How Scots are dealing with red alert

I VISITED the Cairngorms for Red Squirrel Week, courtesy of Visit Scotland.

On guided forest walks, visitors were shown the little rodent, which is loved in Scotland but almost gone from England and Wales. The famous Caledonian pine forests are the last British stronghold; they seem to support a thriving population. Squirrels were easy to spot around Aviemore, where I was based, but there’s concern for their future.

Edward Longshanks, king of England in the 13th Century, was known as the ‘Hammer of Scots’. Now another ‘hammer’ is on the march. In 1876, grey squirrels from America were introduced to Henbury Park in Cheshire and releases took place elsewhere in subsequent decades. The newcomers thrived in British woodlands and parks. The resourceful invaders, willing to cross open ground between stands of trees, have conquered most of our neighbouring island.