I went to Scotland in April 1996 and visited Torfoot Farm. Kay has asked me to share a little of my experiences with the rest of you, so here goes. I know some of you have heard this story before, so bear with me. I went to England and Scotland with a cousin who was not particularly interested in family history. She had been to England before, but this was my first trip, so she was my guide. I followed her lead except that I insisted the one thing I definitely wanted to do was to see if we could find Torfoot Farm. She did get excited about visiting Torfoot where our ancestors had lived. Neither of us having the nerve to drive in the British Isles, we took a bus from Glasgow to Hamilton to Strathaven (transportation is very good over there). We arrived early in the morning and checked into a Bed and Breakfast in a lovely old home which we later found out had been built by a Brownlee. We walked over to a nearby tea room for breakfast and struck up a conversation with a lady sitting at the next table. During the course of the conversation we of course mentioned Torfoot. She was fairly new to the area and didn't know about it. However, a group of elderly ladies sitting nearby overheard our conversation and said they would soon be joined by a woman who could tell us all about it. They spoke with such a strong gaelic accent that we couldn't understand them, but the other lady interpreted for us. When the other lady arrived she said she used to live at Torfoot and told us how to get there. The first lady insisted that she would wait while we finished breakfast and then take us to her house and arrange a taxi for us. Everyone there is so friendly. The taxi stopped first at the Drumclog church, built to commemorate the Battle of Drumclog. The driver turned off the meter and told us to go look around and take whatever photos we wanted. Then he drove us on to Torfoot which is just down hill from the Church. There was no one there so the taxi driver laid on his horn and the lady came running in from the barnyard. She was also very friendly and happy to answer our questions. She has so many visitors looking for their Brownlee roots that she keeps a list on her computer. She gave me a print out but I have misplaced it. Its here and I will find it eventually. The taxi driver had another appointment and could only give us an hour so we weren't able to spend as much time exploring and asking questions as I would have liked. The photos I took are on my Brownlees at Torfoot home page. Back in town we visited the cemetery. Thomas Brownlee, the 2nd Laird, is supposedly buried there, but I didn't know that at the time. There were quite a few Brownlee tombstones, but I didn't take time to copy them...remember I was with a cousin who didn't understand my fascination with old cemeteries. Then to the local library. We asked for books on local history and were given several. It was my cousin who discovered the book with the account of the English soldiers looking for Brownlee of Torfoot following the Battle of Drumclog, which you will also find on the home page. That got her more excited. Then to Strathaven Castle. This was first a home of the Douglas Clan and then the Hamiltons, and Lady Hamilton who deeded Torfoot to the Brownlees lived there. Unfortunately, there's not much left of it. The local tourist office is in a small building next to the castle. They were also very helpful. I was able to get a map of Lanarkshire there which shows Torfoot. Also bought a bagpipe Christmas ornament which plays 'Scotland the Brave' when you squeeze it. A real disappointment was that the museum which supposedly houses the flag that Thomas Brownlee rescued at the Battle of Drumclog was closed. Strathaven is a lovely little town, but suffering some from urban sprawl as most places are. Its still quite small and lodging for a large group might be a problem, although there are several B & Bs. However, Hamilton and Glasgow are close by within a hour or less drive. It was cold and rainy when we were in Glasgow so we didn't do very much. Have found since I returned that they have an excellent library where I wish I had spent the rainy day. And if you like the arts, Glasgow is the place to go. Edinburgh is historical and wonderful. Would have liked to spend more time there. We toured the Castle, of course, walked the Royal Mile and toured Holyrood. Also patronized several shops along the Royal Mile. Regrets: That I didn't know more about my Brownlee heritage before I went. That I didn't arrange to spend more time exploring Torfoot. That I didn't spend some time in Hamilton and visit Hamilton Castle which was the seat of the Hamilton family in Lanark. That my whole trip was just too short. I really need to go back. Scotland 2000 sounds good to me. Betty