This is the first book ever to be written on the collective history of the little group of islands between Ardnamurchan and Skye. As some of the best known Hebridean islands, Canna, Rum, Eigg and Muck have a long and varied history, but are also amongst the least documented. Rum was the playground of the Macruari kings of the Northern Hebrides; Eigg was the island meeting point where their descendants conceded primacy to the Islay Macdonalds, while Muck and Canna were the property of Iona, spiritual nerve centre of the west. With reference to both the extensive material remains on the islands and rare original source material, this book is a dynamic and wideranging account of the Small Isles and their history.

A guidebook to 15 day walks and 1 multi-day trek on the Isles of Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna, Coll and Tiree. Exploring the beautiful scenery of the Western Isles, the routes are suitable for walkers of all abilities. The day walks range in length from 9 to 27km (5–17 miles) and include a challenging round of Rum Cuillin. A 3-day trek around the coast of Rum covering 40km (25 miles) is also described. 1:50,000 OS maps included for each walk Detailed information on public transport to and around the islands Highlights include an ascent of An Sgurr Information included on local history, geology and wildlife

Some ten thousand years ago, hunter-gatherers moving through a landscape newly emerged from the grip of the last Ice Age reached four islands on the western seaboard. The shores they landed on were deserted. After making camp, they struck out to hunt and explore. We know this because the evidence of their presence has been preserved down the millennia - in traces of flint and quartz, in charred fragments of grain and animal bone, in great heaped piles of ancient shellfish. The islands were Rum, Eigg, Canna and Muck - four distinctive shapes rising from the waters of the Inner Hebrides between Ardnamurchan and Skye. Collectively, they are known as the Small Isles.From those first moments on, people have been working these islands and using their resources, adapting each landscape to suit the changing needs of the communities they served. In this definitive new book, archaeologist John Hunter searches for the stories of the Small Isles in the evidence that survives - from the fragmentary physical remains of dwellings, defences, places of worship and monuments, to the records of early antiquarians, historians and travellers.This is a journey to rediscover communities that were erased by the mass migrations of the nineteenth century, and the rise of the Victorian sporting estate. Within a few generations cultural identity on the islands disappeared and a new order developed. Placenames were changed, buildings and structures abandoned, and traditions forgotten. The Small Isles became islands without memories.This comprehensive guide - illustrated with a wealth of photographs, maps and drawings - takes readers on a tour of both place and time. Crisscrossing the landscapes of four fascinating and evocative islands, it reveals traces of a forgotten past in everything that has been left behind.

Tired of the pace and noise of life near London and longing for a better place to raise their young children, Mary J. MacLeod and her husband encountered their dream while vacationing on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides. Enthralled by its windswept beauty, they soon were the proud owners of a near-derelict croft house—a farmer’s stone cottage—on “a small acre” of land. Mary assumed duties as the island’s district nurse. Call the Nurse is her account of the enchanted years she and her family spent there, coming to know its folk as both patients and friends. In anecdotes that are by turns funny, sad, moving, and tragic, she recalls them all, the crofters and their laird, the boatmen and tradesmen, young lovers and forbidding churchmen. Against the old-fashioned island culture and the grandeur of mountain and sea unfold indelible stories: a young woman carried through snow for airlift to the hospital; a rescue by boat; the marriage of a gentle giant and the island beauty; a ghostly encounter; the shocking discovery of a woman in chains; the flames of a heather fire at night; an unexploded bomb from World War II; and the joyful, tipsy celebration of a ceilidh. Gaelic fortitude meets a nurse’s compassion in these wonderful true stories from rural Scotland.

In 1937, Adam Nicolson's father answered a newspaper ad—"Uninhabited islands for sale. Outer Hebrides, 600 acres. . . . Puffins and seals. Apply."—and thus found the Shiants. With a name meaning "holy or enchanted islands," the Shiants for millennia were a haven for those seeking solitude, but their rich, sometimes violent history of human habitation includes much more. When he was twenty-one, Nicolson inherited this almost indescribably beautiful property: a landscape, soaked in centuries-old tales of restless ghosts and Bronze Age gold, that cradles the heritage of a once-vibrant world of farmers and fishermen. In Sea Room, Nicolson describes and relives his love affair with the three tiny islands and their strange and colorful history in passionate, keenly precise prose—sharing with us the greatest gift an island bestows on its inhabitants: a deep engagement with the natural world.

font size="+1"The sweeping long-lost novella, now available in paperback for the first time in 40 years, alongside recently rediscovered short story 'The Lost One', from the original queen of romantic suspense/font size font size="+1"'Total heaven' Harriet Evans/font size 1879. Lanzarote. A wealthy young woman elopes with an impoverished fisherman, leaving her family distraught. 1968. Perdita West, secretary to a famous author, visits Lanzarote on a research trip and begins to fall in love with the unusual, beautiful little island. When, while snorkelling, a landslide traps Perdita in an underwater cave, her efforts to save herself will reveal what happened to the ill-fated couple who fell in love at this very spot almost a century ago . . . Also includes the recently rediscovered short story 'The Lost One', first published in Woman's Journal in 1960, and set against the backdrop of unfenced country and dark winding valleys at night. Praise for Mary Stewart: 'Stylish' Guardian 'Wonderful' Scotsman 'Mary Stewart is magic' New York Times '[She] sprinkled intelligence around like stardust' Herald 'One of the great British storytellers of the 20th century' Independent 'She set the benchmark for pace, suspense and romance - with a great dollop of escapism as the icing' Elizabeth Buchan

The Rough Guide Snapshot to Skye and the Small Isles is the ultimate travel guide to this captivating region of Scotland. It leads you through the area with reliable information and comprehensive coverage of all the sights and attractions, from Skye's gourmet restaurants and the otherworldly Trotternish peninsula to stunning hikes and isolated beaches on the Small Isles. Detailed maps and up-to-date listings pinpoint the best cafés, restaurants, hotels, shops, pubs and nightlife, ensuring you make the most of your trip, whether passing through, staying for the weekend or longer. Also included is the Basics section from the Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands & Islands, with all the practical information you need for travelling in and around the Scottish Highlands & Islands, including transport, food, drink, costs, health, events and outdoor activities. Also published as part of the Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands & Islands. Now available in ePub format.