South West Scotland

About the Book: 

The lovely land of hills, moors and beaches is bounded by the Atlantic and the Solway. Steeped in history and legend, still unspoiled, it is a land whose peace and grandeur are at least comparable to the Highlands, and yet it is hardly known. No area of Scotland better repays exploration than this.

From the Auld Kirk of Alloway where tales of Tam O'Shanter resound, to the legends of St Ninian at one of Scotland's earliest Christian sites, Whithorn, this region is lovingly described by a local author, who will explore with you the splendour of Culzean Castle and delights of Wanlockhead, Scotland's highest village.

Reviews: 

Here, you will find ‘that curious pastiche of myths and legend and history that the Scots use to describe their heritage... A lively counterpoint to the more standard, detached guidebook... Intriguing. THE WASHINGTON POST

About the Author:

TOM ATKINSON had a very interesting life. After serving in the RAF throughout WWII, he spent the next twenty years in the diplomatic service of the Republic of Indonesia, having been in a position to help the young Republic to become established, during the latter part of his RAF service. This is described in his contribution to this book. 

Tom left Indonesia just before the horror of the military take-over in 1965, when a million or so Indonesians were slaughtered. Since then he has been a hotelier in the remote north-west of Scotland, followed by ten years on a small self-sufficient farm in west Wales.

Returning to Scotland, he founded Luath Press, and wrote a series of guide books to his beloved West and North of Scotland.

Later he helped his herbalist daughter to breathe new life into Napiers of Edinburgh, a herbal consultancy established in 1860, and he operated Napiers Mail Order business for three years, before retiring for the third time.