June travels to Scotland

[Dughlas mor]

@Stephan, I just have to say, that is a very cool website!

[brewerpaul]

Things are getting exciting as our bed and breakfasts are booked via Airbnb. Thank you for all the information given so far and I hope some more people will add places for us to visit. We will be in the Isle of Skye area for 6 days, Inverness for 5 and Stirling for about 5.

As for the people of Scotland, that is the very refreshing part of the journey. Our last trip was made wonderful because of the people of Scotland. Everyone was enjoyable to talk to and very friendly. It was a breath of fresh air for us and we are very muck looking forward to that aspect of our trip, the people.
@Jock Scot .. I will avoid the "dreaded tartan justification" if I knew what it is. Perhaps Im just in the dark about that discussion and maybe it is best. But I will take it to heart and try to avoid it, whatever it is ;)

[Jock Scot]

Well if you have a couple of hours I could give you an example! To give you a clue, the conversation starts something like this:-

"Is that a MacOnion tartan that I see you wearing?" At this, if one happens to be in a crowded bar,it has the same effect of a shark swimming towards a shoal of herring and suddenly you are alone with the sha.. er um, lecturer

Before you get a chance to reply that its not, or escape the lecture starts! Something along these lines:-

" My great aunts second cousin was married to the Duke of Gumby's brother who moved to Maryland in 1896 and as you know"-----I do?-------" which entitles me to wear the MacCarrot tartan. But as you well know"-------Oh, of course I do?----------"the Gumby line goes back to MacWhatsits who these days wear the MacOther tartan, but in 1267 they wore the Laird of twopence tartan when the thirty third cousin of the then Earl of How-come married the third, no sorry fifth cousin of Sir Harry Worth."----- and so it goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on until just when you think the lecture is running out of steam out come the pictures! And on it goes--------------------------------two hours later a breath is drawn.

The upshot of all this apparently, the lecturer can legitimately wear thirty three tartans and possibly another fifteen if we were to consider the illegitimate lines which as yet we have not covered ----yet!------------------and then there are the District Tartans-------------

I KID YOU NOT! I am afraid the end result is a thought of, so what and.......? That of course would never be said out loud.

I know visitors mean well and these are important issues to them, but they forget that the Scots have all that and more, much more, if they can be bothered and some are, but it is a conversation that is an occasional family matter no one else's. Why? WE ALL have a similar story and daily life has to continue! That is one of the main reasons why we wear ONE tartan! We don't justify it to anyone, no one asks, we just do it.

[S Mitchell]

...Why? WE ALL have a similar story and daily life has to continue! That is one of the main reasons why we wear ONE tartan! We don't justify it to anyone, no one asks, we just do it.

I've been asked many, many times, "What tartan is that?" or "Which clan?" As you've experienced from visiting tourists, Americans don't really have an established etiquette regarding the kilt.

So, I'm always glad I have a simple, one word answer to give - my surname. I don't have to give them more detail than they want and it's all the justification I need to wear my kilt (and some Americans feel you must have justification.)

That single question is the primary reason I never consider any other family tartans, whether the name is in my family tree or not.

I'm still on the fence, though, about maybe acquiring some district tartan kilts ...

[Liam]

I find when asked "What tartan is that?" it is best to respond very briefly, "The Maple Leaf", or "MacDonald". The response will often be as it was last Friday, "Oh, I belong to Clan MacKay". The asker is being polite in much the same way as they might say "Isn't it a lovely day". There is no need for a lecture or justification.
Now, last Friday as well, I was asked by an acquaintance that I hadn't seen in over 35 years, "Why the kilt?" My response was a bit more lengthly, but still brief "I recently retired and now can wear what I want, when I want."
Sometimes I have been asked "Are you a Piper?" To which I respond, "No but I like Scots whisky."

[cessna152towser]

I'm no particular fan of Edinburgh or Inverness. Too touristy for me. You wouldn't look out of place in a kilt in either city but don't be surprised if you are assumed by the locals to be a tourist from North America. Even so, you will be very popular with tourists from elsewhere in the world who will want to be photographed with the "kilted Scotsman".
You'll love Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye. Scenery is absolutely breathtaking and the natives are friendly.
Stirling is a nice little city. Lots to see and do including the Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle and the Bannockburn battle site. Stirling is also only a few miles from Falkirk with its famous boat wheel on which you can take a ride.
Stirling is about equal distance from Edinburgh or Glasgow so maybe you will have seen enough of Edinburgh and want to spend a day in Glasgow with its fine architecture, beautiful parks, magnificent museums, friendly locals and vibrant waterfront.
Its a shame you don't have time to come south of Edinburgh and visit this area, the Scottish Borders with all its historic castles and tower houses, a great history of Border Reivers, the rolling hills of the southern uplands, the sunshine coast of the Solway, Dumfries with its 400 year old pubs, also Peebles which is a popular centre for mountain and trail biking - wait you need to come back every year and visit another part of Scotland each time.

[SeumasA]

- wait you need to come back every year and visit another part of Scotland each time.

Can't afford to make the trip every year, but that's basically our idea. The plan for the next trip is to start at Skye, then to Lewis (I want to see the stones at Callanish) and work our way through the islands to Mull and Iona.

[Julia Elliott]

I'm no particular fan of Edinburgh or Inverness. Too touristy for me. You wouldn't look out of place in a kilt in either city but don't be surprised if you are assumed by the locals to be a tourist from North America. Even so, you will be very popular with tourists from elsewhere in the world who will want to be photographed with the "kilted Scotsman".
You'll love Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye. Scenery is absolutely breathtaking and the natives are friendly.
Stirling is a nice little city. Lots to see and do including the Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle and the Bannockburn battle site. Stirling is also only a few miles from Falkirk with its famous boat wheel on which you can take a ride.
Stirling is about equal distance from Edinburgh or Glasgow so maybe you will have seen enough of Edinburgh and want to spend a day in Glasgow with its fine architecture, beautiful parks, magnificent museums, friendly locals and vibrant waterfront.
Its a shame you don't have time to come south of Edinburgh and visit this area, the Scottish Borders with all its historic castles and tower houses, a great history of Border Reivers, the rolling hills of the southern uplands, the sunshine coast of the Solway, Dumfries with its 400 year old pubs, also Peebles which is a popular centre for mountain and trail biking - wait you need to come back every year and visit another part of Scotland each time.

That is exactly my hope to come back and explore other areas bit by bit. My trip this year (my first) will all be spent in the lovely Borders. But I am already feeling that the 3 weeks there is not going to be nearly enough time to do/ see all that i want and it may be sometime before i get the area sufficiently out of system and be able to move on to other parts of the country

[Jack Daw]

" My great aunts second cousin was married to the Duke of Gumby's brother who moved to Maryland in 1896 and as you know"-----I do?-------" which entitles me to wear the MacCarrot tartan.

I don't much care for the MacCarrot tartan, which I have a right to wear, because the red stripe in ancient looks far too orangy for my tastes....and, they don't make the modern...unless, it's a special weave; and, thats too dear a price...

[Jock Scot]

I don't much care for the MacCarrot tartan, which I have a right to wear, because the red stripe in ancient looks far too orangy for my tastes....and, they don't make the modern...unless, it's a special weave; and, thats too dear a price...

Quite so! Should that route be taken it would add at least another half an hour to the lecture, for each "entitled" tartan!