Scottish Clans and Castles - Holidays featuring Scotland's castles, culture and clan lands

Homecoming Scotland 2009

Homecoming Scotland 2009 celebrates the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth with a year-long programme of events across the country.

We at Scottish Clans and Castles are proud to be at the heart of this initiative as one of the official tour operators for The Gathering 2009, a highpoint of the celebrations. But there is more to Homecoming Scotland than The Gathering…

January 25th is the actual anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth. Some of his language may be unfamiliar to us in the 21st Century but it was an inspiration to Abraham Lincoln and a ‘Burns Supper’ in Scotland is a unique and memorable occasion. So visit us in the winter when the deer are in the glens and the locals are in the pubs! Enjoy a dram of whisky in front of a log fire at the end of the day!
	In May the trees are bursting into leaf, the primroses are out and whisky lovers head for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival (May 1 – 10). Come and hear the experts, enjoy tasting some unusual malts and find time too for some walking and golf too. For those who like their malt a bit peatier, there is Islay's Malt and Music Festival, Feis Ile
May also sees the first Culloden Battlefield event: “From Battle to Exile” (May 9 and 10) - a programme of presentations and musical performances relating to the battle and subsequent exile and a tour of the battlefield where visitors can meetI the characters involved in the battle, and hear about their experiences thereafter
June is the principal month for the Border Common Ridings which date back to the Middle Ages. During the long wars with England when the border lands were in constant upheaval, townspeople would ride their boundaries, or 'marches', to protect their common lands and prevent encroachment by neighbouring landlords. In particular if your name is Scott, Kerr, Armstrong, Elliott, Hume, Tait or Turnbull, you will feel a stirring of the blood as you attend these traditional ‘Ridings’.
June also sees the Nairn Book and Arts Festival, the biggest event of its type in the Highlands and growing year on year.
July is perhaps the highpoint of the year with three iconic events which need no further amplification… The Open Golf at Turnberry, 16 – 19 July Inverness Highland Games, 18 and 19 July The Gathering in Edinburgh, 24 – 27 July Email us for more information on The Gathering.
It is of course possible to combine one or more of the above, but if you are NOT going to The Gathering or the Inverness Highland Games, you are probably best to avoid these cities at these busy times.
	August is well known as the month of the Edinburgh International Festival (7 – 30 August) the International Book Festival (15 – 31 August) and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (7 – 29 August) Meantime, across the country in Glasgow there is a Piping Festival (10 – 16 August) which includes the World Pipe Band Championships.
In September the focus is further north with the Gaelic Blas Festival, a range of traditional music and events across the Highlands. And if your roots are in the Outer Hebrides you will be attracted to the South Harris Conference on Emigration (10 – 12 September) which will include an exhibition and events featuring representatives of emigrant communities.
Finally, October features the ‘Highland Homecoming’ a collection of events throughout the Highlands grouped round the Scotland’s Global Impact Conference. We will be delighted to arrange your itinerary to make best use of the time available to you. Just email us... *Perfectly tailored touring holidays of Scotland's castles, culture and clan lands.*



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