giving serious consideration to taking a year or so and staying in my family’s homeland for some reconnecting to my roots. (primarily scotland and ireland). would be delighted to hear from anyone living in the region, or from there but currently living elsewhere. any recommendations for forums / other resources would be appreciated too. thank you 
Hey Tracie, I’m wanting to do the same! I’m still very early in the planning stages and not sure about the timing yet, but if we’re over there at the same time, I’d love to try and meet up. I can’t find it right now but a little while ago I found this great site with a database of all of the hills and mounds in Ireland with contextual information about the stories/myths/songs that come along with some of them (like the Turlough O’Carolan song “Sí Beag Sí Mór” for example).
I did find a post on here from two years ago from someone in Dublin…
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hi loess! it’s so nice to hear from someone with similar interests 
i’ll check out the link you posted - thanks! maybe we can keep this thread active and see who else might be out there. feel free to message me any time, here or in the rewild fb group (Tracie Moon). Is there a particular region you’d like to focus on, or are you envisioning roaming all over the place? best wishes 
I’d like to set up some opportunities ahead of time to plug-in with like-minded folks, maybe help out with some land projects in the permaculture/homesteadish vein (lots of sheep and sheep herding over there; I’d like to get to know some sheep!), but for the most part I’m pretty wide open to just letting my heart and whatever connections I make guide me once I’m over there. I also need to spend some time with my mom who’s done some digging into our ancestry and see what places come up there.
How about you?
I’ll connect with you on fb too…I’m on the rewild group but I’m gonna start checking up here too, I haven’t really been on here much since like 2009…
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I’m living in Scotland, and my husband’s family lives in Ireland so we’re there from time to time too. (I grew up in the US though.) Would be happy to meet up if you make it to our area.
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Hello Karen! nice to hear from you! what part of the country are you in? do you have any local rewilding resources to point me at? look forward to hearing more from you, thanks
Hi Tracie, we’re near Edinburgh. Don’t think I can help you source wise. We just sort of do our own thing. What are you looking for?
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Hi Tracie, I’m in SE England if you’re in the area and would like to meet up.
Maybe have a look at Dark Mountain:
Or Rewilding Britain (more conservation/landscape rewilding than tribal/anarchic):
Otherwise the Permaculture,The Land or Resurgence/Ecologist magazines might be worth checking out for stories or contacts, depending on what you’re after:
http://thelandmagazine.org.uk/
http://www.resurgence.org/
Don’t know much specific to Scotland or Ireland, I’m afraid. Oh, except Trees For Life who are trying to bring back the Caledonian Forest in the scots highlands (I already bent Karen’s ear about them!):
best wishes whatever you decide to do,
Ian
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thanks for your reply Karen! i guess i’m just in the beginning stages of learning about the rewilding movement there, and eventually if my plans firm up, i’d love to get recommendations on “wild” places to visit and kindred spirits to meet. my mother was born and raised in Dumbarton, her parents both migrated there from Ireland. My dad was born and raised in the Devon area, and i’m working on piecing together family history on both sides. (both of my folks migrated to the US via Canada, & i was born & raised in Washington state). i’ve visited in the past but meeting my aunts, uncles, and cousins was unfortunately not a very positive experience so this time around i’m going to change my focus dramatically and try to stay a lot longer. (possibility for a permanent move is rolling around in the back of my mind if i found a spot where i really felt i was “home”) Would love to hear about your experiences, insights, and perspectives on the transition toward wildness there! (or anything else you’d like to share!). Thanks ps. are you on FB? i’m there as tracie moon.
hello Ian! thank you so much for all of the wonderful links to resources, i really appreciate you taking the time to help me with my search and am excited to check them all out! would love to hear anything you’d like to share about your experience as a rewilder in your area - do you feel that there are accessible options for the average person wanting to live more closely and in harmony with natural systems there? foraging, planting back, fishing, hunting… thanks again, and warmest regards!! 
(ps. are you in the FB group as well?)
No probs, glad to be of assistance 
Rewilding’s a bit hit & miss in this highly domesticated land but I’ve had some reasonable successes:
The big problem for me has been finding others who have similar interests in my locality. Most people just don’t seem to have the time or inclination, sadly - it’s all work, bills and shopping (and maybe the occasional drinking binge) as far as I can see…
Lots of places you can check out in Devon. That’s where the dartington center is (loads of courses and Martin Crawford’s forest garden). Also I hear good things about Totnes, where the transition town initiative started out. Couple more links for you:
http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/
http://www.transitiontowntotnes.org/
It’s where hippies go to retire basically 
Can put you in touch with a few more people if you decide to visit.
best,
I
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Hi Tracie I live in north west scotland…its amazing. I live off grid and off road on a wild peninsula. If you plan to come up this way get in touch and in the mean time ask me anything you need to know about the area
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Thank you!!! I will definitely have questions and would love to hear about your experiences!!!
The first in my mind is how did you approach land access, and are you part of an intentional community, or doing more of a solo lifestyle? This is such a huge barrier for so many of us. Great to have you join this conversation! 
Its unusual here as you have to walk in for five miles plus or get a boat across the loch. There is an informal community and people hep each other out but its not an organised community and most people are more or less independent. People with similar ideals just seem to end up here one way or another! The main thing is there are no shops or proper roads and everyone is off grid. It can be challenging depending on what your situation is and having practical skills or a willingness to learn them is essential. The main barrier is earning an income and I am still figuring that one out!
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