2022
If a group of Owls is known as a parliament, and cats is a clowder, then a group of Guthrie’s must be a gathering! On the weekend of 17th-19th June 2022 the 8th Guthrie family gathering took place in Edinburgh, Scotland. Family and friends, young and old gathered to celebrate their heritage and reconnect after many years apart. Originally scheduled for summer 2021, this event was postponed due to travel and health restrictions but those that did make it eventually, ensured they made up for it!
Friday
The weekend kicked off with a Whisky tasting experience at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. 16 members of the family, from across the globe gathered to sample different Whisky from the various regions of Scotland. The most popular proved to be the whisky with the peatier taste and the one that had been aged in a sherry cask. All the whiskies were generally >60% and this was event as the evening progressed, with the attendees growing generally louder and merrier. As the evening drew to a close, and family went to get a good night’s rest before the gathering began in earnest, it was observed that people were a little less steady on their feet going out than they had been on the way in!
Saturday
Saturday dawned bright and clear with a crisp breeze in the air, nothing unusual for those visiting from across the pond but for those who call the UK home it was a novelty to see the glowing yellow orb in the sky. With the day’s events not beginning to the afternoon, some of the more energetic, or mad, members of the family decided to start their day with a climb up Arthurs Seat, whilst other, more intelligent members, spent the morning visiting the sites that were more accessible or taking in the atmosphere and culture of the city.
​
The first event of the day was Afternoon Tea at the New Club, the oldest private club in Scotland, tea and coffee were flowing, sandwiches and cakes sampled and even the debate of jam or cream on scones first was put to one side. Everyone attending was dressed very smartly, some even making special trips to M&S to make sure they had appropriate attire, and a buzz of distant relations catching up soon filled the room. The diary of Robert (Bob) Guthrie, dropped behind enemy lines during WWII before escaping and making his way back to allied forces, proved a huge talking point and attracted interest from all sides of the family. (Unfortunately, not available in all good bookshops). A big thank you to Bob’s nephew Alex Guthrie for having this printed. As the afternoon tea ended the family broke off for the two hours before the main event, some seeking out the nearest bar, other enjoying more of the city and some heading back to hotels to put on their dancing shoes.
​
​
The main event of the day/weekend was the ever-entertaining Ceilidh. Again, held in the New Club, which had proved very popular at the previous gathering, this was preceded by a buffet dinner and welcome drinks. With members of the family turning out in their best attire, from kilts to ball gowns, from tartan suits to iridescent shoes, the whisky was starting to flow, and people were ready to hit the dance floor. With music and laughter filling the room everyone was having a great time dancing with partners, friends, and distant relations. As the evening wore on rumour started to circulate that Alex Guthrie (son of Ted Guthrie) would be making his way to the dance floor to show everyone why, in his early years, he'd been given the nickname ‘Twinkle-toes Al’. Unfortunately, like a lot of rumours these days, this turned out to be nothing more than fake news as Al somehow avoid ‘Stripping the Willow’ and ‘Auld Lang Syne’, managing to stay on the edge of the dancing in a role of videographer. As usual with a Guthrie Ceilidh it was full of dancing, laughter, conversation, and drinking.
​
​
Sunday
The final day of the gathering again dawned bright and sunny; locals were beginning to welcome their new yellow overlord. As is tradition when gathering in Edinburgh the Guthrie family met at the statue of Dr Thomas Guthrie for the traditional photograph. What could have quickly become an exercise in herding cats turned out to be pain free and simple thanks to the excellent photographer and organiser who managed to position everyone perfectly for the shot in under 10 minutes (having not seen the photo yet we assume we’re all in it). Once this was done those of the family still present descended on Princes Street Gardens for an afternoon picnic before heading home.
​
With the important matter of the photo over it soon became apparent just quite how much people had enjoyed the previous nights celebrations, and how sore their heads were. However, as is traditional at, gatherings people pulled themselves together and soon there was a football being kicked about by young and old, conversations turned to upcoming events, such as weddings and births and onwards travel plans. Then picnic had a nice, relaxed atmosphere, bringing what had been an energetic and busy weekend, to a calm conclusion.
​
​
Overall, the weekend was a huge success, family and friends got to spend the time enjoying the wonderful city of Edinburgh whilst connecting and reconnecting with other members of the Clan. A special thanks to the organisers of the gathering Jennifer Cantell, Liz Marquis and Margaret Connelly and we are all looking forward to the next one.
​