An overcast Tuesday morning saw 20 of us, accompanied by our guide Alastair Walker, set off from Memorial Gardens. A picturesque drive across "the roof of England" and a diversion to the northern end of Ullswater took us to our morning break. We then continued to the outskirts of Glasgow for our lunch stop at the Westerwood Hotel. After lunch we continued into the city where Alastair pointed out many of the impressive buildings for which Glasgow is famous such as the Cathedral, Necropolis, the People's Palace, Provand's Lordship and the City Chambers. As darkness fell we reached our base for the tour, the Pond Hotel.

Wednesday was a free day to visit some of the many attractions Glasgow has to offer. The majority decided to visit Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. The museum opened in 1901 and is a firm favourite with local people and visitors. It has striking architecture and a friendly welcoming atmosphere. There are 22 galleries featuring everything from one of the greatest art collections in Britain to animals and Ancient Egypt to Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Many of us enjoyed an organ recital at lunchtime audible while we explored the galleries. We left the museum for an early dinner before setting off to the Royal Concert Hall for the evening performance of the John Wilson Orchestra. The orchestra is on tour with a brand-new tribute to the great M.G.M. musicals. The orchestra was joined by the Maida Vale Singers and vocalists Matt Ford and Louise Dearman. They combined with the orchestra to give a memorable performance.

On Thursday we checked out of the hotel and set off on a tour of the Trossachs National Park, the first to be established in Scotland in 2002. Fortunately the weather was clear enough for us to enjoy the rugged scenery which includes 21 Monros (mountains over 3000 feet), and several lochs. We stopped briefly to see the historic steamship Sir Walter Scott on Loch Katrine before moving on to the Buchanan Arms in Drymen where we enjoyed a splendid Christmas lunch. We then set off on a smooth and uneventful journey back to York, thanks to Darren our excellent driver, having enjoyed a memorable pre-Christmas break.