HEIDI TALBOT, FOLK SINGER
Where is it?
Tormain Woods, Ratho, Edinburgh.
Why do you go there?
I grew up in a small village in Ireland and I've lived in several places since I left home at 18. I have travelled all over the world, but there's something really special about where I live now.
I moved to Ratho five years ago and discovered these amazing woods on my doorstep. It's a gorgeous place full of magic and megalithic stones.
How often do you go?
I go everyday if I can. I'm a trained seasonal yoga and Pilates teacher and trees are so grounding and healing to me. I have a couple of favourite trees: one that has grown into the shape of both man and woman and another that has big, outstretched arms, watching over the village.
How did you discover it?
I've always been drawn to folklore and stories of a metaphysical nature. There is a local legend about one of the stones called "the witches' stane".
Legend has it that it was used for healing by a local witch, but it was blown up and the remnants are in a pile in the woods. There are many cup and ring markings on the stones up there. It feels ancient and earthed.
There's a great sense of peace and it's pretty remarkable that the woods are surrounded by fields and countryside while only being a couple of miles from a major airport, motorways and less than eight miles from Edinburgh city centre.
What's your favourite memory?
The sun streaming through the trees and a hawk swooping close to my head as it tried to catch a hare that ran across my path. The hare got away. The hawk was majestic.
I wrote the first song on my new album in the woods that day. It took 15 minutes. That never happens to me. I like to think I caught it there.
READ MORE: Wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan reflects on his 30-year career
I spent so much of lockdown walking and singing or writing ideas into my phone. I really think where you are informs your creativity and, for me, Tormain Woods are vibrant with creative energy.
Who do you take?
It depends on the day. I love walking there alone and taking my time. I'm a total tree hugger. I take my daughters there a lot.
There's a couple of tree swings and some perfect climbing trees. I encourage my girls to hug the trees too. They'll humour me sometimes but mostly think I'm bonkers.
What do you leave behind?
My anxiety. Tree hugs. There's a fairy door in one of the trees where locals leave little toys, and you're allowed to take one if you leave something in its place.
Sum it up in five words.
Magical. Green. Lush. Abundant. Protective.
What other travel spots are on your wish list?
Bali, India and Egypt, but for now I'll settle for a beach in Menorca with my two gorgeous girls.
Sing It For A Lifetime, the new album by Heidi Talbot, is out now
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here