Scotland has a rich and varied history, that if you know where to look, is very visible. Until recently most people there walked everywhere and the paths that they trod are still visible in the landscape if you know where to look. Alistair Moffat is one of those who has been looking for these historical routes in maps and books and most importantly on the ground.

His research has given us this book of ten walks scattered around Scotland each with a particular theme or historical event. Beginning with the path from Loch Tay to the Firth of Tay, called the River Road, Moffat walks and talks us through the history, culture and landscape as he walks the paths. From there he takes us along the Herring Road, the Rail Road, the Road to Ruin and the Road to Heaven.

I really liked the nice hand-drawn maps at the beginning of each of the ten journeys and this is a really enjoyable book about walking historical footpaths. He undertook all of them over the course of a year, in all weathers, with his maps and ever-present cheese sandwiches. More importantly, this is the beginning of a project, provided funding can be sourced, to find more of these routes and to make them safe for more people to walk along with proper signage and so on, with the hope of having public art and apps that tell the history as you follow in the footsteps of others from times past. I hope that the project gets the necessary funding they need for this. ( )

Moffat takes readers on a journey through some of Scotland's history by following ancient roads--or a rail route in one instance. From Robert the Bruce and Agricola to defending Scotland from German invasion during World War II, Moffat engages the reader by discussing not only the historic information but also the natural resources in the area. While each route contained an overview map of the route, the shortcoming of the book was the lack of photos to help readers unfamiliar with the area picture it. Some stories interested me more than others, but anyone who enjoys Scottish history will enjoy this travelogue. ( )