Scottish Islands Skye & the Western Isles

The Western Isles present a rich variety of terrain and wildlife: from the stark beauty of the Cuillin mountains of Skye to the palm trees of Arran or the towering cliffs of the Butt of Lewis, the islands guarantee visitors a magical experience. Skye & The Western Isles provides information on how to get the best out of a trip to the islands with descriptions of: the liveliest festivals and ceilidhs; the best walks and climbs; fishing for trout and giant skate; essential Gaelic words; castles and blackhouses; history and culture; food and drink; ferries and flights. It explains how readers can: locate the cave where Robert the Bruce watched his spider: find a flag given by the fairies to a Skye clan chieftain; take a flight to Barra that lands on the beach; explore the sacred sites of holy lona; follow in the footsteps of Bonnie Prince Charlie; cross the Atlantic Ocean without leaving Scotland; travel to St. Kilda, Europe's top seabird breeding ground. This guide will also tell you where to: sample heather ale on Skye brewed from an old Pictish recipe; watch Hebridean Harris Tweed being woven; spot otters, seals, whales, dolphins, porpoises, and basking sharks; find a bird reserve on North Uist renowned for rare corncrakes; encounter the singing sands on Eigg; find natural musical rocks on Skye, Iona and Tiree; sleep in a four-poster bed on Rum or a Mongolian yurt on Muck; tour seven different whisky distilleries on Islay; climb a peak on Mull where their compass needle points south; hear a vast roaring whirlpool off Jura that drowned a prince; locate the most celebrated gardens in the western isles; find a men-only graveyard on Bute; discover Lapland marsh orchids, Norwegian sandwort, sundew, bog asphodel, purple saxifrage and other botanical marvels.Penrith, James is the author of 'Scottish Islands Skye & the Western Isles', published 2004 under ISBN 9781854583215 and ISBN 1854583212.