The Tobermory Book Festival returns to Mull this autumn, bringing a rich mix of writers, thinkers and storytellers to one of Scotland’s most picturesque literary settings. Taking place on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October, the Festival is held at the Western Isles Hotel and welcomes authors including the acclaimed wildlife cameraman and broadcaster Gordon Buchanan, with his emotionally honest and raw account of a challenging childhood and the escape and solace he found – and continues to find – in the natural world around him. Highland shepherdess Helen Percy introduces her captivating memoir which offers an unflinching portrayal of the daily hardships and triumphs faced by those who embrace the wild beauty of the countryside and journalist Tim Ecott shares the remarkable (and vanishing) lifestyle of the sole inhabitants of the inaccessible Faroese island of Stóra Dímun.
Festival Patron, writer, librettist, musician and raconteur Sir Alexander McCall Smith entertains the festival audience following the gala dinner on Saturday evening. Renowned crime writer Alex Gray speaks at a lunch on Friday on the latest instalment of her DSI Lorimer series, this one set on Mull and Colin MacIntyre, aka the Mull Historical Society, celebrates the return of Ivor Punch in the second of his ‘Mull Mysteries’ crime series. Lorn Macintyre explores the legend of the Tobermory Galleon, which he has fictionalised into a new novel, after dinner on Friday; campaigners and writers Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell KC delve deeply into why witch trials exploded in Scotland in the 16th Century; Mhairi Livingstone presents her comprehensive history of Oban from pre-history to the present day and historian Alistair Moffat brings his new history of the Scottish Highlands and Islands to lunch on Saturday.
Blending nature writing and memoir, Callum Robinson shares a love letter to trees, timber and craftmanship and a book that asks us to see our local trees, and our own wooden objects, in a new and revelatory light while prominent psychiatrist and psychotherapist Sue Stuart-Smith investigates the magic that many gardeners have known for years – working with nature can radically transform our health, wellbeing and confidence and Mike Daniels presents an alternative, and more sustainable, future for Scotland’s deer population.
The festival continues to champion Scotland’s literary heritage while offering visitors a warm Mull welcome with special accommodation rates available at the Western Isles Hotel for festival attendees for the nights of Thursday 22 October through Sunday 25 October, making it easier for book lovers to enjoy a full weekend of events, food, and island hospitality.
For full programme details, tickets, and accommodation information, visit: www.tobermorybookfestival.co.uk