On The Iron Road To The Isles

A guide to the scenic West Highland Railway Lines and surrounding areas of Scotland.

Suitable for those planning to journey by rail from Glasgow to Oban, Fort William and Mallaig, this title features photography - including spreads devoted to The Jacobite steam train and archive views from the 1950s and 1970s.

The Comfort of Stone is a collection of finely crafted free verse and lyrical poems that trace the author’s intimate recollections of her life experience and family history. The old stories told around the kitchen table become reality as personal journeys take Groundwater home to the historic landscapes of the Orkney Islands and the Scottish Highlands. Later, memories of a childhood immigration to Canada become touching and evocative poems set in “the new world.” As more pages of this amazing collection turn, Groundwater shares events in her life that readers may recognize as part of their own passages through adulthood and aging. This unique reading experience is woven together in a tapestry of images from the natural world which will at once delight and provoke thought and reflection.

A portrait of these Scottish wetlands: “Fascinating…makes you yearn for a sip of golden whisky whose barley malt has been smoked over a rich, peaty fire.” —Daily Mail The peatlands of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides are half land, half water. Their surface is a glorious tweed woven from tiny, living sphagnums rich in wildlife, but underneath are layer upon layer of dead mosses transforming into the peat. One can, with care, walk out onto them, but stop and you begin to sink into them. For time immemorial the peatlands have been places—for humans at least—of seasonal habitation but not of constant residence. In this book, Robin A. Crawford explores the peatlands over the course of the year, explaining how they have come to be and examining how peat has been used from the Bronze Age onwards. In describing the seasonal processes of cutting, drying, stacking, storing, and burning, he reveals one of the key rhythms of island life, but his study goes well beyond this to include many other aspects, including the wildlife and folklore associated with these lonely, watery places. Widening his gaze to other peatlands in the country, he also reflects on the historical and cultural importance that peat has played, and continues to play—it is still used for fuel in many rural areas and plays an essential role in whisky-making—in the story of Scotland.

The railway lines of the West Highlands are famous the world over for their illustrious history and unparalleled scenic beauty. Linking Glasgow with Oban, Fort William and Mallaig, the lines managed to survive the axe of Dr Beeching, whose infamous report forced the closure of almost a third of Britain's railways in the 1960s. With a detailed look at the lines, their workings and rolling stock since then, Webster examines how the West Highland network has gone on to prosper to the present day. Despite Beeching, BR’s rationalisation, privatisation, fluctuating freight traffic levels and economic downturn, it retained its unique infrastructure in the modern age. Today the use of modern traction, together with the return of steam-hauled trains, has added yet another dimension to this wonderful scenic route.

A guidebook to 40 of the best small mountains in Scotland under 3000ft. Explore the beautiful scenery of Sutherland and the far north, Torridon, Lochaber, the Great Glen, the Cairngorms, Glencoe, Arrochar, the Trossachs and the islands (Skye, Eigg, Mull, Arran). The day walks range from 5-25km and can be enjoyed in 2-8 hours. One main ascent is described for each with several alternatives for traverses, circuits and shortcuts. 1:50,000 OS maps included for each walk Includes Suilven, Quinag, the Pap of Glencoe, Beinn Damh, the Storr, Goatfell and the Cobbler GPX files available to download Detailed guidance on planning and access Information given on the history and character of each mountain Glossary of Gaelic words for mountain features