Scotland for Outlanders

We find another hieland cow. Some of you may work out from the scene where it is.

Jamie and Claire Tour. Outrageous colour in the Stars version of Versailles

Jamie and Claire Tour. More from our time in the woods

Joyce cut her finger, so we staunched it with a mushroom skin and tied it on with spruce root bark.

Jamie and Claire Tour day 2. Iain MacFarlane, our real "wee Iain Murray" grasps the nettle to explain extracting its seeds in the wild.

First day of the tour!

Jamie and Claire tour, September, dawn on day one. The barley is ripe, autumn has arrived and so have the guests.

Scotland, where even the trains are better.

One for those who really understand Scotland in the modern era. This is a placemat from a friend whose husband was a gamekeeper.

The Raven's Ball was last weekend in a Scottish Mansion. What an evening of magic. Like a Venetian masquerade or a Versailles ball from the 18th century. There will be more photos later.

So exited. Our Slow Scotland, Star of Perthshire tour starts tomorrow (a new tour). We're so pleased to be able to share Scotland's autumnal colours with our guests at long last. This pic is the view from our drive. Can you see the colour change?

Found this pic that we posted in 2016. Oh we are funny.

Autumn on the Jamie and Claire Tour. This is the remnants of an ancient burial chamber similar to the one Diana depicted in the burial of General Fraser of Balnain after dying in the Colonies.

This in the house in which the Jamie and Claire tour abides to night. Sleep well.

On set with Starz. You can tell there's a film crew about to arrive by the red-covered podium light. They use them to illuminate the working area at night. It's kind of a tell tale Starz indicator. Now you know.

On set at Lallybroch. We're guiding a private tour and Starz are gearing up to film here in a couple of days.

You might know this chap. Brought up in a house behind the trees, North Shields. We visited him on a Borders Tour recon trip.

Don't usually see these fine ones so close to the road in the summer. Wild and antlered. Perthshire.

Every pub in the UK is required by law to state above the door who is the "licensee" of the premises. Found this on a derelict pub while on a recon trip for the Borders Tour. Funny buggers those Tynesiders. Look closely...

On a scouting trip. Staying in an interesting new place where, I think, Victorian Gothic meets... What's that on the stairs?
Might use this place for the next Borders Tour. What do you think?

This wonderous fruit cake is a Clourie Dumpling, so called because it is boiled in a muslin, or Cloutie, which is also the word for ladies' petitcoates. Served warm with cream.

One for the Colonists. I'm in Leiden, in the Netherlands. There is a strong connection here to those who became known as The Pilgrim Fathers. So here's a piece of history they didn't teach you in school - an important story in a few photos.
The "Pilgrims" were religious refugees from England in 1609. They came to enlightened Leiden, that seat of learning, with William Bradford and John Robinson as teachers. They settled in Leiden, some 300 of them, and stayed for many years. Robinson bought land where the almshouse in the second photo now stands. He built 21 houses there for these exiles. Many of their children and spouses died while they lived in Leiden and were buried in Pieterskirk opposite, as shown in the third photo, from the church wall.
In 1625, Robinson himself died and about half of the Pilgrims left for the colonies.
From them are descended at least four US presidents, including both Bushes and Obama.
BTW, Leiden is still a town of progressive thought and tolerance. We're enjoying all the students on bikes speaking multiple languages, including American English.

A memorial to the real "Watch", the Black Watch regiment as they became. The chap atop is Farquhar Shaw, private. A tragic story of the regiment. Jamie and Claire Tour last week.

Our witches look pleased to be on trial. Jamie and Claire tour last week.

Late tour availability: two tour places have become available on Scot's Spirt of Scotland tour in July 2023. The pilgrimage visits some of Scotland's most special sacred sites from Roslyn Chapel to the Isle of Skye with an focus on understanding the relationship between culture, landscape and spirituality in the Celtic mind.
Twin room sharing with a friend or solo traveller single room. 6-16th July.
Information and booking: www.ansgeulaiche.co.uk/spirit-of-scotland.html

"Something for the autumn, sir". Scot's new tour for 2023, in video.

What is a Slow Scotland™ tour? A brief introduction to the concept of Slow Scotland™ in the world of touring and visiting this fine country.Visit https://www.ansgeulaiche.co.uk and go to "...

After years of promises, the first Slow Scotland™ tour is launched. The first one is called Star of Perthshire. Inspired by the slow food movement of Italy, it is Scotland enjoyed richly, deeply and in good company.
https://buff.ly/3SsUVA0

The Star of Perthshire Tour An autumnal retreat-tour in the peak fall season in Perthshire, Scotland. One of my Slow Scotland tours