The first two weeks in July found my husband Mark and I enjoying our first opportunity to travel to Scotland. We were part of the Clan MacFarlane 2025 World Gathering. The first several days were dedicated mainly to Clan history and sightseeing.  In the year before our country celebrates it’s 250th birthday,  we found ourselves staying at a hotel that was nearly twice that old! The block Tarbet Hotel was built 480 years ago and sits in the middle of the MacFarlane ancestral homeland of Tarbet and Arrochar. Mark had the privilege of visiting the ruins of the Clan castle on the tiny Island of Ivow in Loch Lomond. I missed that part of the tour thanks to a bad sinus infection. But much clan history was shared and learned along the way.

We also took the time to catch the short train ride from Inverness to Mount Dora’s Sister City of Forres. What a delight it was to meet and spend a few hours with our Sister City Commissioner Andy Hall and his charming wife Pippa. After fish and chips at the Mosset Tavern, they gave us a great tour of the town,  including the lovely city park and sunken gardens in full bloom. Forres has been the winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on multiple occasions.  They also showed us Sueno’s Stone, a 20′ tall monolith that dates back to 850-950 A.D. We were sorry to have such a short time to enjoy the Hall’s hospitality but look forward to spending more time exploring this Scottish Sister City of Forres the next time we visit.

As our tour moved on to what might be considered more typical tourist sites, the weather also took a turn. After three or four rainy, cold days, the weather cleared up enough for us to really enjoy visiting sites like Stirling Castle, considered to be the largest castle in Scotland,  and Dunfermline Abbey,  the final resting place of the body of Robert the Bruce,  King of Scots. We found ancestors interred at the Necropolis in Glasgow,  got to pet the Highland coos (that’s Scottish for “cow” but much cuter!), and enjoyed shopping the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. We shared many shots of whisky, and while we DID try the haggis, we both agreed  that there was probably not enough whisky to make us enjoy it!

Our guide for the entire two weeks was Jim, the Kilted Guide. His humor, stories and encyclopedic knowledge of the history of Scotland and how the Clan MacFarlane fit into it made the time just fly by. It was truly an amazing experience. The country is so beautiful that the pictures don’t do it justice, and the people are so friendly and welcoming. We can’t wait to go back.

Cindy Miller