Author Archives: Andrew Carmichael

Clan Carmichael Gathering Highland Tour 2017

Saturday August 26 to Wednesday August 30 2017

Originally designed to encourage Carmichael Gatherers from overseas to stay longer in Scotland to make the long flight more worthwhile, and always led by your Chief in the belief that “real clans and families holiday together”, the Highland tour has in recent years always been my last tour. However each time we launch our Gathering plans I am implored to do just one more.  I have led 10 extraordinary tours over the last 33 years to all corners of Scotland and even to Cornwall and France so where to go, and what to do in August 2017?

My answer is we start again.

Our first Gathering tour in the early 1980’s celebrated the origins of the west coast Carmichaels (originally macghilliemichels), often historically kinsmen of the MacDougalls and Stewarts of Appin and Stewarts of Galloway, but more recently the forefathers of many of our overseas enthusiasts in modern day global Clan Carmichael. Its time to do so again!

Patricia and I propose taking you to visit the beautiful Isles of Lismore, Mull and Iona as well as mainland castle and Abbey attractions and basing ourselves for four nights in a fine hotel on the sea shore in the beautiful port of Oban in Argyll.

The 2017 tour will leave Carmichael on Saturday August 26th and will have lunch at Loch Lomond and dinner in Oban. It will return to Carmichael, or we can drop you at your Scottish airport, in the early afternoon of Wednesday August 30th .

All transport, taxes 20%, gratuities, meals, ferries, entry fees and accommodation (but no bar snacks, wines, beers etc) are included in the fixed price as well as the co
mpany and leadership of your Chief and his lady Patricia.

Spaces are very limited and regretfully the tour and its castles, ferries, abbeys, hotels and mini buses are really unsuited to the disabled and young children. There are very limited single places and very limited twin bedded rooms so first come first serve with your deposit to secure a place.

The fixed price for the five days in a double ro
om is £1350 per head with a deposit of £350 per head (payable now) required to secure a place. Single room supplement (whilst available) £150.  Balance due 30 June 2017. Regret deposit is non refundable. You must insure yourself for all possible reasons that you may choose to cancel. Balance once paid is fully refundable  before July 31st and non refundable thereafter.and non refundable thereafter.

Highland Tour Deposit

  • Highland Tour deposit – double or twin room occupancy – £350 deposit to secure your place
  • Highland Tour deposit – single room – £350 deposit to secure your place (£150 supplement to final balance)

To book your place on the Highland Tour please follow this link to pay your deposit. Book your place on the 2017 Highland Tour

Chief Richard

 

Clan Carmichael International Gathering 2017

August 21 to August 26 2017

The latest in a series of International Carmichael Gatherings – each organised by Chief Richard and his family since 1983 – will be held at Carmichael Scotland in August 2017.

The theme this year will be Scotland’s year of History, Heritage & Archaeology and the Gathering will be centred around a spectacular ‘Splash of Tartan’ event at Edinburgh Castle on August 24th which is taking place as part of the Military Tattoo and Edinburgh Festival. On the evening of August 24th, 50 fully tartan-clad Clan members are invited to join your Chief, as his retinue, with banners, pipers and honour guard on the march into the stadium, to be greeted by the Pipe Major. It has been suggested that the middle person in the honour guard should carry a broken spear. Your Chief will toast the Tattoo with the Pipe Major from the ceremonial quaich and we will all then join our fellow Carmichael guests and find our seats throughout the stadium. If you would like to be considered for this retinue, please tick the relevant box on the booking form when it is sent to you. Preference will be given to regular Clan gatherers with full tartan gear and the final selection, if over subscribed, rests with your Chief.

The Gathering
n 2017 will also visit some incredible Scottish historic sites and take in the spectacular history and heritage that we have on offer. We will be boarding boats on the Firth of Forth, trying our hand at tossing the caber in the Mini Highland Games, whirling our families through sets of Scottish reels and eating first class Scottish produce! Combined with the Military Tattoo and Edinburgh Festival, this will be an incredible once in a lifetime experience and a clan moment to rival Homecoming 2009 and Bannockburn 2014. We are looking forward to it very much and we warmly invite you to join us for the festivities in 2017.

 

Gathering Schedule 2017

MONDAY August 21  

  • am / pm   Airport Collections
  • eve           Clan Gathering Welcome dinner

TUESDAY August 22

  • am            Explore the Firth of Forth, South Queensferry and Inschcolm Island whilst aboard the Maid of the Forth. See puffins, seals, islands, history and 3 beautiful bridges

WEDNESDAY August 23

  • am           Clan lands march / mini highland games
  • pm           Carmichael Day BBQ, Scottish heritage demonstrations / activities
  • eve          Clan Ceilidh &Tartan Ball

THURSDAY August 24

  • am / pm Edinburgh International Fringe Festival
  • eve          Group dinner on the Royal Mile Edinburgh
  • 9pm         A Splash of Tartan – Edinburgh Military Tattoo

FRIDAY August 25

SATURDAY August 26

  • am           Highland Tour Departs for Oban
  • am / pm  Gatherers Depart

 

How much does it cost?

As with all our previous events the 2017 international gathering is priced ful
ly inclusive of all transportation, meals, entry fees, tickets, banquets, tartan balls, taxes at 20 %, gratuities and accommodation for all five nights at £790 per person. Children under 16 sharing a Clan lands cottage 50%  discount.  Local hotel instead of Clan lands cottage supplement £175. Cottage reservations first come first serve.

Standard seated tickets for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Clan Carmichael tartan night will be reserved for Clan members who are attending the gathering and book prior to the 1st March. For bookings received after the 1st March we will not be able to guarantee a seat at this popular international event.  The price of a standard seat at the Tattoo is included in the gathering price. However, there are various levels of seat selection available so there is an option to upgrade at the time of placing your gathering deposit. We will endeavor to secure the upgraded tickets but can not guarantee their availability. Seats will be spread throughout the stands on the north side of the castle esplanade in areas 1,3,5,7 & 8 so we will not all be able to sit together in one group.

Seating Plan 2017 Tattoo

For those wanting to join the gathering for a lesser period and arrange their own travel and accommodation the cost for attending the Carmichael Day BBQ lunch on Wednesday August 23 is £30 or £100 including the ceilidh and dinner. If you book this option and pay in advance now we will still be able to secure tickets for you at cost price (£31-£125) to the Tattoo on the 24th August as long as some of our clan allocation of 150 seats remain available.

Full gathering deposit to secure a place £150 per person due now.  Deposit non refundable. You must insure yourself for any possible reason you may have to cancel. Balance due June 30 2017 fully refundable for cancellation by July 31. Regret non refundable thereafter.

How to book?

To book please go to the Clan gathering please for the the link to place your deposit. Once we have received your deposit we will email you a full booking form for further details.

There are two specially created products in the shopping cart which can be accessed from the link on the Clan Gathering 2017 page or by selecting ‘Buy Now’ on the home page and looking for Clan Gathering 2017.

Clan Gathering 2017 deposits 

  • Clan Gathering deposit including Tattoo seat (Area 1) – £150
  • Clan Gathering deposit including Tattoo Seat (Area 3) – £150 + £12 ticket premium = £162
  • Clan Gathering deposit including Premier Tattoo seat (Area 5) – £150 + £17 ticket premium = £167
  • Clan Gathering deposit including Tattoo Seat (Area 7 & 8) – £150 + £39 ticket premium = £189
  • Clan Gathering deposit including Premier Tattoo Seat (Area  8) – £150 + £94 ticket premium =£244

Edinburgh Tattoo Seating Plan

Please click here for further information on the Chief’s Highland Tour

 

Fruit Day @ Overton Farm this weekend

Carmichael Estate Farm Meats will be at Overton Farm in the Clyde Valley for Fruit Day this Saturday 1st October. The day is a celebration of our local orchards, fruit and local food and we will have farmers’ market stall selling our venison, beef and lamb. If you would like to pre-order anything for collection at the market please follow the link and order through the website or  call the office on 01899308336.

Clyde Valley Fruit Day is a celebration of the fruit growing tradition in our area, along with the market goodies visitors can watch chef demonstrations, wood carving, apple pressing, live music and gain interesting information about the Valley’s heritage. It’s a fun filled day for all.

 

Easter Eggstravaganza 2016

Carmichael Visitor Centre & Farm Shop – Easter Sunday Eggstravaganza 2016

Sunday 27th March – 10am-5pm – An Eggtastic day out for all the family!

  • Join in our Easter Egg Hunt in Bunny Wood – 11am & 2pm
  • Win prizes in the Easter Egg and Spoon Race -12.30pm
  • See the Farm Animals, explore the Adventure Playground
  • Easter Egg Painting in the Tearoom
  • Delicious Healthy Food in the Farm Shop and Tearoom
  • Treasure Hunt & History Quest

Entry for this event is only £3.95 per child, £2.50 per accompanying adult. Limited tickets available on the day – advance booking available.

Adult Entry includes a free cup of tea or coffee in the tearoom.

Please Note: The entry price gives you access to one of the two Easter Egg hunts (adults – remember the eggs are for the kids!!), the Easter Egg painting competition (open all day – judging at 3pm) and the Easter Egg and Spoon Race. It also gives you to access to the adventure playground, animals, wax model museum and any other competitions run on the day.


Carmichael Visitor Centre and Farm Shop

Warrenhill Farm, Thankerton, Near Biggar, ML12 6PF:

Carmichael Visitor Centre is on the A73 between Lanark/Biggar.

Tel: 01899308169/336

Scottish Water sells part of ancient family Estate Policy Ground in the National Interest

International press release 

Scottish Water sells part of ancient family Estate Policy Ground in the National Interest.

 In the year 1058 Queen Margaret established an early Christian church dedicated to the Archangel Saint Michel on a hill “caer” site in Clydesdale and within 200 years the people of our district became “Caer-michels” or “de Carmichael”.

 My family have been established here since 1292 and probably earlier. After the Independence struggle we were rewarded by King Robert The Bruce, through The Good Sir James Douglas for services at Bannockburn with a Barony land grant, and I remain today the 26th Baron of those lands and indeed 30th Chief of the name. Throughout history the Baron kept the king’s peace in the district and looked after the people of the district, including ensuring there was water in their wells and food in winter with fresh meat from his dovecot.Map

 In 1750 The Third Earl of Hyndford was ambassador to Prussia for King George and Great Britain and invested considerable sums in landscaping the Policies at the core of the Barony ancient lands. As can be seen on the attached 18th Century plan this project included Bannockburn “shiltron” roundels and Union Jack ditches and plantations to represent both sides of our Scotland origin and UK present reality. This certainly demonstrates that he was a great diplomat in a debate that is current today.

In 1944 The British Parliament passed The Rural Water Supplies & Sewerage Act, which provided Councils with public funds for improving rural water supplies for schools and community, and in 1957 my Cousin, the 25th Baron, sold “in consideration of the price of One Pound Sterling” various sites including a 121 sq m tank site, within the landscaped Policy boundaries and yards from the westernmost shiltron roundels. The disposition was “in favour of the said The County Council of the County of Lanark and their successors as such authority according to the true intent and meaning of the said Act and to their assignees whomsoever heritably and irredeemably”. There was no provision in either the 1944 Act or the 1957 disposition for redundant sites to be returned to original owners. However it is probable that “the true intent and meaning” of the 1944 Act, in persuading the historic land proprietor to part with a number of sites for a pound, anticipated the sittankes would be restored and returned when no longer required. Throughout my 35 years at Carmichael the tank site known as the Carmichael Crossridge Service Reservoir has been in constant use for farms and houses at Crossridge, Newside and Bowhouse. Indeed until recently water board employees regularly visited my office and even in early 2015 the community thought the tank was still in use and it is clearly still signed as such. The boundary fence is broken and various metal hatches and pipes litter the farm ground outside the site. Clearly no attempt at cleaning up the site ready for sale has been made.

On 25 February Scottish Water as successors to Lanark County Council and West of Scotland Water sold the tank site at SVA Auctions in Edinburgh for £2100 as lot 30. Although I am a client at SVA Auctions, and although Scottish Water are familiar with my office and ownership of the ground that surrounds the tank site, no attempt was made to inform me or anyone in the district of the proposed sale. As can be seen in this picture a small SVA auction sale sign was placed on the site, which is barely visible or readable from the public road, and was not spotted even by neighbours who pass every day, until March 8th. This being the date I first became aware of the sale, although adverts were apparently placed in newspapers as far away as John O Groats around February 17th, no press advert was placed in our local Lanark Gazette or The Glasgow Herald, the newspapers read by most people in our district.

Last year Clan Carmichael celebrated the 700 anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn with some 45 clan members from six different countries returning to their clan lands for Homecoming 2014. The attached pictures were taken with, then First Minister, Alec Salmond at Bannockburn field. The realisation that there would have been no Clan lands at the source of our name without the Barony grant after that battle, was sufficient incentive to bring the descendants of our forefathers home from as far away as New Zealand.SalmondGathering

I had asked Scottish Water to reconsider their sale of this lot before
completion, to the as yet still unknown purchaser, but was advised in a letter dated 23 March by Tom Axford, Head of Legal, that it could not be stopped as a binding contract is in place between Scottish Water and the purchaser.

Since the 1944 Act, watersupplies have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Ministers, and if this sale is truly in the national interest I would be very surprised.  It is an injustice and an affront to our global Clan Carmichael heritage. It is an insult and a demonstration of gross ingratitude for the services provided by successive Carmichael Barons to improve water for our rural community, and is against everything the current SNP government has striven to achieve since gaining power at Holyrood in 2007. It demonstrates a disregard for our heritage landscape and sets an appalling precedent for government supported injustice by ignoring the “true meaning” of the 1944 Act.

Richard Carmichael of Carmichael

25 March 2015

 

Bad week for Carmichael Heritage property

History of Policies of Carmichael.

1) Source of name 1058 church on “Caer” dedicated saint “michael”

2) First recorded use of surname Carmichael by people of the district 1250

3) earliest record of member of Chief’s family here 1292

4) Barony land grant after Bannockburn battle 1350 (includes this site)

5) Cromwell demolishes Carmichael castle 1650 first Carmichael “immigrants” to America

6) Earl of Hyndford rebuilds and creates historic design landscape of ancient Policies 1750 (Union Jack ditches & Bannockburn roundels) (includes this site)

7) 1957 small portion (121 sq m ) of ancient Policy ground on Crossridge sold for less than a £1 under compulsory purchase provision of 1944 Water supply Act for community benefit to build a tank reservoir called the Carmichael Crossridge Water Service reservoir. Tank built with public UK funds through local Council “in the spirit and true meaning” of the 1944 Water Supply Act.

8) 1957 -2015 we host Scottish Water’s local community water supply tank in our field thinking it is still in use today.

8) 2015 Feb 25 Scottish Water secretly sell site at SVA Property Auction to (unknown) highest bidder for £2100 without informing local community or previous owner (ourselves) that the tank is no longer in use. Estate owner (30th Chief) informed of sale 10 days later, date of entry of new owner is forecast as 25 March 2015. It could even be an Armstrong arch enemy ?

9) 1000 years of Carmichael name heritage control of this small hill site comes to an end through an act of local community service desecrated by a ruthless greedy successor to a vital local public utility.

10) Apparently the sale is (possibly) legal as the 1944 Act made no provision for such sites to be returned to original owners when no longer required for community water storage.

If you feel concerned as a “Carmichael” who has had part of their heritage land stolen after a millenium in this way then follow this saga urgently and contribute

@chiefcarm on twitter or email your views to customer.services@scottishwater.co.uk

Reference lot 30 SVA Property Auction sale 25 Feb 2015 “Carmichael Crossridge water service reservoir”

Legal or not its a crime against our clan lands and heritage and an insult against our fine name.

Richard Carmichael of Carmichael – 30th chief

 

easter

Carmichael Visitor Centre & Farm Shop – Easter Sunday Eggstravaganza 2015

Sunday 5th April – 10am-5pm – An Eggtastic day out for all the family!

  • Join in our Easter Egg Hunt in Bunny Wood – 11am & 2pm
  • Win prizes in the Easter Egg and Spoon Race -12.30pm
  • See the Farm Animals, explore the Adventure Playground
  • Easter Egg Painting in the Tearoom
  • Delicious Healthy Food in the Farm Shop and Tearoom
  • Treasure Hunt & History Quest

Entry for this event is only £3.95 per child, £2.50 per accompanying adult. Limited tickets available on the day – advance booking available.

Adult Entry includes a free cup of tea or coffee in the tearoom.

Please Note: The entry price gives you access to one of the two Easter Egg hunts (adults – remember the eggs are for the kids!!), the Easter Egg painting competition (open all day – judging at 3pm) and the Easter Egg and Spoon Race. It also gives you to access to the adventure playground, animals, wax model museum and any other competitions run on the day.


Carmichael Visitor Centre and Farm Shop

Warrenhill Farm, Thankerton, Near Biggar, ML12 6PF:

Carmichael Visitor Centre is on the A73 between Lanark/Biggar.

Tel: 01899308169/336

email: easter@carmichael.co.uk

website: www.carmichael.co.uk

Beef Rib Roast

Last orders for Christmas Meats and Clan Gifts now closed.

Delicious Carmichael Estate Farm Meats, including our award winning venison, beef and lamb are available for order on our website. The last day for sending out mail order deliveries for Christmas and New Year, i.e. deliveries between Monday 21st and Tuesday 12th January has now closed. Orders can also be placed via the website for collection at Glasgow Farmers’ market taking place on Wednesday 23rd December until Sunday 20th December. Please telephone 01899308336 for meats with limited availability.

We also have a wide range of Clan Carmichael crested gifts that can be ordered and shipped almost anywhere in the world.

Have a great festive season everyone!

 

Carmichael Estate Farm Meats stall at Edinburgh Farmers Market

Carmichael Estate Beef Promotion – 15% Discount

As a special thank you to our customers we are offering an amazing 15% discount on our award winning Carmichael Estate Beef ordered before the 18th November 2014. All you need to do is enter the PROMO CODE: AUTUMN BEEF at checkout and either collect it from a farmers’ market near you, pick it up from our farm shop or have it delivered direct to your door.

Delicious well hung beef  this autumn. Stock up on prime cuts before the Christmas rush!

PROMO CODE: AUTUMN BEEF

Pleasanton Games 2014

We would like to wish everyone gathering at the Pleasanton Games in California a great weekend.