I have to agree with AcuteEnigma. My wife and I were at The Gathering in 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The events were just a weekend and the rest of the time we went exploring. Clan activities were a small part of the trip, but we did enjoy marching up the Royal Mile with clan folk from all over the globe. The Gathering provided an excuse for travelling to Scotland and the measure of success for such events isn't always profitability and you don't always get it right the first time. I plan to go back to Scotland but nothing in this thread would encourage me to make a special trip in 2014.