 |
| Newsletter 2nd October 2020 |
| Welcome to our Autumn/Fall newsletter. As we write to you, we are back in a partial lockdown, with socialising with other households heavily restricted. But the wide open spaces are very much open, as are many hotels and B&B’s, along with a number of visitor attractions. However, visitors are mainly local, and the cities are quiet, which was very strange, especially in August when usually we have the buzz of The Edinburgh Festivals. Anne managed to get a short break in the Outer Hebrides, on Harris and Lewis, and here are a few photos that will brighten your day, although it may increase your longing for a real visit to Scotland. We have come up with a solution to satisfy that longing while you are not able to travel. We have just launched a new product Scottish Road Trip in a Box: everything you need to “be in Scotland” while you travel at home. We have had great fun (and a lot of hard work) pulling this project together and we hope you are as thrilled as we are by the result.    ABOUT SCOTTISH ROAD TRIPEverything you need to experience the sounds and senses of Scotland, from wherever you are in the world is right here in the box.With over 2 hours of recorded stories, songs, music, heritage and folk tales, you will be transporting yourself away from the cares of the world into the land of your dreams.Hosted and curated by Anne & Emma, who instead of guiding you around historical locations, are now bringing Scotland to you. Listen to Anne tell you all about her Scottish heritage and spending her summer’s with “Granny Island” on a traditional croft on The Isle of Harris. Emma looks at the Celtic similarities between her homeland of Ireland and her adopted home Scotland.Gillebride MacMillian the renowned Gaelic singer will transport you to Scotland by sharing some of his favourite traditional songs. Gillebride’s first language is Gaelic and his love and passion for the language radiates through his work. You might already know him if you are a fan of the TV series Outlander, where Gillebride played Gwyllyn the Bard.Maestro Paul MacDonald will regale you with his imitable and well-loved story of Big Duncan MacKenzie.The smell of the Scottish fragrance car freshener will further enhance your sensory journey, helping you to visualise yourself driving through the Scottish Highlands.When it’s time for a break in the drive, we have provided Scotland’s favourite snacks – shortbread and a Tunnocks chocolate wafer and of course Scottish Teabags for the perfect brew!We have selected some quality road trip souvenirs for you too – a fridge magnet of course, an adorable Hairy Coo keyring and gorgeous lavender and rosemary soap, all from local businesses.To find out more and purchase a Road Trip in a Box either for yourself or as a gift for another lover of Scotland visit our new webpage www.scottishroadtrip.com  PodcastsIt has been a month for recording and you can now catch up with us on a couple of Podcasts. Visit Scotland have issued a series of Tour guide tales with stories from Guides around Scotland. We were delighted to be featured in Episode 1 www.visitscotland.com/see-do/attractions/tour-guide-tales/ We were also invited to take part in The Tudor Travel Show, Mary Queen of Scots podcast, with Anne opening the series with Mary’s birth and early years at Linlithgow Palace. https://thetudortravelshow.podbean.com/e/linlithgowpalace Have you met Mary the Coo? If games are more your thing, or perhaps for other family members, we launched our very own Phone app game and it is very addictive. If you haven’t yet met Mary the Coo, you can download the game from the App store or Google Play. If you missed the launch announcement, details are here www.marysmeanders.co.uk/virtual-tour-and-experience/mary-the-coo/ NEW VIRTUAL TOUR FOR HALLOWEEN Coming soon!!!. As we can’t deliver ghost tours in person, as we would like, this year, we are currently working on a new Virtual ghost tour. The great thing about this is you can join us, wherever you are, and hear tales of the creepier side of Linlithgow. Keep watching our Facebook page for details.  Update on the Covid 19 situation in ScotlandUnfortunately, after our optimism at the beginning of August when we were in Phase 3 of re-opening and looking forward to more restrictions being lifted, we have now moved back to Phase 4, and tougher restrictions on socialising and movement have been put in place. This is in line with what is happening in a number of Countries as we enter another wave of the virus. Scotland has fared better than many countries, particularly in some areas of the Highlands which have hardly been affected, but the Government has always been extra cautious. Numbers are now rising again and strict measures are back in place. Many visitors now must quarantine for 14 days when arriving in the UK and Scotland, and we are very restricted on the number of people we can have on tour. For updates check The Scottish Government website. www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19 Mary’s Meanders Measures for Re-opening We have been awarded the “Good to Go” accreditation and are ready for you to join us on tour. At this stage, for bookings in a vehicle, we are only accepting new private or family/household bubble bookings till the end of 2020, till we see how things develop. We have added our new “Good to Go” travel criteria to our website https://www.marysmeanders.co.uk/guided-tours-blog/ The most important thing is that we want you to feel safe and secure when you join us and we will do everything to ensure that happens. We will not take risks and open prematurely and we hope you will be understanding of this approach. Ancestry We did manage to get out on an Ancestry tour last month and it was so good to be back prowling around graveyards and hunting down old farms. The local archives are still closed, and church access is limited, but we can safely take a family around the area of their ancestors and we had a great day, despite the limitations. If you would like some help tracing your ancestors, please do get in touch. We have a few Ancestry tours in planning just now. Also, now that we are allowed to go further afield we can get back out checking out graveyards and are happy to take photos for you – if the headstone exists (not always the case). It does take quite some time to plan an ancestry tour, so now is the time to be planning for next year, and beyond. Find out more about our Ancestry service www.marysmeanders.co.uk/scottish-ancestral-tourWhat’s Next Normally, at this time of the year, we are pretty exhausted after a very busy tour season- and this Year was lined up to be the busiest yet. We are usually ready for a wee rest and then it’s all systems go planning for next year. However, due to coronavirus, we are in a state of flux, not knowing when we can safely take group tours out on the road again. So, as we have done all year, we have turned our attention to ways we can help you enjoy Scotland, even when you can’t get here. We hope you have enjoyed our Virtual tours, tuned into our “moments of calm”, listened to podcasts and played Mary the Coo – something for everyone. We are now turning our attention to Christmas and the holiday season and time for gifting. Our “Road Trip in a Box” has been lovingly put together, and we hope you will enjoy it and join our Road Trip community, with your postcard photos from around the World- sharing the passion that brings us all together. It makes an ideal gift for someone who is missing Scotland. And if 2hrs of Scottishness is not enough, we do intend to add further recordings for you to enjoy. Ideas for topics are very welcome. We may even do a special “Outlander themed tour box” if there is enough demand. We are delighted to offer beautiful handmade soaps from Floraidh Artisan Soap. This is a lovely new product brought to you by tour guide, Sam Thomson, whom some of you know. You will receive one of these in your Road Trip box and will shortly be able to purchase them separately on our new Scottish Road Trip page. Some other individual items from the box will also be available to buy separately. And don’t forget our little Outlander Memories book and tea towel, produced in conjunction with The Edinburgh Sketcher- great stocking fillers. Our shop can be found at www.scottishroadtrip.com Items will be added daily. Keep watching our Social Media for new items and further details. www.facebook.com/MarysMeanders www.instagram.com/marysmeanders twitter.com/MarysMeanders  Virtual ToursWe continue to deliver our popular Virtual Tours at the weekends, but if you have a group who would like to book a tour at any other time, please get in touch Outlander Classic Tour www.marysmeanders.co.uk/virtual-tour-and-experience/virtual-outlander-tour-of-scotland/ Outlander and more tour www.marysmeanders.co.uk/virtual-tour-and-experience/live-virtual-outlander-tour-in-scotland Mary, Queen of Scots This tour tells Mary’s story by visiting historic sites around Scotland that played an important part in her life. You can book the Live Virtual Tour here www.marysmeanders.co.uk/virtual-tour-and-experience/virtual-mary-queen-of-scots-tour/ Watch at anytime to suit you If you can’t manage any of our Live tours we now have a recorded version of the tour you can download and watch immediately, and repeat as often as you like. www.marysmeanders.co.uk/virtual-tour-and-experience/replay-virtual-outlander-tour-24-7/ www.marysmeanders.co.uk/virtual-tour-and-experience/virtual-mary-queen-of-scots-tour/Thank you Once again our heartfelt thanks for all the support you have shown us. It is that support and love you have sent to us that has kept us going during these difficult times. That’s why we have endeavoured to keep Scotland in your hearts, and keep us in touch with all our friends, where many other guides have “gone into hibernation”. We will continue to do all we can to share Scotland with you, until you can come back. And on that note, we are reaching out to you to ask for some help. The Road Trip Box is very close to our hearts and we would really appreciate if you would share our posts on Facebook etc into some of the Scottish travel groups and fan groups where you are members. We would appreciate it so much. Please also continue to tag us @MarysMeanders #marysmeanders whenever you can. Keep safe and well and we will see you soon. Emma & Anne www.marysmeanders.co.uk https://www.paypal.me/marysmeandersCopyright © 2020 Mary’s Meanders – Scotland Tours, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. |
July 27th Newsletter 2020
