National Geographic - Scottish Sea Kayak Trail in Top 50 Lifetime Tours


Apparently, it's also in Outside Magazine's coveted 'Travel Hot List for 2011', although I couldn't find it.

Which is nice. Sort of...

I wrote the guidebook partly because I knew that if I didn't, someone else would, and there was a trend for guidebooks to recommend campsite locations. Directing kayakers to certain campsites, along the length of Scotland's west coast, would concentrate environmental impact in those places and potentially damage them.

So as well as making a great fuss about campcraft and minimum impact techniques, in my book I pointedly recommend no places to camp. I hope to spread the impact along the whole coast as well as leaving kayakers free to find their own adventure.

Perhaps it's big-headed of me, but I also hoped similar guidebooks would adopt this policy in future.

I have been in touch with Wilderness Scotland, the outfitter offering holidays along the route of the trail, and it seems what they're offering is quite different to the self-guided route I suggest.

I also discussed ith with Franco, publisher of Pesda Press, who said, "Shame they didn't mention your book".