A pedal-powered baby-boomer explores the west coast of Scotland – a warm and humorous account of cycling from Mull of Kintyre to Cape Wrath



Richard Guise

ISBN: 978 1 84024 674 2

£7.99  

July 2008

“And why was I doing this? ...When a friend only slightly younger than me had launched himself into the London Marathon, I’d decided I’d better do something marathonian myself before it was too late ... 



Oh, and the west coast of Scotland just happens to be the most spectacularly beautiful place in the world. On a good day.”



Richard Guise yearned to take on a physical challenge before he reached the age where walking across the kitchen would fall into that category. And so he donned a cagoule, packed his saddlebags and set off for an adventure on a bike named Tetley.  This book is the tale of his 586-mile, 16-day ride through the Highlands of Scotland, along the dramatically beautiful west coast from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to Cape Wrath in the north.

Freewheeling along isolated roads where traffic problems consist of the occasional retreating sheep and stopping for lunch on deserted beaches, he has time to ponder the Laws of Cycling Touring and take in spectacular sights, from craggy, cloud-shrouded mountain ranges to lochside forests.

Guise discovers the little-known history of this unique part of Britain. He is the classic observant outsider, picking up on the oddities and strange beauty of the place and telling it all with gentle humour – even amid severe bouts of traditional Highland weather.

“I panted up and down Glen Achaglachgach, past Achaglachgach House and through Achaglachgach village, which was totally deserted. Maybe they’d all choked to death trying to say ‘Achaglachgach’.”

Richard’s journey takes him up the stunning West Coast of Scotland via:

• Mull of Kintyre

• Cambeltown

• Tarbert

• Kilmartin

• Oban

• Onich

• Sonachan

• Arisaig

• Avernish

• Strathcarron

• Applecross

• Kinlochewe

• Mellon Charles

• Ullapool

• Drumbeg

• Cape Wrath (Durness)

Richard Guise is based in Quorn, Leicestershire, and spends part of the year in Girona, Spain.

From the Mull to the Cape is published by Summersdale and available through all good bookshops and internet booksellers or by telephoning Summersdale. Tel: 01243 771107

by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum

David & Charles, £14.99

The growth of interest in beekeeping means there are many suppliers selling hives and equipment that make the hobby safe, easy and, with ready assembled components and a variety of labour-saving devices, far less time-consuming than it used to be. Even a high-flying city executive can keep bees nowadays. Like cats, bees do their own thing and require only occasional attention. ‘Keeping Bees and Making Honey’ illustrates the huge enjoyment you will derive from having one of nature’s most wondrous creatures residing in your garden.

This comprehensive guide covers everything from finding your bees to getting them home, housing them, collecting honey and using their produce. It includes a detailed look at the history of bees and beekeeping, and an extensive introduction to help readers fully understand the bees and how to keep them happy is also included.

Whether you have a tiny balcony or acres of land; live in the middle of a city or in the countryside surrounded by flowers, this book caters for every situation, discussing the different types of hive available for every eventuality. Features a detailed section on gardening for bees, as well as comprehensive advice on how to safely collect your honey and wax, with recipes and ideas on how to use them.



Top ten tips to get started in beekeeping

1. Read a book for beginners.

2. Join a local beekeepers’ association.

3. Enrol on a beginners’ class - usually run by the association.

4. Buy the best beesuit you can afford - the lighter the better as it can be hot work in the summer.

5. Buy a good-quality cedarwood hive from a reputable mail order bee-keeping supplier; an attractive gabled WBC hive is not as user-friendly as a box-like national hive.

6. If you don’t know one end of a hammer from another get a beekeeper to show you how to put the flat-pack hive components together. Once you’ve done it once, it’s easy.

7. Choose a sheltered location for your hive - don’t be put off if you only have a small backyard or a roof terrace.

8. Tell your neighbours that you are going to keep bees and the important role they play in the environment.

9. Plant clumps of year-round bee-friendly plants and flowers in your garden, or in pots on your roof terrace.

10. Start saving jars for honey.

Author: Victoria Pybus

Published: May 2008

List price: £12.99

ISBN: 978-1-85458-407-6

Edition: 1st

Attitudes towards retirement are changing. The baby boomers now entering retirement grew up amid the optimism and opportunity of the 60s. This character building freedom has taught them to embrace every day of their life (including retirement) and therefore reject the traditional concepts of growing old.

These free thinkers are now more liberated than ever before. Often their children have left home, mortgages are repaid and they are no longer tied to the area they work in. So with more disposable income and an abundance of free time, this adventurous demographic can choose to retire in any area of Britain that interests them!

‘Where to Retire in Britain’ is an inspiring new guide, designed for people who want the most from their retirement years. It provides well-researched details of 60 outstanding destinations, from the popular spots to the less know gems, all perfect for retirement. To help you decide where to move, this guide answers many questions, including

* What fun can I have there?

* Is it easy for the kids to visit?

* Is it safe?

* How much can I spend? - clear explanations about retirement finances

* How much will my dream house cost?

* What if I want another opinion? - eye-opening case studies.

Retirement is for living, and this superb guide will help you do just that.

The True Purpose of Freemasonry Revealed!

For hundreds of years people have speculated about the true meaning of Masonic Rituals. Their mystery has captivated the interest of both detractors of the craft and great minds within the order. The degrees of Freemasonry are said to be moral lessons in the form of three ritual plays - a claim that is viewed with some suspicion by many.  Even Freemasons themselves find they have a nagging sense that there must be something more to these rituals - something great, something important, something magical... 

One man claimed he knew Freemasonry’s original purpose. A miracle worker and thorn-in-the-side of the Masonic authorities of the time.  He was such an inspiration to many that he is the focus of classic novels, plays and even an opera by Mozart.  His version of the Masonic rites were said to have the power to summon Angels, heal the sick and turn base metal into gold!  Now the Secret Masonic Rituals of Count Alessandro Cagliostro are revealed for the first time in this engrossing new book by Philippa Faulks and Robert Cooper.

THE MASONIC MAGICIAN (Watkins Publishing, £16.99 Hardback) tells Cagliostro’s extraordinary story, complete with the first English translation ever published of his Egyptian Rite of Freemasonry. The authors examine the case made against him, that he was an impostor as well as a heretic, and find that the Roman Church, and history itself, have done him a terrible injustice.

This engaging account, drawing on remarkable new documentary evidence, shows that this condemned man was a genuine visionary and true champion of Freemasonry. His teachings have much to reveal to us today - not just of the secrets of the movement, but of the mysterious hostility it continues to attract and asks why?

In this book you will discover:

• Count Cagliostro’s teachings claim to reveal the true origins of Freemasonry.

• The genuine rituals of Ancient Egypt apparently survived unpolluted in Cagliostro’s Egyptian Rite – they have now become part of mainstream Freemasonry.

• Cagliostro’s “secret” and explains the reasons why the Church and its Inquisition feared and ultimately condemned him.

• Whether this man’s lifestyle would lead unwittingly to the cascade of anti-Masonic persecution - and ultimately to the Holocaust.

Philippa Faulks is a writer of alternative history, mystery and religion with a special interest in the magical life of ancient Egypt. She lives in Suffolk.

Robert L D Cooper FRSA BA FSA (Scot) is a historian and leading Freemasonry scholar.  He is curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.