One of the easiest to spot signs that a guide book is doing its job is that it survives into a 12th edition. That is the case with Scotland the Best, Peter Irvine’s fully revised guide to the finest features of the country.
The book has become the definitive description of Scotland for visitors and residents alike – covering everything from the best fine dining to the best wilderness walks to get away from it all.
The tome is certainly comprehensive with more than 2,000 entries to browse through.
The largest segments are naturally devoted to central cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh – but the rest of the country is also extensively covered. Irvine’ style has always been to write from a highly subjective and personal viewpoint – leaving little doubt that he has actually made the effort to check out everything included.
The concise and pithy reviews are a joy in amongst the reams of contact details, costs and addresses. One of the best ways to test a guide is to check out the author’s reviews of places you have tried and I’m pleased to report that your reviewer broadly agreed on all points.
But another joy is simply to open the book at completely random points and discover in print a part of your country you’ve never been to and quite possibly will never visit.
Irvine has created the definitive guide to modern Scottish culture and like its 11 previous incarnations, the new of edition of Scotland the Best will be an essential travel companion.
Published by Harper Collins