Walking Through Scotland

by Robin Neillands, Neil Landsrobin

Book by Neillands, Robin

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 6, 1995

About the author

Robin Hunter Neillands was a British writer known for his works on travel and military history. A former Royal Marine who served in Cyprus and the Middle East, he later became a prolific author, publishing under multiple pen names. His military histories, often featuring firsthand accounts from veterans, challenged revisionist narratives, particularly regarding Bernard Montgomery, the Dieppe Raid, and the Allied bombing campaign in World War II. Neillands also authored numerous travel books inspired by his extensive journeys across Europe. His works, both popular and scholarly, earned him a nomination for the Royal United Services Institute’s Military Literature Award.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did want to like this book I didn’t buy it to not like it, but it is pretty poor unless you are completely new to Scotland or long distance walking. So many better books (about Scotland and/or long walks) out there. I find I struggle to even give it one star. This is a hard one for me. Look I’m a writer and I know what it’s like when people criticise your work. It’s too much effort to write something just for the sake of writing it, you write because it’s something you believe in. At least it has been for me, but maybe not in all cases. The author seems to have written a number of books so perhaps for him it isn’t so difficult. It’s certainly not difficult to read but nor is it thought provoking nor particularly original. I can’t imagine it took him long to write it.

I’ll take my hat off to him for the physical effort he put in - the pace he walks at and the ground he covers is very impressive. But considering what he did ... the book offers no real insights, not about the route and really nothing interesting about his so called journey to discover his “homeland”. And his inner Scot. Way too many cliqués.

I found his attitudes pretty typical of an establishment Englishman. Ex-army (sorry marines) “english” through and through, his lack of understanding about Scotland was staggering. He did not engage with anything that’s happened in Scotland in the last couple of centuries... the more I write this review the more frustrated I become. The idea of the book could have been so interesting, the questions deep and profound ... but not this book. Pick a route through Scotland, look up the place names on Wikipedia and you’ll get a lot more for your investment.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's been awhile ago that I read it. I'd like to read it again. It was well-written and had a sense of humor, without quite so sharp an edge as Bill Bryson has, which I liked. Neillands' descriptions were really wonderful and made you feel you were there seeing what he saw - so - the perfect armchair travel book.