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A British man who lived alone in a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness - surrounded by bears and wolves - has passed away, aged 78.

Robert McLeod lived 'off grid’ at St James Bay, 22 miles northwest of the Alaskan capital Juneau, where he was the only full-time resident.

It is believed the former soldier died from natural causes, according to the Daily Record .

After leaving school at age 14, McLeod worked as a gamekeeper before opting for a career in the military, spending two years in the Marines and also became a champion boxer.

Robert, who was born in Dunblane, had lived in the United States after moving there with his American-born wife, Mary, in 1970.

The couple had four sons together Roderick, Kevin, Sean and Brian who were all born in Scotland but spent most of their lives living in California.

McLeod moved to Alaska in 1975 following his divorce and moved from California to work on the Alaska Pipeline.

(Image: DAILY RECORD)

Eventurally he moved to St. James Bay in the early 1980s. He was known as the unofficial caretaker of the small St. James Bay community, a group of six cabins split up from what was once a 200-plus acre homestead.

His son Sean, 52, paid tribute to his father and described him as the `Laird of St James Bay'.

“My father was a man with a strong body, strong will and amazingly sound mind,” Sean told the Observer. “Spending months by yourself in a remote cabin could drive some people mad but he liked the solitude and fresh air. He didn’t like the fact that he even had to go to town every six weeks or so for supplies.

“He used to tell me `the world is too loud of a place for me – I was born 200 years too late.’”

My father was a man with a strong body, strong will and amazingly sound mind,” Sean told the Observer. “Spending months by yourself in a remote cabin could drive some people mad but he liked the solitude and fresh air. He didn’t like the fact that he even had to go to town every six weeks or so for supplies.

“He used to tell me ` the world is too loud of a place for me – I was born 200 years too late.’”

Sean said his father would have relished the life of one of the early pioneers who opened up Alaska. .

“He liked it tough,” added Sean. “In the winter you could have up to six feet of snow on the beach and with his (transport) unusable, that meant snow-shoeing half a mile back and forth to the boat for supplies. He remained very strong, especially his back, arms and shoulders from spending hours and hours chopping wood. It’s one of the biggest chores you have at a cabin as you need a fire burning at least eight or nine months out of the year there.

“He would read constantly about the history of Scotland, of which he was incredibly knowledgeable, and stories of Vikings, American pioneers or anything to do with tales from the past. He wasn’t interested in today’s world too much and what he saw happening to society.

“He always kept busy: like a farmer you use all the daylight you have to get the chores done, cleaning the chimney, shovelling snow off the roof and pathways around the cabin. Then there are the stormy days or weeks where you have to stay inside with temperatures around minus 12 Centigrade.

“It’s definitely not the life for everyone but it was the life for him.