Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

Bergen Line's METEOR leaves Leith for a week's "Castles" cruise around West Scotland

Bill McKellar writes :

My parents were on this cruise.

From "Glasgow Herald"

The Norwegian motor vessel METEOR (2,900 gross tons) which was chartered by the National Trust for Scotland left Leith Docks in bright sunshine for a week's cruise round historic and architecturally interesting castles on the West coast of Scotland. The full complement of 150 passengers were aboard.

A television set was installed on the ship at the last moment to enable the passengers to see Princess Margaret's wedding on the next Friday when the ship would be steaming down the Sound of Mull.

The cruise, led by Major Michael Crichton Stuart of Falkland, a vice-president of the Trust, will cover almost 1,000 nautical miles and includes visits to nine castles, six of which are lived in. Landings will be made on at least seven Scottish Islands.

Amongst the distinguished passengers aboard are The Earl of Wemyss, chairman of the Trust's council, and the Countess of Wemyss, the Countess of Erroll and her husband, Sir Iain Moncreiffe of Moncreiffe, Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, Lady Mary Gilmour, the Earl and Countess of Glasgow, Lady Mary Barton, North Wales, Sir Eric Machtig, London, and several visitors from the United States are among the passengers.

In the afternoon the ship arrived at Stonehaven (Aberdeenshire) and the passengers landed and were welcomed by the Provost, Mr Thomas Christie, who referred to attempts to restore the Old Tolbooth Building. So far, he said, £1,000 has been raised locally. The passengers then went on to Dunottar Castle.

METEOR was due at Kirkwall (in the Orkney Islands) on Tuesday 3rd May and the cruise would end on Monday 9th May with a visit to Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran