Another Summer in Kintyre: Reflections on a 2014 Diary

While reflecting the style and character of its predecessor, 'A Summer in Kintyre', this new book is rich in differences. The narrative begins in April 2014 and ends in September, but real time is irrelevant, as the author dips frequently into history and prehistory, evoking people and events associated with the places he visits by bicycle and on foot. Artists, poets, musicians, cave-dwellers, convicts, winkle-pickers, travelling tinsmiths, shipwrecked sailors, saints, school friends, fishermen, shepherds, farmers and fellow-ramblers share the pages with flowers, butterflies, birds, otters, whales, adders, and much else. A close engagement with places, people and nature is ever-present and, using the journals he has kept since his teens, the author is able to recreate his early adventures in the outdoors. Besides familiar haunts in South Kintyre (Learside, Ben Gullion, Inneans, and Largiebaan), he visits Barr Glen, Ballochroy Glen and Lussa, and explores their history. Illustrated with 50 images, the result will inform and delight any reader with an interest in one of Scotland's most fascinating yet least appreciated areas.