The Living Mountain - Nan Shepherd
The Highland Feltmaking Group came from around Inverness and the Great Glen to stitch an iconic woman and her adventures in the awe-inspiring landscape of the Cairngorms.
This is their story.
Nan Shepherd loved and understood the spirit of the Cairngorms better than anyone. In her book, The Living Mountain, she wrote of its life, shape and power:
In no other way have I seen of my own unaided sight that the world is round. As I watch, it arches its back, and each layer of the landscape bristles – though ‘bristles’ is a word of too much commotion for it. Details are no longer part of a grouping in a picture of which I am the focal point, the focal point is everywhere. Nothing has reference to me, the looker. This is how the Earth must see itself.
Anna, ‘Nan’, Shepherd walked alone in the Cairngorms for many years but chose not to publish her extraordinary account of the mountains until 1977. Modest, even a little reclusive, she was also a great novelist and poet, and an all too rare female voice in the story of the Highlands and Islands.
Nan Shepherd strolls forever through her beloved landscape.Image provided by Kirstie Campbell
WITH THANKS TO THE HIGHLAND FELTMAKING GROUP
This panel was stitched by Sue, Morag, Alison, Elaine and Myra who gave their time, skill and energy to completing a fantastic artwork for their area.
If you would like to see the panel up close and admire the detail of their work, please look out for the panel at an exhibition near you soon. To find out more, follow Inverness Castle Experience on Facebook for all the latest updates on the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands and the new visitor experience in Inverness, open 2025.
