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I traveled
with McLean Scotland in 2003 and they made a
great trip out of some very challenging travelers &
conditions, so naturally when I started organizing a
trip for my clan again I called them. This 2009
trip they had the reins but asked me for plenty of
input on how to structure where we traveled, as it
was a Clan trip we were going to the ancestral lands
and have some of our own important landmarks. They
granted every request, even those that are not easy
to navigate with a mini coach. Our driver was
professional and very skilled at getting us up the
single tracks without scaring anyone, I felt
completely at ease with him. Paul selected a tour
manager who was born and raised in the section of
the country we focused on so he was very helpful in
teaching us the places, we could not have asked for
a better guide, especially as we traveled as a
family group and he fit right in, handled our
endless questions with aplomb, and by the end we
felt like he was part of the family. As a matter of
fact, the Chief of our Clan who was in our group
made Alan and Willie Honorary clan members. Our
trip finished up in Edinburgh for the big weekend
Gathering 2009 event, from the moment we walked into
our hotel lobby till the day we left Liz and Paul
were there and available to handle every little
detail, and went far above and beyond the call as I
was also getting married, Liz took care of getting
my gown steamed out, Paul kept the groom well
occupied till the wee hours, and we all had a grand
time taking over the lobby each evening for our
laughing fests. Anyone who is looking for a tour
company run by real people, who have a genuine love
for the land, culture and history of this great
country of Scotland, who can help you feel like you
are really coming “home” you won’t go wrong with the
McLean Scotland team. SHERRY THOMPSON
Sherry, What
can I say about the MacTavish Scotland Tour
2009 except "FANTASTIC". Let me break it
down this way. Allan, the driver,
was simply the best handler of a coach (bus)
that I've ever seen. I've used a number of
drivers over the years for field trips for
my students. Some of them have been able
and some not so good. It really makes a
difference in your ability to relax and
enjoy the trip. With Allan, I relaxed early
on and never worried about our well being.
When he wasn't driving he was very
accessible and pleasant while putting up
with all of our foolishness. What can I say
about our Tour guide, Willie, except
he's simply the best. Unfailingly pleasant
while putting up with being picked at from
all sides. He took it; fired back, and
seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself. After
settling into our hotel each night he would
join us as a member of the group and
contribute to the evenings entertainment.
We couldn't have asked for anyone more
personable. Absolutely great. Liz and
Paul made us feel as if we were part of
their families. They joined us each night
in Edinburgh. Everyone sat back, put their
feet up, let their hair down, and felt like
they were sitting around enjoying the
company of old friends. The conversation
was stimulating, the laughs were almost
unending, and the time passed too fast. I
very gladly recommend McLean Scotland to
anyone considering a tour.
Tom
Stevenson
Dear Paul and
Liz, I wanted to thank you for putting
together a truly amazing trip for Clan MacTavish.
I especially wanted to thank Willie Auld for his
care and concern. He went out of his way to help
me and check on me with my motion sickness on
the bus and my attempted hike up Cruach
Mor. I'll
never forget that he walked me all the way back
to the bus after I had hiked half way up and
realized I couldn't go any further. He didn't
have to do that, but he did. Please let him know
I truly appreciated his help and concern. Please
also thank Alan for getting us safely to all the
incredible places we went--we couldn't have done
it without his awesome driving skills and he was
such a friendly, kind person. I have to admit I
was a little nervous about traveling with a
group of people I didn't know, but I couldn't
have asked for a better group of people to
travel with and I feel like I've found an
extended family. They really made this trip
special during this difficult time in my
life due to some new health issues and pending
divorce. The two weeks I was in
Scotland was a dream and a true
escape. Thank you for making that possible. I
hope we can all do this tour again in the future
with Willie and Alan--I'll be there and ready to
climb Cruach Mor again, this time to the top!
Angela Thomson
 
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CLAN MACTAVISH SCOTTISH TOUR 2009
by mcleanscotland of Perth in association with
Sherry Thompson
<>THE TOUR<>
was a huge success according to those who came along
with us, many thanks for travelling with
mcleanscotland and we hope to see you again soon.
Here are a few images of the tour, we will be adding
more when the folks are back home. These photos are
a mix taken by Willie on tour and Paul in Edinburgh.
Hope you like them! One or two comments also;
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