To ignore the call of the wild. be the last time I can hear it
tranquillity to witness the wildlife meant he had the opportunity to hear it too, something he made the most of.
Serious illnesses as a child left him completely deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other.
He admits he’s always muddled along, able to pick up one-to-one conversations in a quiet environment but struggling in noisier ones.
“I actually found on these journeys that I’m getting an age-related hearing loss, where you lose your high frequency sounds entirely. As I went along I was coming across birds singing and realising that I could no longer hear some of them. So, at the same time as I was adding to what I saw, I was losing things.
“I was seeing birds and having to accept I would probably never hear them again.
“Because I was starting from such a low base, the new loss of my hearing felt like it was adding insult to literal injury.”
Neil faced a more immediate and concerning health issue when he was diagnosed with a heart condition over the course of his year of Highland treks. Now happily controlled by medication, he suffered an attack which he says he just had to wait out in the fervent hope that it would pass as he was simply too far from help.
Although some may believe his enterprise was a lonely undertaking, Neil says being on his own was critical.
“After a while you forget yourself and you are only aware of the natural world around you,” he insists. “Being alone focuses your attention.” Neil was happy to see that the isolation of
Neil Ansell the area had kept it relatively unchanged and unspoiled in a world where man’s influence is often criticised.
“I think it has held on better than other parts of these islands,” adds Neil. “It comes across as more wild and more natural than so many places.
“But like many beautiful places in the world it is vulnerable. We need to learn to appreciate and preserve what we still have.”