DESPITE the current inclination to refer to our areas of wild land as 'wilderness', our upland areas are full of historical resonance, and even remote and isolated areas of the Scottish Highlands still define their ancient links to man's passage and settlement.
The ruckle of stones that betray the whereabouts of old shielings, or the lichen-tinged drystone walls that still run along a mountain ridge, remind us that our modern wilderness is no such thing, but a land that has been emptied and abandoned.
Consider if you will those far-off days before our hills and mountains were regarded as arenas of recreation. Closely associated with such landscapes were Celts and Fingalians, Iron Age traders and Roman soldiers, Redcoats and Jacobites, road builders and clansmen, poets and artists.
Robbers, poachers, illicit distillers and even political adversaries, would take refuge in the remote, uninhabited areas, hiding from the authorities of the day, and spiritual men often found sanctuary here, withdrawing from society to create a peaceful haven in which they could fellowship with their God.
Although many formerly inhabited areas of Scotland, and indeed Britain, were subsequently emptied, the people who once lived there left behind a wealth of folklore and legend - stories, customs and popular beliefs, that linger even today.
A new book, 'The Most Amazing Places of Folklore and Legend in Britain' has just been published, and I've been astonished at the ancient rituals and customs that we still celebrate today, even, in many cases, when the origins have been lost in the mists of time.
The Scottish section of the book covers many of the well-known traditions, like Up Helly Aa in Shetland or the Beltane fire festival that takes place on Calton Hill in Edinburgh each year, but in the book I've discovered a wealth of legends and traditions that I have no idea about.
Did you known that the area of Edinburgh called Liberton is named after 'leper town'? Its associated with the Balm Well, the waters of which were said to cure skin diseases.
The water contains drops of a black oily substance which is produced by a coal seam at the source of the well, but tradition suggests that the well sprang from a drop of miraculous oil brought to St Margaret, the 11th century Queen of Scotland, from the tomb of St Catherine of Siena on Mount Sinai.
I've mentioned the fire parade of Up Helly Aa but other fire rituals are still kept alive.
At Burghead on the Moray Firth the local Presbyterian church had traditionally condemned the Hogmanay celebration of Burning the Clavie as "superstitious, idolatrous and sinful, an abominable heathenish practice".
Yet is still goes on, despite the church. Every year, in early January a flaming barrel, the Clavie, is carried through the town to Doorie Hill where onlookers scramble for bits of the barrel as it disintegrates. The tradition is to take a bit of the wood back home and light your own fire for good luck.
In Biggar, in Lanarkshire, a huge bonfire is assembled in the days leading up to Hogmanay, and on the night itself a procession of pipers and people carrying flaming torches marches through the town. Everyone throws their flaming torch on the bonfire to light it and a similar event takes place in Comrie in Perthshire.
The origins of these traditions are a little dubious, but it can probably be assumed that these festivals help liven up the cold, short days of winter.
The book lists over 500 places of ancient legend and modern fable and describes hundreds of spectacular seasonal celebrations and events.
A number of more in-depth features explore some of the uniquely British traditions and there are maps and directions to each destination. It's a fascinating book and one that I'll enjoy dipping into, in front of a fire in the dark nights of winter.
'The Most Amazing Places of Folklore and Legend in Britain' is published by Reader's Digest and costs £19.99.
