Sit Spot Adventures: Finding Inner Peace and the Highland Haggis
30th November 2024
In the heart of the Scottish Highlands, where the mist hangs low and the sheep roam free, there exists a mystical creature that has captured the imaginations of both locals and adventurous tourists alike — the elusive Highland Haggis (given the taxonomic moniker Haggis scoticus) — a creature of unparalleled stealth, wit, and, most importantly, a keen sense of humour.
Haggis are ‘Chionophiles’ (any organisms including animals, plants, and fungi that can thrive in cold conditions) meaning that they mainly come out during Winter. Traditionally, the Haggis hunting season is between today — St. Andrew’s Day (the 30th November) — and Burn’s Night (the 25th January), but Haggi can commonly be spotted in their natural habits for several weeks before and after these dates.
But what, you might ask, does this have to with Sit Spot and nature connection?
A Small Book of Sit Spot Invitations – A Gentle Guide to Deepening Your Connection with One Place in Nature
A quiet practice of returning — again and again — to the same place in nature.
This small 24-page booklet contains 10 Sit Spot Invitations designed to help you build a deeper, more sustained relationship with the natural world by simply sitting and observing. Rather than moving through landscapes, Sit Spot invites you to stay with one place, allowing it to slowly reveal itself over time.
A Sit Spot is a chosen place in nature where you return regularly to sit in stillness, notice your surroundings, and observe the subtle changes that unfold through time, weather, light, and season. It is a simple but powerful practice that encourages presence, patience, and deep attention.
Rooted in nature connection practices and widely used within Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku) and nature-based wellbeing approaches, Sit Spot helps shift your experience from visiting nature to forming a relationship with it.
Inside this booklet you will find:
• 10 Sit Spot Invitations to guide your practice
• An introduction to what Sit Spot is and how it works
• Guidance on choosing and returning to your Sit Spot location
• Simple practices for deepening sensory awareness and observation
• Ways to build a regular, restorative nature connection habit
Each invitation is designed to gently focus your attention — whether on sound, movement, light, stillness, or the changing presence of wildlife. Over time, these repeated moments of quiet attention can deepen your sense of belonging within the living world around you.
Sit Spot is not about doing more. It is about noticing more. It is about allowing the natural world to become familiar, intimate, and ever-changing — even when you are sitting in the same place.
This booklet is a small companion for anyone seeking calm, grounding, and a more meaningful relationship with nature through stillness and repetition.
A simple practice. A single place. A deeper way of seeing.
P&P is FREE within the UK.
Postage to the Rest of the World is £4.
In the fast-paced world we live in, where deadlines loom like storm clouds and the daily grind can feel like a never-ending marathon, it's easy to forget that we humans are intrinsically connected to nature. One way to reconnect with our wild side and escape the chaos of modern life is through the ancient practice of the ‘Sit Spot’. Sit Spot is not some trendy new-age meditation technique or an obscure yoga pose; it's a simple yet profound practice of finding a quiet spot in nature, sitting down, and observing the world around you. Imagine it as a date with yourself and Mother Nature, where the only agenda is to be present and take in the sights, sounds, sensations and smells of the great outdoors.
But what can make Sit Spot truly special is the potential for unexpected company you might encounter during your tranquil rendezvous with nature — and if you live in, or are visiting the Scottish Highlands, then this can mean the elusive Highland Haggis. Now, for the uninitiated, the Highland Haggis is a creature steeped in mystery and a pinch of Scottish folklore. Some claim it's a distant cousin of the Loch Ness Monster, while others insist it's more closely related to Bigfoot, but with a penchant for tartan kilts.
Picture yourself nestled in a cozy nook amidst the rolling hills, the crisp Scottish air gently caressing your face. Your Sit Spot is your own personal sanctuary, a place to mindfully connect with the natural world and with the landscape, or simply enjoy the symphony of birdsong. But … your Sit Spot might also be the perfect vantage point for spotting a Highland Haggis.
We have previously discussed how the ideal length of time to practice your Sit Spot is about twenty minutes, as this is about the length of time that it often takes wildlife to become accustomed to your presence. This is particularly the case with wild Haggi (the plural of Haggis) and most people never see a wild Haggis as they cannot sit still and quietly for this long. It is rare that we suggest consuming alcohol whilst practicing Sit Spot, but drinking Scotch Whisky during this period has been shown to be an effective way to mask your human smell and relax you, making you more amenable to being approached by passing Haggi.
The Haggis is the only animal that has both fur and feathers
Guidance on Haggis Sit-Spotting
The Visual Signs – What You Might See
Haggi are about the size of a small Terrier and one of the unique things about the Haggis as a species, is that it is the only animal that has both fur and feathers, making it exceedingly well camouflaged in the heather-rich landscape in which they most like to live and breed. As you might also be aware, another unique feature of the Haggis is that their left legs and their right legs are not the same length, enabling them to run better on the steeper Scottish hills. You can differentiate between a male Haggis and a female Haggis by the direction in which they run around the hills. Male Haggi run clockwise (left legs longer than right legs) whilst females run anti-clockwise (right legs longer than left). The steeper the peak, the greater the difference in leg length, so in fact you can also differentiate between a Highland Haggis, an Island Haggis and a Lowland Haggis, just by looking at the difference in leg length. Some Haggi have adapted particularly well to the boggy areas of Scotland having evolved extra-long snouts that give them an advantage when bog snorkelling.
What You Might Hear
The sound of an approaching Haggis is the sound of syncopated foot fall, as the difference in leg length gives them a unique gait as they walk, trot or run, much like the ‘Tölt’ of the Icelandic horse. They also snuffle. A lot. Like a hedgehog. If you should happen to tread on one that is hiding from you as you make your way to your Sit Spot location, I can best describe the sound as being like a bagpiper preparing to skirl (to play music on their bagpipes).
What You Might Smell
Barr’s Irn-Bru and ‘Tablet’
Ideally, if you have planned your Sit Spot location cleverly in advance, then you should be down-wind of the curved arc that the Haggi in the area will take as they approach you, but this will depend on whether you hanker to spot a male or female Haggis as they will come from opposite directions.
Locals ‘in the know’ will often try to attract wild Haggi to their gardens by putting out a plate of Scottish Tablet and a shallow bowl of Barr’s Irn-Bru, so you might find that the first thing that you smell is a scent on the wind of this combination of Irn-Bru and Tablet.
Irn-Bru is a Scottish carbonated soft drink, often described as "Scotland's other national drink" after Whisky. Introduced in 1901, the drink is produced in Westfield, Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, by A.G. Barr of Glasgow.
Tablet is a medium-hard, sugary confection from Scotland. It is usually made from sugar, condensed milk, and butter, which is boiled to a soft-ball stage and allowed to crystallise. It is sometimes flavoured with vanilla essence, but also sometimes with Irn-Bru.
Some people will try to tell you that Tablet is the same as Fudge. However, those people who know their Scottish confectionery will tell you that there is a clear difference in texture between Tablet and Fudge, with Fudge being the softer of the two, and Tablet having a grainier and more brittle texture.
What You Might Feel
It is unlikely that any passing Haggi will come close enough that you can touch them, but you may well feel a sense of awe and wonder. However, these creatures are known for their mischievous antics, often playing pranks on unsuspecting passersby. Imagine sitting in your spot, eyes closed, trying to connect with nature, only to have a Haggis gently nudge you from behind, causing you to spill your freshly foraged tea. It's all part of the Haggis charm.
If you don’t see a Haggis you might also feel frustration as you really do have to be patient. Very patient. In some areas Wild Haggi have been hunted nearly to extinction due to the illegal trade in their ‘furthers’ (fur and feather coats) for the illicit Haggis Tweed market. This trade is driven by a group of deviant crofters in the Outer Hebrides who run the underground Haggis Tweed Mills using the hair from their undercoat and their soft tail feathers to spin and then weave this sought-after fabric.
Other Tips for Attracting a Haggis
Now, you might be wondering, how else to attract a Highland Haggis to your Sit Spot? Well, the truth is, nobody really knows other than putting out Irn-Bru and Tablet. Some suggest that playing bagpipes or reciting Robert Burns poetry can do the trick, while others swear by offering a wee dram of Scotch whisky as a gesture of goodwill. But there is great pleasure to be gained from just sitting and observing a Haggis in its natural habitat, as actually approaching a Highland Haggis requires the finesse of a seasoned diplomat and the stealth of a ninja – these creatures are known to be as skittish as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Should you be unsuccessful, just remember that the Highland Haggis in particular is also a master of camouflage, blending seamlessly into the Highland landscape with its shaggy furthers and its uncanny ability to roll down hills to evade predators. Locals swear that spotting a Haggis during your Sit Spot session is a sign of good luck, but it could just a sign that you've had one too many sips of the local Scotch whisky.
Final Thoughts
The benefits of practicing Sit Spot, even without a close encounter with the Highland Haggis, are well-documented. Studies show that spending time in nature reduces stress, boosts creativity, and enhances overall well-being. It's like a spa day for your soul, minus the cucumber slices and white robes.
So, next time you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, grab a blanket, find a cozy spot in the great outdoors, and embrace the Sit Spot magic. And who knows, if you're lucky, you might just catch a glimpse of the Highland Haggis, rolling down a hill with a mischievous twinkle in its eye. After all, in the world of nature connection, anything is possible, even a whimsical encounter with a mythical creature wearing a tartan kilt.
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