• Book review: ‘Scotland’s Merlin’ by Tim Clarkson

    “And in the battle of Arfderydd my torc was of gold…” From ‘Yr Afallennau’ (‘The Apples’), a poem in the Black Book of Carmarthen I don’t know about you, but when somebody mentions the name ‘Merlin’, an image of a bearded sorcerer pops straight into my mind, quickly followed by King Arthur and several valiant Knights of the Round Table.   Add a couple of fire-breathing dragons, a gleaming but inaccessible sword, and a darkly beautiful villainess, and by this time I’m probably thinking about re-watching the excellent TV series starring Colin Morgan in the title role. I have always been interested in the theories about the origins of Merlin, the…

  • Book review: ‘The Rainforests of Britain and Ireland’ by Clifton Bain

    You might remember that, back in the summer of last year, I wrote about the oak woods of Taynish in Knapdale.   These are one of the last remnants of Britain’s temperate rainforests, having flourished in the mild, moisture-laden climate of the west coast for around 7,000 years.  It’s an enchanting, invigorating place:  in spring, as you walk in dappled shadow beneath the freshly-emerging canopy of leaves, you feel as if you’re breathing the same air as Argyll’s ancient ancestors. I was therefore delighted to come across a new book entitled ‘The Rainforests of Britain and Ireland – A Traveller’s Guide’.  Written by Clifton Bain and published by Sandstone Press, it…

  • ‘Bonnie Scotland’ by A R Hope Moncrieff and Harry Sutton Palmer

    “The tartans are dyed by the blood of a hundred battlefields, as by memories of green braes and purple moors.” One of the presents that I was given for my birthday was a lovely old book called ‘Bonnie Scotland’. Published in 1905, it’s written by A R (Ascott Robert) Hope Moncrieff, an Edinburgh-born author who wrote a number of Black’s travel guides in the early part of the 20th century.  But what makes it truly special are the colour illustrations, taken from watercolour paintings by Harry Sutton Palmer.   There are 75 of them, each one an absolute joy.  They seem to have a glow of nostalgic beauty, unashamedly romantic but…