No comments about The Civilized Shopper's Guide to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

No comments about Stirling: The Royal Burgh.

No comments about MapEasy's Guidemap to Edinburgn & Scotland.

5 comments about Scotland for Dummies, Second Edition.

1. While I have not gone to Scotland yet to put all the wonderful information into practice, this is a wonderful book! I found it very easy to read, it gave all kinds of websites to visit, and the overviews were very interesting. I felt like I could plan my whole trip just from this book.
   I highly recommend it.



2. I visited Scotland in November 2003, and I found this book to be extremely useful. The book layout is clear and easy to read. The "top 10 lists" really help in deciding what to see. No extraneous photographs or excessive historical backgrounds. The book has very good general travel tips as well. The author doesn't assume you know everything about traveling to the UK. One suggestion: if touring Glasow or Edinburgh on foot or by car, buy a good city map. The city maps in the guide don't quite cut the mustard.



3. I traveled to Scotland with a friend(who happens to be an experienced traveler; and i'm not!) in the summer of 1997. Deb planned everything and i coughed up the money and was just along for the ride. Which by the way, was most exceedingly pleasant! I recently purchased this book as I am planning a return trip with my sister in the summer of 2005. Reading this book was like experiencing the '97 trip all over again! Any advice given in this book should be well heeded; it absolutely does not steer you wrong. From "what to pack" to "where to eat" this read has instilled in me the confidence that i can do this trip without being led by the hand of a more seasoned traveler. I will be packing a couple of different maps but this will be the only tour book i pack!



4. I purchased 3 books prior to my first trip to Scotland in November, 2004. I actually purchased Scotland for Dummies to be funny! My family was hysterical when I showed them my purchase. However, once we got there, the laughter was replaced with "where's the Dummies book?" We truly didn't go anywhere without it. (Although, to avoid being spotted as a "tourist", they made me hide it. :) ) The maps were SO helpful. We did purchase a road map once there, but used it along with this book. The information about tourist attractions was invaluable. Where to find restaurants and which ones to avoid was great. Once in Scotland, I never touched the other two books purchased. If you're only going to buy one book, this is the one. Read the others at the library before you go.



5. 
   I bought this guide well in advance of a recent family trip to the 'old country' (as my Nana called it) kind of as a joke - but I'm really glad I did. It has everything from packing tips (if you don't have enough room for souvenirs, mail your dirty laundry home - what a hoot!) to budgeting worksheets and maps included. We bought the Explorer pass as recommended and had a blast. We purchased more detailed maps there as well, but as far as planning the trip out, this book is the cats pajamas. I like how it is broken down by region, it makes it super easy to plan a day or two ahead. Before I take another trip like this, I'll check for a 'dummies' book.

4 comments about The Great Glen Way 3rd Edition.

1. Scotland's newest long distance path, the 73 miles/117km long Great Glen Way, links Fort William on the west coast and Inverness on the east coast, and leads walkers through some of Scotland's finest scenery. Highlights include views of Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis and two days' walking above Loch Ness, internationally famous as the home of the Monster. The walking certainly isn't for tough mountain climbers - you'll follow canal tow paths, forest tracks and paths for most of the distance.
   An ideal companion is Jacquetta Megarry's 64 page, full colour, beautifully illustrated guide, published by Rucksack Readers. It's not a traditional, step-by-step guide but a guide to experiencing the way. The innovative spiral-bound format makes for easy use; it has clear, detailed maps of the whole route and the carefully designed notes are divided into five stages - the number of days most people are likely to take to do the Way.
   The many features you'll see along the way and those that you can visit from the villages en route are briefly described.
   The guide includes all the info you'll need to organise your walk - transport, food and clothing.
   This is one of Scotland's great walks and is well within the reach of anyone who's reasonably fit - and who has a copy of the Rucksack Readers guide in their pocket.



2. I just finished walking the Great Glen Way in June 06 and it was an amazing trip. I thoroughly recommend it- especially if you have no rain like us!
   
   Having used Rucksack Readers on other long-distance hikes and finding them to be very informative and useful, I did not hesitate to buy this as soon as the latest GGW edition was released in March. And I will admit, I did not really read it before we started, I just put it in my luggage and took off. I trusted it would be as good as the other ones.
   
   And what a waste of luggage space this was! I question if the author ever even saw, much less walked the route. She constantly refers to things off route- or our favourite "below you, but unseen." The majority of the photos (yes, we were angry enough that we sat down and counted) were taken off the trail at detours or other side hikes. We called it the "useless book" because what information we wanted was never there and what was there was useless to us as we were not taking extra days off the walk to see things. And the one time there was something that could have been interesting to see, the way she writes i, it is not mentioned until you've gona a mile past- and who really wants to go back? The last day when the information actually seems to be finally useful, it ended up to be incorrect!
   
   Rucksack Readers are normally really good walking guides so I am amazed they let such a useless piece of junk be released under their name. I will admit, the GGW is not as scenic and point of interest filled as the West Highland Way, but there was definitely information worth emparting. It would have been useful to be told about the hills and other terrain changes. Maybe about the trees we were walking through. Any history in the area? Or at least give us an idea of walk x miles to x.
   
   Trail gossip pretty much corresponded with my disappointing view-everyone had it and everyone hated it. I heard that the Footprints Guide is pretty good. Several people had foldout maps they had gotten at Nevisport in Fort William. That little one page map, which cost about 3-pounds, was more useful than the whole darn book we had. It's even better to walk to the trail without this book- it's well waymarked and the book won't give you any extra knowledge. Just takes up room that could be used for food- which the book fails to make the point that there is really no food en route. Rucksack Reader desperately needs to pay some attention to this wonderful trail and bring its guide up to par with its other publications.
   
   But go and walk the trail! It's 5-star experience- the book just isn't.



3. Declaration of interest first: I have been involved with this book since our first edition in 2001, and although I respect reviewers' rights to their own opinions, of one thing I am sure: this third edition, written with the help of a coauthor who actually lives on the Way and walks it regularly, is better than the first.
   
   Now the facts: this book, like every other Rucksack Reader, has a yellow panel at the start of each section of the Way that shows the distance, terrain and walking grade, with food and drink stops listed. For three days of the walk, food is exactly where it says, and for the other two days it says "Food and drink: none between X and Y" so you take a packed lunch. Anyone who says "there is really no food en route" either hasn't walked the Great Glen Way or had their eyes closed.
   
   Images next: most of the photographs were taken of or from the trail, as the captions confirm, with a few aerial/satellite images and some professional wildlife images. These include the species of trees that you walk through, and the birds and mammals that you're likely to see.



4. Not what I was expecting. Very general. All info in book was a copy of what is available on the Great Glen Web site. The map would have been much more useful with detailed info of facilities available in each town. Also distance between all towns marked on map. Disappointed in content.

1 comments about The Best Bed & Breakfast England, Scotland, Wales, 2006-2007 (Best Bed and Breakfast in England, Scotland, and Wales).

1. I was planning a trip to Scotland and mainly wanted this book for this particular trip but there's not a very big Scotland section. It will be great for when I take a trip to England though.

No comments about Scottish Highlands - The Hillwalking Guide: British Walking Guide (Trailblazer Guides).

5 comments about Son of the Sword.

1. Very enjoyable, combining present day misfortunes along with past adventures. Once started this book was hard to put down, finished it that day. My son picked it up, enjoyed it and knew I would also.



2. I will say this, the series that this book begins is one of my favorites.
   
   That being said, "Son of the Sword" is my least favorite book. Many of the other reviewers have commented (some quite nastily) about the poor plotting and unsympathetic characters. It's true, this books has FIRST NOVEL written all over it; however, everyone starts somewhere, and very few authors hit one out of the ballpark on the first try.
   
   One of the things I like about this book is the narrator's voice. Although one previous reviewer talked about breaking the fourth wall, I'd like to point out that the concept of the "Walls" of fiction is very modern. This books appeals to me, I suppose, because my sensibilities often lie outside modern tastes. Ms. Lee's style of writing is definitely modern in tone and diction, but pre-modern is style. It's a strange combination, but I find it, at the very least, interesting.
   
   Yes, this book is somewhat predictable and somewhat formulaic, but the others in the series (especially "The Sword of King James") are excellent. Ms. Lee's craft was obviously refined by the time "Sword of the White Rose" was written. "Son of the Sword is a worthy beginning, and leads up to better decendents.



3. I had read earlier comments on boards about this book being a "bomb," and almost sent it back to the library. Then I read a few pages, and still, almost sent it back to the library. My compulsion to read the story kept me going, however, past the modern day beginning (which is a bit awkwardly written, as it does not even give the read a glimpse of the complexity of the main character that appears later on). I am glad I read on.
   
   The story is about a modern-day man, Dylan Matheson, self-employed as a martial arts expert, and man of Scottish descent. He is very into his Scottish ancestry, and as such participates in games and gatherings that support and entertain his interest. During the course of one of these, he encounters a rare authentic and ancient Scottish broadsword, and wanting to handle it, makes a bet with the owner, to have a contest to "first touch." He wins the contest, and approaches to inspect the sword.
   
   Several hundred years earlier (early 1700s), prior to the first Jacobite uprisings, the beginnings of British/Scots battle finds a faerie making a spell upon this very sword -- to find a Matheson (clan name) worthy of the sword and able to make a difference in the Scots clash against the Brits. Thus, Dylan, being THE ONE for whom her spell was cast, finds himself transported back to the early 1700s, just prior to events that transform history.
   
   The story is essentially how he bides his time, eventually believing he cannot return to his own time, and over time, the events and characters that transform his sense of wanting to return to the year 2000 to one of truly belonging in 1700s Scotland. The characters are well-written, some likable and some not, the plot is interesting, and the events are well defined. I finished the book with great anticipation for reading the next in the series.



4. An excellent read. Enough historical accuracy to make it compelling without getting too boring. Could use a little more action but overall a very excellent read. Very entertaining. There are other books in the series. I think I'd spring for the money to try the second. (This is the first in the series)



5. I loved this book and can't wait for the movie to come out!! It's the first time I've read a book and felt like I was living the story instead of just reading it. If you want to experience life in the Scottish Highlands during the days of the Clans, this series of books is must reading!! I can't recommend it high enough.

No comments about Northern Scotland, Orkney and Shetland (OS Travel Map - Road).

No comments about Illustrated Edinburgh Map (Collins British Isles and Ireland Maps).