I've travelled through Glen Coe on numerous occasions but have never explored this wonderful landscape. Similarly I know Fort William quite well, or more specifically the supermarket which is the real gateway to the Highlands as all the buses stop there and there's usually time to eat in the supermarket cafe before catching the connecting bus or train to continue your journey.
So this book is particularly interesting for me as it offers a good variety of walks in the Glen Coe and Fort William areas. it's a very handy book too, being small and neat, genuinely pocket sized in fact.
The book starts with brief tips on walking safely, tips for dealing with midges and ticks, and a glossary of Gaelic place name elements.
The twenty walks vary in length from 4 1/2 to 13 miles and include moorland routes and more mountainous routes, including three routes around Ben Nevis the iconic highest mountain in the UK.
Each walk is described in a good amount of detail, with an introductory description that includes landmarks, noteworthy historical notes and things to watch out for (such as whether a route is prone to flooding or midges). Detailed directions are offered along with excellent maps and beautiful photos (mostly taken by the authors).
I'm sure this will be an invaluable guide for all walkers visiting this lovely area of Scotland. The proof of the route is in the walking of course and I hope in due course to be able to try out some of these walks, specially those that aren't too mountainous as I get vertigo!
Day Walks in Fort William and Glen Coe by Helen and Paul Webster published by Vertebrate Publishing.
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Disclaimer: I was sent a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I have a book of day walks for this area and it is such a good reminder even if I've gone on some of them already.
ReplyDeleteWonderful review of this interesting and helpful guide to trails and nature in Glen Coe and Fort William.
ReplyDeleteHere (US of A) we would call them day hikes and our country has not had the 'oos of years of history to develop walks like yours. Other than "indian" trails, when the Europeans came here in masses some 200 years ago, there were no existing "walks" routes like you have!
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting. The landscape round there is so vast that given only a day it can be hard to know where to start. A book of suggestions sounds like a good thing.
ReplyDelete(I once spent a very miserable, wet night bivvying in the hedgebottom in Glen Nevis).