When we purchased a photo album at an antique store in Hot Springs, Arkansas, we knew we were destined to retrace the 1898 Holiday of James and Maggie MacKay of 28 Marchmont Road in Edinburgh, Scotland. The first photo in the album, captioned "Yours Truly", is that of a handsome mustached-man wearing a beret and woman in a high-buttoned, starched collar, long flowing skirt and flat straw hat standing next to their bicycles.

Upon arrival in Edinburgh, our first task was to locate the former MacKay residence - by sheer luck, it was a short walking distance of our B&B. Built in 1881, #28 Marchmont Road is a three-story flat & is now home to four families. It is situated above a news agent & a chemist shop.

The MacKay's first holiday photos were taken in nearby Stirling. From the train station, we hiked up the steep hill to the imposing Stirling Castle overlooking the valley to the River Forth, then down to the monuments in the graveyard, the ancient Church of the Holy Rude and through the enchanting little town.

From the Birnam train depot, we followed signs along a wooded path through the Beatrix Potter Park to the Birnam Hotel. We found it had changed very little from the 1898 photo. Our room in the Birnam was spacious & beautifully furnished. We visited with locals in the hotel bar & flaunted our treasured antique album. A wooded path behind the hotel led to Macbeth's famous Birnam Oak and another path up a very steep hill to the Erigmore House. A short walk across the bridge to the enchanting village of Dunkeld, where we enjoyed a few pints in a local tavern while local musicians entertained.

We were off to Aberfeldy by bus next morning. The original photo shows James MacKay standing in the middle of a dirt road & you can clearly read "P&J Haggart" on the building to his side. With the aid of a magnifying glass, the sign behind him reads "P. McGregor Butcher". We immediately located Haggart's clothing store, but according to the proprietors, it had "only" been in that location since 1903. They directed us to the former location where P&J Haggart's was established in 1801 (note the chimneys & rooftops in both photos unchanged).

We then wandered through a lovely glen with bubbling brooks and waterfalls made famous by Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns and photographed the "new" bridge at the entrance to the Birks of Aberfeldy.

Returning to Edinburgh, we toured the Castle on the hilltop, walked the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace, were bewildered watching a Cricket match and a game of Bowls, marveled at the Rembrandt exhibit at the National Gallery, and explored this magnificent city steeped in colorful medieval history.

Before boarding the train, we returned once more to 28 Marchmont Road. We hope you will be as enticed by our photo journal as we were by the MacKays'.