Electrical sockets
UK electrical sockets are 220–240 volts and need 3-pin plugs. To see photos and more details to help you decide what type of adaptor you need to pack, see Type G at http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/.
Wifi and Eduroam
Wifi will be available for delegates without eduroam. However, the eduroam wifi is usually more secure and faster for logging in. The University of Edinburgh uses eduroam, so if your own institution also uses eduroam, be sure to register before you leave and check for any advice about using eduroam at other institutions (for example, you may be advised to add your institutional email suffix to your username).
Weather – bring a raincoat!
According to an analysis of weather from 2000-2012, we can expect rain on 22 days in the month of June. Temperatures in June are likely to range between 7ºC and 17ºC. Scottish weather can be summarised by the expression, ‘Don’t like the weather? Wait five minutes and it will change!’
So, bearing in mind the unpredictability of the weather, we recommend wearing layers so that you can add more layers or take off layers to suit your preferred temperature. If everyone remembers to bring an umbrella, we might even get pure sunshine!
Dinner & ceilidh at the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland
The workshop dinner will not require formal dress. Please dress in your preferred style for going out for a nice meal. The dance will be a ceilidh (pronounced /ˈkeɪli/ ) which will be a modern take on traditional Scottish country dancing. Dancing at a ceilidh is usually fairly lively, so you can expect to get a real aerobic workout if you participate fully! You should wear sturdy shoes that you can hop about in comfortably. We do not recommend stilettos or heels that are not comfortable to jog in.
The floor of the Grand Gallery is a solid stone floor – it is not a sprung dance floor. So if you have delicate joints, please bear this mind and wear very comfortable shoes and be gentle with your movements. Don’t worry about not knowing the dances. The ceilidh band has a ‘caller’ who will talk through the dances and explain anything complicated. And mistakes don’t really matter anyway – it’s the fun that matters. If you want to practice two of the most popular dances ahead of the event, here are a few short videos to help you get in the mood!
Dancing the Gay Gordons
Dancing the Dashing White Sergeant
Shopping bags
You may want to pack a fold-up bag for bits of shopping you may do – bear in mind that in Scotland, you are charged 5p for each shopping bag you use to pack your purchases.
Image credit: going on holiday, by John Wright CC-BY
