NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW ON-LINE

Full colour bi-monthly that mixes news and travel with local history and nature articles and features interviews — this issue interviewed Katie and Chris Denehy who run Dunard Hostel on Barra and had features on watched the white-tailed sea eagle on Mull, water sports on the Hebrides, climbing on Orkney, a history piece on HMS Dasher, Handa Island Nature Reserve, an overview of the 2001 census, making Rona more accessible and a guide book review.

Stephen Ward's THE SOUL-STEALERS,

... Opening the [car] door on the blind side, I tried ever so surreptitiously to retrieve it [the camera], but failed. Spooked, the great bird lumbered into the air and flapped ponderously away into the mist. I might not have a photograph but its image was burned indelibly into my mind. We were privileged to see a close-up of one of Europe's largest avian predators, the white-tailed sea eagle. Likened to a flying barn door, the bird is armed with a massive beak capable of ripping through the toughest hide, and talons as lethal as a blade of the finest Toledo steel...

Noreen and John Steel's THE SECRETS OF HMS DASHER takes us back to March 1943,

... On that terrible day 379 people died. In the league table of lives lost in home waters this was second only to the sinking of the Royal Oak in Scapa Flow. Total secrecy was immediately imposed. The survivors, rescuers and witnesses were ordered never to talk about it, and they never did. To this day the families of the 379 dead men have yet to discover the whole truth... It has never been explained why the sinking of the HMS Dasher with great loss of life was subject to the 30 years' secrecy rule... To this day it has never been disclosed where these loved ones are buried.

SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER is a source for local historians and for repeat visitors interested in more than just the guide books. Each article is well-researched and reading is worth considering if you fall into one of the two categories above.

Bi-monthly glossy magazine with articles/photos exploring the beauties and attractions of the Scottish Islands, whether from a touristic point of view (as in investigations of Ulva, Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands, Colonsay or Barra) or, as in an interview with the master weaver of the Isle of Harris, an intricate investigation of the history, culture and customs of communities and their land. There is an interesting article on Amhuinnsuidhe Castle, Britain's most westerly castle; the poet, Kenneth Steven, writes an account of a creative writing retreat run by him and Roselle Angwin each April on Iona; there is also an intricate piece on the geological history of the island of Unst, Shetland's most northerly island. Just the magazine for those into the numbing beauty of neolithic stones and early religious sites against a backdrop of wild desolation.

Islands have a perenially romantic allure, and the Scottish islands are no exception. Yet their story also contains unimaginable hardship. SCOTTISH ISLAND EXPLORER, in revealing the mutual influence of people and place, serves up the romance and reality in equal measure.

The magazine continues to be a wonderful thing to look at, filled with striking colour photos. Its explorations are wide, encompassing just about every aspect of island life and just about everything that could be described as an island. In this issue, there are features on Iron Age lake dwellings in Loch Tay, and an "isle of the dead" in Loch Leven.

John Humphries provides a history of Scarp, scene of a disastrous experiment in rocket-propelled mail delivery in the 1930s. The German scientist involved managed to perfect his technology in the end, however, helping to fire V2 bombs at London a few years later. Elsewhere, Ian R. Mitchell relates James VI's ill-fated attempt to bring the insurgent Lewis islanders under control through aggressive colonisation. It's an extraordinary episode of political machination, rebellion and treachery.

History of a less bloody sort comes with an account of the chronicler Thomas Pennant's visit to Jura in the eighteenth century. Douglas Willis offers a personal reminiscence of the early days of the Northern Isles' air service. There's natural history too, with Rosalind Jones' day in the life of an oystercatcher. It's pleasing to know that there's a place for this sort of gentle, unpretentious writing. Finally, a rather gushing article offers a glimpse of the work of John Lowrie Morrison, a vaguely Old Testament figure painting vibrantly Expressionist Hebridean landscapes.

The question all travel literature must answer is — does it make you want to go there? An unequivocal yes in this case. A must for all nesomaniacs!

This is subtitled The UK's Only Magazine to Exploring the Islands of Scotland and, in my opinion, it is pretty much all you need, save for a map and some leaflets from Tourist Information. It appears to be aimed at tourists but it is a lot more than that; I imagine Scottish islanders would want to read it on a regular basis since it covers the history, culture and wildlife of the region. It is beautifully presented, full of quality colour photographs, some of National Geographic standard.

It is not just about where to go and what to do. There is a charming interview with a family who have 'downshifted' to the island of Coll and are doing what a lot of us dream about; there are photos of their happy children going to school in the snow and playing on a sun drenched beach. There is an article about tapestry making on Harris, and a detailed piece on local churches. Also much about native wildlife, puffins, gannets and the like.

The magazine is refreshingly free from any advertisements (except for subscriptions to the magazine itself) and so you get your money's worth. It truly makes you want to visit these glorious places.