Another Summer in Kintyre
Reflections on a 2014 Diary
Published on 14. May 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-84530-155-2 (ISBN)
Description
While reflecting the style and character of its predecessor, 'A Summer in Kintyre', this new book is rich in differences. The narrative begins in April 2014 and ends in September, but real time is irrelevant, as the author dips frequently into history and prehistory, evoking people and events associated with the places he visits by bicycle and on foot. Artists, poets, musicians, cave-dwellers, convicts, winkle-pickers, travelling tinsmiths, shipwrecked sailors, saints, school friends, fishermen, shepherds, farmers and fellow-ramblers share the pages with flowers, butterflies, birds, otters, whales, adders, and much else. A close engagement with places, people and nature is ever-present and, using the journals he has kept since his teens, the author is able to recreate his early adventures in the outdoors. Besides familiar haunts in South Kintyre (Learside, Ben Gullion, Inneans, and Largiebaan), he visits Barr Glen, Ballochroy Glen and Lussa, and explores their history. Illustrated with 50 images, the result will inform and delight any reader with an interest in one of Scotland's most fascinating yet least appreciated areas.
Reviews / Votes
'Wind-swept, rain-lashed - but often sun-kissed - Kintyre, through Angus Martin's eyes, is a garment permanently worn in its newest gloss, an ever-changing spectacle to be enjoyed.', John McCallum, Campbeltown Courier, June 2015; '... A welcome addition is the inclusion of map references for the places mentioned in the chapters. With an O.S. Landranger or Explorer map of Kintyre, readers can locate these places described in the book and perhaps set out on their own voyages of discovery. As the book progresses, the reader becomes aware of how much Angus values the memories and views of others. Fishermen and 'wilk'-gatherers, walkers and cyclists, shepherds and farmers, all appear in this travelling tale and all add their own weft to the warp that Angus has established. By the end of the book, the reader will have become a part of the intriguing tapestry that is this land of Kintyre.' Kintyre Magazine, Autumn 2015; '[These] latest offerings are an absorbing, idiosyncratic excursion into travel writing. Travel for Angus, in his own inimitable way, means cycling and walking through South Kintyre, with the occasional foray into more northern areas such as Ballachroy and Barr Glen. ... Whilst the narrative begins in April 2014 and ends in September, sequential time proves largely irrelevant, as he is always dipping into his own personal past, the past of friends and acquaintances he meets and the deeper past of the folk who fascinate him.' Ed Tyler, Kist Magazine.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Glasgow
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Zeticula Ltd
Illustrations
50 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
376 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84530-155-2 (9781845301552)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Angus Martin is a poet and historian, and edits the historical journal 'The Kintyre Magazine'. His knowledge and interests encompass archaeology, local history, language and genealogy, natural history, hill-walking, and reading. Born in Campbeltown, he followed family tradition by becoming a fisherman when he left school, later working for many years as a postman. He is married with three daughters.