|
Clan Forsyth Society of the USA
Scottish Highlands & Islands
Tour 2003
Deanna Forsythe, San Jose, Ca
djfsanjose@yahoo.com
The Scottish Highlands and
Islands tour June 18 to July 2 was a great success that provided an
excellent opportunity for clan cousins representing eight US states to
meet one another, socialize, and gain more insight into the diverse and
often tragic history of our Scottish heritage. The tour also provided a
forum for exposure to current events and trends that affect Scotland.
Along the way we sampled some new and interesting food and drink, heard
traditional bagpipe and Celtic music, relaxed and soaked in the
breathtaking highlands scenery, and shopped to our heart’s delight!
Special thanks are in order
to Jim and Patti Forsythe of Memphis, Tennessee, from all who
participated. Their gracious planning made everyone feel welcome and
included throughout the tour.
Globus Tour Company
provided a luxury coach (bus), a reliable driver, Brian Troutan, and a
knowledgeable tour guide, Trisha Williamson. Fourteen of 33 guests on the
tour were from the Clan. The following is a summary of the excursion.
Wednesday, June 19 -
Glasgow
Morning arrival and
carefree day visiting local museums, sights, and restaurants. Some took
in the Mc Lellan Art Galleries, Willow Tea Room created by Glasgow’s
celebrated designer Charles Renne Mackintosh, the Piping Museum, Central
Train Station and fashionable brasseries that line the main shopping area
of Sauciehall Street.
Lodging at Novetel Glasgow
Centre, 181 Pitt Street, Glasgow
June 20 – Carlisle,
England Area
The group visited the
childhood home of Scotland’s most famous literary figure, Robert “Robbie”
Burns (1759-1791) in Alloway, and nearby landmarks that inspired some of
his literary works such as the Brig ‘o Doon and ruins of the nearby
church. Next stop was Gretna Green where blacksmiths had attained high
social status and were authorized to perform marriage ceremonies. The
area soon became a popular location for runaway couples to wed. An
on-site museum houses accounts of the more interesting “quickie” marriages
that were performed there for runaway couples. Today, Gretna Green is a
popular site for wedding celebrations and has several retail shops and
cafés.
Last stop of the day was
the daunting Carisle Castle, England, where Mary, Queen of Scots
(1542-1587) was imprisoned for 18 years before being beheaded by the order
of her cousin, Elizabeth I.
Lodging – Crown Hotel –
Station Road-Wetheral, Carlisle
June 21
– En route to Edinburgh, our tour followed the path of Hadrian’s Wall
constructed by the Romans in AD 82 to keep the marauding northerly
Scottish tribes they called “Caledoneans” out of their conquest areas
south of the wall. By AD 400 the Romans had abandoned this conquest. En
route we viewed a home of Mary, Queen of Scots, Jedburgh, and Melrose
Abbey ruins.
Next stop was Sir Walter
Scott’s Abbotsford House. Scott, who was a lawyer by training, preferred
writing to practicing law and authored the Waverly series and Lady of the
Lake. He worked during his last years to pay off a £114,000 debt
(approximately $195,000 in today’s dollars) incurred in 1827 by his
business partner in publishing, and died with the debt fully paid in
1832. Dame Jean Maxwell-Scott, Scott’s granddaughter, currently lives on
the property and often greets visitors. A few of us witnessed the
courteous Dame assisting a disabled guest at the house grounds.
An optional excursion
included a visit to the former Royal Family’s Yacht Britannia, which was
built in 1951 and decommissioned around 1996. The group then had an
elegant dinner at Edinburgh’s George Hotel.
Lodging – Menzies Belford,
69 Belford Road, Edinburgh
June 22 – Edinburgh
Morning tour with guide,
Stuart, an Edinburgh native, who guided us through downtown highlights
including street views of famous Edinburgh residences including the home
of surgeon Joseph Lister (Listerine), then Grefriars Kirk (Church),
Princess Street, the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, and the Queen’s
Holyrood Palace.
Clan members coordinated a
diversion to the Kirk of Shotts where many Forsyth ancestors of president
Dale Sandusky’s line are buried. A member of the church cordially invited
the clan members to walk through the kirk’s interior and has promised to
send Dale Sandusky and Jim Forsythe information about Forsyths buried in
the adjacent cemetery. We also visited the Bannockburn battlefield
nearby, where the Forsyths helped Robert the Bruce defeat the British King
Edward II.
Most of us took in an
optional evening excursion for dinner and entertainment program,
Jamie’s Scottish Evening, at the Thistle Hotel, Edinburgh. With a
friendly and feisty character named Bill Torrance as Master of ceremonies,
the show included a stately pibroch bagpiper, live music, festive
sing-a-longs and traditional Scottish dance. The evening concluded with
Torrance conducting a lively “Ceremony of the Haggis” with a taste of
Scotland’s traditional haggis for all who dared to partake in this most
famous Scottish dish.
Lodging – Menzies Belford,
69 Belford Road, Edinburgh
June 23 – Aberdeen
Our morning route included
traveling over the Forth Road Bridge through Fife on our way to the
championship Saint Andrews Golf Course founded in 1754. We learned that
Prince William is currently studying art here at Saint Andrews. The
prince had just celebrated his 21st birthday with an “Out of
Africa” theme party at Windsor Castle where rogue comedian Aaron Barschak
crashed the royal party in an effort to promote his upcoming play at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Osama Likes it Hot and was arrested.
Later in the day we toured
the splendid Glamis Castle, childhood home of the late Queen Mother. An
optional evening outing took us to a delightful pub looking out over the
beach in the fishing town of Stonehaven. The pub is frequented by local
patrons, including a peculiarly outgoing man who could pass for the star
of Steinbeck’s “Old Man and the Sea.”
Lodging Thistle Hotel,
Souter Head Road, Aberdeen
June 24 – Inverness
The morning excursion took
the group to view the grounds of Balmoral Castle, which the Royal Family
will occupy for the rest of the summer beginning July 31. The afternoon
travels brought us to the Speyside Malt Whiskey Trail region to tour the
Glenlivet facility where whiskey has been produced and stored since 1880
and were treated to samples of their “Champagne to the Scots”
An evening optional tour
included a Loch (Lake) Ness exhibition about the lake’s enigmatic
inhabitant, “Nessie,” and a boat ride, which provided views of Urquhart
Castle ruins. Some of us caught a fleeting glimpse of Nessie, the loch’s
most famous inhabitant. We have photos!
Lodging Thistle Hotel,
Nairn Road, Inverness
June 25 – Wick Highlands
First stop was the infamous
Culloden Battlefield where the Hanoverian troops defeated Bonnie Prince
Charlie’s army of clans on April 16, 1746, and the demise of the clan
system began. Simple headstones mark the somber grounds where warriors
from various clans and the unidentified are buried. According to legend,
an elderly bystander living in a nearby croft became a casualty of the
battle. The croft has been restored and it currently houses an exhibit of
what a typical 18th century highlands battlefield medic station
may have looked like; very crude and unhygienic by today’s standards. The
National Trust Visitor Centre has an excellent audio-visual display about
the battle.
The following visit to the
picturesque Dunrobin Castle built in 1275 highlighted the day with its
majestic ocean view over the gardens and a thrilling falconry display on
the castle grounds. Next stop was the Caithness Glass Factory where we
viewed glass blowers and workers creating ornate vases and other pieces
that are available for purchase on site.
Lodging - Norseman,
Riverside, Wick
June 26 – Orkney Islands
First stop, Dunnet Head,
the northernmost point on the British mainland. Then on to the Queen
Mother’s Castle of Mey and a small church where she reportedly grieved her
husband’s death each year.
A ferry crossing then took
us to the Orkney Islands. Here, a local driver-guide took us on a tour
across four Churchill Barriers and Skapa Flow where the German fleet
scuttled itself during World War I. Next stop, the Italian Chapel where
World War II Italian prisoner of war Dominico Chiocchetti and his helpers
converted two Nissan huts into a sanctuary at Camp 60 for captives of the
North African campaign who were sent there to work on construction of the
Churchill barriers.
Next stop was Skara Brae,
to visit 5,000 year old remains of a coastal Neolithic village. Then on to
the Ring of Brodgar, Orkney’s Stonehedge, where 36 giant standing stones
placed in a circular pattern still remain. When and why these stones were
placed there are the subject of much speculation. Last stop was the
charming town of Kirkwall, the Orkney’s administrative and retail shopping
center, and home of St. Magnus Cathedral, an 860-year-old architectural
masterpiece, and Orkney’s famous ice cream.
Lodging - Norseman,
Riverside, Wick
June 27 – Skye Highlands
This was a day to relax and
enjoy a restful day of breathtaking highland views that included majestic
mountains, pristine waterways, and flocks of highland sheep and cattle,
including an occasional highland traffic jam of wayward sheep. At one
point the valiant knights on our coach, including the Clan’s Dale
Sandusky, Jim Forsythe, Jack Gardner, and Larry Mc Murtrey, assisted a
damsel in distress whose car had slid off into a roadside ditch. These
brave and heroic lads converged with muscle, might, and determination to
free her automobile from its perilous perch.
The optional evening
excursion was to a pub with a young bagpiper, Andrew, greeting us at the
entrance. Once inside, Raymond Bremner, a renowned local vocalist and
musician was accompanied by an accordion player, performed Gaelic music,
explaining the significance of the Gaelic vocals and language. We heard
examples of Celtic music that were sung during the Highlands Clearance
period, when bagpipes and other musical instruments of Scottish clan
culture were outlawed by the oppressive British landlords.
Lodging – Dunollie,
Broadford, Isle of Sky
June 28 – Skye Highlands
This was a day to take in
highlands scenery at its best, explore Portree, the island’s capital, and
visit Dunvegan Castle and grounds, home base for the MacLeod clan since
1200. Many took a quick boat tour of the surrounding waterways, where
seals and other aquatic life were the stars of the show.
An optional outing took us
to the Cullen View Coffee Shop & Gallery. Samples of local beers and
whiskeys were served as well as soft drinks and snacks while a local
gentleman discussed life on the island of Skye, crofting in its current
state, initiatives to preserve the Gaelic language through education,
local issues, and the future prospects for the secluded island.
Lodging – Dunollie,
Broadford, Isle of Skye
June 29 – Isle of Mull
The small Museum of the
Isles was the first stop of the day. This small, modern, and
well-presented museum contains information and artifacts of 13 centuries
of clan history, warfare, literature, and emigration conditions.
After a ferry crossing at
Armadale, the “Road to the Isles” led the tour to Glenfinnan where the
hearty can climb the tower which marks the location of Bonnie Prince
Charles’s standard in 1745. A short hike up a nearby hill takes visitors
to a vista point for the arched bridge featured in the last Harry Potter
movie.
Lodging – Dunollie,
Broadford, Isle of Skye
June 30 – Iona
Excursion, Mull
A drive and ferry ride took
us to the Isle of Iona, known as the “Cradle of Christianity” because the
Irish missionary St. Columba began his crusade there in 563 AD
establishing one of the first Christian monasteries on the British Isles.
The island is home to Saint Martin’s Cross, a cathedral, and an abbey
graveyard, which is said to contain 48 Scottish kings and chiefs including
Macbeth. The landscaped nun’s abbey ruins are a beautiful and peaceful
monument.
Next, a shopping excursion
to the town of Tobermory, which was probably originally a fishing village,
with its quaint and colorful buildings and numerous shops, pubs and cafes
providing a picturesque photo opportunity and shopping excursion.
Later an optional excursion
included a fun and quirky train ride through the trees along the shore to
Torosay Castle, where Chris, the charismatic and down to earth laird of
the baronial castle guided the group through the castle and offered a
glass of local whiskey for each in the formal dining room with views
overlooking the castle gardens and Duart Castle to the east. The Laird
then guided us through the castle gardens. He, his family, and his mother
occupy flats on the upper floor of the castle. His mother operates a
small gift shop on the premises. To many, this excursion was the most
memorable castle tour. Earlier in the day, the Laird had been spotted
with his family on our ferry ride to the island.
Dinner at the hotel was
followed by an informal Clan meeting, group photographs, and presentation
of a thank you gift of a glass paperweight from Caithness Glass Factory to
Clan president Dale Sandusky, and Treasurer Tanya Sandusky by Jim Forsythe
on behalf of the Forsyth tour participants.
Lodging – Craignure, Isle
of Mull
July 1 – Glasgow
Travel back to Glasgow via
ferry crossing to Oban, then over the Pass of Brander and form Inveraray
along the road known as “Rest and be Thankful” to Loch Lomond, the most
photographed loch in Scotland. Upon our return to Glasgow and orientation
tour, we had time for last minute shopping on Sauciehall Street
The tour was concluded at a
farewell cocktail and dinner get together at the exotic Gengis Restaurant
at the Glasgow Thistle Hotel before leaving from Glasgow the following
morning.
Lodging – Thistle Hotel,
Cambridge Street, Glasgow
***
Clan members and Forsyth
cousins who participated in the tour included:
Clan Forsyth President Dale
Sandusky
Clan Forsyth Treasurer Tanya Sandusky
Mid Eastern Regional Director/Tennessee State Representative, Jim
Forsythe, and Patti Forsythe
Florida State Representative, Jack and Trish Gardner, Florida
Carly Arave, Utah
Roxie Beck, Idaho
Bonnie Dick, Philadelphia
Deanna Forsythe, California
Gail Forsythe, Lafferty, Tennessee
Nancy Jackson, Alabama
Celeste Linkhauer, Philadelphia
Lawrence McMurtrey, Washington |
