They came, they saw, they conquered!
"Thanks again for a trip well done! Everything went smoothly and was organised perfectly"

Would They Have What it Takes?
'We need to lay on something special to entertain a young and dynamic group of 15 of Germany's top mobile phone retailers.'

This was the brief to Hello Scotland from Ute Balzer of Creative Travel.

That is when Hello wondered if the group would be up to the challenge…the challenge to become Honorary Scots!

How Would They Cope with the Famous Five?

The first of the five challenges was to play golf and a special golf clinic was laid on to take them through the finer points of the ancient game. Dinner at a traditional Scottish Inn followed where stories of perfect putts and demon drives were temporarily exchanged for romantic Scots ballads accompanied on the guitar by a folk duo.

After a comfortable night in a small, secluded Country House Hotel and a traditional breakfast, the group were asked to put on kilts and wear them proudly, with no underpants beneath like true Scotsmen, for the rest of the day and evening… their second challenge!

Then it was off to Edinburgh for their third challenge which was to earn their passports to the Scottish Capital. This took the form of a city rally and they travelled on foot, in Black Taxis, and by train. It involved an educational and interactive challenge within the magnificent capital city, paying homage to many of it's famous characters. At one point they had to make a conference call with eight people, not on their mobiles, but crammed into a telephone box! The day suddenly became more sophisticated with lunch at the magnificent 'The Dome' restaurant, with it's magnificent domed ceiling and many other Georgian delights. The rest of the afternoon was at leisure in the city with the group coming together in the evening for a pre-show dinner at a speciality seafood restaurant in the New Town.

The next challenge was to experience the Edinburgh Military Tattoo ,staged on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle with the ramparts providing the backdrop to the colours, sights and sounds of this world famous event.

After a leisurely start the following morning, the group headed West to complete their final challenge. This was preceded by a light lunch at The Old Mill, a traditional Scottish pub set in the charming village of Killearn which nestles at the end of the Campsie Hills. It is from these hills that water flows to the Glengoyne Distillery, an important ingredient of the well-known malt whisky of the same name produced there. And so to the final challenge – a tour of the distillery and a whisky tasting competition!

The Finale
And there they proudly stood, an unmistakable air of achievement and enjoyment as they were presented with their Certificates in recognition of their new status. They had made it and with this Honour comes a prize - each member of the party received their very own small piece of Scottish land, some 1m by 1m, but making them true "Honorary Scots".

What Did They Make of the Experience?
The following comments come from project manager, Ute Balzer of Creative Travel GmbH.

"We have heard many 'thank you's and compliments already, and the feedback from everyone in the group was very positive."

Scotland has Britain's highest mountain (Ben Nevis, 1343 mtrs), largest lake (Loch Lomond, 70 sq km) and deepest lake (Loch Ness, 229 mtrs). Not to mention Britain's most famous sea monster.