Norm Longley (normlongley.com) was brought up in Somerset, attending schools in Sherborne and the Quantocks. The urge to travel then kicked in: after a period in Canada, he taught English in Serbia for several years – during which time he travelled extensively around the countries of the former Yugoslavia, becoming an expert on the Balkans and Eastern Europe. He has been writing travel guidebooks for nearly 25 years: these include four for Bradt – South Wales, Montenegro, Somerset (Slow Travel) and Shetland – and has also written or contributed to many books for Rough Guides, Insight Guides and DK. He writes articles for the Guardian and Independent newspapers, as well as hotel reviews for the i-escape website, and is also a proofreader. He now divides his time between Somerset and Orkney.