SCT '26

Weather: Edinburgh high 20s/30s; Findhorn, high 30s. Sunrise 8:45 AM, Sunset 3:30 PM. Expect some rain/wind.

Itinerary (Subject to change):

 SUN. JAN 4 - Depart US for SCT

The Gorms, New Year's Eve, 2020
TUES. JAN 6:
6:30 AM, breakfast at ibis Hotel (incl.)
7:00 AM, sunrise hike to Arthur's Seat summit
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, free time and one-on-ones with Dave Rudden
2:30 PM, meet at Scottish National Museum for an insider tour with Medieval curator Adrian Maldonaldo (incl., I'm friends with his brother)
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM, free time (this would be a good time to get a tattoo)
7:00 PM (please be there by 6:45 PM), Sister Wake event Waterstones (tix and HB copy of book incl.)
9:00 PM, haunted pub hopping (The Last Drop, Deacon Brodie's, Banshee Labyrinth) w. the great Dave Rudden (there's nothing like it)

Salisbury Crags, Arthur's Seat


WEDS. JAN 7
7:30 AM, breakfast (incl.)
9:00 AM, chartered bus to Stonehaven (incl.)
9:00 - 11:30 AM, one-on-ones w. Dave Rudden (on bus)
11:30 AM, drop bags at The Ship Inn (incl.)
12:00 PM, 1 hr hike to Dunnottar Castle (tix incl.; light bites available for purchase at castle)
3:00 PM, castle closes, sunset hike back
4:00 PM, free time and one-on-ones w. Dave Rudden;
6:30 PM, group dinner/drinks Ship Inn
8:00 PM, Dave Rudden lecture/reading; beach walk, etc..


Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven.
THURS. JAN 8:
8:00 AM, breakfast (incl.)
10:00 AM, chartered bus to Findhorn (incl.)
11:00 AM, stop at New Slains Castle (free entry, said to have inspired Bram Stoker's depiction of Dracula's castle)
2:00 PM, settle into accommodations (Crown & Anchor, Myrtle Cottage, incl.)
2:30 - 5:00 PM, free time to explore/write
5:00 PM, dinner at Crown & Anchor (incl.)
6:30 PM, group reading at Myrtle Cottage
8:00 PM, after dark hike to haunted Kinloss Abbey (free entry)
9:30 PM, drinks at Crown & Anchor/Kimberly Inn

Findhorn, a four-hundred-year-old fishing village.

FRI. JAN 9:
8:00 - 9:00 AM, breakfast (Myrtle Cottage, incl.)
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, workshop (Crown & Anchor)
12:30 PM - 5:30 PM, free time to write/wander
5:30 PM, group dinner at Myrtle Cottage (incl)
7:30 - 10:00 PM, bonfire/drinks/group reading on the beach

Beach, Moray Firth, Findhorn.

Kelpie Ale by the fire, Workshop HQ, Findhorn.
SAT. JAN 10:
8:00 - 9:00 AM, breakfast (Myrtle Cottage, incl.)
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, workshop (Crown & Anchor)
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM, free time
2:30 PM, chartered van to/from Burghead (incl.)
3:00 - 4:00 PM, free time to wander Burghead (legendary well, sunset at fort)
4:00 PM, dinner @ The Bothy (not incl.)
6:00 - 8:00 PM, Burning of the Clavie, ancient fire festival in Burghead
8:30 PM, return to Findhorn

SUN. JAN 11:
8:00 - 9:00 AM, breakfast (Myrtle Cottage, incl.)
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, workshop (Crown & Anchor)
12:30 PM - 5:30 PM, free time to write/wander
5:30 PM, group dinner at Myrtle Cottage (incl)
7:30 - 9:30 PM, publicized/live-streamed group reading (Crown & Anchor)

Clavie King, Burghead

The Burning of the Clavie.

MON. JAN 12:
7:30 AM, coffee/toast/jam (Mytrle Cottage, very light breakfast)
8:30 AM charter bus to Urquhart Castle (w. panoramic views of Loch Ness)
10:00 AM, arrive Urquhart (incl.), coffee/food available for purchase at Lochview Cafe
11:00 AM, depart Urquhart (note: the drive between Urquhart Castle and Edinburgh, through Glencoe and along Loch Lomond, is considered the most scenic in the country i.e. don't sleep)
1:30 - 3:00 PM, lunch/drinks at Drovers Inn (said to be the most haunted pub in Scotland and Rob Roy's tavern of choice)
6:00 PM, arrive Edinburgh, settle back into rooms (ibis Hotel, incl.)
6:45 - 8:00 PM, Old City Underground Ghost Tour (incl.) of Greyfriars Kirkyard (often called the most haunted cemetery in the world) and the terrifying South Bridge Vaults (the undercity!) w. the lead singer of the Gorms (now dressed as the Mad Earl of Drumlanrig); talk about full circle!

TUES. JAN 13
9:00 AM, breakfast (incl.)
11:30 AM, hike (1 hr.) to Sheep Heid Inn (group lunch, not incl.)
3:00 PM (on), free time to shop/wander/etc. Edinburgh

Urquhart on Loch Ness.

WED. JAN 14:
6:30 AM, (quick) coffee/breakfast (incl., please be packed w. bags by your chair; I will try to get the hotel to set out coffee/food at 6 AM)
6:45 AM, depart Edinburgh taxi/tram to airport (incl.)
7:15 AM (arrive EDI, most flights leave at 9:25 AM).

Note: Cali/Corey will have left a day early; Melissa, Caoimhe, Becky, catching a noon flights and may want arrive EDI at a later time. Leaving 6:45 AM, Weds. Jan 14: Alex, Xan, Julian, Nikki, Aparna, Aidan, Vishruti, Lyra, Dillon, Lauren, Ava, and Elio; likely split between two cabs.

As always, itinerary subject to change. 

Incl. accommodations (all, ibis Hotel, Ship Inn, Crown & Anchor, Myrtle Cottage, ibis Hotel); incl. meals: Breakfast (every morning, ibis Hotel, Ship Inn, Myrtle Cottage, ibis Hotel), three dinners (Crown & Anchor, 2 homemade Myrtle Cottage meals); incl. ticketed attractions: Edinburgh Dungeon, Sister Wake @ Waterstones; Dunnottar Castle, Urquhart Castle, Old City Underground Ghost Tour; incl. ground transport (all; that is, EDI to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Stonehaven, Stonehaven to Findhorn, Findhorn to Burghead, Findhorn to Edinburgh). Incl. extras: inscribed copies of Sister Wake. 

ibis Hotel (Off Royal Mile, 6 Hunter Square, Edinburgh EH1 1QW, United Kingdom); The Ship Inn (5 Shorehead, Stonehaven AB39 2JY, United Kingdom); Crown & Anchor (Findhorn, Forres IV36 3YF, United Kingdom), Myrtle Cottage (Findhorn, Forres IV36 3YF, United Kingdom). 


Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (2025) used historic locations on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, transforming parts of the Old Town into 19th-century Europe, with key spots including Bakehouse Close (butcher's alley), Parliament Square (marketplace/university scenes), the Signet Library (ballroom), and Makars' Court (gallows/market), plus the Museum of Edinburgh as Victor's residence, capturing the city's gothic atmosphere. 


 

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