The Festival’s final session brings together two of Scotland’s most sensory writers. Blending nature and travel writing, Leonie Charlton’s Marram is a tender, meditative memoir that sees the author and a friend ride off the beaten track on their Highland ponies, travelling from the southern tip of Barra to the ancient stone circle of Callanish on Lewis. It’s an exploration of love – for the Hebridean landscape, for the islands’ people and wildlife, for two shaggy ponies and for the memories of a lost parent.

Malachy Tallack’s latest book is about a different kind of love altogether, but there are clear parallels between his and Leonie’s work. Illuminated by Water traces the author’s lifelong passion for fishing – one born from growing up in Shetland with its myriad lochs. With an appeal that resonates with non-fishers and fellow devotees alike, it reflects on the inexplicable lure of the river and that contemplation of nature and landscape that comes with spending time at the water’s edge.

Leonie and Malachy will each present on their own books, followed by a chaired discussion about each other’s work.