New book tells the 22,000-year story of Glen Dye

Charlie Gladstone, who's owned the Glen Dye estate in Aberdeenshire since 1982, has self-published a new book called Real Wild Heaven: 22,000 Years of Glen Dye. It's part historical fiction, part geography lesson, part meditation on how short life is, and part opinion piece on land ownership. The landscape of Glen Dye sits at its heart, and is a very real character in the book. Gladstone and his wife Caroline have spent decades restoring Glen Dye, which now has log cabins and cottages to stay in, plus the new shop, Gladstone's Luxury Dry Goods. The idea struck him in January and the book was written in a flurry of inspiration. There are listening recommendations dotted through it too, reflecting his other great passion, music. "This book has been gestating for forty years and then when it was ready it was born very quickly," he said.

There's a hardback with eight pages of photos, 22 illustrations and a map at £29.99, and a paperback at £19.99.

The book launch is at the Glen Dye shop, Gladstone's Luxury Dry Goods, on 9 July.