'This is much, much more than a book about Scotland's diverse mountains, it's staggering range of rock types of differing ages and the many processes operating here through deep time, many millions of years ago, through ice ages to today's weathering, erosion and deposition. The book as a whole tells a very coherent, detailed story of the development of the mountain landscapes we observe today and how these landscapes may look in the future. It is not a book of published scientific papers, equations and technical academic jargon, nor does the author shy away from all of those, but hits the middle ground, and the book is immensely readable and wonderfully illustrated... I found Colin Ballantyne's book to be very accessible and, although I read it cover to cover, it is also one to easily dip into. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in mountains, from the walker and budding geologist through to those who study the mountains of Scotland.' Proceedings of the OUGS'Scotland's Mountain Landscapes is beautifully written by an eminent Scottish geomorphologist who is also a hillwalker. In clear, readable prose, copiously illustrated by photographs and diagrams, he describes how Scotland was assembled over 400 million years ago from five separate continental fragments. It subsequently underwent many geological adventures, notably volcanic eruptions on its western margins when the North Atlantic opened up about 60 million years ago (think Skye, Mull, Ardnamurchan), followed by uplift and tilting of the whole country to the east. Then came the Ice Age, starting about 2.6 million years ago. This was when the face of Scotland was modified by the erosive power of ice sheets and glaciers as they scoured out glacial troughs, such as Glen Sannox on Arran, and corries such as those above Glen Clova. The eroded debris was dumped as moraine, for example in the Valley of 100 Hills in Glen Torridon, while in milder intervals deep gorges (such as Dirc Mhor, north of The Fara) were carved out by meltwater. Around the ice margins, periglacial conditions reigned where frost action produced the tors on Bynack More and stone stripes on Tinto. As the ice melted and removed its support, whole mountainsides collapsed (such as the north face of Sgorr Dhonuill). The wind has been a feature of numerous Ptarmigan meets and it too fashions the landscape. A prime example is An Teallach which has some areas stripped bare by wind and others buried under blown sand, while its slopes are terraced by wind action. We also struggle with water on many a meet: the book shows us how water is still shaping the landscapes of today, whether it s by mountain torrents plunging down the sides of Glen Coe or the braided River Feshie spreading sediment over a wide floodplain. The final chapter picks out key sites where you can clearly see the diversity of landforms described in previous chapters. This book has opened my eyes to what has happened, and still continues, at the Earth s surface to produce the Scottish hills and mountains we know and love today. I can heartily recommend it to any hillwalker who wants to know more about the scenery around them.' 'The Ptarmigan Club review'As a hillwalker who has tramped Scotland's mountain landscape regularly for over 30 years and spent countless days surrounded by and wandering through the diverse and contrasting upland areas of this country it has been a pleasure to sit down with this book and review these past adventures in a new light. Most of us who head to the hills frequently have to contrast our delight at being immersed in our favourite highland landscapes with very scant knowledge of how the individual characters of these mountain areas were formed. Typically, we will of course be aware to some extent of the volcanic origin of some of our favourite haunts, the impact of glaciers on the topography and the effect of erosion on our mountain ranges. Ballantyne s book though takes these grains of knowledge and expands them with a very thorough and exceptionally well researched record of the formation and evolution of the landscape which forms our playgrounds. This reader's previous efforts to explore Scotland s geological past have floundered on other authors overly scientific and dry presentation. Ballantyne's book contains plenty of science and technical information, but it is written in an easier to read style that is very palatable to the non-expert. The book contains fascinating insights into many mountain areas that have been frequently visited in the past, but which will be looked on with fresh eyes the next time round. There are plenty illustrations and photographs highlighting the descriptive text and putting the research into context. This book would make an excellent gift for anyone who enjoys walking the Scottish hills or who is simply fascinated by this rich landscape of ours.' Norrie Shand Secretary, The 45 Degrees Mountaineering Club'Scotland's Mountain Landscapes: A Geomorphological Perspective provides a highly engaging and technically comprehensive guide to the development of Scotland's upland terrain. The book is presented largely as a journey through time, starting with the formation and tectonic movement of the rocks that form the present-day Scottish landmass, to subsequent shaping of this terrain by weathering, glacial, periglacial, fluvial and slope processes. The book aims to find the middle ground between the academic literature, full of technical jargon, and more popular accounts that are often lacking in scientific detail. To enable the reader to navigate through the specialist terminology that is required to achieve any level of detailed explanation, each chapter begins by systematically outlining the key terms and concepts required to understand the richly detailed, Scotland-specific, remainder of the chapter. The overall result is an excellent account of the evolution of Scotland's mountain landscapes. Colour diagrams and some impressive photographs throughout provide a powerful visual accompaniment to the detailed descriptions and process explanations, although in places I wish that features of interest within photographs had been directly labelled or highlighted. The book will be enjoyed by academics, students and non-specialists alike; anyone with an interest in the rich geomorphological history of the Scottish uplands... The major strength of the book lies in its ability to synthesise the vast body of literature associated with the evolution of Scotland's landscapes into a manageable account, without scrimping on detail. This is no easy feat given the range of disciplines (geology, geochronology, glaciology, various strands of geomorphology, etc.) that the book draws upon, and the many complex debates on landform or geochronological interpretation within each subject area or locality. In general, the book manages to delicately navigate any contentious landform-process interpretations, and a range of potential explanations is often included. Non-specialists who just want to dip into the book may struggle as the text often relies on knowledge gained in a previous chapter. However, those who read the book from start to finish will be well rewarded with a comprehensive and fascinating account of the geological and geomorphological history of Scotland's mountain landscapes. Overall, the book was a pleasure to read, providing a great overview with something for readers of all specialisms and backgrounds.' The Holocene
