Landmark Visitors Guides are practical guides designed for the independent traveller. They are written in the form of touring itineraries and include maps and twon plans with plenty of colour photographs to whet the appetite whilst still at home.
Mull, Iona and Staffa is Malcolm MacGregor's second book of landscape photography in Scotland. Here he has travelled throughout these three islands in pursuit of Hebridean light. Conscious that these islands are not an appendage to the western highlands of Scotland, but rather command their seaborne approaches, he has sought through a photographic journey to reveal their uniqueness and special qualities. His excursions have taken him from Fingal's Cave on Staffa to St. Columba's landing place on Iona. On Mull he has ventured from the high tops around Ben More to the desolate Ardmeanach peninsula. The photographs in this book cover mountains, hills, coastline, rivers and isolated gems such as waterfalls and frozen hill lochs. Additionally he has photographed churches, castles, ancient graveyards, fishing vessels, celtic crosses, standing stones and remnants of a bygone age bringing a fresh perspective to these renowned islands. The accompanying text weaves the landscape into the life, history and some of the legends that continue today. It also covers some of the lesser known aspects and viewpoints of the islands revealing why visitors and pilgrims return here to encounter unique experiences both visually and of a spiritual nature.
This publication brings together the very best walking routes on Mull and the neighbouring islands of Iona and Ulva, both easily reached via short ferry journeys.
“Excellent . . . Almost the perfect marriage of travelogue to the inner landscape of political ideas and cultural reflections . . . a super read.” —New Statesman Few landscapes are as striking as that of the Hebrides, the hundreds of small islands that speckle the waters off Scotland’s northwest coast. The jagged, rocky cliffs and roiling waves serve as a reminder of the islands’ dramatic geological history. Facing the Atlantic, the Hebrides were at the center of ancient shipping routes and have a remarkable cultural history. After years of hearing about Scotland as a place interwoven with the story of her family, Madeleine Bunting went to see for herself this place so full of history. Over six years, Bunting returned again and again to the Hebrides, fascinated by the question of what it means to belong there. With great sensitivity, she takes readers through the Hebrides’ history of dispossession and displacement, a history that can be understand only in the context of Britain’s imperial past, and she shows how the Hebrides have been repeatedly used to define and imagine Britain. Love of Country is a revelatory journey through one of the world’s most remote, beautiful landscapes that encourages us to think of the many identities we wear as we walk our paths. “A remarkably thorough digest of the many histories of the Hebrides.” —Wall Street Journal “Moving and wonderful. . . . Both the author and reader of this book end up losing themselves not just in politics and history and the details of nature, but a sense of wonder” —The Guardian “Makes you feel you are there even if you have just left.” —Observer, Best Books of the Year
This is a comprehensive guide to walking on Scotland's Isle of Mull and the neighbouring islands of Ulva, Gometra, Iona and Erraid, providing 47 routes ranging between 3 and 14 miles. Offering routes for walkers of all abilities, the guide features a mix of long and short circuits alongside more demanding mountain traverses. Although challenging, these traverses involve few technical difficulties and are hugely rewarding for properly equipped and experienced walkers. Suitable for year-round walking, most visitors will stay in the main settlement of Tobermory, but Dervaig, Salen, Craignure and Bunessan also offer services and accommodation options. For each of the 47 routes, the guide includes OS mapping, detailed route description and insights into local points of interest. The introduction and appendices offer information about accommodation and services available across the island, as well as ferry routes. Easily accessible from Oban on the west coast of Scotland, the Isle of Mull will appeal to walkers seeking secluded routes with inspiring views around every corner. Boasting wild, rugged scenery and a spectacular coastline, Mull offers outstanding opportunities to observe wildlife including golden and sea eagles, otters, deer, dolphins and harbour porpoise. The islands are endlessly fascinating for geologists due to their volcanic and glaciated past, resulting in rock formations found nowhere else in the world.
Like so many people who live south of the border in England, Helen thought that she knew all about Scotland. It was a part of Britain after all, a place that was surely more the same than it was different. But then she actually went there – and everything changed...
From the abandoned crofts of Mingulay to the standing stones of Orkney, from the white beaches of Colonsay to the spectacular Cuillins of Skye, this is the first complete gazetteer to cover all of Scotland's many hundreds of islands, including both those which are uninhabited and those which are notoriously difficult to reach. Packed with information on access, anchorages, points of historical or natural interest, and things to see and do, this fascinating compendium provides indispensable information for touring, for browsing, for reference, and for all those travellers who wish to sail to some of the most beautiful and remote places in the world. No other book can begin to emulate the range and depth of the information contained in The Scottish Islands. This is an impressive work of reference, providing a fascinating personal view of Scotland's distant outposts. Guide, history, travelogue - it is essential reading for all who love Scotland.