Secrets and Mysteries of the Heart 200 Route

The Heart 200 road trip around Stirlingshire and Perthshire boasts some of the best-known sights in all of Scotland, with the towns and villages around the route containing centuries of culture and history. But what about the lesser-known enigmas and hidden treasures of the Heart 200-the places that the tour guides never take you?

In Secrets and Mysteries of the Heart 200 Route, prepare to discover some unexpected revelations about locations all around this epic road trip, both ancient and modern. There are historical surprises and supernatural mysteries, quirky sights and more than a few unexpected facts along the way.

With full-page colour illustrations throughout, get ready to encounter the first haggis in space, Mary Queen of Scots' secret private chapel and the world's most Scottish sheep, by way of speciality clootie dumplings, natural wonders, a golden telephone box, amazing literary connections and some of the most remarkable hidden corners in all of Scotland. If you thought you knew everything about Heart 200... it's time to think again!

Dr Thomas A. Christie is a Scottish author with research interests in popular culture, literary analysis, interactive fiction and modern cinema. He has many years of experience as a literary professional, working in collaboration with several publishing companies on both sides of the Atlantic including Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Applause Books, Crescent Moon Publishing and Robert Greene Publishing. His full-length works to date have focused upon subjects such as cinema history and literary criticism, as well as the production of original prose fiction.His work has featured at international venues including at the Centre Pompidou in Paris as part of a major exhibition focusing on the filmography of award-winning director Richard Linklater in December 2019, and in conjunction with the Banco do Brasil Cultural Centre in Rio de Janeiro relating to an extensive exhibition on the life and films of cinematic polymath Mel Brooks in February 2020. He and his books have featured in many publications including The Smithsonian Magazine, The Digital Bits, The Media Education Journal, History Scotland and Retro Gamer.A passionate advocate of the written word and literary arts, Tom was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2018. Fellowship to this learned society is only awarded to those who can demonstrate that they have made significant contributions to social change, progress and development, and who support the RSA's mission to find practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA Fellowship is a community of leaders in the fields of art, literature, journalism and business who have made noteworthy contributions to society, culture or the arts.Tom is also a member of the Royal Society of Literature, the Society of Authors, the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society and the Federation of Writers Scotland. Over the years he has produced original writing for respected organisations such as the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum and the Dementia Services Development Centre, a leading independent higher education research unit based at the University of Stirling. Additionally, he is regularly involved in public speaking events and has delivered guest lectures and presentations about his work at many locations around the United Kingdom.Tom holds a PhD in English Studies, on the subject of Scottish Literature, from the University of Stirling. He has also been awarded a first-class Honours degree in Literature and a Master's degree in Humanities, specialising with distinction in British cinema history, from the Open University in Milton Keynes.For enquiries related to the commissioning of new work from Tom, his literary agent is Professor Robert Lecker of the Robert Lecker Agency in Montreal, Canada.For more details about Tom and his work, please visit his website at www.tomchristiebooks.co.uk.

Julie Christie has been working in different roles within business and the third sector for more than three decades. Over the years she has worked with a number of charitable organisations such as Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Aberlour Childcare Trust, the Alzheimer's Society, the Royal Voluntary Service and Town Break Dementia Care. She was also an associate with the University of Stirling, where she was involved in the development of Dementia Friendly Communities. Julie is currently the Business and Fundraising Manager for Start Up Stirling, the city's food bank.She brings considerable experience from the commercial retail industry, having held posts with national companies including AstraZeneca, Marks and Spencer, Goldsmiths, Thorntons and Laura Ashley. She holds a Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Glasgow and a Bachelor of Science degree with first-class Honours in Sociology and Social Policy from the Open University, which she loved doing as it concentrated on the things that fascinated her about people and culture as well as exploring how we can both see the same thing and yet hold an entirely different point of view.Her hardest job was dealing with fraught brides when she worked in the wedding trade, where she had to develop her tea-making skills as well as occasionally mopping up tears! The most rewarding job of all - and also the worst-paid - was looking after her late Mum, who had to live with many chronic illnesses.Julie had never tried being self-employed, so - given her passion for lifelong learning and literacy - the next logical step was to co-found a publishing business, Extremis Publishing Ltd., which continues in the long history of publishing in the city of Stirling. She is convinced that real life is always more interesting than fiction.Her view on life is that you should never be afraid to try new things, everyone should have a fair chance, that living life is way more interesting than doing the dusting, and that she has never found a box of chocolates that she hasn't liked yet!