Waypoints by Sam Heughan

Sam Heughan rose to stardom playing the Highland warrior Jamie Fraser in the epic series Outlander. After season six, he decided to walk the famed West Highland Way, a long-distance trek on foot of almost 100 miles. Waypoints alternates between a personal memoir and his journey through the Scottish landscape.

Outlander is filmed outside Glasgow, the starting point of the trail established 40 years ago. Walking 20 miles a day, he will complete it in just five days. Starting out in October when the rains were at their worst, he met fellow determined hikers along the way. From the crest of Conic Hill and the Crianlarich mountains, to the Lochan of the Lost Sword, the Devil's Staircase, and ending at the top of Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Scotland), it is an epic hike that answers the goal - to breathe freely and feel at peace.

He grew up in North Galloway with his single mom and older brother after his father left when he was 18 months old. While attending the Edinburgh Steiner School, he became hooked on theatre. Training at Glasgow's Royal Academy of Music and Drama led to work at the Edinburgh Festival, Scottish soap operas and UK TV, right up to auditions for Hollywood blockbusters—and what must be the ultimate audition, a chance against Daniel Craig to play James Bond.

He begins the book with a phone call from a stranger before the first season of Outlander. David, the father he never knew, is dying and would like to see the boys. They travel to Canada and meet the stranger, who is David's ex-wife, and say goodbye.

Why did I read this memoir about an actor I have not seen act? I knew David and was good friends with his ex-wife, the stranger who hosted the boys in Canada. I remember their visit, hearing about Sam's new acting role, and after David passed, we still have some of his belongings. We are separated by one degree.

2022 / Hardcover / 288 pages