Tartan Plaids and How a TV show inspired me to travel to Scotland!
When I'm not working (I don't even like to call what I do work, because I love to do it!...there's that saying, "Do what you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life". That pretty much sums up my whole career in the textile industry!)...I like to immerse myself in historical dramas. The more fantastical, the better. It's just my way to escape every day life. Not that my life is so bad, but sometimes, I just want to veg out and not think about too much.
One of the shows that had quite an impact on me, is "Outlander". First of all, the sexual tension between the two protagonists, Jamie and Claire, is riveting. Jamie alone, is reason enough with his piercing blue eyes, muscular physique and Scottish lilt. He reminded me of an old boyfriend I had who had been from Ireland and it brought back so many beautiful memories. Secondly, the whole idea of traveling back in time is very compelling for me. What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall at Caligula's palace or in Cleopatra's chambers as she woo'd Marc Antony.
As I watched "Outlander" over the course of 7 seasons, I had fallen in love with Scotland, the scenery, the people with their witty humor and their even more dramatic history. So I decided to make a trip there to find out about their own 'textile story'.
Scotland is known for their tartan plaids. Each plaid signifies a different clan with its distinct colors and patterns. As you might know, these clans had no love for each other and were constantly battling it out to be the dominant ruling clan at the time. Then they also, at the same time, were battling England, who wanted them to submit to their Kings and be under British rule. The Scots weren't having it and as history would have it, they finally met their end at the Battle of Culloden where the Brits wiped out the Scots in the final battle which ended Scottish independence.
After that battle, if the Scots dared to hold on to any of their clan "plaids", even a small piece, and the British found out, their heads were cut off and put on pikes around town, to discourage anyone from holding on to their allegiance for their own clan or to Scotland. So the plaid became a symbol of insurrection and defiance.
I loved the idea of weaving together a story of the tartans and combining it with the culture and history of Scotland. That's when I planned a trip there with my best friend, Tony.
I did a lot of research and fine tuned our itinerary. We set out, with Tony being my 'cameraman'. We both wanted to see Scotland, but now we had a mission to discover some things a normal tourist wouldn't get to see or experience.
For example, I made an appointment with the head of Tartan Authority, Peter McDonald. He would be giving me a first hand look at all of the tartans that had been saved and had represented all the various clans throughout Scotland. It was such a privilege to be able to flip through the special binder filled with tartan swatches with the names of the clans such as Douglass, McDougal, McGinnis, Fraser and on and on. Each represented a little bit of history and of which Peter knew a lot about. Some of the fabrics really surprised me as the colors were as vibrant as any you'd see today with vivid hues of bright pink and fuchsia or red. All the colors at that time were made from natural items such as tree bark or from a certain plant in the area which was really amazing.
I spent a few hours picking Peter's brain and got off on a few tangents about some of the questions I had regarding certain things I had seen in Outlander. Peter was a anthropologist and was well versed in everything related to the people of Scotland and how they survived their daily lives. For example, I went to Scotland at the beginning of December and it was cold and rainy! How people managed to keep themselves warm, make trips, what types of clothing they wore, how big they were (I'd seen swords that weighed at least 50 pounds and wondered how they managed to swing those things in battle.) were some of the questions I had. Turns out, people were very similar in size to what we'd see today so there would have definitely been men who would have been able to handle a large, heavy sword. They also never went out on a journey without having a stash somewhere that had been put there before for this very purpose. To do otherwise would mean sure death as it could be brutal outside and they wouldn't be able to survive it with no shelter or warmth.
Tony and I also stayed in a haunted inn. I'd always wanted to stay in an old castle or something off the beaten path that had a lot of "history" so I found a spot called The Drover's Inn. Turned out to be one of the most haunted places in Scotland. It was built in 1703 and is still standing, looking exactly like it was all those years ago with it's rustic stone walls, low timber ceilings, dusty artifacts on every wall including an old sword reported to be from the infamous Rob Roy, who was a bit of an outlaw back in the day . It was both a restaurant and an inn where you can rent rooms. After we arrived in the late afternoon, we stayed the entire time in the restaurant part as this place was literally in the middle of nowhere! Of course, that added to the charm and mystery of the place!
That whole experience was worth the whole trip to Scotland and one that I'll remember for the rest of my life! I actually was given a room with a gold plaque on the door labeled "Haunted Room #6". And yes, I stayed in it begrudgingly so! When I came home and rewatched my videos, I spotted an orb that had darted between me and the door after hearing a window slam shut as we approached the room. Turns out the place really is haunted!
Edinburgh was quite a great surprise and Tony and I ended up really having a great time there, hanging in pubs sitting by the fire with a big beer in our hands, or visiting the Christmas market, which is held every year in December. We went on a tour of all the haunted sites in Edinburgh, shopped along Victoria Street with its colorful buildings winding up the hill and The Royal Mile, where loads of shops and pubs are located.
We also visited a local craftsman, Howie Nicholsby, who makes hipster kilts at his workshop off the beaten path called 21st Century Kilts. He was a lively and eccentric character who offered us shots of whisky and hits off a a joint before delving into his story! Howie made a kilt for Vin Diesel also so he was quite famous in Edinburgh for his bespoke and unusual designs.
And to top if off, we finally made our way up North to Inverness, where the majority of Outlander was filmed. We managed to meet a local woman by chance who is also a big Outlander fan, Maire, who gave us a personalized tour of all of the sites from the film and were delighted to have met her for this inside look at all the places I had seen watching the show. We got a great tour and ended up making friends with Maire and her husband and still keep in touch to this day.
The icing on the cake for my trip to Scotland was that I was lucky enough to meet the "Laird of Leoch", Gary Lewis, one of he main characters from Outlander, at the five star hotel we stayed at in Glasgow. I recognized him at the breakfast buffet and asked him if it was indeed him. He was so sweet and he was kind enough to stay and chat with us for a bit while we dined.
So in my quest for discovering a little bit about tartan plaids, I discovered so much more! That's what traveling is about. But for me, it's also a way for me to delve into the history of all the fabrics I love! And to give me a good excuse to travel but with a purpose! I learn about the fabrics and at the same time, make new friends and learn about the cultures of everywhere I go! 
