No offence taken Kim
I agree that a properly rigged, and sited, tarp, can be very, very secure; but it can also be a very awkward thing to try to live under.
There's a Scottish proverb; "Better a wee bush than nae bield".....basically even a little bush is better than no shelter; but given the element of choice, there are better ways.
To live untrammelled by possessions, to move freely, easily, no worry and no stress, clean water and good food, to sleep soundly and awake revitalised, in a beautiful bit of the world, is a lovely ideal
If it were possible the Scottish Islands would be in the middle of a population explosion
The reality is that the weather's a hard chore on Skye at times, quite a lot of times to be honest, the lady has no experience of foraging or hunting, or by the sounds of it shore gathering either.
None of this is unsurmountable given a little enthusiasm and diligent effort, at the best time of the year, but the blithe confidence often fails at the simplest things. A dose of diarrhoea, the persistant attack of the midgies at any calm at all, the constant damp chill that pervades everything unless one creates a very dry area and has ample fuel. Even the growing number of ticks and keds can make a camp unbearable.
My husband camped on Skye early summertime last year. It was beautiful weather, the scenery was as good as it gets, he walked miles and miles, and he came home sunburnt, walked to bliss, and fed up with midgies, picking off ticks, and spending too long on his own in the evening with nothing much to do but go to bed and sleep.
We still had to dry out the tent and remove ticks from it, too
Fire helps, especially if you can burn stuff like the bog myrtle or mugwort......though both are contra indicated now according to the health guidelines
got to be better than the insecticides long term, I reckon but apparantly not.
Folks who claim the midgies aren't a problem have not spent any time in the west of Scotland in the height of midge season, even those who don't react to their bites find breathing clouds of midgies unendurable.
From an archaeological point of view, the mesolithic was a time of family groups roaming wide areas, exploiting seasonal resources, in a climate warmer than it is now.
That few degrees of warmth difference matters crucially. Sub marginal lands now were productive lands then.
Can someone create a small eco holding on Skye ? well of course they can, with a lot of forethought, a lot of hard work and a prudent investment in ample supplies.
Living wild ? as in 'our' idea of living wild ? not under the restrictions this lady has chosen.
cheers,
Toddy