Brand new from Bradt is Historic Weekends Scotland, a unique guidebook designed to help visitors and locals alike explore inspiring and extraordinary highlights from Scotland’s past. Scotland’s rich and tumultuous history – across centuries from before ‘Scotland’ existed to its emergence as an autonomous country and then part of the UK – is ripe for exploration, and this book offers ideas for 20-plus breaks centred on locations rich in natural, architectural, industrial or cultural heritage. Travel writers and historians Helen and Neil Matthews showcase famous locations waiting to be enjoyed from new perspectives alongside neglected or under-rated gems that deserve more attention. From the Neolithic era to the 20th century, Scotland has plenty to discover. Visit the Hebridean island of Lewis, famous for the 5,000-year-old Callanish Standing Stones and the Chessmen, one of the earliest examples of chess sets containing both bishops and queens. Closer to the Scottish mainland, Skye is where Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped ‘over the sea’ from the mainland after the 1746 Battle of Culloden, and Duntulm Castle reputedly hosts three ghosts. Another of Scotland’s 1,500 castles, Cawdor reputedly owes its location to a donkey carrying gold. Alternatively, follow the trail of Robert the Bruce, whose heart – legend tells – lies at Melrose Abbey in the Borders with the rest of his body at Dunfermline Abbey. The national capital, Edinburgh, has a world-famous castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, but also the Scottish Whisky Experience where you can learn about Scotland’s national drink. In Stirling, you can examine the life of a great Scottish hero at the National Wallace Monument, while other ideas feature the birthplaces of Andrew Carnegie and Allan Pinkerton. St Andrews, meanwhile, is ‘the home of golf’ – its golf club being one of the world’s oldest. As well as detailed descriptions of the sites and explanations of the mysteries of the past, Historic Weekends Scotland includes suggested itineraries, directions, and advice on accommodation, eating out and discovering family history. The only guidebook to combine Scottish history, heritage attractions and travel, it is the perfect source of inspiration and information for your very own tour of Scotland.
