After a break of nearly a month, I return as the kidmapper to find several kind comments about my beard, sadly gone now, (thank you especially Kate and scswampman). Also a puzzling reference to Kevin McCloud from bushofgoats, and the very first vitriolic but perhaps understandable response from a Scot (now withdrawn by rangers11000) reacting to the idea of a posh English w***er like me pontificating about Scottish history and the fate of Scottish soldiers.

I have always felt uneasy about my right to pick up this book, take to the road and talk about Scottishness in public. What do you think? Is it OK for softy southerners to come up here and make fools of themselves if they want to?

I understand I may have lost the attention of many of you by taking to my bed for so long (as David does), but we now only have four days left together on the Kidnapped Trail, so it’s your last chance to engage with this wonderful book, this wonderful landscape, and talk to me about the different ways you might like to take a book for a walk.

By the way I have company! Andy Grumbridge is going to walk the entire trail with me from Balquhidder to Queensferry. He hasn’t actually read ‘Kidnapped’ (except as a graphic novel) and seems quite focussed on where his next meal is coming from. But the conversation is flowing and our spirits are high.

In particular, we talk quite a lot about other books from our youth which we might want to press into our childrens’ hands, or indeed map out. If you have any ideas on that score, get in touch.

*Please note all the Kidnapped posts have been transferred here from the original blog at https://timwright.typepad.com/kidmapper which no longer exists.

I have archived the comments from the original site but have not included them here. If you have any queries about this project, do get in touch.