Piscatorial poetry

Over a long life of reading country magazines, I have so often been disappointed by the quality of the articles which have typically failed to match the wonderful photographs. Not so Scottish Field. It is to your great credit that you are now able to recruit writers of the calibre of Alan Cochrane, Alexander McCall Smith and Alex Massie. These are obvious examples. But in my opinion – and he is one of the reasons I buy your magazine – Michael Wigan, your fishing columnist, is right up there.

Michael is an acknowledged expert on the Scottish salmon as his book The Salmon testifies. But even if you are not a fisherman, you can’t help but be captivated by his descriptive powers. His introduction to January 2019's column is typical. 'It was a bleak scene. Stag roars by early November had faded. The afternoon was slanting behind the hill and the cold burn rattled past. Only ravens croaked. As I walked on, there was a sudden splash followed by a bigger one. Turning, I saw my shadow hit a flat plane of water and the fish boil and surge...'

This recent article was so enjoyable that I was tempted – fleetingly – to get in my car and drive five hours to Sutherland! So thank you to everyone connected with the current editorial of Scottish Field, which has become such a superb read. Andrew Hamilton, Gifford, East Lothian