Achiltibuiecottages

Hi - I am looking to do a post for my blog on the best guidebooks and travel sites for visitors to the Highlands of Scotland. The specific area I cover is around Achiltibuie, Ullapool, the Summer Isles and Lochinver.
Any recommendations gratefully received.

Thanks,

Rory.

twk

My favorite Scotland web site for itinerary planning is http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/

I did not really rely on them for hotels and the like, but in deciding where to go and what attractions to see, it was fantastic.

janisj

absolute number 1 book -- "Scotland the Best" by Peter Irvine. This is a general book about all of Scotland but the detail is amazing and lots is included about the NW.

also good - Lonely Planet's "Scotland's Highlands & Islands"

historytraveler

Irvine is excellent as already suggested. I've also found "The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands" a good source.

Achiltibuiecottages

Thanks. I have ordered a copy of Scotland the Brave & will check it out. I also passed on the recommendation on my blog http://achiltibuiecottages.wordpress...s-of-scotland/

Rory

Achiltibuiecottages

Apologies - meant to say Scotland the Best!

sheila

Rory, I think Scotland the Best is fabulous, and update my copy every couple of years, but it's not a guidebook as such- it's actually a pain in the ass to use if you're trying to find out what's round about somewhere. You can do it from the maps but it's very time consuming.

Personally, I like the writing in the Rough Guides, but I think this audience is likely to like the Cadogan Guide to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

noe847

Sheila, funny you should mention those two books - I ordered both about a week or so ago. The Cadogan <i>Scotland's Highlands &amp; Islands</i> has arrived, and I do like the information in it (and it is fairly recent - 2006 - sometimes Cadogan's can be disconcertingly out of date) BUT I'd like more pictures and more useful maps. I hope that when the <i>Rough Guide to the Scottish Highlands &amp; Islands</i> arrives that it will be a good complement. (Rough Guides also publishes a guide for all of Scotland, but this one is specific to highlands/islands).

You are so right that Irvine's book IS a good bit of work, but the results are usually well worth it, imo.

Yelpir

I guess I'm swimming against the flow here. I bought Peter Irvine's Scotland the Best and was very disappointed. Out of its 400 odd pages maybe 20, tops, were of use to me in planning my trip. Don't get me wrong. It's a very interesting book to browse through but as a planning aid I found it wanting.

My bible for my planning has been the Rough Guide to Scotland. I haven't seen the Rough Guide to the Highlands and Islands, but if I find a copy locally I will buy it.

Unfortunately, even Rough Guide is not that helpful in choosing which routes to follow for the best scenery. I would have liked a book that describes each route: scenery, road conditions, points of interest, etc. I'm still looking for it.

I have found this forum the best resource for planning

twk

Yelpir: Check out the driving tours on the Undiscovered Scotland web site that I linked above. It really is a tremendous site to use in your itinerary planning. Maybe not the primary source for lodging and dining reccommendations, but for deciding what you want to see, it's unbeatable.

Yelpir

Thanks, twk. I used your original link to the Undiscovered Scotland site and picked up a couple of outstanding drives around Callander that I am really looking forward to. I wish I had more time there as it seems to be a beautiful area. Ah well, next time maybe

I am currently desperately trying to fit the coastal road through Lochinver into my journey from Gairloch to Durness. It is a tight fit but I can make it if I turn right after Loch Bad a'Ghaill and skip the Reiff/Achiltibuie bit

historytraveler

Yelpir, for an excellent guide book that describes various routes, try the 'Blue Guide Scotland'.

twk

For future reference, a link to Undiscovered Scotland's driving tours:

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ustours/

They are constantly updating the site, and I would expect them to add more tours over time (they do have a noticeable gap for Speyside, Deeside, and the Aberdeen area).