Mountains, Lochs and Lonely Spots

by Steve Roach

Mountains, Lochs and Lonely Spots. A Tour of Scotland in a VW Campervan. Join the author, his partner and their little dog Clem on a grand tour of Scotland in a classic T2 VW Campervan. From a monster hunting trip on Loch Ness, a journey inside a hollow mountain and a wander round the streets of Edinburgh, the tour covers a number of popular attractions but also takes in a few places not on the usual tourist itinerary, An abandoned family theme park where the crowds are long gone, grass grows unchecked and rollercoasters slowly rust in the permadrizzle; a decaying, crumbling mental asylum no longer in use; an isolated house with an enormous concrete pineapple where the roof should be. Throw in a tour of the lonely roads of Skye and a look at Eilean Donan Castle, the William Wallace Monument, the Glenfinnan Monument at Loch Shiel and the amazing Falkirk Wheel and you have a trip where the wonders of Scotland are revealed in all their glory. From the author Cycles, Tents and Two Young Gents - Next Time, We’re Flying Somewhere Sunny - Step It Up!

94 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2013

Reviews

[Moira McPartlin]

This was a topical and welcome Christmas pressie to put me in the mood before owning my own campervan in 2014. The writer, his girlfriend and small dog, hire a classic VW from a company in Hawick and travel through some of the more touristy parts of Scotland, stopping off at some very un touristy places. At first I found this book very funny and interesting. The writer's style was casual and the wit tongue in cheek. Some of the places they visited were fascinating, an abandoned theme park, a ruined lunatic asylum and the Cardross seminary. But after a while I tired of the writing style and wit, I think this happened about the time the author decided that a trip any further north than Inverness wasn't worth it because 'there was f**k all up there'. The book then became a series of moans and gripes about the weather, the lack of facilities and inflated prices.
Being a Scot I know that holidaying in Scotland can have its difficulties but I am also familiar with all the areas visited and know many of the gripes were unfounded. By the end of the book what began as banter felt offensive.