Step into spring and step back in time

As forests begin to emerge from their winter dormancy, we’re inviting people to go for a woodland wander, take a step back in time and see a springtime woodland in a completely new light.

Reading our free booklets Into the Wildwoods and Into the Rainforest is a great way to set up a forest visit, offering a ‘guided tour’ of the past and the importance of spring to the Mesolithic wild harvesters who lived in Scotland’s wildwoods over 6000 years ago.

Full of accessible background information, new ideas and exceptional artwork, the booklets focus on individual characters and their activities to help readers gain a deeper insight into life in Mesolithic Scotland.

“Everyone loves the arrival of the longer, warmer days of spring and the chance to get outdoors to enjoy a walk, cycle, trek or run through a forest.

The people who lived in the wildwoods of Mesolithic Scotland also welcomed spring, but for very different reasons”, says our Archaeologist, Matt Ritchie.

Surviving winter was something to be celebrated, and the arrival of spring would bring with it hope and optimism. People would start to gather a wider range of food, resources and materials, and could travel further afield to connect with other groups.

“It would feel like a time of plenty after a long winter. Getting a glimpse of how those people saw the world really helps to enrich our understanding of ‘the joys of spring’ and to better understand our own place within the natural world.

Imagining the lives of the Mesolithic wild harvesters is a fascinating way to help us see some of our finest woodlands in a new light,” adds Matt.

Whether it’s the pinewoods of Upper Speyside, or the rainforest of Argyll, Scotland’s native woodlands provide the best setting possible for imagining and connecting with our Mesolithic ancestors.

They were at home in their environment, hunting, fishing and gathering enough to both survive and to prosper while leaving very little evidence – just archaeological traces of campsites, hearths and middens – of their ever having been there.

The Atlantic Rainforest clan lives close to other coastal resources and shares their landscape with other clans. By focusing on individual characters and their activities – from gathering the wild harvest to hunting and trapping – we hope to describe an ‘archaeoecological’ approach to learning. By imagining Mesolithic life in the rainforest habitat through our shared experience of the seasons we may better understand and appreciate life in the wildwoods all those thousands of years ago. 

Characters such as Eluta and Siimo help to underpin archaeological learning and inspire a human connection. 

“It can be difficult to connect with these people and communities from so long ago, even although the natural environment in which they lived can be found all around us today. By imagining individual characters we can help tell their story and reconnect with their lives,” adds Matt. 

Into the Wildwoods and Into the Rainforest both contribute to delivering Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy and support Scotland’s Rainforest Alliance. Our characters are drawn by Alex Leonard and our linocuts are created by Liz Myhill.