Reviews by Tim Martin
The Highlands and the Hebrides continue to be associated in literature with a strong sense of idyll, and this is reflected in some of the books here. All too often it is an idyll found and then lost, or destroyed by hubris or other weaknesses. In extreme cases it amounts to a kind of ecstasy which shines from a page, and which I remember from my first visits here. Luckily I still experience it from time to time, and see it in the faces of our visitors, some of whom arrive holding one or more of these books.| A House on the Shore and Scarista Style by Alison Johnson | |
| Alison and Andrew Johnson turned a rat-infested near-ruin into the internationally acclaimed hotel which is now Scarista House. This book tells how they did it and has inspired many people to visit Harris for the first time. It also deals with some of the disillusionments they faced. The chapter Guests and Pests is brutally funny... Fawlty Towers only had one Major but Alison faced three. Scarista Style includes lots of Alison's recipes and explores the ethics of food sourcing. We both re-read this book when we were buying the house and were terrified by it. I was, however, surprised by the extent to which my own ethos of food sourcing and animal welfare had been informed by the first reading of it many years ago. And by how shockingly funny the behaviour of the three Majors was. Andrew now runs boat trips in the Sound of Harris. Click here to order A House on the Shore or read more about it. |  |
| Scotland on a Plate edited by Ferrier Richardson | |
| Not just a great recipe book but also a fantastic guide to the best new Scottish restaurants, from Orkney to the Borders and taking in Scarista House on the way. My nose isn't as red as it looks in the photo. "Scotland's fine natural ingredients combined with such imaginative recipes from inventive chefs" Michel Roux Order Scotland on a plate or read more about it |  |
| The Crowdie and Cream Trilogy by Findlay J. MacDonald | |
| Findlay J. MacDonald grew up between the wars on a croft a few yards from Scarista House. His memories of childhood include visits to the house (then the church Manse) and schooldays across the road. A wealth of detail of island life is delivered with humour, insight and a poetic turn of phrase against a backdrop of the flower-strewn landscape of Harris. Scarista Beach can be seen in the top right hand corner of the jacket photo. The book has been broadcast as a series of talks on Radio 4, and was dramatised on BBC televiusion in 2001. Some scenes were filmed at Scarista House. Order The Crowdie and Cream Trilogy or read more about it |  |
| Official Western Isles Tourist Map | |
| An excellent general map of the Western Isles, including Harris. Perfect for driving and finding tourist, archaeological and other sites. 1: 125 000 Order The official Western Isles Tourist Map |  |
| Landranger maps by Ordnance survey | |||||||||||||
| Indispensable for exploring by bicycle, for walking or for hiking. ¼ in to 1 mile; 2cm to 1km; 1:50 000 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Ring of Bright Water Trilogy by Gavin Maxwell | |
| Gavin Maxwell's account of his retreat to a remote existence in the West Highlands, and his life with his beloved otters, is surely the best and most beguiling book of it's kind. After years of Highland visits and finally moving to the Hebrides I still feel a catch when I read the first sentence: I sit in a pitch-pine panelled kitchen-living room, with an otter asleep upon its back among the cushions on the sofa... This is a new edition which includes The Rocks Remain and Raven Seek Thy Brother. In spite of some slightly clunky editing it's a good buy for people coming to the books for the first time or for those wanting a decent edition of all three. Order The Ring of Bright Water Trilogy There is an Audio Book of Ring of Bright Water narrated by David Rintoul, which is complete and unabridged. Order The Ring of Bright Water Trilogy |  |
|
||||
