A very happy New Year to all our friends and colleagues across the world!
To celebrate the 251st birthday of Robert Burns and in anticipation of the 2010 opening of our new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, we have created a new 7-day Burns Trail. This special edition e-newsletter contains some of the highlights.
Packed full of ideas for visits to attractions with Burns connections, there is something for everyone to enjoy. We hope it whets your appetite and stimulates ideas for future itineraries. Whether you incorporate the whole trail or select aspects to enhance existing programmes, we're sure your clients will have amazing experiences.
With great value pricing (remember, we are holding our 2009 rates throughout 2010) and central booking and invoicing, it couldn't be easier to discover Scotland!
Experience Weaver's Cottage on the outskirts of Glasgow. See how the specially designed Burns family tartan bedspread, created to celebrate Burns's 250th birthday, was made on a working 200-year-old loom, the last of 800 handlooms once used in the village.
A 45-minute drive from Glasgow takes you to the heart of Burns Country and to Burns National Heritage Park in Alloway.
• Visit the newly interpreted thatched cottage where Burns was born.
• Experience our new audio-visual displays and corporate facilities.
• Stroll across the Brig o' Doon and explore Alloway Auld Kirk, immortalised in Tam o' Shanter.
• Climb to the top of Burns Monument and explore the surrounding commemorative gardens.
• Enjoy traditional Scottish dishes in our 80-cover restaurant and visit our Burns-themed gift shop.
Other local attractions with strong Burns connections include the Bachelors' Club, Souter Johnnie's Cottage and Culzean Castle & Country Park.
Click here for our full itinerary.
Burns made several visits to Edinburgh, to oversee publication of his work and as a guest of the city's brilliant men of letters. Today, you can capture the essence of the city's Old and New Towns with visits to the 17th-century Gladstone's Land on the Royal Mile and the late 18th-century Georgian House in Charlotte Square.
Click here for our full itinerary.
Dating from 1360 and said to be haunted, Kellie Castle & Garden is steeped in history. The 5th Earl of Kellie's youngest son was a much valued friend of Burns.
Click here for our full itinerary.
Bannockburn Heritage Centre near Stirling holds pride of place in Scottish history. Burns visited Bannockburn in 1787 as part of his tour of Stirlingshire and the Highlands. He wrote to a friend,'... two hours ago, I said a fervent prayer for old Caledonia over the hole in a blue whin-stone where Robert de Bruce fixed his royal standard on the banks of Bannockburn.' Today, you can re-live the battle experience with a guided battlefield tour, explore an interactive weapons display and enjoy the gripping, new short film depicting the dramatic events of June 1314.
Click here for our full itinerary.
Burns visited Drummossie Moor, the site of the battle of Culloden, on 6 September 1787. Today, you can walk the battlefield using groundbreaking multilingual GPS-enabled battlefield guides, just one exciting feature of this multi-award winning 5-Star Visitor Attraction.
Nearby Brodie Castle is where Burns stayed for one night of his Highland tour. He wrote to his brother Gilbert on 17 September 1787, 'I slept at the famous Brodie of Brodie's one night ...'
Click here for our full itinerary.
Let us know what you think of this special edition e-newsletter before 15 February 2010 and we will send you 2 free admission tickets to Burns National Heritage Park.
• Is it relevant to your business?
• Did you use any of the information?
• What would you like to see in the next edition?
Simply email One-Stop-Shop with your suggestions.
The Travel Trade team of Pietro Cecchini and Anne Edwards is based in Edinburgh. Contact us by email on traveltrade@nts.org.uk or by phoning 0844 493 2104 (+44 131 243 9304 from outside the UK). Let us know when you're in the city as we'd be delighted to meet you to discuss business opportunities.
Alternatively, we hope to see you at the following Trade Shows in 2010:
Best of Britain & Ireland Trade Forum Olympia, London (17-18 March).
VisitScotland Expo VisitScotland Stand, SECC, Glasgow (14-15 April), Stand G13 + G15
Come and see us or make an appointment now.
We will also be at the UKinbound Convention, York (3-5 February).
If you would like to unsubscribe from future Travel Trade e-newsletters, please click here, enter your email address and click send, or email newsletters@nts.org.uk. The National Trust for Scotland. The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410.