Product Description

The North-West Highlands, which for the purposes of this book includes all the Scottish mainland north and west of the Great Glen together with the Isle of Skye, is the last area in Britain which could truthfully be described as genuinely wild. This guide to 24 of the finest walks in this gloriously lonely and often breathtakingly beautiful landscape is aimed, not at climbers, who are already well catered for, but at walkers who wish to enjoy the wild country and, while prepared to tackle rough terrain, do not necessarily have the skills and equipment that may be needed on the higher hills. The walks, which range from 6 to 17 miles (9.5 to 27 km) in length are mostly circular and in all cases begin and end at sites with space for parking and access to public transport. Some of the routes, though by no means all, run through land owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The landscapes through which they pass range from the tightly packed hills and glens of Ardgour, Moidart and Knoydart in the south to the wild moors of the extreme north over which a few peaks like Suilven, Canisp and Quinag tower in splendid isolation. Chris Townsend guides his readers with an infectious enthusiasm, sound advice and knowledgeable observations of the wildlife and geology of the Highlands. The book also includes a glossary of Gaelic and Scots words and a Useful Information section listing organisations and websites that may be useful to visiting walkers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46738 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Chris Townsend is a writer and photographer specialising in Scottish subjects. He lives in Grantown-on-Spey.

Customer Reviews

Get those feet a'walking with this perfect companion
This is a really interesting book if you are planning any walks or trips to the Noth West Highlands of Scotland. It lists 24 walks that will inspire you to get out of the car and go for a "stroll". The walks cater for all and can all be done in a day, though Chris does say you could stay out if you wished.
From "short" 6 mile walks to a longer 17 mile trek! Mind you the 6 mile walk is apparently very steep and one of the 16 miler involves a bus or friends car back to the start! There are even walks that involve no hills, well, at least one anyway, around a lake - I am English!
The book has maps of the walks, but of course you should take your own map etc etc, though this book is small and light enough to fit in a big pocket or pack!
Some walks carry a warning if there are any potential difficulties, and these should be heeded!
All the walks have a little historical story about them before we are told where to start, what hills to cross, what streams to ford and what tussocks to fall over - oh the famous tussocks!!
The book is well laid out with photographs by the author.
The book is broken down into easy to read sections, with an introduction which covers access, weather, terrain and walking times, safety, long distance walks, wild camping, midges and ticks, leave no trace, and a geological wonderland and the National Trust for Scotland. That takes up a good handful of pages. Then you are into the walks, all 24 of them! Each walk also lasts between 6 to 8 pages, including the maps and descriptions etc! They seem easy to follow and I hope to try some out one day! If I were to be really picky, I guess the one thing missing is that we have to work out the total ascent of the walks ourselves. Oh the strain of counting contour lines, I think we can do that.
This book is well recommended for walkers of all abilities!
Enjoy it and have a great walking experience!
Thanks for another great book Chris!

Nice walks spread over a huge area
Chris Townsend wrote the excellent "Collin's Ramblers Guide to Ben Nevis and Glencoe" and the quality of this book of walks in the North West of Scotland is second to none. The descriptions are very readable and the 1:25,000 mapping excellent. Unlike Mr Townsend's Glencoe book, the 24 walks in this book are, in the main, not mountain walks. Only a handful of the walks actually go up mountains and (I think) only one of these is a Munro. Nevertheless most of the walks are long and serious undertakings in remote areas and will suit the experienced walker rather than the casual stroller. My only complaint is that the books covers such a huge area that you will never be able to do more than a few in any one trip. The 24 walks are spread from near Fort William, right up to Cape Wrath, including Skye. I like to really get to know an area through a comprehensive set of walks (the Cicerone guides are good for this); this book is more of a scattergun. However, it is very well written and a worthy addition to your collection of walking books.