by James W. Camerius
Day One: Friday, July 4, 1997
for those of us from the United States, it didn't seem like the Fourth of July. Nevertheless, all 32
of us were in the mood for celebration after a highly successful WACRA '97 meeting. We
departed the Stakis Grosvenor Hotel in Edinburgh at 9:30 a.m. with a pickup stop at the Napier
University Craiglockhart Campus residence. It was exciting to look forward to discovering
historic sights, experiencing new and different accommodations, exploring the wild open moors of
the Scottish Highlands, smelling the heather, shopping for gifts that were actually made in
Scotland and generally enjoying each others company and making new friends. We met our
English speaking guide, Isobel. She established who was in charge, and we were off on our
journey.
The motor coach drive west to Glasgow was informative and developed perspectives of Scottish
lifestyles. Guide Isobel pointed out where the unfortunates lived in the Edinburgh suburbs and
how their lives could be improved. Many of us concluded that the dwelling units were substantial
and a delightful contrast to some we had seen in New York, Detroit and Chicago.
Our destination was Glasgow, situated on the River Clyde. Upon arrival, we had a short
panoramic tour of Scotland's largest city and '1990 European City of Culture.' We saw the old
Victorian part of this great city, George Square with its grand City Chamber and statues of
famous Scots. Guide Isobel pointed out the city's oldest house, built in 1471 and other famous
buildings. Our prearranged group lunch was in the delightful Drum & Monkey pub in the city
centre. The day was filled with a visit to museums, shopping and visiting other historic sights. The
overnight accommodations at the Glasgow Thistle Hotel were impressive and we enjoyed a meal
in the dining room with fine china, sparkling crystal, good wine and excellent service. Our initial
check-in to the hotel may have been a little late, some may have misplaced their bags in transit,
but I'd rate the hotel with four stars.
Day Two, July 5, 1997
On day two our destination was Inverness, Capital of the Highlands. Hans Klein warned that 'this
is frontier country' in terms of amenities many of us are accustomed to. We were prepared for the
adventure! During the morning we followed the shores of Loch Lommond, the largest lake in
Britain. What a wonderful experience it was to ride along this beautiful body of water with its
islands and picturesque dwelling units. In the late morning we visited Inverary castle. To me this
was the high point of the tour. It was my first visit to such a private home. Everyone in our group
seemed to appreciate the authenticity, the magnificent interior decoration, and the historic
narrative in this tour of the home of the Dukes of Argyle. Of course, as in most castle tours, we
were informed of the presence of the ghost who appeared to overnight visitors on occasion.
Lunch was at the Great Inn at the center of the town of Inverary. During the afternoon we
traveled through the dramatic landscape of Glencoe, whose name in Gaelic means the "vale of
tears" because it is the scene of the 1692 massacre of the Clan MacDonald. I looked forward to
being able to tell the folks at home that I had seen the Loch Ness monster. We followed the Great
Glen, dominated for 24 miles by Loch Ness and nary a sighting. The best that could be found was
a monster head and body appearing out of a pond near the visitor center. Guide Isobel felt this
monster stuff was mostly 'foolishness' and went on to share insights on the ruggedness of the
terrain and the beauty of the Scottish countryside.
Our overnight stop was at Stratton Hotel in the city centre of Inverness. This was a real treat for
me as I like trains. The hotel was functional, but had a magnificent grand lobby with formal
staircase and appointments. Our after dinner glow was spent around the grand piano harmonizing
in the 'WACRA last night tradition.' Hans claimed (and I agreed) that the local rowdies
celebrated more robustly in the disco downstairs and in the streets of Inverness later, but we
found satisfaction in toasting in a more mellow way to the accomplishment of the objects of
another successful conference.
Day Three: July 6, 1997
As this was Sunday morning, the James Pringle Weavers were not busy at their looms in Inverness. The self guided tour, however, provided a number of insights on how the magnificent woolen cloths and rugs were manufactured. The shop provided a comprehensive range of cloths and merchandise. It was one of our last opportunities to gather up some gifts for the folks at home and 'help out the local economy' as guide Isobel liked to put it.
I've got some great pictures of our afternoon tour of the smallest distillery in Scotland that I wish I could share with you. We sampled the product, learned about the important ingredients of this national drink, and witnessed the milling, mashing, fermentation and distillation process. The distillery guide was in Scottish kilt and attire and photographed well.
Our return journey to Edinburgh was via Perth - the former Capital of Scotland. We crossed the famous Firth of Forth suspension bridge, encountered city traffic and ended our WACRA tour of "A Taste of Scotland" in front of the Grosvenor Hotel. In October of last year, I suggested to case writers at another professional meeting that "you haven't enjoyed the country you visit until you've taken a WACRA optional tour." I felt the tour accomplished its objectives and lived up to expectations.