Monday May 30: This is a day of arrival. Today is a bank holiday in Scotland. While
all of the banks and government buildings will be closed, the heritage sites,
museums and tourist attractions will be open as are most of the stores.
We will meet in the
restaurant area of the hotel at 6:30 pm for a meet and greet and to talk about
the week ahead. There will be an opportunity to sign up for optional walking
tours of Edinburgh
during the week. Each tour is £8 and the fees will be payable upon sign up.
Non-researchers are also welcome to join us for the meet and greet and to
attend the walking tours with us.
I will also have information
of things to do during the weekend if you are planning to travel to the area
where your ancestors lived before or after the genealogy tour.
Tuesday May 31: Following breakfast, we will meet in the hotel lobby as a large group
for 8:45. From here we will taxi to ScotlandsPeople Centre where we will enjoy
a Family History session followed by research time. Laptops and tablets can be
taken into the research room. WiFi is not available.
You will need money to put
on an account to pay for your downloads or print outs. Downloads are 30p Prints
are 50p. Any money not spent will be returned to you at the end of the day.
Please have a username ready so that the staff can
set up your account. You can give this to me at the meet and greet on Monday
evening. If you are going to download, please make sure you have a USB drive
with you (they are available in the shop if you forget). Pencils only, please,
no pens. There are lockers available for your coats, bags etc. These require a
one pound coin (£1) which will be returned to you when you open the locker back
up.
There is a cafe onsite and
there is a terrific little pub next door for lunch.
Wednesday June 1: Following breakfast- we will meet in the hotel lobby as a large group
at 9:45. We will taxi to the maps building of the National Library of
Scotland. Here we will get an
introduction and will be able to then explore the maps that are available.
Additional staff will be available for assistance. You may wish to bring your
laptop or tablet as the number of computer stations is limited. Wifi is
available.
Those who are signed up for
the tour of Greyfriars Kirkyard will
meet in the hotel lobby at 6:45. From here we will walk over to the Kirk yard
gates to meet with the tour organizers. This tour is approximately 90 minutes.
It is NOT a ghost tour, it is an educational/historic tour. It will be
outdoors, so dress appropriately. There is some walking but it is not on
difficult terrain.
Thursday June 2: Following breakfast- we will meet in the hotel lobby as a large group
at 9:00. From here we will walk over to the National Library of Scotland.
In order to access the
records, you will require a library card. Please register online before the
trip so that this will be a more seamless process. You can register here: http://www.nls.uk/
Getting the cards will take
time to process for the group. Please have a piece of photo id ready to show
the registrar as well as a piece of id (mail, drivers licence) that has your
address on it. At 10:00, we will enjoy a talk on the resources available at the
library.
The rest of the day will be
available for research. The NLS is three blocks from the hotel, however, if you
require a taxi to get there, one will be ordered for you.
Those who are signed up for
the historic walking tour will meet in the hotel lobby Details regarding the
time to meet will be available at the meet and greet on Monday evening.
This tour lasts 2 hours. It
is outside so please dress appropriately. There is quite a bit of walking
involved. There are some hills and cobbled streets. It is also an
historic/educational tour about some of the old closes, buildings and famous
inhabitants of Edinburgh.
Friday June 3: Following breakfast, we will meet in the hotel lobby as a large group
for 8:45. From here we will taxi to ScotlandsPeople Centre where we will enjoy a
full day of research.
June 4 & 5 : The weekend is set aside for you to travel to the area of Scotland where
your ancestors were from to gain a better sense of their lives and struggles.
For those doing the travel before or after the tour, you may wish to spend the
time exploring the rich history that Edinburgh
has to offer.
Monday June 6: This day is set aside for you to research in the local archives or
Family History Society in the region where your ancestors lived. You may also
choose to sightsee, shop or take a day trip instead.
Tuesday June 7: Following breakfast, we will meet in the hotel lobby as a large group
for 8:45. From here we will taxi to ScotlandsPeople Centre where we will enjoy
our final day of research.
At 6:20 pm, we will meet in
the hotel lobby as a large group. From here we will taxi to Prestonfield where
we will enjoy the Taste of Scotland Dinner and Show.
Wednesday June 8: today is check-out day. I wish you safe travels as you return home
with your newly found documents, memories and deeper sense of your own Scottish
heritage.
