My trip to Scotland was absolutely wonderful!  There were four of us from the United States that went.  ACS Vice-President Joe & Tanya Wiggington, Robert Armstrong from Atlanta, Georgia, and myself. I will tell you a little of my trip. If anyone from the Armstrong Clan Society expressing wishes to go, I would be happy to talk to them on my experiences.  My email is armstrongclansociety@yahoo.com with "Marsha Long" in the subject field.  During the Armstrong Clan Trust meeting, it was decided to change the next AGM date to September 2008. A welcome luncheon was held for the Ulster Scots who came from Northern Ireland (Ulster).  They provided the entertainment for our dinner that evening.

     I began my visit in Edinburgh.  What a beautiful city - very old with very interesting history. This was most enjoyable before the Tattoo began, then it got VERY crowded.  So unless a person has tickets for the Tattoo,  I would not recommend Edinburgh in August.  One of the days I took the bus south of town to see Rosslyn Chapel from "The Da Vinci Code".  This was very much worth seeing.  The history and carvings inside were much more interesting than I had expected.

     I next took the train to York, England.  York is packed full of historical sites and very easily accessible to all the sites by walking.  I stayed at a Bed and Breakfast called 23 St. Mary's as recommended in the Rick Steves Travel book.  I would recommend it.  I was 2 blocks from Bootham Gate and I could see St. Olave's Church from my room.  I especially wanted to visit St. Olave's where Siward is buried.  I have heard there is some debate as to the truth to the story of Siward being the first Armstrong.  But, I wanted to see it anyway.  I learned that Siward was the founder of St. Olave's Church.

     Then took the train to Carlisle, England and after wandering around a while there, I caught the bus to Langholm, Scotland.  I stayed in the Eskdale Hotel.  Langholm is old and beautiful.  The flowers are so bright and vivid in color.  Much more so than I remember seeing in the States.  This is a small town so it is easy to walk all over.  I visited the Armstrong Museum where some of the Armstrongs were beginning to gather.  There was some great things to buy that I have not found in the States.  Ann, the woman who works there, was so wonderful to talk to.  She was very helpful in pointing me in the direction of the Langholm Castle ruins.  These are really a fun bunch of people.  Many of the men would come in their Kilts and loved to have fun with the cleaver comebacks as to what is worn under the Kilt.  I met Derek & Jennifer Armstrong who made sure I had transportation to see the Armstrong sites on the Reiver Trail.  Norman and May Armstrong, from Liverpool, England, took me to all the sites and included a day trip to Gretna Green and another to Hawick.  They really took me under their wing wanting to make sure that I saw everything that I wanted to see.  They also included Robert Armstrong from Georgia.  Robert had a car rental but found it a bit challenging to drive in Scotland so was happy to enjoy the sites with someone else driving.  Robert's hobby is photography and seeing the camera he was using, I imagine he probably took some pretty good shots. Also, there is a gentleman, Bill Wart (williamwart@hotmail.com), in Langholm that has done some paintings of Langholm sites and Reivers.  He has limited prints for sale.  I bought a couple myself.

     I looked at other towns near Langholm for possible places to stay on my trip, but after actually seeing some of these towns,  as nice as they were,  I concluded that Langholm was the most beautiful in the borders.  I am glad that I chose to stay there.  

     One early morning I walked along the Esk River.  It was quite and a cloudy mist hung low on the hills.  I could hear the sound of a horse across the river.  Evidently, he had seen me and came running down hill toward the river.  He was a beautiful site, raising up on his hind legs and neighing.  As I stood and watched his playful antics,  I truly felt that, for a moment, I took a step back in time.  I was with my ancestors of long ago.  Their presence is still in these hills.  And that horse was a Reiver horse.

     This vacation was a dream come true for me.  Yes, the exchange rate is pretty bad.  Yet, this is where I wanted to go.  I wanted to walk where my ancestors walked.  What powerful history in these sites.  To me, it was well worth it!