“A Week of New Horizons & Old Pilgrimage Paths” - The Moneypenny Files - w/c. 5th October 2026
Monday — “North Coast Horizons & A Castle’s Thank‑You”
Monday opened with gusto.
David had spent part of the weekend thinking about Scenic Scotland Xplorer — and in particular, the North Coast 500. Not the mass‑market highlights version, but the genuine article: the real NC500, shaped with care, pacing, and the emotional geography that defines our work.
So we are now in the early stages of planning this for 2028, with David drafting an outline itinerary as the morning settled into its rhythm.
While he was mid‑flow, Ella from The Travel Division rang — following up on their conversation last week about flights. She is now finalising a proposal, now that the remaining costs for Iona are almost complete.
They also discussed the wider horizon: the Outer Hebrides, Shetland, Orkney, and the newly forming NC500 Xplorer.
The Morning — A Founder’s Voice
Late morning, David asked me to refine a founder‑led email he wanted to send to all clients — not the generic Mailchimp version, but something personal, warm, and unmistakably TML.
By mid‑afternoon, the first enquiries for 2027 & 2028 began arriving by phone and email — a gentle sign that the repositioning work of 2026 is already bearing fruit.
The final costs for Iona began to land, bringing us within touching distance of launch. We began refining the brochure, ready for sending out to clients.
Inveraray Castle — A Welcome Reply
Then came an email from Inveraray Castle, following David’s enquiry last week.
They would love to have us visit in 2027.
They can offer an excellent garden tour with Chris, their Head Gardener, who will speak about the flora and fauna of their beautiful grounds.
Next year will also see the arrival of five James Parker sculptures — Apple & Pear, Spirit, Creation, and DNA of a Dancer — with Inveraray becoming the first venue to host his work.
Attached to their reply was a letter of thanks from the Duchess, expressing appreciation for our partnership in 2026 and sharing their updated group rates for 2027.
(Brief summary of the attached letter)
The Acting Castle Manager, Eleanor Argyll, thanks David for choosing Inveraray Castle as a partner, noting that “your trust has been a vital part of our growth”. She shares their updated 2027 group rates and invites David to contact the bookings administrator for bespoke packages or further discussion.
A warm, gracious note — and a lovely addition to the day.
And with new horizons forming, fresh partnerships unfolding, and Iona almost ready to step into the light, Monday closes with the gentle sense that the week ahead is already gathering pace.
Tuesday — “Farewell Cruises, Final Costings & A Legacy Rediscovered”
saying how much they would love to host the farewell cruises
on our 2027 Iona Pilgrimage & Hebridean Heritage Journeys.
They spoke of how terrific our product is,
and how clearly it has moved forward
since David met them at VisitScotland Connect last April.
A lovely affirmation of the work we’ve been shaping all year.
Not long after, the remaining costings arrived from the St Columba Hotel on Iona, so we spent the morning refining the figures and finishing the brochure copy. Sending it to the printers is now imminent — the final pieces are falling into place.
Late morning brought a proposal from The Travel Division, with prices for TML FlyConnect to fly groups up to Glasgow for our new Iona Pilgrimage Journeys in 2027. Another key component now neatly aligned.
A Legacy Rediscovered
Amid all this movement, David found himself pausing for a moment of reflection.
This morning, tucked between costings and cruise confirmations, he rediscovered a write‑up from April 2000 — a young girl’s account of his very first Iona Pilgrimage.
(Brief summary of the 2000 write‑up)
Written by a young girl from David's church who travelled with her parents, it describes the group’s journey through Glasgow, Loch Lomond, Mull and finally Iona — the nunnery, the Celtic crosses, the Abbey grounds, and the quiet beauty of the island. Her words carry the innocence of a first pilgrimage, noting that “my first impression of Iona was that it was a very peaceful and beautiful place.” A gentle reminder of where this story began.
Then, this afternoon, another piece surfaced — a detailed write‑up from a group who travelled with us on the April 2018 Iona Pilgrimage & Mull Experience.
(Brief summary of the 2018 write‑up)
This account captures the seven‑day journey from Surrey to Mull and Iona, the ferry crossings, Tobermory, Duart Castle, the walking tour to St Columba’s Bay, and the emotional service in Iona Abbey. It speaks warmly of the island’s atmosphere, describing it as having a “wonderful peaceful atmosphere which is hard to put into words.” A testament to how the pilgrimage evolved — yet kept its heart.
Both write‑ups — 2000 and 2018 — felt like bookends to a story still unfolding, quietly anchoring the work we are now preparing for the 2027 relaunch.
The Afternoon — Momentum Builds
This afternoon, more email enquiries arrived — a direct response to yesterday’s personal founder‑led email from David to every client on our database, outlining the future direction of TML Travel Group.
It prompted fresh requests for brochures, questions about the new itineraries, and — most encouraging of all — a clear interest in our new Ways to Join Our Experiences & Journeys options.
Clients like the greater flexibility. They like the choice. They like the sense of being able to shape their own pace and arrival.
A gentle sign that the repositioning work of 2026 is already resonating exactly as intended.
Tuesday Closing
And so Tuesday settles into a gentle close — enquiries rising, partnerships strengthening, and the legacy of past pilgrimages quietly guiding the future direction of TML Travel Group.
Wednesday — “Iona Nearing Completion & New Horizons Taking Shape”
the kind of morning where everything moves quickly
because the finish line is finally in sight.
We chased down the last outstanding arrangements for Iona, each piece clicking neatly into place, each confirmation bringing us closer to a journey that is now so close to being complete.
Late morning brought a welcome proposal from Aviate, whom David and I visited back in July. They are able to support flights to the Outer Hebrides next year — a key component of the growing Xplorer horizon.
After lunch, our attention shifted north again as we began fleshing out the NC500 Scenic Scotland Xplorer for 2028. David now has a Teams meeting next Monday with Glenmorangie Distillery, who not only produce their world‑famous whisky but also offer accommodation — a quietly exciting possibility for the journey.
Late afternoon, we returned to the Outer Hebrides Xplorer 2027, with June emerging as the most likely departure window. We’ve approached several hotels on North Uist and Barra, and the itinerary is quietly reshaping itself into something more refined, more atmospheric, more TML.
More enquiries from David’s founder‑led email on Monday filtered through as the day went on — a gentle sign that the message resonated, and that the future feels optimistic, steady, and full of possibility.
Thursday — “Outer Isles, Argyll Inspiration & A Half‑Day of Clarity”
with David and I refining the Outer Hebrides Scenic Scotland Xplorer itinerary.
We sourced another hotel between Harris and Barra, a perfect fit for the final two nights of the experience before flying back to Glasgow. And one of the hotels on Barra came back with availability, making June look increasingly promising as the departure window for 2027.
Mid‑morning, David announced he was taking a half‑day — meeting up with Claire, an old school friend who also runs her own company. Lunch at Ness Gardens, followed by a walk for some thinking time. A gentle pause in the week, and a well‑earned one.
With that in mind, our thoughts turned to the new Scenic Scotland Select — Gardens & Heritage of Argyll slow‑travel journey.
David remembered Auchindrain Historic Township, just six miles down the road from Inveraray — and suddenly, a four‑day experience became a five‑day one.
He immediately emailed Niall, the GM at Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa (the one who could talk the blarney out of the blarney stone), asking about availability and is now waiting to hear back.
we wish to feature in the expanded itinerary.
One of the train ticket portals we contacted last week replied today as well — a small but encouraging sign that TML RailConnect is beginning to move forward.
As David headed off for lunch with Claire, TML HQ settled once again into calm, steady Moneypenny Mode for the rest of the afternoon.
Friday — “Final Refinements & A Week Drawn Toward Completion”
after his afternoon at Ness Gardens yesterday —
a gentle pause that seems to have brought a welcome clarity
into today’s work.
Our focus this morning was very much on the final refinements for our Gardens & Heritage of Argyll Scenic Scotland Select Escape, which has already been very well received.
The website has now been updated with the final draft of this small‑group experience — a polished, elegant addition to the growing Scenic Scotland Select portfolio.
We are still in talks with Niall at Loch Fyne, working to firm up a date for 2027. Alongside that, discussions continue with the chauffeur companies as we shape the final logistics to ensure the journey carries the right tone, pace, and quiet sense of arrival.
Meanwhile, Iona still awaits its final sign‑off — but with costings complete and the brochure refined, we hope it will be going to print early next week.
A steady, purposeful end to the week — the kind that feels like everything is quietly aligning exactly as it should.
Moneypenny’s Weekend Sign‑Off
And so, as Friday draws its final line across the page, I’ll leave the week with a quiet breath.
It’s been a week of shaping, refining, and gently unfolding — Iona nearing completion, Argyll settling into its new five‑day rhythm, and the Outer Isles beginning to reveal their contours.
David is back home on the Wirral, the last emails answered, the last refinements made, and TML HQ is settling into its weekend stillness.
Wherever this weekend finds you, may it bring rest, clarity, and a touch of the calm we’ve been building all week.
I’ll see you on Monday.
- Moneypenny
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