Despite being a Sassenach by birth, Ralph has lived in Scotland since studying psychology at Dundee University. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked in the field of commercial and educational computing, initially as a computer programmer and more recently as a lecturer at Napier University of Edinburgh. He is an experienced hillwalker who has hiked and backpacked extensively around the world. His guidebooks to the Scottish Highlands, which includes best-selling 100 Best Routes on Scottish Mountains, have become standard reference works on the subject.

Praise for the series:...picks up where others leave off, with lots of nitty-gritty information… all in a very up-beat style. - CAMERON MCNEISH, THE GREAT OUTDOORSFabulously illustrated with colour photos taken on the walks themselves… entertaining as well as informative. - PRESS & JOURNAL