Clan MacDuff Tour 2015: Essential Info

The tour price has been finalised at £1,615 per person sharing a twin or double room and £1720 for a single room this price is in Dollars $2703 and $2878 and in New Zealand Dollars NZ$3132 and NZ$3387.
After some bargaining, I have managed to keep the price of single rooms only slightly higher than doubles by agreeing a maximum of 6 singles, but that only allows for 4 singles from tour members as the coach driver and I will also need single rooms. In our small Scottish country hotels single rooms are at a premium, many hotels will only have 2 - 4. Single rooms also tend to be at the back of the hotel and unlike in America fairly small.
I will therefore be asking family members to share rooms and will also be looking for same sex volunteers to share as well! Please let Bob and Maria know if you are happy to share.

All meals from dinner on 13 May to breakfast on 25 May 15. Scottish breakfasts include cereal or porridge followed by a cooked breakfast and toast. At some hotels there may be a buffet breakfast. Lunch is normally 2 courses such as home made soup and sandwiches or a baked potato. Dinner is a 3 course meal with starter, main course and dessert. Some of the hotels have restaurants that have won awards so the food should be excellent and will include traditional fare such as salmon, trout, haggis, and Scottish trifle!! There is a tale to tell about the trifle, but I will save it for the tour.
Entrance fees to all tourist attractions and entertainment throughout the tour.
Coach and ferry travel as necessary to reach our varied destinations.
Porterage of 1 piece of luggage per person at all hotels.
Gratuities for staff at hotels and for the coach driver, however if you feel that anyone has given you exceptional service then a small extra gratuity is always welcomed by them.

A coffee or tea and water is included with all meals, but soft drinks, beers or wine are an extra. In Scotland, tea/coffee is served with breakfast, otherwise coffee/tea is served after the meal.
Telephone calls from hotels are expensive and you may wish to check out methods of phoning home before you leave America. Wi-fi will be available from all hotels, but in some case there may be a charge.
There is a wonderful range of possible gifts to take home. One small word of advice, if you live in a very hot area of America such as Florida or Texas think carefully before buying the beautiful wool sweaters you will see in many shops! Many of the Castles and other tourist attractions we will visit will have their own shops. Scottish jewellery will be found in many shops using Celtic and Viking designs.
The music of Scotland and the Islands is also very varied. You may wish to buy CDs of this delightful music. We also have a great range of books both historical and novels about Scotland.The list for lovely purchases could be very long, but if anyone is looking for anything specific I will try and find out where it can be bought.

The temperature can vary from 45 degrees Fahrenheit to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. On the last 2 tours much of the weather has been warm and sunny with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. However, as we are going to Skye and the Outer Hebrides, there are likely to be cold winds on the Ferry and at the Butt of Lewis!

I suggest the layered approach is best starting with some thermal underwear (for Lewis and Harris), T-shirts or shirts, sweaters or sweatshirts and a fleece or jacket and a rainproof and windproof jacket.
Fleeces are ideal as they are lightweight, warm and windproof. Trousers skirts and jeans are all ideal or of course your kilt. Ladies a few pairs of tights to wear under trousers in the Outer Hebrides could be useful. Hopefully you will only need the thermal underwear on the islands!
Comfortable walking shoes are essential especially for walking on the town streets - walking type trainers are very good as they protect your knees and back.
Do bring a pair of gloves and a hat. On the last trip we had 4 nights when we wore the MacDuff tartan whether a kilt, or scarf or a tie or trousers, it made us all feel even more part of one wonderful family.
I am happy for suggestions as to how many evenings we wear the tartan. We also wore our tartan with pride when we attended the the Gathering in Edinburgh. I would love us to wear it to Duff House and Gordon Castle Highland Games.

Digital still or video cameras and moblile phones - there are many stunning castles and views to photograph starting with Stirling Castle. I will be looking as always for a volunteer to keep a photographic record of the trip and to share the photos afterwards.