Travel Writers Wild about Scotland

09 September 09

It took them thousands of miles and years of research to draw their conclusions, but two of Britain’s top travel writers have decided that the world’s best outdoor attractions are right on their doorstep in Scotland.

Seven Scottish sites feature in the new Clean Breaks book by Rough Guide, putting them on a par with many of the globe’s most iconic wilderness experiences.

Sitting alongside more exotic adventures like meeting mountain gorillas in Rwanda and living with nomads in Mongolia are many trips closer to home, such as a kayaking voyage in the Summer Isles and a night in a Highland bothy.

Seasoned travel writer Richard Hammond, who co-wrote the guide with colleague Jeremy Smith, said the ability of the Scottish countryside to compete on a global stage was often overlooked.

“True wilderness is very hard to find in the UK now, or even elsewhere in Europe, but Scotland still has some genuinely wild areas,” he said.

“One of my favourite trips is kayaking in the Summer Isles. You can arrange to be met off the train, taken in a minibus to the start of the trip, and then you’re in a kayak for five or six days.

“The beaches are empty, the weather can be stunning, and there’s lots of marine life to see. With lots of wilderness experiences you expect to have to fly a long way, but you don’t get that in Scotland.”

The tourist industry could reap the benefits of the new book, which will promote all that Scotland has to offer to an audience increasingly looking for cheap getaways near to home. Mr Hammond said:

“One of the best things for me is that you can leave the grit and grind of life in London and escape to Scotland relatively easily.

“One of my favourite trips is to take the sleeper from Euston to Corrour, on the West Highland Line, and walk over to Loch Ossian. There’s a hostel there that is a great place to stay, run by the Scottish Youth Hostel Association. The train is the only way to get there without doing a six-hour hike, and as soon as you walk away from the station you’re right there in the wilds of Rannoch Moor. The train lines from Edinburgh and Glasgow make the Highlands much more accessible than it looks on the map.”

The book features must-see attractions on every continent, and it places an emphasis on environmentally friendly “green” travel options.

Mr Smith said that as well as being easier on the environment, growing numbers of tourists were switching on to the benefits that sustainable travel could bring.

“In the same way that many of the world’s best chefs are those who use local, seasonal ingredients, it stands to reason that the most rewarding holidays are provided by those who really care for their local environment, its people, how their food is grown and the wildlife that surrounds them. These people make the best hosts and guides,” he said.

Among the other attractions recommended by the book are bear-tracking expeditions in Poland, camping with the Bedouin, reindeer-sledding in Norway and staying in a mud-hut in Jamaica.

Of the 500 trips featured 55 are in the UK and Ireland, including seven in the Scottish countryside.

The key to organising a rewarding trip is planning, Mr Hammond advised.

“It’s all very well taking a train to the Highlands because it’s environmentally friendly, but if you end up waiting for an onward connection that never comes then it’s not going to be much fun. If you just think about it in advance, and look around before you travel, you can find lots of really good trips that tie in together,” he said.

Source: Reproduced with the permission of The Herald, Glasgow © Newsquest (Herald & Times) Ltd.