Clan MacDuff Tour 2015: 2009 Tour

2009 Tour

A Quick Review of the Highlights

The weather was mixed as it often is in Scotland, but on the most important days the sun shone - at Iona and during the Gathering and March up the Royal Mile. At other times, we spent less time outside than we might have done when the rain came on. Overall the weather does not seem to have spoilt our trip.
Our coach was very comfortable and the driver drove us safely and expertly on some very narrow single track roads on the Isle of Mull. The comfort was important as we spent 11 days travelling on it!
We had drinking water on the coach and at most hotels and restaurants throughout the tour. I have just realised that Europeans do not drink nearly as much water as Americans! We had some very special times together throughout our trip.
I particularly loved our trip to Iona and Duart Castle where we met Chief of Clan Maclean. The Serrvice in St Michaels Chapel, Iona which is the oldest building still in use today, along with the dedication of Larry MacDuff's bench which a special moment for everyone who knew Larry.
Our visit to Gretna Green was a good shopping experience for many and chance for Bob and Maria to renew their vows in a ceremony over the anvil as runaways have done down the centuries!
Our informal Burn's night in the Globe Inn in Dumfries was a highlight for everyone on the tour even if everyone was not too keen on the haggis! The accordian player at the Globe was fantastic and I would have loved to listen to him for longer.
The sun shone which was an important fact in making the Saturday of the Gathering such an outstanding day for the Clan MacDuff tour group. Our treasurer, Davey Cottrell had the opportunity to meet Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay and many in my group were delighted to see both the Duke and the Duchess walking around the Clan Tent area at the Gathering. We all enjoyed Prince Charles speech at the Opening Ceremony, as for us it summarised much of our travel around Scotland in the preceding 10 days. We visited Burns country at Mauchline, Alloway and Dumfries to honour the 250th anniversary of his birth. During our visit to Abbotsford we learned about the writing skills of Sir Walter Scott and of his start of the tourist industry and the re launch of tartan. The march up the Royal Mile was a specially significant event with people who were lining the street constantly calling out " Lead on MacDuff" or just well done MacDuff.
We thoroughly enjoyed the pageant which again summarised much of our tour as we had also visited Bannockburn and talked about the William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. We loved the idea of looking back down the centuries and seeing life through the eyes of our ancestors as so many of us were in Scotland doing exactly that. Scotland on Sunday had nice photos and an article about the event.
Our trip out to MacDuff castle is always good - just sad to see that all the bushes are growing up around it. Someone suggested that we should see if we can get some steps put in to enable visitors to easily get into the castle.
I got a very strong impression that everyone enjoyed Steve's whisky nosing and tasting at New Lanark, even although he is English! Next trip we must make sure to include at least one Whisky distillery tour.
The Falkirk Wheel is a modern engineering feat which we enjoyed in glorious sunshine.
There is so much history packed into Stirling Castle and Bannockburn that it made us all realise that Scottish history is long and complicated. Without William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Bannockburn, there would have been no Declaration of Arbroath and no independent Scotland from the 14th to 17th Century. Without this independence, not given up in battle, but by joining the Crowns of Scotland with England in 1603 when James VI of Scotland became James I of England on the death of Queen Elizabeth, there would be no Scottish identity as we know it today.
As we moved forward in time to the life and death of Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Owen, we learnt of the start of the Industrial Revolution, free education for Scottish people and the birth of Scottish tourism in the form of Sir Walter Scott's arrangements for the visit by King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822.