Set against the remote and rugged terrain of the Highlands, The Sheltering traces a series of journeys to some of the country's most isolated and evocative places of shelter. From ruined scientific outposts and outlaw hideaways to hermitages, shielings, brochs and caves, The Sheltering explores the enduring resonance of wild shelters in our collective imagination and reflects on the many motivations-spiritual, creative, survivalist, rebellious-that have drawn people to these places across time.
Threaded throughout is a compelling personal narrative. Diagnosed in early adulthood with a progressive neurological condition, Patrick Baker's attunement to shelter is both symbolic and practical. Each refuge marks not only an extension of physical limitations, but also an act of defiant belonging-a mapping of the margins of resilience and possibility.
Blending travelogue with archival research, folklore, and cultural history, The Sheltering is a meditation on landscape, memory, and the elemental need for protection; an elegy to the places that hold us, and the stories they continue to tell.