A comprehensive guide to wild camping in Scotland, this book offers expert advice and practical tips on all aspects of pitching up in the great outdoors, from selecting a suitable tent to finding the best spots to camp.It also includes 25 'perfect pitches', great wild camping locations in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Revised and updated 2019.
Ten men each took eight steps across the gallery of Barlinnie Prison's D-Hall, a final short walk from the grim confines of the condemned cell to the scaffold. Their time had finally come. Convicted of capital murder, each man faced the ultimate punishment, death by judicial hanging. Their crimes ranged from gangland slayings to multiple killings. The legal process exhausted and all bids for clemency rejected, the hangman's noose was primed...This book explores the lives and crimes of the 10 men hanged at Barlinnie between 1946 and 1960. They were John Lyon, Patrick Carraher, John Caldwell, Paul Christopher Harris, James Ronald Robertson, James Smith, Patrick Deveney, George Francis Shaw, Peter Manuel and Anthony Miller. It follows the path each man took to murder, examines the evidence against them and the defences deployed and charts their last days incarcerated within the condemned cell.
James McRory Smith lived for over 30 years at Strathchailleach, one of the most remote cottages in the Britain Isles. Standing in the shadow of the squat stone structure, it is hard to imagine a more isolated spot. The building sits alone in a vast tract of empty, featureless terrain to the south of Cape Wrath, in Sutherland. There is no access road, no running water, no electricity and no telephone. Yet James McRory Smith survived here, battered by the elements and devoid of human company. His story is a fascinating account of a man pitting his wits against the wilderness, enduring endless isolation and existing, for a large part, off the land. James' lifestyle belonged to a bygone age, yet he lived it in the 20th century, turning his back on the luxuries and conveniences of the modern world.This revised and updated biography provides readers with an inspiring account of a modern day hermit. It offers a rare insight into an alternative way of life, one that is far removed from the norm. At a time when people are becoming increasingly concerned about consumption and consumerism, and their impact on the environment, James McRory Smith's story demonstrates the practicalities and challenges of the frugal, self-sufficient lifestyle many people dream of. However, this is not intended simply as a social history, is also a true-life story of adventure and survival.Revised and updated 2020.
Angus has a proud maritime heritage and a wonderful coastline to explore. While a formal coastal path remains in development there are plenty of well-trod seaside paths and cliff top trails linking fine beaches, dramatic geological features and secluded coves, all with a story to tell.This book links up these paths and tracks to create an 82km route, one that stretches from Invergowrie, in the south, to the mouth of the River North Esk, the county's northern boundary.From the Firth of Tay, the mouth of Scotland's longest river, sandy beaches, backed by a gently rolling grassy hinterland, give way to more rugged and dramatic scenery.Beyond the harbour town of Arbroath, spectacular cliffs, interspersed with craggy coves, secret caves and unique geological features, rise from the insistent ebb and flow of the tide.The coastline reaches its highest point at Red Head, a towering sandstone promontory. From there, the terrain softens again, the forgotten hamlets of Ethie Haven and Corbie Knowe lying at the southern end of Lunan Bay, a sweep of golden sand.However, a more exposed and inhospitable stretch leads round the coast to Scurdie Ness lighthouse, standing guard over the entrance to the county's busiest port, Montrose.Fully illustrated, this guidebook includes clear mapping and a wealth of background history, geography and wildlife information, plus practical advice on accommodation, public transport and places to eat and drink.Re-walked, revised and updated 2021.
Welcome to Scotland... Not to the Scotland of glossy tourist brochures, airbrushed landscape photographs, coach parties, visitor centres and woollen mill cafes, but to a nation of secret, treasured places, free of crowds and tartan trappings.Here, we veer off the well-trod tourist trail and wander down backroads and byways to reveal the country's unusual and offbeat attractions, quirky curiosities and hidden gems, secluded and less well-known spots that await discovery.Of the 50 attractions listed in the book, most can be visited at any time of the year, day or night, with no booking required or admission charged.So, whether you want to wish upon an ancient stone, spend the night in a Royal lodge or hermit's bothy, drive an alpine road, climb a manmade hill, spot gnomes all at sea, descend into a pagan canyon or see where oil rigs go to die, pack a bag and enjoy the journey...
An inspiring and eclectic collection of photographs of huts. From colourful beach huts in the East Neuk of Fife to remote, weather-beaten bothies in the wild mountains of Wester Ross, these are cabins of character, simple structures crafted by human hands but defined by nature and the elements.
Angus is the historical heartland of Scotland, a county where the past has left an indelible mark on the present. This book features 40 walks, combining exploration of the county's stunning coastline where rocky cliffs and coves reveal swathes of golden sand, with gentle inland trails and more adventurous forays into the celebrated Angus Glens.
Spittal of Glenshee in the Scottish Highlands has long been a sanctuary for weary wanderers. The first hostelry was established here in AD 941 by monks and, during the Victorian era, a hotel opened, a popular staging post for coaches and later motorists. Destroyed by fire, it was replaced in the 1960s by a modern, Scandinavia style structure that served both travellers and a growing ski industry until it too burned down in 2014. This photographic essay charts the rise and fall of the Spittal of Glenshee Hotel, a series of stark, atmospheric and, at times, haunting black and white images capturing the last days of a once popular inn.
