Travel Books for Dreamers
Blogmas Day 3
Sometimes we all dream of being somewhere else, maybe somewhere we miss, or somewhere we’ve never been. There’s an eternal thrill is discovering new places, new experiences, of pushing beyond familiar horizons. One of the greatest powers books hold is the power to transport us, through words and images, to lands and landscapes beyond our imagination. For our second day of Blogmas, we discover where books can take us.
From her studio in her home in Skye, Diana Mackie brings to life a vision of the island that is rapturous, beautiful and awe-inspiring. Her oil paintings reveal a land of intense vibrance – windblown moorlands, sunlight piercing through trees, storm waves breaking on the shore.
Her paintings of the moon hold special significance. Radiant and cloud-wreathed, some of Mackie’s moonscapes were painted for a St Petersburg exhibition to commemorate the lost souls of the WWII Arctic Convoys, send by the Allies through the farthest reaches of the world to bring aid to Russia. Mackie’s moon watches over primal seas, a guardian spirit of far-travelled sailors and their own lost spirits alike.
Richard Clubley loves islands. He has long poured his passion for them onto the page of magazines, journals and books. And while he has written extensively on his chosen home of Orkney, The Sea All Around seeks to share that love with all of Scotland’s islands.
Clubley delights in the spirit of these islands’ communities, their local lore and the stark, stunning landscapes each can offer. Perhaps the crowning jewels of Scotland’s natural grandeur, The Sea All Around takes you from Oxna to Iona, melding history with anecdotes in a sweeping journey.
A classic of mountaineering travel writing, Ian R Mitchell’s Mountain Footfalls is like a campfire invitation for readers. These are the adventures of the Stobcross Gentlemen’s Climbing Club, sprinkled with mountaineer’s lore and ‘wisdom’.
Mountain Footfalls transports the reader to joyous times and wonderous places. It’s candid, humorous, and sincere both in its expression of love for hillclimbing and the reality of the misadventures that ensue. Not every venture goes smoothly. Misread maps, weary bodies and obstinate weather are as much a part of the experience of Scotland’s wild places as is the beauty of the Highlands at sunset, and the camaraderie of good company around a bothy hearth.
The spirit of place dwells in the people who live there, as Susan Dalgety discovered in Malawi. As former chair of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, Susan Dalgety has a long history with the rapidly changing nation. Growing, thriving and with a hopeful future, Dalgety chooses to tell its story through the voice of Malawians.
The Spirit of Malawi’s pages are filled with an optimism that challenges the common presuppositions of sub-Saharan Africa. It focuses on the everyday hopes and concerns of normal people witnessing their burgeoning democracy come into its own.
