AN ACCLAIMED New Cumnock author is set to launch his latest book about Arran after it became a special place for him and his disabled wife.

Ian McMurdo, 69, was inspired to write his latest novel “Arran: Travels, Treasures & Tales” after falling in love with the island when it became his favourite holiday hotspot.

His wife Nan is in a wheelchair and can’t get abroad so their visits to Arran became extremely important to them.

Now Ian wants to share his love for the island with his new book which comes out April 8th.

It promises to include bizarre escapades which “could only happen on Arran” while being a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek travelogue of the Scottish tourist destination.

The reader will be whisked all around Arran on their very own magical mystery tour describing its innumerable beauty-spots and landmarks, rehearsing its searing history, heritage and culture, and focusing on the nostalgic recollections and raucous tales of many “local worthies”.

It comes after his last book ‘Knockshinnoch: The Greatest Mines Rescue in History’ flew off the shelves selling 7,000 copies after catching international attention.

He said: “Me and my wife had a house in Arran for the last ten years but now we have sold up, retired, and officially moved out.

“I have written about Arran before in my previous books as it has always been important to me.

“My wife Nan is in a wheelchair and can’t go abroad because of her disability so getting to go holidays to Arran was important to us.

“It really became our happy place. It is such a nice retreat for us and our two labradors.

“The book will take them around the island while being really informative and funny.

“It took me more than two years to complete his research for the book, involving face-to-face interviews with over one-hundred well-known local characters and senior representatives of different organisations, almost all of whom are quoted in the text.

“The text is also laden with tales galore of witches and warlocks, whisky smuggling adventures, ancient historical battles, drunken sea-fishing exploits, life-or-death crises, outrageous pranks from the island’s vibrant nightlife scene, unsolved murders, bungled burglaries, celebrated pub landlords, death-defying rescue missions, badly-behaved dogs, exasperated golfers, nerve-jangling medical emergencies and many other bizarre escapades which ‘could only happen on Arran’.”

Ian McMurdo’s book is now available,priced £15, in a range of local shops, on the internetthrough Amazon and direct from the publisher’s online shop at www.carnpublishing.com