The North West Highlands: Roads to the Isles, the Obvious Beauty and Hidden Delights of the Mountainous Lands from Fort William to Ullapool (Luath Guides) [Paperback]

Tom Atkinson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Luath Guides | Publication Date: September 1, 1999

This book deals with the vast and lovely area lying to the north and west of Fort William and going up through the Highlands as far as Ullapool. Legend, history, and vivid description by an author who loves the area and knows it intimately make this book essential to all who visit this Highland wonderland.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tom Atkinson's main interest is in herbal medicine, which was first aroused when he was finally and dramatically cured of a long-standing duodenal ulcer by the treatment of a herbalist. His daughter Dee, a Consultant Herbalist herself, has guided Napiers Herbalists from just one herbal shop in Edinburgh to its transformation into Napiers Herbal Health Care Centres throughout the UK.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Luath Press Limited; Revised edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0946487545
• ISBN-13: 978-0946487547
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,544,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Journey to an ancient land..., December 7, 2008

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D. S. Thurlow (Alaska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The North West Highlands: Roads to the Isles, the Obvious Beauty and Hidden Delights of the Mountainous Lands from Fort William to Ullapool (Luath Guides) (Paperback)

1999's "The North West Highlands: Roads to the Isles" is author Tom Atkinson's old-fashioned travel guide to the area of Western Scotland between Fort William and Ullapool. Once upon a time, before travel guides became collections of maps, photographs, short blurbs, and web-site addresses, they were narratives combining physical description with local customs and history.

Atkinson's North West Highlands are an area haunted by the history of the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745, and an aborted one in 1719 that has escaped much historical notice. It is an area once almost denuded of population by the infamous clearances, as rich landowners pushed their tenants into the cities or onto ships headed for Australia or North America. It was one of the last strongholds of the Highland clans and their traditional way of life. All this history Atkinson weaves to his travelogue, along with the physical description of mountains, lochs and small towns.

It is hard not to share Atkinson's enthusiasm for the Highlands, rich in physical scenary, legend, and local anecdote. He notes the locations of good walks, ruined castles, and stopping points along the road associated with a bit of history. The book includes a couple of sketch maps, a few drawings, and the addresses of a few inns, although it lacks the practical detail to be a principal planning resource.

"The North West Highlands" is recommended to the dedicated traveler looking for some of the backstory and some of the lesser explored cornors of a beautiful and still remote region in Scotland.