For many tourists, the Highlands and Islands are all about kilts, whisky, Bonnie Prince Charlie, haggis and shortbread. Anyone who lives here knows there’s much more to this beautiful part of the world than that, and many dislike the whole ‘tartan shortbread’ image so often used to portray the area.
Rab MacWilliam, a native Invernessian who has lived in London for decades but still regularly visits Inverness, has teamed up with broadcasting legend, Iain MacDonald from Lewis, to write a guide book to the area which would not only let visitors get a insider’s viewpoint of what’s great, good and what’s worth avoiding, but one which would also appeal to locals.
They’ve hit the target on both counts. Both talented writers give their viewpoints on different towns, villages and areas across the region, giving their own personal insights via anecdotes and potted histories.
The humorous title for example, is a play on Where Eagles Dare, written by famous author Alistair MacLean who lived in Daviot on the outskirts of the Highland capital.
I found myself laughing out loud at lots of the yarns, but also learned a lot along the way, such as that Inverness once had a sizeable Flemish community living here, and that the Merkinch area was once a busy shipbuilding centre, with the flagship for the Venetian navy built there during the 12th century.
Entertaining and informative, this is an ideal book for tourists looking to get more out of a visit, but also a gem of a book for locals who will enjoy hearing informative and entertaining yarns about the Highlands and Islands – I suspect it will find its way into many a Christmas stocking this year.
Published by Kessock Books
