We have just finished the 2012 Harp in the Highlands and Islands tour and had a fantastic time! As always, we modified the activities and events to match the weather (which was pretty good considering that Scotland hasn’t gotten their summer yet), ongoing events in the places we went and the things in which our guests were particularly interested.
Our guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were really open to new adventures. Although our basic itinerary was only moderately modified, each day we were able to accommodate everyone and find new things even we hadn’t planned! From changing the location of our daily harp event on Day 1 to catching a ceilidh and doing some dancing later on and including options for activities for each person on our last day, we almost had more fun providing the tour than our guests had being on it!
We also learned some great tunes, sang some, and had enjoyable conversations and discussions. We met some interesting people, tried some new foods, and experienced outstanding scenery.
We also welcomed our first non-harp playing musician – a guitarist. Robin is an accomplished guitar player and she learned all the tunes along with the harpers. It was a real pleasure to have a broader instrument base and we really enjoyed the interplay of harp and guitar.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll share some more of our trip and photos. But for now, start planning! The 2013 Harp in the Highlands and Islands Tour will be 2 – 9 September. We’re already working on it so I hope you’ll plan to join us!