The Alt Clud Review of Books

It’s to my great shame that it has taken almost four years of living in Glasgow for me to climb the Campsie Hills. Now in my defence, a global pandemic combined with rules against leaving the city boundaries – the Campsie’s sitting treacherously in East Dunbartonshire – has meant there were fewer opportunities then you’d expect, but even so they had always been on my “to-climb list” ever since I first noticed them staring at the city. But what fun they brought when I finally climbed them this weekend! The views over the Clyde Valley in particular were incredible, and from the most westerly cairn – just south of Cort-Ma Law – you could see from Renfrewshire in the West all the way to the Queensferry Crossing in the East. [1] Likewise, the walk back through the bogs near Lecket Hill were in many ways astounding, the blue of the sky, the complete emptiness of the landscape, just you, the grass and the water, followed by the reward of another epic view. All in all, a wonderful day out. ...

Sunday, 7 th November, 2021. I find myself with a number of other young people from the Young Christian Climate Network in the dim twilight of St Mungo’s Tomb in Glasgow Cathedral alongside Bishop Kevin, the Primus, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the International Leader of the Salvation Army, a Swedish Archbishop and countless other church officals. From the space where Kentigern’s tomb had once been placed an Orthodox bishop reads out a short prayer for COP26. We all then file out, and on the way up the steep stairs I reflect on all that has happened in 2021 and how this was not at all what I expected my COP26 (or year) to look like. But how did we get to this point? The world of bishops and politicians felt a long way away from the early days of our 1,200 mile climate walk to Glasgow, back in January when the world was locked-down and all was on Zoom. The Relay at the Scottish Border   It was January, 2021. The Young Christian Climate Network was discussing over Zo...