Unfortunately the rain greeted us this morning and the forecast is not that good but we are sure that this will not dampen anyone's spirits. We both tucked into a huge bowl of porridge before getting ourselves ready for the long day ahead.

We were running a little late, and by the time we reached Duart Castle the great march of all the clans people to the gates of the castle had just set off so we tagged on the end. We were very soon no longer at the back because many other people were just arriving too. The rain had just about stopped, which was a blessing, but the wind was quite strong. It is difficult to describe what an impressive sight it was to see more than a thousand people walking in procession through the gloom towards a windswept castle perched on the cliff top, surrounded by nothing but fields and sea. It was touching to see how many people had bothered to turn out in spite of the inclement weather. As we all trudged along in our wet weather gear we were accompanied by pipes and drum beats and when we reached the castle gates the Chief and his family came out to greet us. There were speeches and poems and even a song, accompanied by much cheering and merriment. It was a very special moment and we were very pleased to be part of this unique occasion.

The weather remained threatening and grey but for the most part remained dry. The rest of the day continued with all sorts of traditional entertainment in the form of choirs, highland dancing, pipe bands, battle re-enactments and various games. All those present took a turn to file into the castle to sign the attendance register and receive a special commemorative medal. We have been before and the castle is well worth a visit but it was very crowded today so we didn't spend much time looking round and instead went back outside to enjoy the entertainment. We finally tracked down Fiona Maclean, author of the book Death or Victory in the marquee and she signed our two copies. We had been carrying these books round in search of her since arriving on Mull!

The castle has an excellent tea room but it was clearly overwhelmed by the numbers at the gathering as the queues were immense, as were those at the barbecue tent. We decided to take time out to go 15 minutes down the road to the Craignure Inn for lunch which proved to be an excellent idea and plenty of other fellow 'gatherees' had exactly the same idea!

We returned to Duart Castle in time for the big photograph of everyone present which was taken on the bank in front of the castle. It was quite a challenge to get everyone assembled but I'm sure the result will be wonderful! This was followed by thanks and farewells from the Chief and then Auld Lang Syne which is always a bit of a tear jerker but the mood was lifted by a cry of Aussie, Aussie, Aussie by the Australian contingent. (We asked them if there was a second verse and are still waiting for a satisfactory answer!) Simon and I posed for yet another photo, with the England and Wales group, and then it was time to leave for the drive back to Tobermory.

It had been a busy and tiring day but it was not over yet! In the evening there was to be the Grand Dance held in the marquee on the playing fields just up the road from our hotel in Tobermory. This was, once again, a dress up affair and everyone was done up in their finest Scots regalia. There was a lively dance band and plenty of dancing. The marquee was completely packed out and I doubt that Tobermory often sees so many people all in one place, especially so many called Maclean! It was a lovely evening and a great time was had by all, but it was a bit crowded inside and the midges were biting outside so we decided to slip away a little early. We finished the evening in our hotel bar having a drink and a good chat with several Tobermory locals and discussing the football. It is Saturday night after all!