‘OS guides introduced me to best walks in Scotland’

THE OS Pathfinder guidebooks have introduced me to Scotland’s finest walks. Over the years, first as a reader then as an author, they’ve taken me on glorious coastal routes, including along dramatic cliffs at Rascarrel Bay and Balcary Point in Dumfries and Galloway and up magnificent mountains, such as Ben Lawers, above, the highest summit in Perthshire, Angus and Fife, for an eagle’s-eye view of Loch Tay.

In between these extremes, walks beside rivers, across moorland and through woods have helped me appreciate Scotland’s distinctive habitats. For instance, ancient Caledonian Forest is explored on Glen Tanar’s Old Pines walk in Aberdeen and Royal Deeside, as well as on Loch an Eilein and several other routes in the Cairngorms.

When I’m planning walks for a Pathfinder guide, I look for the best routes a region offers. Each one should have something special. The Beinn Lora walk in Oban, Mull & Kintyre has outstanding views over sea lochs, islands and mountains.

The Foyers Falls and Bay walk in Inverness and Loch Ness links one of Scotland’s most spectacular waterfalls with a delightful wander along the shores of Loch Ness, where otters may be seen. Another walk in that guidebook, Culloden and Clava Cairns, visits two historical sites: the battlefield where the Jacobite rising came to a tragic end and a trio of Bronze Age burial tombs.

Each Pathfinder contains something for everyone and walks are colour-coded to make choice easy. Green are short walks suitable for all the family, blue are slightly more demanding, while orange are longer and more challenging.

Every walk is illustrated with OS Explorer mapping so they are easy to follow. My aim is to describe routes clearly while highlighting points of interest. I regard readers as my friends and enjoy sharing my favourite places with them.