The Campbells are coming!
Powdermills Bed & Breakfast is accommodation near Inveraray in the heart of Campbell country. Inveraray Castle is the ancestral home of the Duke of Argyll, the Clan Chief of the Campbells. So, in some respects it is apt that Sue and I have settled back here in Argyll with our ‘ain folk’. I would like to say it was planned but it has just been happenstance.
Truth is that there are a lot of Campbells in the area and many more are attracted to Inveraray from all corners of the world to check out their lineage and roots in Scotland. Ancestry.com and the like have made it so much easier to trace your family tree. Of course, ‘authentic’ in such circumstances is always vital in maintaining creditability with visitors. The ‘real’ Scotland isn’t the souvenirs or £40 kilts that you can buy in shops in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile or Princes Street.
So, its important to steer visitors to ‘genuine’ Scotland. For example, buying a kilt. There are four major cloth manufacturers making tartan and numerous businesses that tailor the cloth into bespoke eight-yard kilts. Therefore, prices are within a similar range and so it often comes down to customer service and personal choice that differentiates. Sue and I have become experts in kilts. Our son and his fiancée returned home for a week so that he could amongst many other things, get fitted for a kilt to wear at his wedding in Mexico.
We decided to visit Chalmers in Oban. The time and service that they afforded my son in his decision making was fantastic. They explained all the ins and outs of what and how to wear a kilt. Most importantly, the costs were detailed with considerable discounts. The complete outfit of tweed jacket, Ancient Campbell tie, waistcoat, Ancient Campbell tartan kilt, kilt pin, sporran, flashes, skieindubh and shoes came in at under £1000 which is a high cost but compared with other suppliers was a significant discount. His fiancée was heard to mutter that his wedding outfit cost more than her dress!
Chalmers are shipping the outfit to his home address in Mexico. So overseas visitors should have no worries of buying the real deal when the visit Chalmers of Oban.
https://www.inveraray-castle.com/
https://www.ewm.co.uk/store-finder/index/storedetail/id/314/