The Gathering 2009 in Edinburgh
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If you want to experience the magic of an historic clan gathering and memorable highland games set in the Royal Park at Holyrood in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland then contact us now at thegathering@casheltravel.com or telephone our Edinburgh office now: +44 (0)131 514 4107.
| Gold, Silver & bronze passports now available. |
Gathering 2009 tickets (Passports) are enclosed in a beautiful embossed leather wallet. It contains a ticket to both the Saturday and Sunday events in Holyrood Park, a place in the Clan Parade and a ticket to the Clan Pageant held on Edinburgh Castle's Esplanade. |
| Hotels, B&Bs and self catering apartments all in the city centre | All of our accommodation is located in the city centre, much of it within walking distance of Holyrood Park (for the highland games) and Edinburgh Castle (for the pageant and parade). |
| Linked events and activities | We are currently offering tickets to the world famous Taste Of Scotland Scottish show on the night before The Gathering Weekend (on Friday 24th July). Check back becuase we will update this section as more events are launched. |
| Tours of Scotland before and after the event | Make the most of your visit to Scotland by seeing more of the country than Edinburgh! We are offering a variety of tours exploring the landscape and history of the land that made the clans. From day trips to six day tours |
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Group and Clan bookings |
Cashel Travel are specialists in Scottish Clan Gatherings and tour arrangements for clan groups. We can arrange a bespoke tour for your clan group, before or after your visit to The Gathering 2009. |
| Programme details, getting around Edinburgh, etc. | Information on the terms and conditions of your booking as well as details of The Gathering programme and general information about your visit to Edinburgh and Scotland. |
| Book here! (Please note we don't organise flights.) | Book your passport to the Gathering, accommodation and tours and special events. Please note we are selling packages to The Gathering, we are not able to sell Gathering tickets only. We use Paypal for online security. |
| More about the year of celebrations. |
2009 marks the 250th anniversary of our national poet and international cultural icon Robert Burns whose message of friendship and Auld Lang Syne lives on. 2009 will be a celebration of not only Robert Burns but also our rich culture and heritage which lives on at home and through the many people of Scots origin who live beyond our shores. |
| Clan Groups Please feel free to email us with your trip requirements. |
Travel Agents We're happy to work with the travel trade directly please email us. |
| thegathering@casheltravel.com / +44 (0)845 119 6220 | |
More About The Clan Parade - 25th July 2009
The indisputable centrepiece of The Clan Gathering 2009 will begin with a majestic clan march, the like of which has not been seen on Scottish soil since Sir Walter Scott's Royal Pageant of 1822.
An international assembly of 8,000 clanspeople will parade from the Royal Palace of Holyrood, along Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile, to take their seats upon the esplanade of the Castle rock, site of the world-famous Tattoo*.
Here beneath Edinburgh's ancient castle ramparts, a spectacular clan pageant will unfold. Piper, massed bands, and highland dancers will trace the history of the development of the clans through the ages, in what promises to be a truly memorable and treasured experience, especially for one of Scots ancestry.
*The Clan Pageant is a unique 1-day event. It is separate from the Edinburgh Tattoo which in 2009 takes place from 7-29th August (see www.edinburgh-tattoo.co.uk)
The Royal Mile is one of the most famous streets in Europe's capital cities. It has witnessed Royal processions, public executions and riots. Every notable figure in Scotland's rich history has walked on this street. This will be the first time that all the clans have paraded from the royal Palace of Holyrood up to the Edinburgh Castle esplanade. A true distance of 1 mile and 107 yards, a climb of 560 feet from the bottom to the top.The parade will be divided into sections with each section being led by a pipe band. Clans people will parade in alphabetical order and will be preceded by their chiefs and commanders with the clan banners.
The parade is open to all passport holders and will lead directly into the castle esplanade where the pageant will take place. If you have a passport but do not wish to partake in the parade then you will still be able to enter the esplanade area seperately from the parade with your pagent ticket.
For those who wish to take part but are concerned by the distance we will provide a limited amout of seating on open-top buses which will follow the parade. Bookings for these buses will take place later this year.
More about the Parade on The Gathering's website
PLEASE NOTE CHILDREN "Due to the scale of the Clan Parade and Clan Pageant we have been advised to discourage the attendance of under-16s. It must be remembered that Edinburgh is a capital city and therefore as well as the 8,600 clanspeople who will be taking part in the events on Saturday night we are also expecting large crowds to be watching the parade. The length of the two performances also means that passport holders will not be leaving the castle esplanade until quite late on the Saturday evening. For these reasons we do not recommend that children attend the pageant or parade. However, the Highland Games in Holyrood Park is thoroughly recommended for families with children of all ages. Tickets for the Highland Games can be bought in advance on this website (available early 2009) or can be bought at the gate. Please note that there are no price concessions on the passports".