My maiden name is Campbell, that's my main clan but I also have Wightons, Youngs, Butters, Mackenzies and McLellans, etc., in my family tree. My paternal grandparents came from Dundee, with my grandfather's dad coming from Dingwall in the central Highlands and my grandmother's mom coming from Cupar in the Kingdom of Fife. We had gone to Dingwall in 2001 and had some very special moments, finding the family gravesite, and even being able to walk in the house where my gggps had brought their large family up. I tear up when I hear the pipes and "Scotland the Brave" and I couldn't possibly have spent a summer here in the UK without going to Scotland.
Anyway, as the time went on toward The Gathering I learned a bit more about it. It was going to be huge. They expected (and say that they got) about 40,000 people to converge on Holyrood Park. There would be a march of the clans up the Royal Mile on Saturday night. A special programme that would highlight the history of Scotland. Highland Games. Clan tents.
And pipe bands from around the world. So I registered for it, received my Passport and on the morning of July 24th, got on the train in Highbridge and headed off to Edinburgh.
I have to say that the BritRail pass, and upgrading it to first class, was well worth the investment. I had my choice of when and how to travel to Edinburgh. And traveling in first class, I was served a nice breakfast, given The Times to read, had my own charger plug for my Blackberry. And as we traveled across England, I was especially thankful for being in the coach as the train was packed and people were actually sitting in the passageways between trains.
However, when I arrived in Edinburgh it was to pouring rain and in the midst of a garbage strike. Not the greatest of beginnings, especially as I had misunderstood the distance between where I would be staying and Holyrood Park. It wasn't that far but FROM Holyrood TO the University of Edinburgh/Pollock Hall residences was all uphill. Not fun in the pouring rain and carrying a backpack and dragging a rollaway. So I got a taxi. The residences were your typical student residence rooms with single bed, chair, miniscule loo and shower. But it was out of the rain and I really didn't care. I'd only be sleeping there anyway. After dumping my stuff, I went back downstairs (and why do I always get the third floor of a building with no elevator?) and stared out at the rain, wondering what to do now.
A man with a kilt soon came to stand beside me and we started chatting. Turned out that he was a Campbell as well. Ian Campbell from Australia. So we were soon deep in conversation about genealogy and we decided we'd go back down to Holyrood, check out the preparations for tomorrow and then walk up the Royal Mile and find something to eat. Which we did. We ate at the Royal McGregor pub on the Royal Mile. Salmon and new potatoes. Yum. Then Ian went off to find something for his camera and I walked back to the residences. Without my luggage, the walk wasn't that difficult. By the end of the day, though, I'd walked over 20,000 steps, or 10 miles.
Saturday morning was sunny and I met a large group of Canadians lined up outside the residence cafeteria waiting for breakfast to start. Most of the people up that early were actually participating in the Gathering; they were pipers and Highland dancers. So many people in kilts and tartan, but almost all of them with "colonial" accents. I met people from Ontario, from B.C., both places I've lived in, and they were all having a great time. After a very good buffet breakfast, I walked back down to Holyrood Park.
The new Parliament buildings across from the Park. I wasn't sure what the symbolism was supposed to be as it seemed to be lots of angles and boxes. But I have since checked out the website for the buildings and realize that I only saw a very small portion of what is an amazing building. If you're interested in architecture, check out http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/holyrood/index.htm
I then went through the gate and into the event. It was like a giant country fair with tents and a stadium, a grandstand and booths with people selling food and souvenirs. As I familiarized myself with it, I encountered:
Robbie Burns chatting up a piper, presenting her with a rose. Do you know that saying "my love is like a red, red, rose"? Well Robbie wrote that except of course he wrote "my luve...." You should read some of his poetry. It's great. Don't worry if you don't understand it all though :) Just enjoy reading it; I get the feeling he enjoyed writing it.
And then I saw the pipers practicing and chatting. I was so pleased to see a pipe band from Hamilton, where I lived for over 13 years. This photo's for you too Jean.
This is the stone put, part of the Highland Games "heavy section".
What Scots wear under their kilts (at least for the stone put).
They finished that part of the competition and then I could hear the pipes and drums starting. The security people herded us to the side and on came the bands. It was all quite soul stirring and yes I cried. The next few photos (I've got loads more but this gives the flavour) will be of the parade and a glimpse of Charles and Camilla.
One of Charles' many titles is Duke of Rothesay. It was the traditional title of the heir to the Scottish throne. Since Scotland and England (and Wales and Northern Ireland) all form one "country", Charles has inherited this title. So much of Scotland's history is the story of conflicts with England, referred to in many ways during The Gathering, so it was ironic that Charles was there. He gave a low-key speech though and no one booed him, unlike folks booing the Campbells as we marched up the Royal Mile later that night. But that's for the next blog. Camilla didn't say anything just smiled and received flowers.
The sight of the Canadian pipers marching and Canadian flags flying sent me for the tissues again. I may be of Scottish heritage but my parents and I were all born on Canadian soil. So I was proud to see the Canadian flags and cheered along with many others. You see, those of us who have Scots blood in us, our ancestors came to Canada (and other colonies) either because they were driven out (the Clearances) or because they felt that Canada offered a better life for them and for their families. I'm not 100% sure why my grandparents came. I know they weren't "driven out" of Scotland because by the time they came, in the early 1900s, Scotland had settled down politically. My cousin Enid, whom I met the following week in Glasgow, said her grandmother (my grandfather's sister) told her that her brother Donald had just announced casually one day at dinner in around 1904 that he was going to Canada. He was the first of the three brothers to leave. Two of his younger brothers later went to the US after fighting in the Great War while the youngest died in the Great War. Grandfather went and then sent for my grandmother; they got married in Montreal. They only went back once, just after the Great War. Although life was a bit better in Canada, they still never had much money in their lives, certainly not enough to go back despite family deaths and weddings. I am so much more blessed. Even my dad only went back to Scotland twice. Once with his parents as a small boy and once when I was living in England and he was in his mid 60s. I thought of how interested he'd have been in all of this.
After the pipe bands, I went to the Campbell clan tent to see if anything was going on. About 70 or so clans had tents with representatives there to greet people, answer questions, talk about their various clan associations in North America, Australia, New Zealand. The Campbell tent was actually rather quiet. I chatted to a man who was the president of the North America Clan Campbell Association and was surprised to learn that he didn't even know where his Campbell ancestors had come from. They'd come over around the Revolutionary War and hadn't kept records. So I felt a bit smug that I, at least, KNEW where my Campbells had come from as far back as the late 1700s. And I shared with a few people there how I'd pieced my information together over 15 years.
I noticed a tall blonde woman coming and going and looking a bit officious so wondered if she was a PR person or something. I never thought that she was the Duchess of Argyll, the Duke's wife. The Duke is the chief of Clan Campbell. Here's a photo with the Duchess on the right. He's the youngest clan chief and actually quite nice. I spoke with him the next day about his interest in elephant polo. Yep, elephant polo; polo played on elephants. He plays it in Thailand and Cambodia (or is it Laos?) Yes, I know it sounds like one of those weird "upper class sports" and of course it is. But it is in the spirit of trying to save the elephants there. He explained it to me in some detail, which was nice of him. I don't think he'll invite for the weekend to Inverary Castle but he was quite charming. I looked the family up later on the Inverary Castle (where they live) website and his wife is actually English, one of the Cadburys of chocolate fame. So I would have to like her, wouldn't I, as Cadbury fruit 'n nut bars are a favorite at our house. But I wouldn't tell her that. I doubt she would appreciate the colonial sense of humour :)
Here's a photo of the Duke and Duchess with the presidents of the various Clan
Campbell associations. You'll notice the kilt tartans are a little different on several. I hope they were all approved by the Duke because he's a bit of a stickler for wearing "proper" tartans and not some of the newer colours and patterns that claim to be Campbell. I was very careful, therefore, went I went to buy my tartan shawl for the Royal Mile march to get the "right" one. I didn't get the Argyll, however, because my family didn't come from Argyll, they came from the central Highland area and the Campbells there have their own castle and tartan. Cawdor Castle. Sound familiar? Think Macbeth and you've got it.
I will now close this blog as it's getting too difficult to drag all the photos down to their proper place. The next one will be a continuation of Saturday, the march on the Royal Mile.
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