Yumpu_ May_June 2017_02

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INSIGHTS
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Cycling, Walking, Bothying and Lighting Up
walking,
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INSIGHTS
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Orkney - A Special Place: A New Book by Richard Clubley
Tom Aston suggests you buy into the author’s astute observations
Cycling The Hebridean Way
by The Offcomers - Janet Moss
and Pete Martin
£14.00 Published by the Authors
978-0-9956770-0-5
The Hebridean Way has caught on, all 180
miles of it, from Vatersay to The Butt of
Lewis. The authors have researched with
both diligence and imagination to
minimalise the challenges of long-distance
cycling and maximise the interests and
pleasures en route. Here, in a brilliantlypackaged
book, are directions; background
information; advice on supplies, services
and
If you
accommodation;
regard cycling
detours
The Hebridean
to excite.
The End to End Trail
by Andy Robinson
£16.95 Cicerone
978-1-85284-512-4
Way as an ultimate, then consider this
guide on walking from Land’s End to
John O’Groats on footpaths. The 1206
miles are broken down into 61 sections
of 20 miles each. So put aside two
months, train, prepare and, above all,
consult this reference book and pack it.
Here is a blend of 40% established
long-distance paths and 60% thoughtfully-described
routes.
When on the topic of long-distance
6 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER MAY / JUNE 2017
Another Shore - Six Longdistance
Walks
by Roger Legg
£13.99 Xlibris 978-1-4797-6964-3
enthusiasts should consider following in
the footsteps of the author and his treks
across Wales from Rhoose Point to Great
Orme Head; Scotland from
Ardnamurchan to Peterhead; England
from the Isle of Wight to Allendale;
Scotland from Allendale to John
O’Groats; Orkney and Shetland; Norfolk
to the Fens.
Peter Edwards knows his way around
Walking on Rum and the
Small Isles
by Peter Edwards
£14.95 Cicerone 978-1-85284-662-6
and how to communicate local history,
geology and wildlife. Here are 16
routes across and around Rum, Eigg,
Muck, Canna, Coll and Tiree. The
range of walks are from days out for the
family to endurance events for the
initiated. The juxtaposition of OS
maps and eye-catching photographs
gives a sense of sound direction and a
compulsion to explore.
Here is the first guide that endeavours to
The Scottish Bothy Bible
by Geoff Allan
£16.99 Wild Things Publishing
978-1-910636-107
the Mountain Bothy Association
buildings and many other bothy cabins
and mountain huts in Scotland. Two are
on Rum and 12 are on other islands. This
reference book is sturdy, with pagemarkers
in the extended covers;
informative about facilities and routes;
illustrated in a way that takes you to the
accommodation in spirit.
Scottish Lighthouse
Pioneers
by Paul A Lynn
£16.99 Whittles Publishing
978-1-184995-265-1
The author successfully places the
lives and work of the world-famous
Stevenson lighthouse engineers in their
social and historical context. It draws on
accounts by literary figures, Walter Scott
and, inevitably, Robert Louis Stevenson.
The focus is on Orkney and Shetland
with the climax being the rock on which
the ‘impossible lighthouse’ was built,
Muckle Flugga.
Richard Clubley is no stranger to these pages and it has
been obvious here, for at least the past ten years, that he is
in a love affair with islands, in general, and Orkney, in particular.
In fact, he fell for Orkney some 30 years ago. 2017 will
see his new book, Orkney - A Special Place, published and
he and his wife moving there to the house that they are
having built.
What is the appeal of the 400 square miles of land within
the 3,500 square miles of sea? Many of the 21,000
residents are enthusiasts for the area which is often rated
highly in surveys asking about ‘the best place to live in the
UK’. Perhaps the reasons include - the variety of different
aspects of life, the fresh and invigorating air, a sense of
history and a feeling that technological changes are
supporting its future.
The author takes his readers on a series of journeys in
which the focus switches between time, place, people and
events. It all started there in Mesolithic times, some 10,000
years ago, with the first settlers. By the Neolithic era,
Orkney was something of a cultural and
enterprising hub, with present-day
archaeologists revealing more about its
thriving culture, treasures and
complexity of buildings.
This is where a theme appears in the
book, with an emphasis on innovation.
Such diverse topics as the techniques
employed at The Ring of Brodgar, the
exploits in the Arctic of Dr John Rae, the
expertise shown by furniture-makers,
food manufacturers and musicians, the
building of fine churches for peaceful
worship and robust causeways for wardefences.
The ways in which the young reveal their
attitudes to island-life is unexpected. They
may not have travelled far ... yet, but one
senses that they will go places. Richard
himself ventured further than Orkney
Mainland and looks at causeway construction
on Hunda, how an enterprising pair of
ladies walked from Clevedon to Cava,
school-pupils’ responses on Westray and
how Papa Westray has the oldest of
houses.
Lighthouse-keeping has its chapter and
this is timely for the human skills in this
profession have only recently been
supplanted by the ‘robotic staff’ of mechanisation.
Cruise-liners arrive safely and their
passengers will have a brief introduction to
the ancient landscape and cultures.
However, their duration ashore will be ephemeral, at best!
Richard and Beverly Clubley will soon be permanent
residents. They will not, however, be ‘Know Nothings’ - for
the knowledge conveyed in his book will make them
‘special people’, brilliantly-informed and interesting. They
have a head start in having experienced the attractions of
the place for years. Purchasing the book will set you on a
comparable path in which pleasures have been distilled.
Send a 50-word account to editor@scottishislandsexplorer.com
describing how you have been / or think you will
be inspired by Orkney. You may win one of the three copies
of Orkney - a Special Place being given away.
Further Information
Luath Press Ltd www.luath.co.uk £9.99 978-1-910745-95-3
MAY / JUNE 2017 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER 7