Welcome to the Rotary - Canada to Scotland Curling Tour 2018 Site

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About the 2018 team

Welcome to our website which will provide information on the build up to our Curling Tour to Scotland in November 2018 and will provide a record of our results and experiences in Scotland during the tour.

The Tour is a friendship tour where we hope to renew existing friendships and to establish new friendships. The Scottish Rotarians will welcome us into their homes and introduce us to their family and friends as we do when the Tour comes to Canada every fourth year.

We are looking forward to a wonderful experience in Scotland and we hope that you will follow our progress with interest.

A Short History of the Tour

Bob Mackintosh, after whom the Trans-Atlantic Rotary Curling Quaich is named, was instrumental in founding the Tour. In February 1956. Bob and his wife May travelled to Montreal. May, a lecturer at Edinburgh University, had written a book on education and hoped to have it published in Canada. While in Montreal Bob met Aubrey Legge, a fellow Rotarian. After some conversation Aubrey mentioned his love of curling and added that one of his ambitions in life was to curl in Scotland. Bob suggested that Aubrey bring a team of Rotarian curlers to Scotland in November 1956. As a result, twelve Canadians and four Americans took up the invitation, thus beginning over 60 years of Rotary curling fellowship.

The following year (1957), the tour was arranged by Bob Mackintosh. a member of the Hamilton Rotary club and Willie Milne, then Scottish Rotary Sports Convener and a member of the Glasgow Rotary Club. Twenty Scots curled that year in Montreal, Trois Rivieres, Quebec City, Lachute, Ottawa, Brockville, Utica N.Y. and Shenectady N.Y. Initially tours were to be exchanged annually, however only Canadian Rotarians returned to Scotland in 1958, the Americans having withdrawn from the tour. Linton Armstrong of Lachute, captained the 1958 Canadian team of 20 Rotarian curlers to Scotland. The Scots returned to Canada in 1960 following the decision to tour every two years.

The tour has evolved over the years and is now comprised of 22 Rotary curlers. In 2008, the first lady Rotarian joined the Scottish Tour Team and then in 2010, two lady Rotarians joined the Canadian Tour Team. Over the years the Tour has achieved legendary status as a test of skill and stamina and has been called the “trip of a lifetime”. It has been responsible for building strong friendships with team mates and with Rotary hosts. It really is a magical combination of Rotary and Curling fellowship. Friendly but very competitive curling is part of the tour and every game is hard fought with trophies and bragging rights on the line.

Rotary clubs in Scotland and Canada have supported the Tour financially and have made the commitment to supply hosts and curlers for future tours. In return for that support, each of these clubs has the right to send a curler on a subsequent tour. However, all Rotarian curlers who have hosted a Touring Scot are eligible for the tour.

Those that have participated will never forget the hospitality received and the friendships made.

Our Team

Name	Rotary Club	Name	Rotary Club	Name	Rotary Club
Members
Jim Coyle (Captain)	Peterborough	Dale Keaveney (Vice-Captain)	Meaford	Marg Bancroft	Simcoe
Brian Cowan	Guelph South	Mike Dybka	Burlington Lakeshore	Ted Ecclestone	Fergus Elora
Alicia Gordon	Kingston	John Gordon	Barrie	David Halls	Guelph Trillium
Wendy Hill	Peterborough	Rich Hueston	Grimsby	Joe Kapron	Peterborough
Scott Lavender	Picton	Bill Lemmon	Stratford	Robert Martin	Grimsby
Rene Marchen	Kingston	Murray Pearson	Cambridge (Preston-Hespeler)	Sharon Rizzuto	Grimsby
Brenda Rouse	London South	Jim Simpson	Norfolk Sunrise	Marie Solvason	Grimsby
Christine Wood	Cambridge (Preston-Hespeler)
Alternates
Tom Everrett	Cambridge (Preston-Hespeler)	Glenn Page	Burlington Lakeshore

Our Journey

Tour Itinerary

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THUSRDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

OCTOBER

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

Glasgow (Hotel)

-Depart for Scotland (FI#602 @2100 / FI#430 @0735+1)

-Arrive in Scotland (1050) -Welcome Dinner

28

Stirling & Forth Valley

29

30

Perthshire

31

-12:30 Braehead(4) Friendly

-3:00 The Peak, Stirling(5)

-Transfer -3:00 Dewer’s Centre Perth(5)

-Free Time -Banquet

NOVEMBER

1

2

Inverness

3

-3:00 Dewer’s Centre Perth(5)

-9:00 Coach -2:00 Inverness Ice Centre(4)

-Free Day -7:00 Civic Reception

4

Aberdeen

5

6

Dundee & Angus

7

8

Fife

9

10

Edinburgh (Hotel)

-9:00 Bus -2:30 Curl Aberdeen(5)

-10:00 Curl Aberdeen(5)

-Transfer -6:00 Kirriemuir Rotary Club

-10:15 Forfar Curling Centre(5)

-Transfer -Tours

-3:00 Kinross Curling Rink(4)

-Transfer to Holiday Inn -Free Day

11

Edinburgh

12

13

14

Dumfries (Hotel)

15

Dumfries &Galloway

16

17

Ayrshire & Stranraer

-6:30 Murrayfield Curling(5)

-2:30 Murrayfield Curling(5) -Mid Tour Banquet

-Tour/Free Time/Home Hosting

-Transfer -TBD

-Tour/Hosting

-10:00 Dumfries Ice Bowl(5)

-Transport -2:30 North West Castle(4)

18

19

Hamilton

20

21

Glasgow

22

23

Glasgow (Hotel)

24

Home

-2:30 Ayr Curling Club(5)

-Transfer -2:30 Lanarkshire Ice Rink(5)

-10:00 Lanarkshire Ice Rink(5)

-Transfer -10:00 Greenacres(4)

-10:00 Greenacres(4)

-12:00 Braehead(5) Duddingston Trophy -Closing Banquet

-Return to Canada (FI#431 @1230 /FI#603 @1705. Arrive 1820)

Starting October 28^th, click here to see the results of our matches.

After playing 78 games for the Bob Mackintosh Quaich, Canada comes out victorious with a score of 574 to 489.

Day 0:

Our flight (IcelandAir FI602) from Toronto was departing at 9 p.m., so we all arrived at the airport, and after clearing customs with not too much effort (some had their bags searched, belts taken off), we headed to a restaurant for a bite of dinner and a pint.

The airport changed the gate on us trying to throw us off; however, we ae a clever lot and caught on to what they were doing.

The flight to Reykjavik was very smooth and the landing was good. We had a 1 hr 15 min layover. The airplane did not arrive at a gate so we had to disembark and take a bus to the main airport. There was a very nice lounge. Different members took time to stretch, get something to eat/drink. The time went fast.

The boarding for our next flight was called and we boarded; however, as the aircraft was leaving the gate, a problem arose and we had to disembark, file through the airport and take a bus to a different aircraft that had been prepared. This took about an hour. There were some complaints, but it was a good adventure.

Day 1:

We arrived at the Glasgow airport flight FI430 and were met by a Scottish contingent, all smiles and incredibly welcoming. After niceties the Canadians were sorted and the Scots delivered us to the Glynhill Hotel in Renfrew. The hotel accommodations were comfortable but you needed a GPS to navigate the spaces.

Some rooms were ready, some not, and the afternoon you could be on your own. Some walked to explore, some went to amateur football or rugby games, and some caught some sleep. We met back at the hotel for dinner in the evening. It was a good meal, the hotel was very accommodating and most Canadians retired early (some did not).

Day 2:

We met at 9:00 for breakfast and then met in the lobby at a quarter to eleven to head to the rink. Upon arrival at the rink we realized that our Captain; Jim Coyle and his spouse Wendy Hill (also on the tour) were MIA. After arriving at the rink, Jim's explanation was he thought we were to meet at quarter past eleven. However, we wonder if they were busy with other activities and just lost track of time.

We had a “friendly ” game with the Scots, that is there were Canadians and Scots on each team and the scores did not count. The game was at the Braehead curling club. After the game we had time with our hosts and everyone did something different.

Day 3:

Today we had 3 pm games at the Peaks (Stirling Curling Rink). Originally there were to be 5 games; however, there were only enough curlers for 4.

After our victory, we were treated to an amazing evening of fellowship at the Stirling Golf Club. We were entertained by two poems recited by John Rankin and then we entertained our guests. Music led by Murray and Ted We haven’t reached our “A” performance yet but with time, we know we’ll be great.

Day 4:

Today we all arrived in Perth with new Hosts. Our hosts settled us in and then took us to downtown Perth where we all visited the Town Hall and attended a civic reception with Lord Provost who then hosted us to lunch. Next it was off to the Perth Ice Rink for our 2nd official game. The Scots were victorious over us today, but we’re confident we will make a comeback.

As always, our hosts were generous with us post game and allowed us to relax while enjoying many a beverage. It wasn’t long until we were ushered in for our supper for even more fine beverages and stimulating conversations. After dinner was the Ceilidh (Kay-Lee) with many wonderful presentations by the July Young Dance troupe. Ian Stevenson and Jim Clelland helped out with their fine bagpipe and accordion playing and we had a lot of fun dancing a variety of local favourites. Our very own Scott and Rich entertained us with a fine Scottish jig together

Day 5:

Today dawned cold and damp but that didn’t stop us from making the journey to Blair Castle. What an experience. A mix of Georgian and Scottish architecture, full of incredible furniture, art and what not, all sitting on top of 145 Thousand acres of land (and we’re told that’s a third of what it once was)

A light lunch then on to check out Hercules Garden (a part of the castle grounds) where there was a delightful presentation to outdoor curling of yesteryear. This wrapped up the planned part of the afternoon. All curlers then went home with their hosts to rest and get dressed for our first formal Banquet. Great to see everyone got the “memo” on clothing for this evenings festivities at the Royal George Hotel. Our M/C Willie Nicoll gave us a warm welcome and then levied a few fines of his own. Rich for wearing “formal attire” to early, Bill for a picture with the Swiss ladies curling team, Alicia for blaming Willie for Team Captain Jim showing up late for the first game apparently due to going for a quick that was not quick enough.

After another wonderful meal the entertainment began. Bob Riddell played some Scottish tunes and some good old country music. Followed by the Canadians music program - which should hopefully be better as we go!!! Our resident auctioneer went on to auction off some lovely Canadian memorabilia to the Scotts as well as getting the fins going for her team. As well Miss Scotland - Bob Carruthers - found to fines to hand out as well.

As the evening was winding to a close our assistant Sgt stopped the meeting to announce that the Canadian memorabilia that was so generously purchased by the Scotts was in fact “MADE IN CHINA” there will be backlash over this I am sure for a while. BAD,BAD,BAD.

Day 6a

Leisurely morning with our hosts and then off to The Rotary Club of Perth for lunch at the McDiarmid Park. Finally got to see the Rams Head trophy, what a beauty.

We had the privilege of hearing guest speaker David Hay tells us of his curling adventures and achievements. As a 2 time world champion and 5 year coach of the Olympic Bronze medal team of Eve Muirhead at Sochi, he was fascinating.

Now off to the curling club and the wagers were on as Captain Jim was facing off against Alay Milne whom he felt he would show Alay and her Perth team how to play. Well now that was not to be the case as he was beat and will now, I am sure have nightmares.

Day 6/7.

Our last night in Perth was a real delight. We had the most enjoyable evening of Moroccan food prepared by my host Shelia with a choice of two desserts crumble or fresh fruit with ginger syllabub. The wine flowed and the laughter and jokes excavated. As usual laughter filled the house to the point our cheeks were hurting and by that I mean the facial cheeks. Early morning to rise and catch our bus to Inverness. The weather was perfect for us to take in the breathtaking views with streams , a Loch, and snow capped mountains and another view of Athol or Blair castle. We were greeted by our guests at the Inverness Ice Centre where the Canadians won by 7.

Day 7/8

After the game at Inverness we of course had some socializing in the bar. I counted over 20 different scotches so will definitely be chatting with my home club about their lack of selection. After that, we all went off to our host homes and there were numerous different activities. Some just ate at home, others had house parties. My host took us to the Clahnaharry Inn for dinner with approx 20 other folks.

The next day was a “day off”. Again, different folks did different things. Some visited the Culloden Battle site, visited Loch Ness, checked out the outdoor curling facility and so on. There was rumours of some naps happening too. The day was capped off with a Civic Reception at the town hall. The Lady Provost welcomes us and we had a lovely buffet spread. Then everyone went to bed early (I assume) as we had a bus to catch the next morning

Day 9

A light breakfast and off to the bus.

An interesting experience. We were about 45 minutes from Aberdeen when our bus got sideswiped by a car. It came way over the line, caught just the very edge of the front of the bus and slid all the way down the side. Quite the jolt and noise. No injuries on the bus. One of the passengers in the car has minor injuries from their airbag hitting her in the side of the head. Fortunately, a couple of folks at the front of the bus actually saw it happen so were able to give eye witness descriptions to the police. After a brief delay (approx an hour) we were back on the road. We made it to the curling club on time for lunch before our game.

Unfortunately, the Canadians did not show well today and we gave back some points, but we’re still up by 4. After a bit of socializing, we all left with our various hosts for an evening worked out by our individual hosts.

Day 10,

Today started with our second curling match in Aberdeen. We Canadians fared much better today 40-32. Cudos go out to Captain Jim's team, Dale's squad, and Marie's crew. We had a good lasagna lunch and off for a tour of Haddo House. The term house would be a little misleading as this place was a 300 year old MANSION. It was unique in that it was built as a Castle (no defences of any kind around it). Our tour was give by the Duke and Dutchess of Aberdeen (which is extremely rare we were told) who just happen to be the current descendant resident of the Haddo House. Dozens of old portraits, fine china, antiques of all kind, and beautiful architecture. We ended our day with a curry dinner and reception at a town hall in a small village called Echt. We were entertained by more Gaelic Highland Dancers and a eloquent string quartet. We did our songs and our skit and we're getting better. The Scot's laid out a curling quiz for each table. Jim C., Wendy, and Scott's table won the contest with ease. Much to the chagrin of Marie, Margaret, Alicia, and Christine. Off to Dundee and Angus tomorrow .

Day 11

We met at the Rink to be passed onto our next group. A bit of concern re the number of drivers and current hosts ended up driving some of us to Brechien.

We met our new hosts and went home to settle in. We then went to lunch at Glamis Castle for lunch and a tour. A few hours later we escaped the ABC (another bloody castle). We all went our separate ways. Some went sight seeing, some had a wee bit of sleep and at least one (David) spent the afternoon sampling scotches. We finished of the day by joining the Rotary Club of Kirriemuir for a Robbie Burns dinner.

It was a wonderful night marred only by our own captain and his “wandering” fox head sporran.

Day 12

This morning's game was in an innovative curling facility in Forfar which used to be potato storage sheds. The first “shed" has 3 sheets for curling ice but is also used for skating with a unique alley to the left of the sheets possibly to make the arena large enough for speed skating. The second shed has 4 sheets with viewing lounge and bar. Mirrors at the far end made it very easy to watch the play. The third shed houses two indoor lawn bowling fields with three lanes and the fourth is a children's play centre.

The Canadians reigned victorious picking up 15 more points with notable mention to the team of Brian, Joe, David and Bill who scored 7 in their first end and won 16-2.

After a lunch of soup and sandwiches, we were left in the company of our great hosts. Some went to see the "Discovery", Captain Scott of the Antartic's Royal Research Ship which is berthed as a museum in Dundee. Others toured the V&A museum or Verdant Works Jute museum to name a few.

Tonight our team and hosts were hosted by Rotarian James Arnott at Mains of Coul Farm where he breeds and raises championship black angus cattle. After lots of fines, laughs and Canadian entertainment, our fine host gave us a tour of the Angus Glens on his farm. This turned out to be a scavenger hunt to follow the lights that revealed glens of whisky: Glen Moray, Glenlivett, Glen Keith, Glenfiddich, and Glenmorange. The farm was a museum of its own with memorabilia, awards and fine artwork of the Black Angus.

Day 13 (Nov 8).

No curling today after picking up another 15 points in Forfar yesterday. Another travel day-leaving new friendships made or old ones revisited and on to the next chapter. The transfer was done at a very busy car park in St. Andrews before we were wisked away for a distillery tour at Kingsbarns and a morning dram. Back to St. Andrews for lunch at the Links Clubhouse. This was followed by either a walking tour of St. Andrews or a visit to the R&A Golf museum. Following the tours, the team was split between North and South hosted members. Members in the North attended an evening Rotary meeting at Scotscraig Golf Club and members in the South were home hosted.

Day 14:

Morning:

• South group toured Dunfermline Abbey

• North group visited the new V&A Museum in Dundee

Lunch:

• Soup & Sandwiches at Kinross Curling Club

• Rev James Wilson presented some high test beers to Cdn Team members as appropriate. Learned how to increase alcohol content in beer making. Max with yeast normally 7 to 9%. Freeze it and remove ice & left with higher alcohol content.

• Canadian Team had a short meeting updating everyone about days ahead.

Afternoon:

• Warm-up exercises led by Marie Solvason at 2:30 pm. Kinross hosts unveiled a new trophy “Fife vs Rest of the World” and todays game would be the contested event to award a Champion.

• 3:00pm piper led the curlers to the ice with Willie Nicoll , flag bearer for Scotland, leading the Scots and David Halls, flag bearer for Canada, leading the Canadians.

• Sheet A featured Dale Keaveney vs Willie Nicoll and Dale lost he game 10 to 2. Sheet B featured Rich Hueston vs John Brewster and Rich sqeeked out a 7 to 6 victory. Ice C featured Marie Solvason vs Harry Mitchell and Marie’s team won handily 20 to 2. Ice D featured Brian Cowan vs John Kerr and Brian Cowan’s team won 10 to 2. Canada won 39 to 20 and is now 46 points ahead in the month long competition.

• Congratulations to Scott Lavender for ending his losing streak.

Evening:

• South group went to the Sands Hotel in Burntisland for fun and entertainment.

• North group went to Peter & Mary Forster’s home for a lively evening of fun, food & entertainment. David Halls came dressed with his kilt. Great food and lots of laughs

Day 15

A drive down to Edinburgh today, under a blue sky passing the renowned railway bridge and travelling over the new bridge. Quite amazing architecture from a 1882 railway bridge to a 2016 motor vehicle one, to the Holiday Inn. We arrived around 10 am and almost everyone’s room was already ready.

Roughly half our group had tickets for the Scotland vs Fiji rugby game. With 67,000 people in attendance it was an exciting game even though the score was lopsided at 54-17 in favour of Scotland. Many Scots approached us for pictures, welcomed us to the game and country and truly made us feel at home. The game was at Murray Field Stadium and we had a wonderful time. The other half went shopping/hiking/napping or what ever else took their fancy

We all connected for a drink and birthday celebration for John G’s 70th birthday. Most stayed at the hotel for dinner and it was a bit of a fiasco as most people were done eating before some even got their meal. Add that to the mouse we saw working it’s way through the place which all added to a less than stellar meal. A few of us went to a Corral Choir Requiem instead and had a wonderful time

Day 16.

We were picked up at the Holiday Inn by our new hosts and transported to South Leith Parish Church to participate in their Remembrance Day services. Jim Simpson, a member of our tour team and former Commander in the Canadian Forces lead our tour team and took a central role in the service providing a welcome from our tour team as well as delivering moving words about the Canadian’s role in WW1 and others conflicts around the world. It was wonderful how the minister weaved into his sermon so much info regarding Canadian participation in the Great War. After that, off to Seaview Cemetery for another service at the grave sites of 8 Canadians from the First World War. It was a very moving service. During and following the service Jim laid wreathes in the church and at Seafield Cemetary where several Canadian were laid rest.

Our hosts picked us up and off we went to their homes for a quick tea/coffee and change of our clothes. Off to the Murrayfield curling club for soup and sandwiches and before you knew it being piped onto the ice by our youngest piper yet - a young teenager who has played the pipes competitively throughout the UK, Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

The games were hard fought with a few teams losing by a few points each but congrats to Captain Jim Coyle and team who racked up a decisive win. Looks like we gained another 9 points putting our total at 55.

Home late for night caps or whatever each host decided to do.

Day 17

This morning the group had a guided tour of the Royal Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh. This is a non-profit group of senior business persons (no government employees allowed!) that was originally created in the 12th century and has evolved over the years until now it’s main purpose is to benefit educational and social causes in the City of Edinburgh. The Hall received its official charter in the 17th century. It's patron is Queen Elizabeth. The organization is led by a Master who serves a two year term. In the mid-60s, the Hall's master was Prince Phillip, but the position is normally filled by one of the Members elected by his or her fellow merchants. There are currently 540 Members of the Hall.

One of the primary purposes of the Hall is to oversee the administration of three schools in Edinburgh, including the George Watson's College. All three schools provide high quality education for the boys and girls of the City. The goal is to promote the quality of young people attracted to careers in commerce and industry. Funding of this initiative comes 100% from the Members -- no government support is provided.

Between the tour and our game today, some of us wandered around downtown Edinburgh looking for the right bus to take.

The Piper who piped our our teams onto the ice today is a current pupil of one of the schools.

During our game today, a group of local high school boys and girls came to the ice rink to curl. They asked us if we were professional curlers from Canada and whether any of us were seniors. Being Rotarians, we could not lie! (in case you were wondering, the answers were no and most definitely yes!).

Team Canada was once again victorious with taking another 5 points to bring us up to a grand total of 60 up.

In the evening we had our mid-tour banquet at the Royal Burgess Golf Club. A lovely welcome by Grant Macrae the tour area coordinator. An awesome meal including a Highland Venison with Blaeberry and Redcurrant sauce. Yum.

More speeches by Willie Nicoll (2016 tour captain) and our own Jim Coyle (2018 tour captain). Some exquisite entertainment by Team Canada followed with several fines. A great time had by all.

Day 18

Today we had a guided tour of the Royal Mile which is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh. From the Castle gates to the Palace gates the street is a mile and a 1/4 long and runs downhill between two significant locations in the royal history of Scotland, namely Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace, hence its name.

Following a fascinating tour by our Rotarian guides, we had lunch at Amber which is part of the whiskey experience shop. A lovely restaurant with 400 choices of scotch in the bar. I noticed several curlers partaking of the various choices.

The afternoon was open with some folks going home to snooze, others shopping, some touring the castle or ghost walks, etc.

The evening was a variety of home hosted dinners for groups of varying amounts of curlers.

Day 19

We met at Murrayfield Rink and said our goodbyes to Edinburgh and our wonderful hosts. Off we went on our minibus to Dumfries. After two weeks of eating and drinking our way through Scotland, there is nothing mini about us, only the bus.

After 2 1/2 hours, we arrived in Dumfries. The rain stopped for a bit but it had been heavy at times. We quickly unloaded and stored our luggage at the Station Hotel. Some of our hosts greeted us. So nice to see some old friends and meet some new ones. We then found our way to the Globe Inn for lunch. We quickly realized that the Inn was more than an old pub.

Established in 1610, the pub is a living testimony to the life and times of Scotland’s national poet, Robbie Burns.

Lunch consisted of our pre-ordered haggis, steak pie or fish and chips. After we enjoyed lunch and quaffed back our pints, the owner of the Globe Inn gave us a tour.

The Burns Howff is like stepping back in time. A tiny room, the snug bar, allowed Burns to be sociable and share stories locally and events around the world. The room is original and his favourite seat was next to the fireplace. Alicia sat in his chair and sang Aud Lang Syne. Wendy sat in it but didn’t sing. We are still waiting for her to buy us our pints.

In the upstairs bedroom, Burns wrote poetry on the window panes. This was also the room where Burns and the barmaid Anna conceives a daughter. The walls are covered in photos and memorabilia.

The final room was a boardroom that had been sealed off for many of years. I am pretty sure it was a secret society with a secret handshake just like Rotarians.

After lunch, we were free to explore the area. Some people went shopping while others napped back at the hotel. We reconvened in the bar around 7 o’clock for the Rotary Meeting. It was a very informal meeting with introductions of the team. The Canadians performed a couple of our favourite tunes including Oh Canada. It was another great sociable night of fellowship.

A few of us retired to the bar area after the meeting. Lots of laughs. What a great group of Rotarians.

Day 20,

Today is Thursday, November 15th. We stayed overnight at the Station Hotel in Dumphries and began our day with breakfast at the hotel. Vice Dale was the 1st one down for breaky— another noticeable moment was Bob Martin’s table - Bob was “engaged “with his “harem” of 5 women!

Our hosts picked us up at 10:30am and drove us out to Annandale Distilleries— everyone that is except Rich, who was chauffeured to Liverpool to view the Beatles’s museum. His fine should be of gigantic proportions! Three different groups were shown through this renovated modern distillery ( some $15 million was invested). Our guide did the best job yet— or because this was my 3rd visit, I finally understood the process. Samples of 61 proof whiskey were offered to each of us. Their coffee shop supplied our luncheon, and then we were whisked off by our hosts for free time. Brian was scheduled for a golf game. Not sure whether Bob continued to engage his harem but Bill toured the dairy farm with his host James Dunlop. The evening was spent with our hosts.

William of Orange

Day 21

Finally, another game. A fantastic facility with bleachers on either side, a separate hockey rink and bar area on the second floor. The Canadians finally got taught a lesson and were thoroughly spanked. We lost 14 pts today, so still have a commanding lead but it was a good reminder that Scotland is truly the original home of curling. We also experienced “Stacking the Brooms” for the first time. That’s where we take a break after the 4th end and the Scots stuff us full of liquor. Most of them were driving later so abstained from the booze. Hmmmm, now that I think of it, it was after this that we started to lose the ends. Probably just a coincidence.

After a lovely lunch we all had the afternoon off to do as we and our hosts pleases.

Then off to Kirkgunzeon and our hosts for the night, David & Fiona Hardy. A lovely home, great food and of course some wonderful entertainment by the Canadians. David H also did some magic that seamed to go over pretty well.

Day 22

A short nights sleep and and we’re off. Another hour and a half to arrive at Stranraer at the Castle Hotel. This hotel has a 4 sheet ice rink attached. It was a bit tight but did the job. A very nice bar area overlooked the ice. As it only had 4 sheets, 6 of us had the day off. Over all Team Canada gave up another three points, but still enjoy a commanding lead. A wee bevy for all after the game and then we all split up with our various hosts. We are actually split up into 3 general areas tonight. Some of us are staying in town in Stanraer, some going off to Kilwinning/Troon and some go to far away Ayr. However, the lucky ones are in Ayr as that’s where the game is tomorrow so they’ll definitely have the shortest commute

The evening was spent with hosts in a variety of house parties.

Day 24

Another travel day as we left our hosts in Ayrshire and Stranraer and made our way to Hamilton. Those staying in Stranear had a much longer journey while those in Ayr, Troon and Kilwinning had a much more leisure morning. Some went shopping while others took in some sites on the way to Hamilton.

One stop was the Whitelee Windfarm. Whitelee is the UK's largest onshore windfarm, located on Eaglesham Moor just 20 minutes from central Glasgow. Its 215 turbines generate up to 539 megawatts of electricity, enough to power just under 300,000 homes*

Arriving at the Lanarkshire Ice Rink brought back memories to a number of us as wee had been here in April. We had lunch and then headed out onto the ice. The travelingl must have taken its toll as we gave back 3 points but still held a 53 point lead.

After the games we were treated to a fantastic meal at the ice rink and all skips had a chance to describe the game they played from their perspective. We were entertained by another Robbie Burns poem “Ode Tae a F*rt” as well as some jokes from Jack Blackwood. I cannae repeat those jokes here for fear of Facebook shutting down our site.

After the meals we were transported to our hosts homes for a ?quiet? evening in preparation for our match on Tuesday.

Day 25

Up and out of our hosts homes early to play in Hamilton at 10:00am. Today was a little tougher than many of our previous games. We must be getting a little weary. We gave back 14 points to leave us ahead 39. Two more games to go so we had better stay focused.

Stayed for soup and sandwich at the club and then headed for a tour of the Cameroonian Museum to learn the history of the area. Major coal mining occurred in Hamilton so much so that the original Hamilton Palace (larger than Buckingham Palace by one window) sank due to the mines below. It was demolished in the 1921 (built in 1695) leaving a mausoleum in honour of the 3rd Duchess of Hamilton. The mausoleum’s claim to fame is that it holds the world record for the longest echo within any man-made structure in the world, taking 15 seconds from the time a sound is made.

We now headed to Chatelherault which was the hunting lodge and kennels on the hill overlooking the former Hamilton Palace several miles down a tree lined avenue. An amazing structure with the most intricate plaster ceilings. Afternoon tea with sandwiches, canapés and desserts highlighted the tour.

Time to head to our hosts for an evening of host held home parties and potluck dinners. Lots of wine, gin and whiskey to celebrate good times and share more stories of our curling adventures throughout Scotland. Jack and Linda Blackwood have been great hosts and opened their home up to 30 of us. These visits and parties really make the tour special.

Day 26,

Under clearing skies we made the trek with our Hamilton hosts to Greenacres, a 4 sheet curling facility perched high on a hill in the countryside outside Glasgow. Bidding farewell to our hosts we met our final home hosts of the tour this time in the Glasgow area.

We found our curling game again scoring 41 points to the Scots 13. Adding to our overall score, we are now at +67 for the tour. After lunch at the curling club, we disbursed with our hosts for a quiet afternoon or a bit of touring. For a few of us a driving tour of the city; a brief stop at the Glasgow Cathedral, the only cathedral in Scotland to survive the Reformation intact and thus the oldest cathedral in Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow; and a glimpse of the Glasgow Golf Club were the order of the day.

In the evening, we all gathered with the Rotary Club of Gryffe Valley for a dinner meeting. We heard a speaker address the topic of APS Support UK. APS (antiphospholipid syndrome) is an autoimmune condition in which the blood has a tendency to clot too quickly causing things such as strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages and stillbirths. We also had the opportunity to entertain with a couple of our musical numbers before retiring for the evening with our hosts.

Day 27

Well today is November 22nd and this is the last day for our curling tour against the Scottish Rotarians for the Bob Mackintosh Quaich. Our matches today were at Greenacres, a curling facility in the “middle of nowhere”. A farmer converted one of his barns into an excellent curling venue. Today the Canadian Rotarians prevailed by 18 points. This brings our total to 85 points more than the Scots scored, and thus the Canadian Rotarians have won the curling competition with the Scots. Tomorrow there is a single match for the Duddington trophy — this challenge pits our Canadian Rotarian team against the 2016 Scottish Rotarian team that visited Canada.

Our afternoon was spent with our hosts, and in the evening a party was held at the home of George Willis for the team and our hosts. A great meal was provided augmented with your “choice of beverage”. Entertainment by John Campbell on the accordion was delightful, and this was followed by all of us joining together in a singsong. The evening concluded with Auld Lang Syne.

Each of the Canadian team thanked our hosts for their hospitality and providing us with a trip of a lifetime.

Billy Shakespeare

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