Hugh Raven

Living a Greener Life

Hugh Raven has managed to achieve what many would consider to be 'the best of both worlds' in his life in Scotland.

During the week he works in the cosmopolitan capital, Edinburgh, and spends his weekends at the family home in Morvern, North Argyle. A lifestyle that is easily possible in a small country where the countryside is never far away.

Hugh spent most of his working life in London before the new Scottish Parliament made a political life north of the border a real possibility and Hugh decided to run as a candidate in the first ever Scottish Parliamentary elections.

As a special adviser to Michael Meacher's environment department, and adviser to the late Robin Cook in setting up the Green Globe Task Force in 1997, Hugh had made his career in politics and becoming a candidate was a natural step. Two elections later, however, his lifelong interest and expertise in environmental issues drew him to his current role as Director of Soil Association Scotland.

Hugh explains, "As director of Soil Association Scotland I am working toward making the movement central to agricultural life here, promoting public and environmental health in helping to improve Scotland's diet.

"We're dedicated to ensuring that organic food and farming has its rightful place in public policy."

Hugh's interest in agriculture and the environment is, he says, largely down to his upbringing, spent in part in North Argyle where his family have had a home for generations.

"My grandfather first started farming at home in 1930, and our family there is well established. My mother and siblings have houses there, and my wife and children live in the family home that we renovated when we returned to live in Scotland," says Hugh.

Weekends in Morvern involve helping to run the family business – Ardtornish Estate – which covers approximately 60 square miles of hills, woodland, rivers and lochs with a 20 mile coastline on the Sound of Mull and Loch Linnhe. As well as offering self-catering holiday accommodation, the estate is a working farm, and part of it is included in the Rahoy Hills reserve, for which the Scottish Wildlife Trust has responsibility for conservation.

Hugh's interest in organic farming sits side by side with a love of food and he is an active member of the UK Slow Food Movement, helping to found and being active in Slow Food groups, called Convivia, in the Highlands and in Edinburgh and organising events along with his wife, Jane Stuart-Smith, co-owner of The Whitehouse Restaurant in Morvern in the village of Lochaline.

Hugh says, "The Slow Food event we organised in Morvern at Easter was the largest event to take place in the peninsula in living memory. Ardtornish House provided the perfect setting for food lovers to discover the wealth of local produce."

When he gets the chance to relax, Hugh likes to spend time fishing and sailing – especially round the west and north coast of Scotland, which he says provides some of the best sailing opportunities in the UK if not Europe.

Hugh is enthusiastic about Scotland's natural environment and loves to travel further north to Nairnshire and the North East for the spectacular scenery, but his favourite spot in the whole of Scotland is not far from home – the ancient Fort at Dunaad, between Oban and Lochgilphead.

"Just west of the fort, on the north of the estuary looking towards the Crinan Canal is Duntrune Castle – in my opinion the nicest place in Scotland," he says.

Despite his love of the countryside, Hugh enjoys life in Edinburgh too where he can take advantage of all that the city has to offer such as cinema and theatre, and attending Slow Food Movement events.

With so much enthusiasm for Scotland it's hardly surprising that Hugh says he wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Related Links

• Soil Association Scotland
• Ardtornish Estate
• Slow Food Movement
• The Whitehouse Restaurant
• The Big Question: Scots and environmental research
• Turning Over New Leaves: the importance of trees to the Scottish environment
• Green is the New Black: the rise of green tourism in Scotland
• Close Encounters of the Bird Kind: Tom Brock, Scottish Seabird Centre
• Top 5 Places That Make Scotland Green: Robin, Harper Green MSP