ONE MAN'S SCOTLAND

Peter McManus' fascination with the Highlands started on his first visit in 1954 and has never waned. Since then he has stalked from Perthshire in the south to Caithness in the north. Along the way he has met many remarkable characters and enjoyed many memorable moments. For the last twenty years Peter and his wife Edna have been fortunate enough to have their own small herd of Scottish Red Deer at their Derbyshire home. Scotland is steeped in history and the book is a mixture of personal experiences and the historical; particularly of the deerstalking era from its start in the early 19 Century.

You will meet many of the greats of that era in these pages: Horatio Ross, deerstalker extraordinary and reputedly the world's finest pistol shot; William Scrope whose reminiscences stimulated the initial interest in deerstalking in the Highlands; Charles St. John and his epic pursuit of tub Muckle Hart of Benmore; Roualeyn Gordon Cumming, aristocratic Highland poacher and the first African white hunter; John MacNab and many more.

Closer to the present day, there are still many unique characters including Richard Waddington, inventor of the Waddington salmon lure and "the first man to make grouse shooting pay”, Ronnie and Margaret Ross of Braelangwell, Strathcarron, renowned for their true Highland hospitality and, not least, Lea MacNally, author, photographer ant authority on Scottish wildlife. I hope that my book will inspire flu generations to appreciate the deer, the Hill and the magic of the Highlands.