Book Description

Still rarely visited are many parts of Scotland's shoreline which offer some of the finest coastal scenery in Europe. This book provides an entertaining account of a journey on a mountain bike around this ever-changing coastline. Nicholas Fairweather's starting point was Portpatrick in Dumfries and Galloway. He followed coastal roads and tracks over Arran and Mull to the wild shores of Ardnamurchan, hitching lifts on boats to cycle across Knoydart before taking the Glenelg ferry to Skye. There were more tracks past the mountains of Torridon with a boat trip to Ullapool and a hard pedal through Assynt to beautiful Sandwood Bay. After losing the track and common sense, the demanding cross-country push to Cape Wrath proved to be a minefield, but Nicholas eventually reached the famous lighthouse and towering cliffs. The route then followed the northern edge of Scotland, crossing over to Orkney before heading south, down the north-east coast, past Dornoch to Inverness. At a later date, Nicholas resumed his coastal exploration via Lossiemouth through the dark forests of Culbin and Tentsmuir. The last part of the journey took him along the south-east coast to a sunny evening at St Abbs Head, over the deserted hill roads of the Borders to Dumfries and on to the Mull of Galloway. The book, illustrated with photographs and maps, evokes the beauty and mystique of Scotland's intriguing coastline while offering some practical help to aspiring travellers.