CLAN KEITH GATHERING AND TOUR OF SCOTLAND 2002

Monday July 29th.
Depart USA for overnight flight to Scotland on Air Canada.

Tuesday July 30th.
Arrive Glasgow airport and meet up with our coaches and guides. We make our way towards Aberdeen, stopping at The Bannockburn Heritage Center en route. The audio- visual presentation tells the story of the events leading up to the most significant victory in Scottish history, the Battle of Bannockburn (1314) . In June 1964, Her Majesty the Queen inaugurated the Rotunda and unveiled the equestrian statue of Robert the Bruce. The center also houses an Exhibition called "The Kingdom of the Scots". We continue on to Aberdeen for dinner and overnight at Ardoe House Hotel or University of Aberdeen.

Wednesday July 31st.
Depart from the hotel and travel north to Peterhead stopping to view the ruinous Boddam Castle dating from the 16th century and built by the Keith's of Ludquharn. We then continue to Peterhead where a civic reception for the clan Keith is being planned at Arbuthnot House. The group will walk through the town following the Keith Highlander Pipe Band who will be with us throughout the Gathering. After lunch we continue to Inverugie for a visit, an imposing ruined 16th century tower house that incorporates work from the 13th century. The property belonged to the Cheynes who lost their power because of the enmity of Robert the Bruce. The property passed to the Keiths by marriage one of whom founded Marischal College in Aberdeen in 1598. The Keith's were Jacobite and were forfeited and forced into exile after the rising of 1715. James Keith born at Inverugie in 1696 rose to the rank of Major General in the Russian Army and Field Marshall in the service of Frederick the Great in 1747. If time allows, we will also visit Ravenscraig Castle, built by the Keith's and visited by James VI. Please wear stout footwear. We continue to Keith Hall where the Earl and Countess of Kintore have kindly invited us for a BBQ followed by a beating of the retreat by the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band. (The sequence of the various visits on this day may be changed to accommodate the large numbers attending. The guides will inform you that morning on the exact schedule we will be following). Overnight at Ardoe House Hotel or the University of Aberdeen.

Thursday August 1st.
Today we travel to the spectacular Dunnottar Castle, a very important site in Scottish history, which belonged to the Keith's from 1300's. It was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland. In 1650 the 9th Earl entertained Charles II here. In 1650 and in 1651 the Scottish crown jewels were brought here for safety during Cromwell's invasion but before the garrison surrendered the regalia were smuggled out to nearby Kinneff Church where they were buried until the danger was over. We continue to Kinneff church to see the spot where the jewels were buried. We stop for lunch in the pretty fishing town of Stonehaven. In the afternoon we will visit Riccarton House to see a plaque relating to the Keith Pipe Band. In the evening we attend the Clan Keith AGM in Inverurie Town Hall. Dinner will be followed by entertainment. Overnight at Ardoe House or the University of Aberdeen.

Friday August 2nd.
This morning we travel to Keith Hall stopping on the way to see Haliforest Castle, built as a hunting lodge for Robert the Bruce and given to Sir Robert Keith in 1309. At Keith Hall a cairn will be built to commemorate the Gathering. In the afternoon we visit Aberdeen to see places of interest to the Keith's including Marischal College and, time permitting, the Episcopalian Cathedral. In the evening there is a dinner followed by a dance with a ceilidh band at Aberdeen University. Overnight at Ardoe House Hotel or the University of Aberdeen.

Saturday August 3rd.
Today we will attend the Aboyne Highland Games, which is a full day event. The Earl and Countess will provide light refreshments in the Keith tent. Dinner is not provided on this evening. The group will be free to enjoy one of the many wonderful restaurants in Aberdeen. Overnight at Ardoe House Hotel or the University of Aberdeen.

Sunday August 4th.
In the morning those who wish may attend the Kintore family Episcopal church of St. Mary's in Inverurie, where the service will have a Celtic leaning. Others may wish to have a leisurely morning. After church, we travel the few miles to Maryculter House where we will have a buffet lunch before travelling down to the edge of the river Dee where there will be a re-enactment of the signing of a declaration of peace between the Irvines and the Keiths followed by dinner at the wonderful Miltons Restaurant. Craft shops next door will remain open to allow a little shopping. Overnight at Ardoe House Hotel or the University of Aberdeen.

Monday August 5th.
Those who have chosen the 8 day tour will end their tour after breakfast with transportation back to Glasgow airport if desired. Others will continue north to Inverness visiting Glenfiddich Distillery and Culloden Battlefield en route. The battle of Culloden was fought on the 16th April 1746. The battle lasted only 40 minutes and it was here that Prince Charles Edward's cause was finally crushed. Features of interest include the Graves of the Clans; communal burial places with simple headstones bearing individual clan names alongside the main road; the great memorial cairn, erected in 1881; the Well of the Dead, a single stone with the inscription 'The English were buried here'; Old Leanach farmhouse, now restored as a battle museum; and the huge Cumberland Stone from which the victorious Duke of Cumberland is said to have viewed the scene. Dinner and overnight at the Royal Highland Hotel.

Tuesday August 6th.
This morning we travel north into the wild north of Scotland. We leave Inverness and take the Kessock Bridge to the Black Isle and on towards Dornoch. Just outside of Dornoch is Skibo Castle, the retirement home of Andrew Carnegie and more recently a very exclusive hotel. It achieved worldwide fame in 2001 by hosting Madonna's marriage. We then continue past the fairytale Dunrobin Castle to Caithness "the last wilderness in Europe". In the 14th century, marriage to the heiress of Ackergill brought the Keiths here and they were involved in a long and relentless feud with the Clan Gunn. In 1518 Keith of Ackergill and his son were ambushed and slain by the Gunns. The land in this area is flat bog and moorland and the walls of the fields are made of Flagstones. A lot of the sidewalks in Britain are made of Caithness stones. All in all a very curious area of Scotland and rarely visited by tours. We visit the Clan Gunn Center to see items relating to the long feud between the Gunns and the Keiths including a peace declaration signed by the current Clan chiefs to commemorate the ending of the feud. We pass by Braemore where Helen the "Beauty of Braemore" lived and whose abduction by Dugald Keith and her subsequent suicide caused the long feud with the Gunns. We will stop at Tannoch Moor to visit the site of the Clan battle between the Keiths and the Gunns in 1438 when the Keiths were victorious!Ackergill Castle just outside Wick will be visited if possible. (As this is now an exclusive hotel this will be subject to their having no conflicting bookings and cannot be guaranteed until the day). Of more general interest we will visit the Caithness Glass Center where they make fine crystal glasses and décor with the opportunity to see the glass being blown and purchase the finished article. They will produce some items with the Keith Clan Crest for purchase as souvenirs. The site of the chapel of St. Tears, scene of the massacre of the Keiths of the Gunns, 3 miles north of Wick can be visited instead of Caithness Glass but bring stout footwear as it requires a short walk. We return to Inverness for dinner and overnight at the Royal Highland Hotel.

Wednesday August 7th.
Today we leave Inverness and travel the length of Loch Ness, monster spotting en route. We travel down through the exquisite scenery of Glencoe, the finest and perhaps the most famous glen in Scotland, scene of the Massacre of Glencoe, 1692, and centre for some of the best mountaineering in the country. Noted for wildlife which includes red deer, wildcat, golden eagle and ptarmigan. Our scenic journey continues south, down the length of the very famous and beautiful Loch Lomond and on to Edinburgh, the captial of Scotland. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the Roxburghe Hotel.

Thursday August 8th.
This morning begins with a tour of this beautiful and bustling city before visiting Edinburgh Castle, one of the most famous castles in the world. The castle stands on a rock which has been a fortress from time immemorial. The oldest part of the buildings which make up the castle is the 12th century chapel dedicated to St. Margaret. In addition to the Great Hall, built by James IV, with fine timbered roof, the Old Palace, which houses the Regalia of Scotland and the Military Museum, the castle also holds the Scottish National War Memorial opened in 1927. The afternoon is left free for shopping in many of the antique and Scottish shops on the Royal Mile or the more modern department stores on Princess Street. If shopping is not for you, Edinburgh has many other interesting attractions including the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Museum of Scotland, the National Gallery of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland, to name just a few. Dinner on your own and best seats at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a musical extravaganza held on the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle. This year will feature the largest pipes and drums from Scotland and the Commonwealth ever to perform at the event; Tri-Service Bands of the Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force; the Bands from "Down Under"; Highland Dancers from the Commonwealth together with acts from across the world. Overnight at the Roxburghe Hotel.

Friday August 9th.
Hoping that you will have many wonderful memories of your visit to Scotland, we transport you to Glasgow airport for your return trip to the US, bidding you a fond farewell and asking you, in the words of Robert Burns "Will Ye No Come Back Again!"