Hostile Habitats - Scotland's Mountain Environment


Author: Edited by Mark Wrightham & Nick Kempe
Published: 2019
ISBN: 9781907233258
Cost: £20 (In Stock)


2019 edition. Scotland's first guide to mountain fauna, flora and landscape, written exclusively for hillwalkers and climbers has been updated. Compiled by some of the country's leading experts in their fields, this revised and expanded 2nd edition of Hostile Habitats offers a detailed introduction to the natural and man-made environment of Scotland's mountains, written by hillwalkers for hillwalkers.

Nine in-depth chapters combine the very latest research and knowledge and present it in a non-specialist style. The result is the most accessible and comprehensive overview of the upland environment ever written for outdoor enthusiasts.

More than 325 photographs and diagrams illustrate chapters on Climate, Geological Foundations, Shaping the Mountain Landscape, Vegetation Cover, Invertebrate Life, Mountain Birds, Mammals, Reptiles and Amphibians, Human Traces and The Future of Our Mountains.

Supplementing these chapters are identification sections detailing some of the rocks, landforms, plants, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, and human traces to be seen in the hills, all of which have been refreshed in this new edition. 280 pages.

Summary of updates in this edition -

  • All chapters updated in line with current thinking on the mountain environment
  • Further reading updated
  • 2 new pages in the Climate chapter
  • 2 new pages of ID entries for Landforms
  • 6 new pages of ID entries for Vegetation
  • 2 new pages in the Animals and Fish chapter
  • 2 new pages of ID entries for Invertebrates
  • 4 new pages in the Human Traces chapter (2 main text and 2 ID)
  • 2 new pages in the Future of Scotland's Mountains chapter


Profits from our guidebooks go to the Scottish Mountaineering Trust which is a Scottish-registered charity. Purchasing an SMC publication therefore helps support recreation, safety and education in the Scottish mountains.