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UK Holidays - The Rough Guide to Scotland, 7th Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
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List Price: $21.99
Our Price: $19.79
Your Save: $ 2.20 ( 10% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 914.110486
EAN: 9781843536666
ISBN: 1843536668
Label: Rough Guides
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 942
Publication Date: 2006-05-29
Publisher: Rough Guides
Studio: Rough Guides
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Editorial Reviews:
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From the glens of Loch Lomand to the lively Edinburgh festival, the Rough Guide to Scotland tells you all there is to know about this stunning and varied country. The 24-page, full-colour section introduces all of the Scotland’s highlights, from the spectacular wildlife of the Hebrides to the deserted golden beaches in South Harris, with three additional 4-page, full-colour inserts: ‘Festivals’, ‘Architecture’ and ‘Great Outdoors/Activities’. The guide includes a new ‘author pick’ section of the country’s top hotels and restaurants, plus lively reviews of hundreds of shops, bars, clubs and the best places to sample the local whiskies. The guide takes a detailed look at Scotland’s history, literature, politics and cultural life with new details on the country’s most controversial buildings project, the new Scottish Parliament. There is plenty of practical advice for experiencing the great Scottish outdoors, from bagging a munro to whale-watching on Mull. The guide comes complete with maps and plans for every region.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A great choice
Comment: Their histories are never as entertaining as Rick Steves', but everything else about them is great for a traveler looking for economic options.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very thick book filled with nothing
Comment: I prefer the Let's Go series of travel guides, but purchased this guide because the Scotland section in Let's Go Britain 2007 is fairly small, and I thought a dedicated guide might be worthwhile in discovering more of Scotland.
So far, I am highly disappointed with this guide. It is full of historical, political, and other "social studies" type knowledge, but has very little practical information for trip planning. It is a dry read compared to the eager writing of the Let's Go Britain guide. The authors of this book seem like they are trying to keep an impartial view, which is not really an approach that works.
Prices are not included for most things in the book, which is extremely frustrating and makes it nearly impossible for a person on my (reasonable but not infinite) budget to plan. Additionally, very little information is given on how to reach the sites mentioned in the book. The information given is vague, with statements like, "just outside of Aberdeen," and no further detail. Again, this level of detail is insufficient for planning a successful trip. My time outside of the U.S. is precious to me, and I do not want to spend it getting lost.
The last thing I want to mention about this guide is that because of the lack of any rating system, there is actually too much information. Because no attempt is made to specify which sites are most memorable or impressive, everything in this book flows together. Many places of interest are described, but I am left with the feeling that they are all equally worthwhile (or perhaps NOT worthwhile because of the same-y tone of the guide), and have no idea how to decide which ones I should see. I'm sure they all ARE worthwhile in their own way, but I don't have time to see anything, and some editorial guidance would be appreciated.
So far, I have ended up planning my entire trip using only the small section in the previously mentioned (and highly recommended) Let's Go Britain 2007. If you have a large budget, know little about the history of a country and want to learn more, are willing to give yourself a little time to find places, and do not want any opinion in your guidebook (which some might prefer), the Rough Guide might be for you. It does have a large quantity of information and is obviously well researched, which is why I did not give it 1 star in the rating.
Caveat emptor.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great book to travel with...
Comment: This was the 1st Rough Guide I had ever purchased & I have to say, I was very happy with it. The layout of the book was convenient to use,with sections of the book dedicated to each region in Scotland starting from the south part of the country to the north, which is how most people travel when in Scotland. The restaurant reviews & recommendations were very accurate, as was information on points of interest. Having this book to guide my trip enhanced my travel experience & I will be purchasing books from Rough Guide for my future travels.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Rough is right
Comment: It's good for history, but "Guide" is a very loose translation. I might term it the "curmudeon's view of Scotland" instead. It really gives no guide on how to get around in the country from place to place, it focuses on destinations but the book is not helpful with getting there. The maps are totally inadequate. For example, I wanted to go from Glasgow up to Skye and it was impossible to find what to see or where to stay along that route without consulting a different map and then looking in the Rough Guide's skimpy index for the names of towns along the way (that were only found on the other map I bought). For my purposes this is not a good guide at all. If you already know where you're going and how to get there and what to expect along the way, and just want some history and current facts about what is there, it will be good for you.
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