Trains and stagecoaches stuck in the snow, wild storms driving sailing ships off course, traffic pile-ups on so-called 'killer' highways - stories abound about the horrors of travel in the Highlands and Islands, and have done for as far as the records go back. James Miller tells the dramatic and fascinating story of travel in some of the most challenging terrain in Britain, whether it be over land, across water or by air. Many of the planners and engineers who feature are familiar - General George Wade, whose military roads were built as part of an attempt to control Jacobite uprising in the mid eighteenth century; Thomas Telford, who recommended a comprehensive system of roads and bridges and also designed the Cale-donian Canal; and Joseph Mitchell, who created much of the rail network. But there is much anecdote too from travellers themselves, such as the intrepid Lady Sarah Murray, who rec-ommended: 'Provide yourself with a strong roomy carriage, and have the springs well cord-ed'. The Finest Road in the World is for all those who like stories of travel and transport and are interested in how changing modes of transport have affected the ways of life in the High-lands and remain crucial to the modern life and the future of the region. | The Finest Road In The World by James Miller, Paperback | Indigo Chapters