No comments about Fodor's Exploring Scotland, 7th Edition (Exploring Guides).

5 comments about An Innocent in Scotland: More Curious Rambles and Singular Encounters.

1. I received a copy of McFadden's book "An Innocent in Scotland" as a Christmas gift from my son. I'm writing to say how much my wife and I are enjoying it. On an evening I like to read aloud while my wife does some handwork. It's surprising how few books are really good for this sort of reading. We have found some of the essentials to be that each chapter must stand alone, while being part of a greater whole; that it should be generally humorous as well as interesting; and that it should contain a lot of dialogue - if it is set in or is about Scotland, that's just an added bonus. We rate this book at the top of our all-time list, along with Alistair Phillips' "My Uncle George".

   Each chapter needs to stand alone because several days or even weeks may pass between readings; it should be humorous and interesting because we are looking for entertainment, not heavy social commentary or an education in incest or the other subjects that modern authors seem to favour; and it should have lots of dialogue because it's fun to act out the different voices and accents. If the speakers are Scottish, then I am surer of my ground, having lived in Edinburgh until immigrating to Canada thirty or so years ago.

   When we have read this delightful book about Scotland I shall buy the one about Ireland. I can hardly wait to try the Irish accents.

   "An Innocent in Scotland" has provided us with much enjoyment, hilarity, and insight into the lives of ordinary folk. The author has a talent for asking the questions most of us are too timid, self-conscious or otherwise unwilling to ask.




2. I found this gem of a book while visiting McFadden's homeland of Canada. Being someone who has an enormous interest in Scottish heritage, the title caught my interest. I read the first four chapters while standing in the bookstore while other customers looked in my direction for laughing out loud. McFaddens view on the land of the Scots had me smiling through the entire book. And his attitude is genuine (we became email friends). The people he came in contact with were to the average person a bit out of the ordinary. He brought out the wanderlust in me enough to want to experience the same route that both he and H.V. Morton took. His descriptions were so top notch, it brings you right in the very circle of friends he meets. I recommend this book to anyone who loves the quirkiness and fun that should always be a part of our travels.



3. David McFaddden would be an interesting fellow to with whom to travel. Whether making circle tours of the Great Lakes or searching for Pictish earthworks in Scotland, his poet's eye, wonderful listening skills and knack for encountering strange persons and situations makes just reading about his travels an experience. I laughed aloud, I shook my head in confusion and/or disgust, and I got a map of Scotland to trace his travels. What I would really like is to buy him dinner at Harbor Haus on the Lake Superior shore in Copper Harbor to ask why he thinks "Scots Wha' Hae' is a sad song and when he's going to write the Lake Superior book.



4. I became much more engaged with this book when Davy reached the Highlands.Prior to that, I was finding his repetition of B&B conversations a little tedious.In the Highlands and Mull , Davy seemed more enthusiastic about what he was seeing (and it helped that we share an interest and wonderment in prehistoric sites!)
   Davy highlighted the issue of negative attitudes towards "incomers" in the Highlands,something which most visitors would be unaware of.Good for you Davy, these things need to be aired .
   On the whole , I suspect that Davy's view of the Scots may be rather skewed , given that he only seemed to meet people in B&Bs and late night in pubs, thus missing out on whole sections of this fascinating, charming and intelligent population!
   By the way,Davy,in case you're reading this : visit Arbroath next time and try the local delicacy -Arbroath SMOKIES.Delicious smoked haddock.I doubt that anyone in Arbroath has heard of Arbroath stovies , unless they,ve read your book !
   Overall, an enjoyable ,quirky and gently humorous book.For Scots, it gives us the chance "To see oursels as ithers see us "



5. A more accurate title would have been "An Oaf In Scotland". His smug sense of superiority apparently made this sad man oblivious to the realization that he was being rude and patronizing much of the time. It is difficult to know who to pity more: the people he skewers with the wit of a turnip or the ones he actually LIKED. If your idea of a good travel companion is David Brent -- Ricky Gervais' character in BBC America's "The Office" -- you have found your man in McFadden.

No comments about Scotland's Highlands & Islands, 5th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan).

No comments about The PIP Travel Photography Guide to Scotland (Travel Photography Guide).

No comments about Gardens of Scotland: Scotland's Gardens Scheme 1999 (SGS Handbook).

1 comments about Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye: A Countryside Guide (Sunflower Landscapes).

1. This is a very comprehensive guide and easy to follow. The routes are very clear and take you through some stunning scenery.

5 comments about The Rough Guide to Scotland 6 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. While this guide does have loads of information, I did not find the description of the accomodations to be particularly accurate. And after a day of driving and/or sightseeing, I do appreciate comfort and expect it if it's been foretold.



2. In travelling through Scotland this summer, I found this book invaluable in pointing out important places to visit. Particularly impressive was the way it would imply avoiding certain sections and areas of the country, but never denigrating anything. It is a thorough guide for the whole country, and I found it's analysis interesting and thought provoking. It also makes a good read when you are not even travelling. This is an outstanding book, without question.



3. This was my fourth Rough Guide, and was perhaps the best of them all. It contains an incredible amount of detail on all sorts of historical monuments, large and small. This guide helped make my trip to Scotland perhaps the best of my vacations. Highly recommended.



4. I took 3 books to Scotland -- Rough Guide, Frommer's, Fodor's (all 2004) and this was clearly the best. It was bigger and had more detail than the other's which was very useful when travelling 2200 miles around the country and wondering what there was to do or where to eat while in transit between planned stops. Rough Guide had lots of interesting things to do and places to visit in areas where the other two books had nothing. Fodor's and Frommer's tended to be more opinionated which was sometimes useful and I did find a good accommodation from Fodor's one night, but if I was only to take one book, it was clearly Rough Guide.



5. Circumstances permitted us only a one-week visit to Scotland, and this book helped us make every day full and enjoyable. It led us to out-of-the-way places we never would have found on our own. Its straightforward descriptions made it easy to choose among several options in any area that we traveled through.
   
   Thus we found Innerperfray Library with its librarian, Mr. Powell, and his entertaining personal tour, walks in the woods of Glen Coe and Loch Leven, the slate quarry at Ballachulish, the island of Inchmahome and the ruins of Inchmahome Abbey, a cruise in a small boat along unspoiled Loch Shiel, Doune Castle (where an anxious crew was shooting a TV commercial), and dinner with excellent food in pleasant surroundings - and way off the beaten track - at An Crann, in Balavie, near Fort William.
   
   The book's listings of accommodations, however, seem more for the hardy. We found reasonably priced and comfortable hotels through local tourist offices, for which the book also provides contact information.

2 comments about The Scottish Islands.

1. What an extraordinary work! Mr Haswell Smith has certainly putin the legwork when researching this book. The detail that he has goneinto is quite unusual with works of this type, that usually seem tofarm out different parts to different people. As a reference book for people who wish to visit any of Scotlands smaller Islands it is invaluable,(as a sea kayaker I use it often to help plan my trips)and as a fireside read when the sea is too wild to paddle, it helps to fire the imagination. As a piece of work you just have to admire the author's attention to detail. I only wish that he had written this a few years earlier and saved me a lot of effort in researching my own trips.



2. I have been sailing the Islands off the Scottish West coast for nearly 20 years now. If ONLY I had this book when I started! It is just wonderful. The attention to detail for those using the sea enables good choices of destination to be made on every day you are out there whatever kind of boat you use. The detail on history, mapping, wild life, plant life, harbours, anchorages all add up to a great resource every day on the boat. The authors own drawings and paintings are so true to the place. And then, what a great joy I have in reading it by the fireside on winter nights when I plan the next great adventure amongst these Islands. It is a book, that once read, you will never put it down again if there is still an ounce of sea-faring in you. It just makes you dream again and be there! A must-buy if ever there was one even if you never go there in your life, its that good. Dont miss it.

   AND we have had many many hours on the boat late at night with maybe too much grog inside strongly debating the absolute definition of an 'Island' which starts the book. And yet we cannot get any crew to all agree on a single view..

1 comments about A Sense of Belonging to Scotland: The Complete Collection.

1. If you've ever been to scotland and want to remember, or if you've never been there and want to see what it looks like - these are perfectly gorgeous pictures. ever since we went i have been trying to find pictures that really capture the mystery and beauty, and these truly do. the fact that the pictures are of places well-loved by famous people is just icing on the cake. it is fun to see the places that are attached to the people and to read their descriptions and their reasons for loving a certain area. a perfect book all around.

4 comments about The Rough Guide to Scotland, 7th Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. It's good for history, but "Guide" is a very loose translation. I might term it the "curmudeon's view of Scotland" instead. It really gives no guide on how to get around in the country from place to place, it focuses on destinations but the book is not helpful with getting there. The maps are totally inadequate. For example, I wanted to go from Glasgow up to Skye and it was impossible to find what to see or where to stay along that route without consulting a different map and then looking in the Rough Guide's skimpy index for the names of towns along the way (that were only found on the other map I bought). For my purposes this is not a good guide at all. If you already know where you're going and how to get there and what to expect along the way, and just want some history and current facts about what is there, it will be good for you.



2. This was the 1st Rough Guide I had ever purchased & I have to say, I was very happy with it. The layout of the book was convenient to use,with sections of the book dedicated to each region in Scotland starting from the south part of the country to the north, which is how most people travel when in Scotland. The restaurant reviews & recommendations were very accurate, as was information on points of interest. Having this book to guide my trip enhanced my travel experience & I will be purchasing books from Rough Guide for my future travels.



3. I prefer the Let's Go series of travel guides, but purchased this guide because the Scotland section in Let's Go Britain 2007 is fairly small, and I thought a dedicated guide might be worthwhile in discovering more of Scotland.
   
   So far, I am highly disappointed with this guide. It is full of historical, political, and other "social studies" type knowledge, but has very little practical information for trip planning. It is a dry read compared to the eager writing of the Let's Go Britain guide. The authors of this book seem like they are trying to keep an impartial view, which is not really an approach that works.
   
   Prices are not included for most things in the book, which is extremely frustrating and makes it nearly impossible for a person on my (reasonable but not infinite) budget to plan. Additionally, very little information is given on how to reach the sites mentioned in the book. The information given is vague, with statements like, "just outside of Aberdeen," and no further detail. Again, this level of detail is insufficient for planning a successful trip. My time outside of the U.S. is precious to me, and I do not want to spend it getting lost.
   
   The last thing I want to mention about this guide is that because of the lack of any rating system, there is actually too much information. Because no attempt is made to specify which sites are most memorable or impressive, everything in this book flows together. Many places of interest are described, but I am left with the feeling that they are all equally worthwhile (or perhaps NOT worthwhile because of the same-y tone of the guide), and have no idea how to decide which ones I should see. I'm sure they all ARE worthwhile in their own way, but I don't have time to see anything, and some editorial guidance would be appreciated.
   
   So far, I have ended up planning my entire trip using only the small section in the previously mentioned (and highly recommended) Let's Go Britain 2007. If you have a large budget, know little about the history of a country and want to learn more, are willing to give yourself a little time to find places, and do not want any opinion in your guidebook (which some might prefer), the Rough Guide might be for you. It does have a large quantity of information and is obviously well researched, which is why I did not give it 1 star in the rating.
   
   Caveat emptor.



4. Their histories are never as entertaining as Rick Steves', but everything else about them is great for a traveler looking for economic options.