{"title":"Ecosse: Alba Miscellany","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781849951623_canals-across-scotland","title":"Canals Across Scotland","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis entertaining and informative book will be of practical benefit to all who discover the historic Union Canal and the Forth \u0026amp; Clyde Canal, whether walking, cycling, boating or visiting the Falkirk Wheel or the Kelpies. The canals are for fun, whether on the water, on the towpath, walking or cycling or just visiting. The canals can be enjoyed at any season. In winter, with the trees leafless, the views are more extensive and there is less traffic on towpath or waterway. In high summer the green world of trees is almost overwhelming, the banks crowded with sweet reed grass, meadow sweet, willowherbs, vetches and many spreads of yellow waterlily, a real Wind in the Willows world. In autumn there are brambles to be eaten, in spring the returning wildlife spree, with swans nesting and swallows swooping. The canals are a scenic treat and will repay many visits or a dedicated holiday challenge. Canals Across Scotland provides detailed towpath information, suggests what to see and do along the way and in the towns passed. The book is full of fascinating historical background, knowledgeable descriptions, practical information, good stories and is beautifully illustrated.Side trips to the Antonine Wall, which stretches from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde, country parks or to towns like Linlithgow, Falkirk, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch, often by circular walks, are also described.\u003cbr\u003e\n The canals are for leisurely, timeless exploring and this updated guide will be an essential companion.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hamish Brown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657399670,"sku":"9781849951623","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951623.jpg?v=1790746925"},{"product_id":"9781849951401_the-lighthouse-on-skerryvore","title":"The Lighthouse on Skerryvore","description":"Perched on an isolated rock in the Scottish Hebrides, this is a fascinating account of Skerryvore, 'the most graceful lighthouse in the world', and the great Victorian engineer who designed and built it. At a height of 48m (156 feet), it is the tallest lighthouse in Scotland.  The story of the Skerryvore lighthouse and its creator, Alan Stevenson, is remarkable by any standards. Here was a man of exceptional intelligence and wide-ranging ability who overcame Herculean challenges over a six-year period to place a lighthouse on an isolated rock in the wild North Atlantic, 12 miles off the Hebridean island of Tiree. He was a brilliant and complex character, much loved by his family and those who knew him, but beset with self-doubt. His is a moving and truly amazing story just waiting to be told. Reading Alan Stevenson's 1848 Account of the Skerryvore Lighthouse, the author immersed himself in Skerryvore through the mind of its creator, using his background as a professional engineer to assess the state of knowledge at the time, and to learn all he could about its background, technical design, and the many trials and tribulations surrounding the lighthouse's construction.This highly readable book, illustrated in full colour with beautiful old maps, engravings and photographs, also contains introductory material about Eddystone and Bell Rock Lighthouses that greatly influenced Alan Stevenson in his design and construction of Skerryvore. Snippets of personal reminiscences and fascinating historical perspectives on the West Highlands give readers a wider view, encouraging them to visit Tiree.","brand":"Paul A. Lynn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657694582,"sku":"9781849951401","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951401.jpg?v=1764233827"},{"product_id":"9781849950312_100-scotsman-walks","title":"100 Scotsman Walks","description":"Hillwalking is a way of life for Robin Howie, whose name is very well-known in Scottish hillwalking circles and whose knowledge of the Scottish high tops is second to none. For over ten years his popular weekly hillwalking column has appeared in The Scotsman where his pleasure of walking in the hills is apparent to the reader. Some claim to buy the paper solely to read his column while others have long-demanded that his walks be made into a book. Generous with his help and advice to other walkers, this collection of shorter, lower-level walks will appeal to families and those less sure of venturing to the high tops. Conveniently arranged within shires with a location map, each walk has a useful factfile that summarises the map, start point, distance, terrain, duration of walk, height to be climbed and the all-important nearest refreshment point.  100 Scotsman Walks is a distillation of a lifetime of highs and lows, enhanced by the artist's eye and the wordsmith's descriptive powers. It will be a delight for active or ex-walkers, for the would-be explorer or armchair enthusiast, for the whole family, young or old - a book in fact for everyone.","brand":"Robin Howie","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658415478,"sku":"9781849950312","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950312.jpg?v=1764233829"},{"product_id":"9781849952651_scottish-lighthouse-pioneers","title":"Scottish Lighthouse Pioneers","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the 19th century, the Stevenson engineers pioneered marvellous lighthouses around the coasts of Scotland - lighthouses which inspire with their architectural elegance, and speak of compassion for sailors and fishermen risking their lives in these notoriously dangerous waters. But what was it actually like to be a Scottish lighthouse engineer, and how did the professional activities interact with social and economic conditions in Scotland at the time? How did the Northern Lighthouse Board's Engineer (almost invariably a Stevenson) cope with weeks aboard a small lighthouse vessel, travelling around the rugged Scottish coastline on dangerous tours of inspection and interacting with local people in some of the remotest regions of Europe?The author reveals the fascinating story of the Stevensons as family members as well as engineers - brilliant yet fallible, tough yet vulnerable, with private lives that are little known, even to lighthouse enthusiasts.It sets their work in a historical and social context, drawing heavily on eye-witness accounts by two of Scotland's most celebrated literary sons: Walter Scott, internationally famous poet and member of the Edinburgh establishment; and Robert Louis Stevenson, young family member and disenchanted engineering apprentice desperate to become an author. The reader is taken to the Orkney and Shetland Islands with descriptions of the chain of Stevenson lighthouses that illuminate a vital shipping route between the North Sea, Baltic, and North Atlantic. Finally we travel to Muckle Flugga, the northernmost outpost of the British Isles and last link in the chain, a vicious rock on which David and Thomas Stevenson dared to build their 'impossible lighthouse'.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Paul A. Lynn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658841462,"sku":"9781849952651","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849952651.jpg?v=1764918005"},{"product_id":"9781849954037_walking-scotlands-lost-railways","title":"Walking Scotland's Lost Railways","description":"\u003cp\u003eWalking Scotland’s Lost Railways by Robin Howie and John McGregor is a richly illustrated walking guide and Scottish railway history book exploring the country’s abandoned, dismantled, and repurposed railway lines. Combining transport heritage, industrial archaeology and outdoor walking routes it reveals how former railways that once connected towns, villages and remote landscapes now offer some of the most fascinating heritage walks in Scotland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAcross hundreds of miles of 'dismantled railways' the book guides readers along preserved trackbeds, converted cycleways, and overgrown yet walkable routes. Many routes still feature striking railway archaeology, including bridges, tunnels, cuttings, embankments and disused stations that continue to shape Scotland’s landscapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eWalking Scotland’s Lost Railways also brings Scotland’s industrial past vividly to life. It traces the evolution of the railway age - from early wagonways and steam locomotion - to fierce Victorian railway competition and the dramatic impact of the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe book also reflects on Scotland’s modern railway revival, including reopened stations and major projects such as the Borders Railway between Edinburgh and Tweedbank, highlighting renewed interest in sustainable transport and regional connectivity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003ePerfect for railway enthusiasts, walkers, cyclists, and readers interested in Scottish history, industrial heritage and countryside exploration, this guide offers inspiring walking routes across Scotland’s lost railways. Ideal for an afternoon stroll, a day walk, or a weekend adventure.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Robin Howie","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733659693430,"sku":"9781849954037","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849954037.jpg?v=1774333085"},{"product_id":"9781849954921_the-immeasurable-wilds","title":"The Immeasurable Wilds","description":"\u003cp\u003eTowards the end of the 18th century the attention of mapmakers, explorers and travellers turned to the north of Scotland. The mountains that rise north of Stirling formed a formidable barrier for anyone wanting to visit the Highlands, and travellers to the Far North were even rarer: there were no roads at all into most of Sutherland, and Ross and Cromarty until the early years of the 19th century. Who did go there, and why?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis book follows the early mapmakers who gradually revealed the area, including Timothy Pont and Alexander Bryce who published the first accurate map of the north coast. General Roy covered the whole of Scotland for his remarkable ’Great Map’, and later, the indomitable and energetic General Colby dragged his reluctant Ordnance Survey team across much of the north, as documented by Robert Kearsley Dawson. Meanwhile, Culloden led to increased interest in the area, as is evident not only from the visit of Dr. Johnson, but also those from Thomas Pennant, Bishop Pococke and the Rev. Charles Cordiner, all of whom managed to reach the far north-west and leave fascinating accounts of what they found. The poverty that was apparent to these visitors from the south led to action from the British government, not least an important road-making scheme under Thomas Telford which is documented in this book using not only the official reports, but also an enthusiastic account left by the Poet Laureate of the time, Robert Southey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eWith the new roads came the tourists, flocking to sites like Loch Katrine, in search of signs of Sir Walter Scott’s heroes and heroines. But it was only the bolder few who made it to the far north-west, men like the Rev. James Hall, ‘making love’ under the table at Caithness, or James Hogg, ever the ladies’ man at Lochs Duich and Maree. The book follows this story, which has barely been mentioned in popular literature, and delights in choice anecdotes from all these accounts, touching on a number of disciplines: cartography, early geology and botany. But above all, it gives a picture of this unknown region, as it seemed to those exploring it, an area of astonishing beauty, with inhabitants that showed notable warmth and generosity in spite of their poverty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe book ends with an account of the Highlands Controversy, a debate that divided the geological community for much of the 19th century, culminating in discoveries that revealed that the area contained some of the most remarkable geology not just in Britain, but in the whole world.  Thus recognition was at last achieved for a region that contains some of the most striking scenery in the United Kingdom.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alastair Mitchell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733659791734,"sku":"9781849954921","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849954921.jpg?v=1764233831"},{"product_id":"9781849955324_the-fabulous-flotilla","title":"The Fabulous Flotilla","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, known in colonial Burma as the ‘Fabulous Flotilla’, was the largest privately-owned fleet of ships in the world. It was an entirely Scottish enterprise with nearly all its investors, management and ship’s officers drawn from Scotland.  Over 1,200 ships were ordered mainly from Clyde yards and each year carried the majority of the population of Burma on its river network without loss of life. The paddle steamers were amongst the largest in the world, innovative in design and technology, and very beautiful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e The flotilla began as a naval task force in the 1820s, was commandeered in five wars, and was to end its life with the British evacuation of Burma in 1942, the greatest evacuation in British military history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eFascinating personalities emerge from Strachan’s descriptions of Irrawaddy commanders and the flotilla’s key players. The ships evolved over a hundred years into riverine versions of ocean liners with plush cabins, restaurants, shops and even post offices on board. The largest class of ships carried 5,000 passengers including royalty, celebrities of the day and famous writers like Somerset Maugham along with early tourists and big game hunters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn the second part of the book, the author who himself has spent much of his life running ships on the rivers of Burma, takes us on a journey 1,000 miles upriver to explore the different regions of the country often highlighting Scottish connections. The river is the thread through which Burma’s often tragic history, yet rich and glorious Buddhist culture, flows and only on a river journey can the country be understood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eRenamed Myanmar in 1997, Burma is Scotland’s ‘lost colony’ and the Scottish connection is little remembered today due to Burma’s half a century of post-war isolation.  In its 1920s heyday Burma had the highest concentration of Scots anywhere in the world, outside of Scotland, with the exception of Canada. Scots were everywhere in Burma, running everything, and even their Burmese servants spoke in ‘broad’ Scots.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e                 With the ‘opening up’ of Burma in the early 21st century the Irrawaddy watershed, where about 50 million people live in a primitive rural economy, is under threat. Deforestation on a vast scale has resulted in the silting up of once navigable channels. China, with its ‘belt and road’ system that is a euphemism to a recolonisation of the country, plans to build one of the world’s largest dams in the river’s headwaters that would devastate the country’s agriculture and fisheries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Fabulous Flotilla\u003c\/em\u003e provides a revealing record of this remarkable era in Burma’s history and past Scottish endeavour – a jewel of a story that may soon be lost.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Paul Strachan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733660119414,"sku":"9781849955324","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849955324.jpg?v=1764233831"},{"product_id":"9781849952767_tales-from-braemore-and-swein-asleifson-a-northern-pirate","title":"Tales from Braemore \u0026 Swein Asleifson - a Northern Pirate","description":"\u003cp\u003eDuring the long winter nights and before the advent of television, people in Caithness used to hold informal gatherings in each other's houses, and spend the night in general conversation around the firesides. These gatherings were known as ceilidhs. The news of the day was always discussed along with other topics of interest. The conversation very often turned to events of long ago and it was then that the storytellers came into their own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eWith his customary enthusiasm, Robert Gunn has selected a number of these tales and historical events with links to or origins in Caithness, to provide a fascinating read and a few surprises! The author recalls that in the Dunbeath district there were several storytellers who held their audiences spellbound with their tales of long ago. One such story was \u003cem\u003eThe Prisoner's Leap\u003c\/em\u003e – this raised considerable debate as to whether it was possible to jump the gorge at Crageneath although the conversation often ended with people agreeing that the distance between the two rocks at the gorge was much less than it was currently!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eMost people believed that an Earl of Orkney was killed at the battle of Leodibest and that one of the stones near the road marked his grave. Alexander Gunn's recollections of his schooldays at Badbea will be an eye-opener for many when they read of the terrible hardships that the children who lived there had to endure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSwein Asleifson – a northern pirate\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe son of a Norse governor, Swein followed a life of raiding and looting which encompassed Northern Scotland, Orkney and Shetland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. He travelled as far south as Wales and the Scilly Isles and became one of the most powerful men of his time, commanding fear from the people, respect from Earls and admiration from Kings. This book brings together all the action, double-dealing and bloodthirsty adventures surrounding Swein and his people.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Robert P. Gunn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733659824502,"sku":"9781849952767","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849952767.jpg?v=1765521366"},{"product_id":"9781849956062_the-atomics","title":"The Atomics","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn 1954 the decision to locate the country’s fast reactor R\u0026amp;D nuclear programme at Dounreay’s disused military airfield in Caithness, eight miles west of the town of Thurso, changed the fishing and farming county forever.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThurso’s population trebled in just eight years, with the incomers being labelled the 'Atomics'. The recreational, economic, social and welfare upheaval was immense, but due to good foresight and planning by the UKAEA in conjunction with local councils and officials, social integration was viewed as successful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout its lifespan Dounreay was mired in controversy and this book doesn't shy away from the bad press, incidents, health scares and court fines that became the backdrop of its existence. Not to mention the continual standoff between the Government and anti-nuclear campaigners over the activities on site.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eBy the late 80s fast reactor technology was no longer required and the last reactor was shut down in 1994. But that wasn't the end of the story as the challenging work programme of clean-up, decommissioning and demolition will extend to the 2070s. Only then can Caithness and North Sutherland look forward to life after Dounreay.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iain Grant","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733661233526,"sku":"9781849956062","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849956062.jpg?v=1767336428"},{"product_id":"9781849955317_black-rood","title":"Black Rood","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlack Rood\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e tells the fascinating story of one of Scotland’s oldest and most significant crown jewels. Once as famous as the Stone of Scone, the Black Rood was a gold and jewel-studded reliquary for a piece of the True Cross. This profound and holy treasure was smuggled into Scotland after the Norman invasion by the sister of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. On her marriage to King Malcolm III, the Black Rood passed into the Scottish royal family, and so became a symbol of the authority and legitimacy of Scotland’s kingship. Giving its name to the abbey and then the palace and now the parliament of Holyrood, the Black Rood was to help define Scotland as a kingdom which was at least the equal of England in the eyes of God, and in some ways superior to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eDavid Willem tells the story of the Black Rood though the lives of the kings and queens of Scotland and England who honoured it, treasured it, enacted themselves through it, fought over it, and who sometimes died clutching it, so creating a history in vivid human detail that ranges over a thousand years of Scottish and English history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAt the same time, the author tells the story of two other similar reliquaries of the True Cross – the Croes Gneth of Wales and Ireland’s Cross of Cong. Like the Black Rood, these Irish and Welsh crown jewels helped define the autonomy and independence of their nations, and both were to follow similar trajectories through time. The book ends with the mystery of what happened to the Black Rood, and explores the possibility that, like the Cross of Cong, it might still exist and be waiting to be found.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eTogether these stories create a new and compelling perspective on the relationships between Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland, just when those relationships are changing again for the first time in hundreds of years.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"David Willem","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733660873078,"sku":"9781849955317","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849955317.jpg?v=1765521367"},{"product_id":"9781849951715_349-views-of-scotland","title":"349 Views of Scotland","description":"\u003cp\u003eAnyone who has walked or climbed in Scotland will sooner or later come across a view indicator - one of the discs or plates which identify surrounding features in the landscape. This is the first full-length work devoted to these devices. Since the first indicator appeared in 1890 at Ladies' Rock in Stirling, more than 340 have been installed at viewpoints around Scotland - on hilltops, coastal sites, historic buildings, parks, golf courses and lay-bys. They range from the Mull of Galloway to Shetland, and from sea level to the country's highest mountains. 349 Views of Scotland is a comprehensive and intriguing listing of these indicators, providing information about their physical description, designer, date and the various trusts, groups, councils, etc. that built them. Thirty-two maps show where the indicators are located and there are over 130 photographs, some of which date back many years, providing a fascinating historical aspect to the book. In the course of his research, the author has visited all the sites on the list.Inspiration for the project came from the work of the mountaineer Ben Humble, who published a catalogue of Scotland's indicators in the 1930s and made a journey around many of them in the summer of 1938, reporting his findings to the Glasgow Evening Times. Another prompt was the question posed in the Cairngorm Club Journal in July, 1939: Instead of bagging a few more Munros, why not all the indicators?View indicators have been installed at some of the finest viewpoints in Scotland and this book will be an inspiration and essential companion for anyone visiting the viewpoints and wishing to know more about their history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"David Squires","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733661790582,"sku":"9781849951715","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951715.jpg?v=1764233834"},{"product_id":"9781849956000_the-dummy-drome","title":"The Dummy Drome","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is the story of a WW2 airfield that wasn’t there.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eRAF Wick was a decoy airfield near Sarclet, by Thrumster in Caithness. For a brief period it was busy, active and vital, full of people and buildings with three broad and very obvious tracks with lights and noise. It was very much on the map, specifically designed to draw attention to itself. But it was an illusion dreamed up by military strategists and cinema-set designers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAir Ministry cartographers transposed the design of a real aerodrome onto a blank area on the map. Planners added standard building designs in the right places. Construction workers created runways that a plane could not land on. Artists and craftsmen made planes that couldn’t fly. Men and women from all over the country came to work at a place that was not a working airfield, although their very presence was an essential part of the deception.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis book tells the story of how RAF Wick became a part of the lives of the people who built it, worked there or lived nearby.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rob More","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733662937462,"sku":"9781849956000","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849956000.jpg?v=1764233834"}],"url":"https:\/\/portopress.com\/collections\/ecosse-alba-miscellany.oembed","provider":"Porto Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}