Here
are the provisional arrangements for 2009:
Jack
Beck and Dr Wendy Welch will lead a 14 day trip to Scotland beginning June 20th 2009.
Of course you are free to arrive in Scotland
before the tour starts or to stay afterwards; but we will rendezvous in Edinburgh Airport on the morning of June 21st and
finish back at the airport on July 3rd. The tour will cover many parts of
Scotland, including the Borders, Edinburgh, Fife, Perthshire,
Galloway, the Central Highlands and Glencoe it will also include two days in
the Antrim Glens of Ireland.
The cost of the tour is
$2950 per person, based on double occupancy. This price covers all transport
and hotels in Scotland and Ireland, all
breakfasts and dinners, entertainment and entry to most historical sites. It
does not cover lunches, tips, single room supplement ($400) or airfare. Direct
overnight flights into Edinburgh are available
on Delta Airlines (from Atlanta) and Continental
(from Newark); while several other companies
have flights via London,
Amsterdam etc. If you plan to use frequent-flyer miles towards buying your
ticket, please book very early as only a few spots are allocated for such
programs.
The basic aim of the tour is
to give people the chance to enjoy and learn about Scotland
and Ireland
through experiencing its traditional culture and landscape. You will meet and
hear performers on their home ground, visit the contexts from which the tales,
songs and music have come, and have the chance to enjoy occasional hikes in
both the Lowlands and the Highlands. This is
not particularly a search for the Scotland of Brigadoon, Braveheart
and the Loch Ness Monster (though you never know!) - rather it is a unique
opportunity to learn about the music, people, history and landscape of this
amazingly varied country in an interesting, personal and entertaining way, as
well as their close cousins in the Antrim Glens.
The tentative itinerary for
the trip includes 1 night in Peebles, 3 in Birnam/Dunkeld,
2 in Galloway, 3 in Fife and 2 in Antrim (more
to be finalized). There will be free days in Edinburgh, Dunkeld,
Wigtown, Glencoe and Antrim and hiking will be
possible, with other activities for non-hikers. Some of the performers and experts
you will meet and hear include fiddler Pete Clark, storyteller and singer Jock
Duncan, Pictish stones expert Marianna Lines, Fife farming couple Alan and Linda Beveridge
and Irish storyteller Liz Weir.
Its in the nature of our tours
that they remain flexible up to and during our travels.
Throughout the tour Jack
and Wendy will be informing, singing and telling stories assisted by Aberdonian singer and raconteur Colin Stuart.
Please note the group size will be strictly limited to 10 maximum. The
first 10 to firmly book and pay their deposit will be confirmed. A further 4
will be accepted onto a waiting list in case of cancellations before the
February 1st deadline (see booking form).
See a photo album of the 2008 trip
http://picasaweb.google.com/memain6/TheGrandScottishAdventure2008?authkey=YfmPf-9Y18c