There's Always the Hills

by Cameron McNeish, Sam Heughan (Foreword)

Foreword by Outlander star Sam Heughan

From his home in the Cairngorms of Scotland, Cameron McNeish reflects on a life dedicated to the outdoors. Following his career as an international long jump athlete, he has for almost forty years written and talked about walking and climbing in Scotland, meeting some of the sport’s great characters such as Chris Brasher, Sir Chris Bonington, Tom Weir, Julie Tullis and many more. A prolific author, he has led treks in the Himalayas and Syria, edited The Great Outdoors Magazine, establishing it as Britain’s premier walking publication, created new long-distance walks and made television series, contributed a monthly column to The Scots Magazine, campaigned for Scottish independence and raised a family with his wife, Gina. Now he candidly recalls the ups and downs of a full life, much of it in the public eye, much of it until now unseen.

Genres: Scotland, Nonfiction, Walking, Biography Memoir, Travel, Biography

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2018

About the author

Cameron McNeish is an established figure on the Scottish and British outdoor scene. As editor of TGO he increased circulation and established the magazine as Britain’s premier walking publication. He is the author of many books and presenter of many outdoor television programmes including on long distance walks. He contributes a monthly column to The Scots Magazine.

Reviews

[Kate M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book but as a non-Scot would have appreciated a map or something so I could try to envision where he was walking.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friendly and approachable book about the author’s life and lifelong passion for Scotland’s mountains and wild areas. The style was easy and meandering, but could have stood a bit more editing to focus the topic and trim out redundancies. Also, as a non-Scot, a map or two and a glossary of unfamiliar topographic terms would have been helpful. The best parts of the book were when the author expounded on natural philosophy and its ties to modern conservation. Truly inspiring, and a lot to think over during my next long hike!

[Claire Milne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read this book I felt immersed in the landscapes Cameron McNeish described as he walked and cycled through them. Despite being in isolation my mind was in the hills and it was the perfect book for being cosied up at home. I now want to get out and explore more places of Scotland when we can. I also want to onto read the new book recently published as I feel it will be just as enjoyable a read.

[Bob Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

McNeish, a man after my own heart

Cameron's love of hills and the Cairngorms in particular are made plain and clear. His personal views on landscape and Scotland's especially are a wonderful and refreshing read.

[Tom Sen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book! I feel as though a detailed map of Scotland accompanying the book would have helped me greatly in understanding some of the chapters a bit better in which every other sentence introduced a new munro, river or village.

[Olivia Tomlinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed aspects of this but got a bit lost with long passages referencing specific mountains, paths & ridges.

Could definitely have done with a few maps as mentioned in other reviews. Interesting in parts though.

[Ewan Rhind · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Cameron's television shows for many years and found his book very interesting.

[Nathan Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hiking-centered autobiographical account of one Scotsman's love affair with hiking, with a focus on Scotland. Like trails themselves, the narrative meanders back and forth between travelogues of Scotland's trails, local history, with occasional forrays to trails in other countries, and the complicated implications of the relationships between wild places, once-wild places, and the people who've lived in and around them for centuries. If you're not familiar with Scotland, you'll probably want to have a map handy. I read this in bits and pieces during workouts at the gym--which, considering that the forward is written by Sam Heughan of My Peak Challenge, I thought was appropriate...and, well, reading a paragraph between sets does tend to stretch the reading out more than a bit.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autobiography from the TV presenter and former TGO editor, Cameron McNeish. I am a big fan of his writing style, and always go back to his hill-walking and Munros books when I'm planning a walk. As much a forum for his thoughts on the outdoors, land legislation and hill-walking in general as an autobiography. Also very generous in his praise of others whose writings and exploits have inspired him. An interesting read, and I found myself nodding along vigorously with much of it.