This title weaves the author's own account of crofting with extracts from his father's journal - detailing the day-to-day tasks of crofting life. The book also reveals the author's struggle to comes to terms with his background.

The Rough Guide to Scotland is the ultimate travel guide to this beguiling and beautiful country, with clear maps and detailed coverage of all of Scotland's attractions, from the world-class cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow to its many idyllic islands. Written in Rough Guides' trademark honest and informative style, The Rough Guide to Scotland features detailed practical advice on what to see and do and how to get about, plus up-to-date reviews of the best hotels, b&bs, pubs, shops and restaurants.This guide coverseverything from traditional village pubs to puffin-spotting on Shetland, plus, of course, a few tips on whisky tasting, with features on Scotland's legendary festivals and its culinary traditions. Whatever your budget, The Rough Guide to Scotland will help you make the most of your time in Scotland.

Provides information on accommodations, restaurants, shopping, sights, and transporation in Scotland.

The Rough Guide to the Scottish Highlands and Islands guidebook is perfect for independent travellers planning a longer trip. It features all of the must-see sights and a wide range of off-the-beaten-track places. It also provides detailed practical information on preparing for a trip and what to do on the ground. And this Scottish Highlands and Islands travel guidebook is printed on paper from responsible sources, and verified to meet the FSC’s strict environmental and social standards. This Scottish Highlands and Islands guidebook covers: Argyll, the central Highlands, the Great Glen, the north and northwest Highlands, Skye and the Small Isles, the Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland. Inside this Scottish Highlands and Islands travel book, you'll find: A wide range of sights – Rough Guides experts have hand-picked places for travellers with different needs and desires: off-the-beaten-track adventures, family activities or chilled-out breaks Itinerary examples – created for different time frames or types of trip Practical information – how to get to Scottish Highlands and Islands, all about public transport, food and drink, shopping, travelling with children, sports and outdoor activities, tips for travellers with disabilities and more Author picks and things not to miss in Scottish Highlands and Islands - Glen Coe, Tobermory, Eigg, Assynt, West Highland Railway, Callanish (Lewis), the Cairngorm Mountains, Caledonian Forest Insider recommendations – tips on how to beat the crowds, save time and money, and find the best local spots When to go to Scottish Highlands and Islands – high season, low season, climate information and festivals Where to go – a clear introduction to with key places and a handy overview Extensive coverage of regions, places and experiences – regional highlights, sights and places for different types of travellers, with experiences matching different needs Places to eat, drink and stay – hand-picked restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels Practical info at each site – hours of operation, websites, transit tips, charges Colour-coded mapping – with keys and legends listing sites categorised as highlights, eating, accommodation, shopping, drinking and nightlife Background information for connoisseurs – history, culture, art, architecture, film, books, religion, diversity The guide provides a comprehensive and rich selection of places to see and things to do in Scottish Highlands and Islands , as well as great planning tools. It’s the perfect companion, both ahead of your trip and on the ground.

Return to Muck tells of Marg’s experiences as a solo, older woman traveller in some lesser-known Scottish islands in the Inner and Outer Hebrides. On a budget, she mostly stays in hostels and bunkhouses, travels by car within the islands (except Muck) but takes no carbon-emitting flights. She walks, wanders and wonders, talks to islanders (age range from 5 to 97); comes across, usually by chance, stunning geographical features, exciting wildlife, ancient stones, folktales and other finds, many of which lead her to research and more discovery. Unusual subject matters include finding the connection between goose barnacles and barnacle geese; learning about Gaelic song; and stumbling across a lighthouse optic in a stately home garden. Two of these ‘finds’ become sources for poems. From this, an increased creativity emerges, some of which is a natural progression from her poems: that of composing songs and teaching them at other island schools as well as the Muck school. She bases the lyrics of these songs on a folktale pertaining to the particular island, thus allowing the pupils to express themselves musically and learn about their local folklore at the same time. She describes her own experiences of teaching the songs. This book offers a perspective only a lone woman traveller can give. It can serve both as a memento to those who know the islands well, and provide an introduction for anyone who has yet to discover them, especially those who yearn to travel alone.

The northern parish of Assynt boasts some of the most spectacular scenery in Britain. The mountains of Quinag and Suilven dominate a very varied landscape with wild, white hills inland and a complex, intricate moorland to the west. Here, rocky crags, boggy flows, innumerable lochs and burns, stretch to a coast of equal variety with long fjords, high cliffs and sandy beaches. Close to many of the crofting townships are dense areas of native woodland. In this book, Robin Noble, who has been intimately involved with this corner of the north-west Highlands of Scotland his whole life, celebrates its rugged beauty and shares many intimate encounters with the resident wildlife – including, golden eagles, otters, badgers and pine martens – which surrounded his cottage in its wooded glen under the 'long mountain' of Quinag. Assynt is also well known for its important role in the history of community land ownership, and Robin describes too his deep involvement with those who live there. He learned much from the old generation of shepherds and crofters whom he got to know in the 1960s, as well as from their children and incomers in later decades, and shared with them the challenges of living in a remote, fragile community.

The authorities told folk what they ought to believe, but what did they really believe? Throughout Scottish history, people have believed in fairies. They were a part of everyday life, as real as the sunrise, and as incontrovertible as the existence of God. While fairy belief was only a fragment of a much larger complex, the implications of studying this belief tradition are potentially vast, revealing some understanding of the worldview of the people of past centuries. This book, the first modern study of the subject, examines the history and nature of fairy belief, the major themes and motifs, the demonising attack upon the tradition, and the attempted reinstatement of the reality of fairies at the end of the seventeenth century, as well as their place in ballads and in Scottish literature.

The Great Hunger in nineteenth-century Ireland was a major human tragedy of modern times. Almost a million perished and a further two million emigrated in the wake of potato blight and economic collapse. Acute famine also gripped the Scottish Highlands at the same time, causing misery, hardship and distress. The story of that lesser known human disaster is told in this prize-winning and internationally acclaimed book. The author describes the classic themes of highland and Scottish history, including the clearances, landlordism, crofting life, emigration and migration in a subtle and intricate reconstruction based on a wide range of sources. This book should appeal to all those with an interest in Scottish history, the emigration of Scottish people and the Highland Clearances.