I have family in Scotland (my Nanna was born there) and have meant to return to visit for years now. Shamefully, I’ve not actually been since I was 8 years old. Marc’s always wanted to visit the Highlands so we decided that next year’s summer holiday will be in Scotland. We’ve picked our accommodation, a tiny romantic cottage in the Cairngorm National Park, and just need to save up for the deposit. While researching potential activities for our holiday in Scotland I’ve learnt that 2014 is the Year of the Homecoming.

In 2014, Scotland hopes to welcome millions of visitors from around the world. The country is hosting not only the Commonwealth Games but the Ryder Cup is coming to Gleneagles. The tourist board have created the Homecoming campaign to celebrate, and there will be hundreds of events held throughout the year. The chairman of VisitScotland, Mike Cantaly, said, “Next year’s Homecoming will position our country as dynamic and creative with a rich history and culture.” There are five key themes for Homecoming 2014: active, food and drink, creative, natural and ancestry. Across the globe, there are approximately 50 million people who claim Scottish heritage (including me!) so many of the events will centre around ancestry. They hope that many people with Scottish roots will come to Scotland during the Year of the Homecoming. Even if no one else turns up, at least they’ll have me! 😉

It turns out that Marc and I couldn’t have chosen a better year to visit Scotland and I think we’ll be able to make a trip up to the Findhorn Bay Arts Festival, which is on while we’ll be in the area. I’m very excited about the possibility to feeding reindeer up in the mountains, taking Marc to a whisky distillery, and generally just enjoying the fresh Highland air. It’s going to be great! Because it takes about 12 hours to drive there, we’re going to be making the trip a two-parter. The first week will be spent camping in the Lake District and then we’ll drive up to the Cairngorms for a week. So far, the only thing booked is the campsite. As our plans unfold, I’ll keep you updated.

Fancy making a trip to Scotland in 2014?

A full list of Homecoming 2014 events is available and further events will be added during 2013 and 2014. Up-to-date Homecoming information can be found at www.homecomingscotland.com.

By Rachel Birchley