“The Countryside Management course I did is tailored for a job like mine. It is all relevant to what I do now.”

Growing up in Montrose, with the spectacular Montrose Basin on his doorstep, it was almost inevitable that Simon would fall in love with nature and the outdoors. Heavily influenced and encouraged by his grandad, he began volunteering with NatureScot at St. Cyrus National Nature Reserve, while still at school. Simon encourages anyone who wants to work in the industry to gain experience volunteering.

“Get out there and make contacts. Volunteering is important. My experience volunteering is crucial.”

After leaving school with no Highers, an Open Day at SRUC’s Elmwood Campus and a chance conversation about capercaillies led to Simon being offered a place on the NC Countryside Management. Discovering that the course suited his way of learning, Simon decided to stay on at Elmwood and complete the HNC.

“Countryside Management offered both practical and theoretical learning. I am not academic so that appealed to me.”

Still keen to learn more, Simon transferred to SRUC’s Aberdeen Campus to continue with the HND and on to the degree, graduating from SRUC with a BSc Countryside Management in 2018. His lasting impression of his studies is of a worthwhile course with knowledgeable and enthusiastic lecturers.

“We did a five-day course mending paths at Sandwood Bay. It was raining and we slept on the Village Hall floor. I remember working hard, being outside, the camaraderie, and seeing the impact of what we were doing.”

After graduating, Simon worked as a Seasonal Ranger at St. Cyrus. During the winter months he worked in his Dad’s HiFi shop in Montrose, but his spare time was spent counting geese in the Montrose Basin and bird watching. In 2019, Simon featured in an episode of BBC Autumnwatch along with fellow alum Gus Routledge, when Michaela Strachan visited the Montrose Basin to survey the geese.

In August 2020, just as lockdown restrictions were lifted, Simon became Site Management Officer at Loch Leven, a role which he held for three years. However, a love of the North East drew Simon back to the region and his current role as Reserve Manager at Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve in the Cairngorms National Park.

Simon now manages an area covering 1,166 hectares including the largest Aspen Wood in North East Scotland, which he admits is daunting but a privilege at the same time. Tasks depend on the season but there’s usually a practical task to do. In the winter it’s habitat management and the summer invasive species management. Surveys of birds at Loch Kinnord and Loch Davan are conducted throughout the year. Simon is the only full-time member of staff. He confesses it can be quite a solitary job. In the winter he works alone, making the most of the light to do the practical outdoor stuff.

For Simon, the most enjoyable part of the job is the practical habitat management, leading guided walks, and getting schools groups out. He is starting a volunteer programme and there are links with SRUC with students visiting as part of their practical. The only negative of the job is sleepless nights in the summer when there is an extreme fire risk.

Before leaving, I ask Simon what advice he would give his past self as a student, and he replies without hesitation:

“I wouldn’t do anything differently. It all worked out in the end.”