The Scottish Highlands is a place rich in history, a land of hills and craggy mountains, of secluded coves and sandy beaches, and appealing towns and villages. Written by someone who loves the Scottish Highlands whatever the weather, this book will help you explore this wonderfully beautiful corner of Britain.

Birnam Oak | Cairngorms The Scottish Play | 10 Braemar Gathering | Cairngorms A living tradition | 12 The Centre of Scotland | Cairngorms Right in the middle? | 14 The Devil’s Elbow | Cairngorms Turn that steering wheel | 16 Fortingall | Cairngorms It had to be yew | 18 Grantown-on-Spey | Cairngorms Town planning, 18th-century style | 20 Highlands Wildlife | Cairngorms Animal magic | 22 Laggan | Cairngorms Adapted for the screen | 24 Lecht Mine | Cairngorms Any old iron | 26 Old Packhorse Bridge | Cairngorms Crossing the River Dulnain | 28 Prince Albert’s Pyramid | Cairngorms Four-sided tribute | 30 Ruthven Barracks | Cairngorms Hanover vs Stuart | 32 Schiehallion | Cairngorms Massively attractive | 34 Shinty | Cairngorms Scotland’s national sport? | 36 Wildcat Trail | Cairngorms Miaow | 38 Duncansby Stacks | Caithness Temporary (geologically speaking) | 40 Dunnet Head | Caithness ‘Lots of planets have a north’ | 42 Ebenezer Place | Caithness Blink, but don’t miss it | 44 John O’ Groats | Caithness The end or the beginning? | 46 Latheronwheel Fairy Glen | Caithness Would suit (very) small family | 48 Needle Eye Rock | Caithness For the birds | 50 Nucleus | Caithness The mighty power of the atom | 52 Nybster Broch | Caithness Home from home | 54 Old Pulteney Distillery | Caithness Briefly surplus to requirements | 56 Reay Cross Slab | Caithness Ancient wonder | 58 Thurso Railway Station | Caithness The southbound train is now departing | 60 Whaligoe Steps | Caithness Herring aid | 62 Wick Heritage Centre | Caithness The silver darlings | 64 Wolfburn Distillery | Caithness Slàinte mhath! | 66 Clava Cairns | Inverness and Loch Ness Round and round we go | 68 Culloden Battlefield | Inverness and Loch Ness Jacobites vs Redcoats | 70 The Falls of Foyers | Inverness and Loch Ness Cold water for Burns | 72 Felicity the Puma | Inverness and Loch Ness The big friendly moggy | 74 Leakey’s Bookshop | Inverness and Loch Ness For bibliophiles | 76 Loch Ness | Inverness and Loch Ness Cryptozoology | 78 The Malt Room | Inverness and Loch Ness The Water of Life | 80 NC500 | Inverness and Loch Ness Follow the signs | 82 Shooglie Bridge | Inverness and Loch Ness Wibbly-wobbly | 84 St Columba’s Well | Inverness and Loch Ness A saint helps out | 86 Town House | Inverness and Loch Ness PM puts holiday on pause | 88 Victorian Market | Inverness and Loch Ness A phoenix from the ashes | 90 Wardlaw Mausoleum | Inverness and Loch Ness Heading for trouble | 92 Applecross Pass | Ross and Cromarty White knuckle ride? | 94 Arctic Convoy Area | Ross and Cromarty Keeping a watch | 96 Corrieshalloch Gorge | Ross and Cromarty Don’t look down | 98 Cromarty Courthouse | Ross and Cromarty Porridge may be on the menu | 100 Cromarty Firth | Ross and Cromarty The fourth firth north of the Firth of Forth | 102 Eilean Donan | Ross and Cromarty Family seat | 104 Fainmore House | Ross and Cromarty Tuber troubles | 106 Fyrish Monument | Ross and Cromarty Keynesian economics? | 108 Highland Cows | Ross and Cromarty Beefy beasties | 110 Hugh Miller’s Cottage | Ross and Cromarty Geology genius | 112 Inverewe Gardens | Ross and Cromarty Impossible is just a word | 114 Invergordon Murals | Ross and Cromarty Painting the town red (and blue and green) | 116 Loch Torridon | Ross and Cromarty Let’s buy an estate | 118 MacFarquhar’s Bed | Ross and Cromarty No rest for the wicked | 120 Peach and Horne | Ross and Cromarty Unravelling the mysteries of Earth | 122 Ullapool Clock | Ross and Cromarty Tick tock star | 124 Alexander McQueen Grave | Skye Style guru | 126 Angus MacAskill | Skye Gentle giant | 128 Dinosaur Footprints | Skye Sandy claws | 130 Elgol | Skye Go for the history, stay for the view | 132 Fairy Pools | Skye Crystal clear | 134 Flora MacDonald Monument | Skye ‘Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing’ | 136 Neist Point | Skye Not Doris’ day | 138 Old Man of Storr | Skye Myths and modern horror | 140 Skye Bridge | Skye Paying a heavy toll | 142 Trotternish Ridge | Skye The ups and downs of a landscape | 144 Aberfoyle | Southern Highlands Scotland’s ‘worst’ poet waxes lyrical | 146 Bracklinn Falls | Southern Highlands Great Scott! | 148 Earthquake House | Southern Highlands Shake it all about | 150 The Falls of Dochart | Southern Highlands Water sight | 152 Lake of Menteith | Southern Highlands The one and only? | 154 Loch Katrine | Southern Highlands A lady and an engineer | 156 Loch Lomond | Southern Highlands Who’s at fault here? | 158 McCaig’s Tower | Southern Highlands Flumgummery? | 160 Pulpit Hill | Southern Highlands Look down on Oban | 162 Rob Roy’s Grave | Southern Highlands Loveable rogue | 164 St Conan’s Kirk | Southern Highlands Something for everyone | 166 Ardvreck Castle | Sutherland Royalist loyalist | 168 Balnakeil Craft Village | Sutherland Waste not, want not | 170 Bone Caves | Sutherland Ancient animals | 172 Cape Wrath | Sutherland Turning a corner | 174 Clachtoll Beach | Sutherland Layers of history | 176 Croick Church | Sutherland Shaming signatures | 178 Dornoch Cathedral | Sutherland A saint and a material girl | 180 Dunrobin Castle | Sutherland Home from home | 182 Hermit’s Castle | Sutherland Downsizing | 184 Kylesku Bridge | Sutherland Better by design | 186 The Old Man of Stoer | Sutherland Climbing to the top | 188 RAF Memorial | Sutherland Mountain tragedy | 190 Smoo Cave | Sutherland Rock of Ages | 192 The Split Stane | Sutherland Old Nick nicks old rock | 194 Suilven | Sutherland Star quality | 196 The Wee Hoose | Sutherland Lo-res des-res | 198 Ardnamurchan Point | Western Highlands Westward Ho! | 200 Ben Nevis | Western Highlands ‘You take the high road’ | 202 Buachaille Etive Mòr | Western Highlands Climb a Munro today | 204 Caledonian Canal | Western Highlands Making a connection | 206 Camusdarach Beach | Western Highlands Texan takeover? | 208 Castle Stalker | Western Highlands ‘Your mother was a hamster’ | 210 Clachaig Gully | Western Highlands Because it’s there | 212 Commando Memorial | Western Highlands Special forces | 214 Glen Nevis | Western Highlands That’s Mamores | 216 Glenfinnan Monument | Western Highlands Clansman | 218 Glenfinnan Viaduct | Western Highlands Full steam ahead | 220 The Great Glen | Western Highlands A true north / south divide | 222 Kinlochleven | Western Highlands Water features | 224 Monster Midge | Western Highlands Testy tetse | 226 Rannoch Moor | Western Highlands A place to get away from things | 228 The Well of the Seven Heads | Western Highlands Look around you | 230