Current reading

This is my current library book - it was written just over 10 years ago and charts the 3 month journey of the author who sailed around the Western Isles of Scotland. I've really enjoyed it - particularly as he mentions people who I have come across in other books I've read recently about the Hebrides - but it's not always an easy read. He's very critical of professional conservation organisations and his encounters with their representatives really doesn't paint them in a very sympathetic light. Even though his encounters with local islanders are generally much more sympathetic, he is never romantic about the islands, but clearly loves both them and sailing. It's interesting reading about things given the timelag and knowing what has happened in a few cases (eg the community buy-out on Eigg and the overturning of the decision to create a superquarry on Harris). Well worth a read.