"One man's search for peace and beauty in an increasingly frenetic world has never read so well or so evocatively." — Eifion Rees, Shooting Times & Country Magazine After giving up a hectic life as a journalist in Europe and Hollywood in the late 1960s to return to his boyhood love of nature, Mike Tomkies moved to Eilean Shona, a remote island off the west coast of Scotland. There he rebuilt an abandoned croft house and began a new way of life observing nature. He tracked foxes and stags, made friends with seals, and taught an injured sparrow-hawk to hunt for itself. It was the indomitable spirit of this tiny bird that taught Tomkies what it takes for any of us to be truly free. Whether he was fishing, growing his own food, or battling through stormy seas in a tiny boat, he learned that he could survive in the harsh environment. This is the astonishing story of daring to take the first step away from urban routines and embracing a harsh yet immensely rewarding way of life which, in turn, led Tomkies to an even more remote location and inspired an acclaimed series of books on various animals and the challenges and joys of living in remote places. "The awesome extent of his struggle to build an uncomfortable but self-supporting writer's life alone in an isolated crofter's cottage is vividly and lyrically described." — Sunday Express "A treasure house of outdoor knowledge . . . It should be read slowly to fully appreciate its value." — Rennie McOwan, Scots Magazine
