A host of Dorothy Dunnett readers from the UK and countries as far away as Australia and North America attended the 2015 Edinburgh Dunnett Weekend and the Dorothy Dunnett Society’s Annual General Meeting based again this year at the Royal OverSeas League (ROSL) in Princes Street, Edinburgh, from 17th-19th April.
The first treat of the weekend was the opportunity to visit the Scottish National Portrait Gallery during Friday afternoon to view a self-portrait by Dorothy Dunnett
That evening, members and guests attended a drinks reception to launch the Society’s new publication, Edinburgh: The Dorothy Dunnett Guide, written by Nicky Cannon. This was held in a private room at the Sheraton Hotel, in Festival Square and was followed by our traditional welcome meal in the main restaurant.
The weekend activities continued on Saturday 18th April when we gathered at the ROSL for a packed day of lectures, debates and conviviality. Our speakers were Pauline Brace and Dr Stephen Lloyd, and members of the Edinburgh Renaissance Band, with whom Dorothy Dunnett had a close association, entertained us after lunch. More details about these events will follow in the Society’s magazine, Whispering Gallery issue 127 (June 2015).
We ended the working day with the Annual General Meeting of The Dorothy Dunnett Society. All members were invited to attend and non-members enjoyed refreshments in the ROSL bar while they waited. Saturday culminated at 7 pm with our gala dinner in the ROSL’s Castle Restaurant with its fabulous views across Edinburgh.
On Sunday we travelled by executive coach to Bowhill, home of the Duke of Buccleuch. There we enjoyed a guided tour of the house including some rooms not always open to the public, and saw an exhibition of exquisite miniature paintings. We then travelled the short distance to the newly refurbished and award winning Abbotsford House Visitors’ Centre where we had lunch before enjoying an exhibition about the life and work of one of Dorothy Dunnett’s favourite authors, Sir Walter Scott, and a guided tour of Abbotsford. We returned to Edinburgh in the early evening and those with any strength left met up in informal groups to enjoy some of the many restaurants and bars on offer in Edinburgh.
All told, it was just wonderful, and our grateful thanks go to our superb retiring Weekend Organiser, Kathy Lewis.
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