History Corner: Lochs and Legends: A Scotsman's Guide to the Heart of Scotland by Andy the Highland with Lilly Hurder

 Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Harper Collins via Edelweissplus, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own.

From a social media sensation Andy the Highlander comes an armchair traveler’s guide to the real Scotland.

Synopsis:

From the majestic beauty of the wild Scottish landscape to the hidden traces of its history waiting to be uncovered in every town and village, Andy McAllindon is enthralled by the country he is lucky enough to call home. Scotland’s busiest tour guide in real life and online, Andy travels around the country to ancient sites such as castles, cemeteries, burial chambers and prisons, celebrating the history, folklore, superstitions and the fascinating people that make Scotland the most beautiful country in the world.

Lochs and Legends is Andy’s love letter to Scotland, a love that began when he landed a part on the worldwide phenomenon Outlander, and led to him dedicating his life to learning more about the true star of the show—Scotland. A social media sensation as Andy the Highlander, his first book opens up Scotland’s secrets to anyone, even if they can only explore her from the comfort of their armchair. It invites you to time travel with Andy, walking in the footsteps of kings and queens, dukes and duchesses, murderers, farmers, poets, invading armies, and everyday folks like himself. It is Scotland as you’ve never seen it before.

Chapters

1. Greater Edinburgh - including the Royal Mile, Culross, Blackness Castle, Falkland, Doune Castle
2. Up the A9 towards Inverness - Stirling, Bluebell Wood, Pitlochry, Aviemore, Blair Athol Distillery, Rothiemurchas, Cairngorms
3. Inverness - Culloden, Clava Cairns, Dunrobin, Pictish history, Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle
4. Skye - Applecross, Eilean Donan, Portree, Trotternish Peninsula, Fairy Pools, Talisker, Dunvegan
5. Outer Hebrides - Harris Gin and Tweed, St Clements, Luskentyre, Callanish Stones, Dun Carloway Broch, Blackhouse Village, Stornoway
6. The A82 - Glencoe, Fort William, Ballachulish, Glenfinnan, Loch Lomond
7. Greater Glasgow - the city and surrounds, as well as Ayrshire

Review:

Looking at taking a trip to Scotland? 

This is another book you might want to read before you plan your trip! Andy takes you to 7 different areas of Scotland and introduces you to not only the history of the area, but also what remains, and what you can visit, and why your should. It's like having a personal guide, leading though the best bits, and showing you the authentic Scotland, not the tour bus one. By giving you insider tips and tricks, he helps you to make the best in planning your trip to Scotland. Can't make it just yet? No worries, he also gives you recipes from some of the amazing places included in the book, so you can make the food yourself and feel like you're there! But be prepared, after reading this book your 2 week trip to Scotland make get extended to a month, to take in everything he suggests in the book!

About the Authors:

Andrew McAlindon, aka Andy the Highlander, is a Scottish content creator and tour guide who shares his love for his homeland with the world. His videos have accumulated tens of millions of views online and he has followers from all around the world united by their love for Scotland. Before all that, Andy was a qualified electrician and owned his own business for many years before deciding to pursue his passion for acting. This led him to an opportunity to appear in Outlander, which in turn sparked Andy’s interest in real Jacobite and Scottish history. This spark turned into a flame, leading to Andy purchasing a full Jacobite outfit and getting online—his video on how to wear the tartan went viral with over 5.3 million views in the first 30 days. Andy now takes guests from all over the world around Scotland with his company Highlander Tours and has established himself as one of Scotland’s best, and busiest, guides.

Lilly Hurd is a Sunday Times bestselling author and the voice behind ‘Find Her in the Highlands’, a popular blog in which she shares stories about Scotland. In 2016 she traded her high heels for hiking boots, leaving the world of corporate Boston behind to discover Scotland and her Highland MacKenzie roots. She has wandered Scotland extensively and now lives off-grid in the Maine woods with her husband, park ranger/writer Andrew Vietze. She returns to Scotland whenever it calls her back. Lilly is currently working on a historical novel set in 7th Century Pictish Scotland.