The Western Isles

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Adventures in Scotland

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My 2025 visit to Scotland will be both a comfortable holiday and a research trip. It starts while staying with Helen for several weeks, takes a detour briefly to Inverness for a one-person private tour of my Bain ancestral lands, settles into an 18-day historian-led of Central Scotland, the Western Isles, the Highlands and Edinburgh, and finally ends with a visit to the Isle of Wight [I hope]. While with Helen I will do all the research on the Buchans in Midlothian, both on the ground and in the archives. And also get better prepared for the private tour of Inverness by doing more research on the Bains of Ross-shire, [including the MacBain Clan Tour]. My tour is with Academy Travel, a company based in Sydney. There are nine of us, an historian and a helper. I hope it will be relaxing, educational, fun and just plain mind-blowing [re scenery]. As new things happen on this visit, I'll add a new post. You'll find them under pages according to geographical regions: Edinburgh [inclu...
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Eccles

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Eccles is my home for the moment. It is a lovely small hamlet, ie no shops, in the borders. My hosts Helen and Alan have been wonderful, and their two greyhounds have accepted me. We go for evening walks. There are perhaps 60-70 people here. This place existed in the 11th century when a Cistercian nunnery existed, although there are no ruins at all. 1774 church and much older cemetery. Yes it is heaven. Bluey and A Most of my time has been spent in a Scotlands People Centre where I can research all day long for a small fee. I am working my way through the 2000 odd Buchan descendants, esp death information. Slightly morbid, but my interest is professional. Me at Hawick Heritage hub yesterday. It is an archive and you can’t use your camera on the records. But fine to get an image for posterity. In Hawick I had several people smiling at me on the streets, and even chatting at the bus stop. That didn’t happen in Edinburgh. There were only three people in there all day, although a film fest...
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The road never travelled...

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The tour starts and ends in Edinburgh at the George Hotel. We wend our way northward to Stirling, Perth and onto Inverness. Then it is off to the Western Isles to the islands of Skye, Mull and Iona. Back through lower Scotland, Loch Lomond and back to Edinburgh for a few days focus on this ancient town. The tour material includes the following: "Special Tours & Private Access  Enjoy private, guided, and after hours tours of iconic Scottish locations such as Glamis Castle, Mary King’s Close, Holyrood Palace and a special historical tour of the Edinburgh vaults under the Royal Mile. Scottish Isles  Explore the wild beauty and fascinating history of two Isles of the inner Hebrides – Mull, and Iona, and spend two nights on the famed Isle of Skye.  Highland Heritage  Immerse yourself in highland culture, with five nights in the charming riverside city of Inverness, the gateway to the highlands, with tours of famous highland locations such as Loch Ness and Culloden Moo...
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