SIX DEGREES OF LATITUDE: TRAVEL TALES OF SCOTLAND AND IRELAND

Lee chronicles multiple trips she took to Scotland and Ireland and offers tips to travelers.

The author visited Scotland and Ireland several times—she recounts four trips to Scotland and one to Ireland between 2003 and 2018—with family and friends. Her preparations for these excursions are thorough and sometimes fascinating. She regales the reader not only with accounts of the countries’ folklore, mythology, and cultural mores, but also with detailed accounts of their histories, including the archaeological evidence of their prehistorical topography and inhabitants. In anticipation of her trip to Scotland in 2008, she “created illustrated charts, maps, and a timeline of history for a pocket-sized, spiral-bound, hand-written study guide for each of the travelers.” The reader interested in duplicating her travels will likely benefit from her notable meticulousness—the book includes not only a day-by-day commentary on her movements, but also beautifully hand-drawn maps and pictures as well as photographs. More than merely a travelogue, this is a meditation on belonging and on Scottish ancestry. The author experiences a sublime sensation of return while visiting Scotland, an experience affectingly conveyed: “As we walked along the Cuillen Mountains and the Sea of the Hebrides, my hair curled softly, my eyes opened wide under the high grey cover of clouds, and my shoes crunched the fine gravel. I smelled salt and sheep shit and thought, not for the first time, I’m home.”

Lee’s account of her travels, while charming, often seems too personally idiosyncratic to serve as an ideal guide for the average traveler or even one with as much historical curiosity as the author. She dwells at great length on her own emotional experience as well as on the dynamic between herself and her travel companions, a personal element of the book referenced in its title: “Six degrees of latitude refers not only to the distance from the north coast of Scotland to the southern shores of Ireland but also to each of us giving each other enough physical, emotional, and intellectual leeway to make this trip possible while simultaneously sharing our genuine selves and experiences. We came to know each other in ways not otherwise possible in our daily lives.” Lee does, however, include in the book a series of helpful indices; for example, she provides excellent counsel regarding the essentials one should pack. Moreover, this quirky remembrance is brimming with curious factoids about Irish and Scottish culture; who knew that human sacrifice was a “normal part of Celtic rituals”? Lee even provides details of her Aunt Froggie’s recipe for Yorkshire pudding. For the most part, though, one simply has to wade through far too much narrative commentary to glean advice. In short, the book as a whole reads more like a diaristic account of Lee’s personal experiences rather than a useful travel guide for others. For this reason, it’s most likely to prove delightful to her family and friends, especially those who traveled with her. For the very same reasons, though, it is unlikely to be a suitable guide for those outside that intimate circle.

A thoughtful reminiscence best suited to an audience of the author’s family and friends.