Anyone who has walked or climbed in Scotland will sooner or later come across a view indicator – one of the discs or plates which identify surrounding features in the landscape. This is the first full-length work devoted to these devices. Since the first indicator appeared in 1890 at Ladies’ Rock in Stirling, more than 340 have been installed at viewpoints around Scotland – on hilltops, coastal sites, historic buildings, parks, golf courses and lay-bys.  They range from the Mull of Galloway to Shetland, and from sea level to the country’s highest mountains.

349 Views of Scotland is a comprehensive and intriguing listing of these indicators, providing information about their physical description, designer, date and the various trusts, groups, councils, etc. that built them. Thirty-two maps show where the indicators are located and there are over 130 photographs, some of which date back many years, providing a fascinating historical aspect to the book.

In the course of his research, the author has visited all the sites on the list. Inspiration for the project came from the work of the mountaineer Ben Humble, who published a catalogue of Scotland’s indicators in the 1930s and made a journey around many of them in the summer of 1938, reporting his findings to the Glasgow Evening Times. Another prompt was the question posed in the Cairngorm Club Journal in July, 1939: Instead of bagging a few more Munros, why not all the indicators?

View indicators have been installed at some of the finest viewpoints in Scotland and this book will be an inspiration and essential companion for anyone visiting the viewpoints and wishing to know more about their history.

Will be of special interest and appeal to all hillwalkers and mountain climbers and anyone interested in the outdoors and quirky historical information.

‘...a fascinating historical work. If you want to plan a nice walking route in Scotland...this is a very nice book, also because of the extensive background information’. Moors Magazine

‘...it’s full of fascinating snippets of information. ...it’s an intriguing book... ...and generally add to your knowledge of the Scottish countryside. It will be a useful and pleasureable addition to your shelf’. Mountain Views

‘...is an admirable labour of love for David Squires, who has visited, catalogued and described every single one of these viewpoints, noting their condition and even some inaccuracies. ...it’s a splendid historic document and record. But it’s much more than that. It’s the introduction of a whole new game...Because whilst bagging summits is a game climbers play, bagging viewpoints is for anyone... ...it’ll see more regular use than I might imagine, for reference and in planning future trips. For I’ve a feeling this game could get addictive’. Mountain Bothies Association Newsletter

‘...provides a complete list of Scottish view indicators and a useful guide of where to go for panoramas. ...reveals how a country has traditionally attracted visitors keen to know and to witness stunning scenery’. Scottish Island Explorer

'David Squire's excellent book will bring the idea of collecting view indicators to a very much wider audience than ever before. What is especially impressive is the sheer amount of background research that has so obviously gone into producing the book. ... The result is a "must buy" book for anyone who spends any time travelling Scotland'. Undiscovered Scotland

‘…a comprehensive and intriguing listing of these indicators, providing information about their physical description, designer, date and the various trusts, groups and councils that built them.’ The Courier

‘…It is a splendid memorial to him’. The Munro Society

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