A trip through Scotland's West Coast islands. "As evocative of the islands as the smell of peat smoke, the tasted of smoked herring or a vintage malt." — The Scotsman Mairi Hedderwick embarks on a six-month-long journey to forty islands from Arran to Lewis, recounting her pilgrimage around the archipelago of the Western Isles with which she has had a lifelong love affair. Filled with wit and wisdom that is matched by her spellbinding illustrations, Mairi Hedderwick portrays the islands in all their diversity, with swift and perceptive cameos of everyday life drawn with humour and affection alongside gorgeous landscapes which capture the truly magical beauty of the Hebrides. "Perfectly exemplifies the desire to wander off the beaten track." — The Sunday Post "A lovely, lively book, she offers her readers an array of sketches—both visual and verbal. Always candid and fun, showing the eccentricities of islands as well as their virtues." — Stornoway Gazette