Knit, Read, Walk: The West Highland Way

Kate Davies and Tom Barr live by Scotland’s best-loved long-distance walking route: the West Highland Way. In this collaborative creative project they celebrate their home, their workplace, and the landscape which inspires them every day. Kate began by creating a collection of twelve hand-knit designs, each with its own distinctive story to tell. Balanced equally between garments and accessories, you might choose to knit a tweedy cardigan which echoes the mossy palette of Conic Hill, a delicate jumper recalling a favourite plant found on Rannoch Moor, or a shawl sparked by the energy of the Highlands’ first “electric village”. Each design is paired with an exploratory essay which sets Kate’s designs and inspiration in their richer context.  From Rob Roy’s romantic (mis)representation to the beautiful songs of Donnchadh Bàn; from Loch Lomond’s built environment to ways of seeing Rannoch Moor, Kate’s writing reveals the West Highland Way as, first and foremost, a social landscape with an important cultural history. Kate’s words and designs are accompanied by Tom’s stunning photography, depicting the West Highland Way in all seasons of the year.