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A Scottish Summer
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Staying in Dumbarton we were hosted by the very friendly Ronnie Muirhead, who couldn't help us enough.  An old manse, this very grand house sat high on the hill overlooking the River Clyde and Dumbarton Castle.

A bit of a pamper session for the girls, and a rest day for Dad set us up for one of the highlights of our trip - the World Pipe Band Championships 2007, held on Glasgow Green.  8,000 pipers (yes bagpipes), plus drummers etc., this massed pipes and drums was a sight to behold, and an all day piping and drumming fest was on.  The weather has behaved itself the whole time we have been here - cool, but we have avoided rain... until the day of the festival when it poured down all day.  Dad and Chris huddled on the stands with umbrellas and raincoats, trying to keep most of the water out, and succeeding reasonably well condisering.  12 Grade 1 pipe bands from Scotland, Canada, US, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand competed through two rounds, playing valiantly on in the rain.  The winner on the day was the excellent band Field Marshall Montgomery from Northern Ireland.  At the end of the day every band marched into the centre of Glasgow Green (unfortunately all in their specially made raincoats, obscuring their bright tartans) for the winners of all grades to be announced, in the driving rain, and piped us out at about 7:45pm - a very long day, but a worthwhile one.

The weather behaved until the day of the festival when it poured down!