the natural world is crucial" if we are to address biodiversity and species loss which in Scotland and the rest of the UK is increasing at an alarming rate with 50% of our butterflies, for example, now on the endangered list.
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” William Shakespeare; Troilus and Cressida.
Both Shakespeare and David Attenborough talk about "touch” in connection with nature. So what do we want that connection to look like? It’s sometimes hard to understand our own impact on the environment around us. But it’s important we understand how our everyday choices; how we travel; where we holiday and the food we eat; all contribute to the toll we see playing out across the planet.
A light touch is the approach we are taking at Lettoch
Rewilding Lettoch comes from our desire to step into the crises we see in habitat and wildlife loss.
Rewilding for us represents one huge and ongoing lesson about how to support what we have and how we recover it. We’re learning as we go just like everybody else, working out when to act and when to take a step back. We may make plans then change them as we watch and adapt to what pops up; capturing what we can along the way. Our decision will be made with the habitat and wildlife at the centre. Rewilding is a mindset rather than a rule book. It’s about applying the lightest of touches to enable Nature to restore itself.
Wherever you are in the world whilst you read this, we hope our story provokes your interest and more importantly, your action. If you’d like to get involved, contact us.
Where are we?
Lettoch Farm is situated between Pitlochry & Blair Atholl in Highland Perthshire. We are on the slopes of Creag Eallaich overlooking Glen Garry, with views south through the Pass of Killiecrankie, and North West up to Blair Atholl, Bruar and beyond. We are situated between the 200m and 300m contour lines on a southwest facing slope. Creag Eaillach behind us rises to 509m and Glen Garry drops away below us to 120m.
Steve Rawson
Steve & Kirsty live & work at Lettoch. Steve divides his time between managing their three holiday cottages, his photography & videography business Lettoch Films, and the Rewilding project.
Kirsty Leishman
Kirsty is a leadership coach and works with clients in Scotland, the rest of the UK and across the world. When she's not working you'll find her somewhere on site getting her hands dirty or stomping up the hill behind Lettoch.
Julia Duncan
Julia is our project manager. She made Rewilding Lettoch happen. She's the engine that makes it work and the arteries that connect us to the rewilding community.
Ellie Corsie
Ellie is our Ecologist. She tells us when to intervene and when to leave alone. Ellie supports several rewilding projects across Scotland and is a leading light in the rewilding community.