Hindsight

A powerful, searching and deeply personal exploration of rewilding, land, heritage and ecological grief in the Scottish Highlands.

Jenna Watt journeys into the contested landscapes of modern conservation — uncovering the emotional, historical and political forces shaping Scotland’s wild places.

About the Ebook

Hindsight begins with a single, visceral experience: in 2019, Jenna Watt joined a deer stalk on the vast Corrour Estate, seeking to understand the emotional and physical realities behind Scotland’s deer cull and the wider rewilding movement.

Piece by piece, she unravels the story of that day — interwoven with a startling personal discovery that her own ancestors were deer stalkers, gamekeepers and ghillies who once took part in land practices now seen as controversial, from muirburn to species persecution.

Her journey leads her deep into the complex, often polarised world of rewilding. She meets:

• The “Wolf Man” campaigning to reintroduce wolves to Scotland for the first time in 300 years.
• A mountain ecologist tracking the ecological impact of deer across upland landscapes.
• Landowners reintroducing species such as beavers to their estates.
• A female deer stalker challenging the male‑dominated traditions of stalking and gamekeeping.

Through these encounters, Watt explores the meaning of “wildness”, the shifting baselines of conservation, and how individuals and societies can cope with ecological grief in an age of climate crisis and mass extinction.

Longlisted for the 2022 Highland Book Prize and praised as “essential reading for lovers of the Great outdoors” by Roger Cox, Scotsman Magazine.

Critical Praise

"Essential reading for lovers of the Great outdoors."
— Roger Cox, Scotsman Magazine

Why You'll Love This Ebook

• A deeply personal journey into Scotland’s rewilding movement.
• Rich, immersive nature writing grounded in lived experience.
• Explores ecological grief with honesty, nuance and emotional depth.
• Perfect for readers of rewilding, conservation and landscape memoir.
• A standout Birlinn title blending travel, ecology and literary nonfiction.

About the Author

Jenna Watt is a multi‑award‑winning theatre maker and writer. Her Edinburgh Fringe play Faslane was published by Oberon Books (now Methuen Drama) and led to her presenting Nukes, Subs and Secrets for BBC Scotland. She holds an MSc in Sustainable Rural Development from the University of the Highlands and Islands and has developed work exploring ecofeminism, rewilding and land management through Magnetic North Theatre’s Artist Attachment programme.

Publication Details

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Imprint: Birlinn

Publication Date: 4 August 2022

Print Length: 240 pages

ISBN (Ebook): 9781788855129

Format: Ebook

Language: English

Categories: Nature Writing & Gardening / Travel Writing, Adventure & Guide Books / Literary Non‑Fiction

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