I'VE been enjoying some interesting conversations with some of those who work on the land on the subject of woodland regeneration.

We've been filming a coast to coast walk across Scotland, from Aberdeen to Knoydart, for a BBC Christmas special, and we've been looking at some great examples of regeneration in Glen Tanar and on Mar Lodge.

It's well known that pine and birch woods once covered much of the Scottish Highlands.

Less than 1% of this natural woodland remains and man's not entirely to blame - a wetter climate (who says climate change is new?) and peat formation have played their part as much as burning, grazing and deliberate forest clearance.

Remnants of the ancient Pine Forest of Caledon still exist in places like Speyside and Deeside, Glen Affric and by Loch Rannoch but there are many other, less celebrated, woodlands in Scotland and in recent years the Forestry Commission, under their Forest Enterprise arm, has been opening many of them up for walkers.

I always enjoy a walk in the woods as an antidote to weekend after weekend of soakings on the hill.

Ironically, the day I chose for a short walk through the Allean Woods above Loch Tummel would have been a grand one for the hills - blue skies, gentle breezes and mild.

So, instead of far-flung views I enjoyed the open aspect of the pinewoods, and the sprinkling of other tree species like birch, rowan, spruce, larch and elegant Douglas firs.

And I was thrilled to see how nature has woven an immaculate carpet of lichens and mosses on the woodland floor - juniper and heather live alongside bilberry and cowberry, and wintergreen chickweed and orchids still open in the sunlight of early autumn.

The modern Allean woods could well have obliterated the resonances of ancient Scotland that are to be found here if it hadn't been the work of some local archeologists.

They discovered the remains of an 18th Century farmstead, or "clachan", and further east, the impressive remains of an eighth century "ring fort" `in a commanding position overlooking Loch Tummel.

You'll find the old clachan shortly after the start of this walk. It lies in an atmospheric glade, and Forest Enterprise, along with Scottish Enterprise Tayside, have re-constructed the main building and provided some excellent interpretive facilities.

Lichen-covered walls support a thatched roof and inside it's dark, dank and gloomy - the tiny windows afford little natural light.

A central fire would have provided heat for warmth and cooking, the smoke seeping up through the roof thatch. In turn, the carbon-saturated thatch would have been replaced regularly and dug into the fields as a fertiliser.

Outside, the remains of other buildings lie scattered, and small fields would have been used for growing crops - the people would have been largely self-sufficient.

It's believed the tenants of this particular clachan were cleared in the mid-1800s to make way for sheep.

Not far from the clachan, a viewpoint offers fine views through the trees and up the length of Loch Tummel towards the great bulk of Schiehallion, the Fairy Hill of the Caledonians.

When I first wandered round here a number of years ago the route followed broad forestry tracks but new, narrow and sinuous footpaths nowadays weave their way through the woods giving much better opportunities to see seed-eating birds like siskin, goldcrest and crossbill, or red squirrels, in the conifers.

As we loitered in the woodland streets, we found traces of badgers and roe deer and, from the loch below, we could distinctly hear gaggles of geese, the haunting sound of autumn.

The route climbs gradually now, with tantalising glimpses of Loch Tummel away below. Rocky crags break up the wooded slopes, and flaming bracken contrasts with the green of the foliage.

The circular wall of the ring fort is still in good condition. The ring is about 10 metres in diameter and the walls are about four metres thick.

A great timber roof, like a tepee, would have been built over this circular wall and other, smaller buildings could well have existed inside. An extended family would have lived within the protection of the walls - aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents all living in close community.

Fragments of rotary quern stones have been found here, together with a yellow, opaque glass bead and a stone cup, all consistent, apparently, with occupation in the first millennium AD.

Close to the start of this walk, and ideally placed for a post-walk brew, is the Queen's View Visitor Centre.