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The end of the funicular railway on Cairngorm.  You wanted to see the mountain?  Come with us next time!

Alice checks out other accommodations in the Cairngorm displays – but decides to stay with her original arrangements

At the top are some very interesting displays – about the weather, about the mountain, about skiing, information for people of all interests. We, being an interesting group, were interested in everything. Cairngorm refers the range and to the mountain we were on. It is spectacular and very hard to leave.



Ballindalloch Castle is a beautiful home inside and out!

  Mrs. Russell joined us for much of our harp event – if we’d only had another harp, she could have joined us – hopefully next time! While there we worked on tunes specifically related to the Castle. One of two people poked in and enjoyed observing our playing too. When we were done playing we visited the castle and then it really hit us how very lucky we were to have been invited to play there!


Mrs Russell chatted with us during our harp event in the Dining room of Ballindalloch



On that high note (pun intended!) we departed for our last night’s accommodation.  We were all riding high from our incredible day – but we were not done yet! We all made ready for a lovely, homemade dinner in the style of hospitality for which Scotland is famous. David and Heather invited us into their home for a traditional dinner on our final evening. Heather made us a sumptuous feast and we all ate ‘til we were full to burstin’! I only wish any of us had had the presence of mind to take a picture – but again – if you want to see it, you’ll have to come with us next time!

On this day we had more somber history to explore. We started out driving through the beautiful, flower filled Forres with its incredible, community built and maintained gardens. We always hear how in the UK people are mad for gardens – but this town is amazing! Here’s one of the amazing flower pictures:

Beautiful Floral Peacock in the gardens at Forres

David also took us to one of those off the beaten path, locals know but tour buses don’t places. I’d show you a picture, but I’d rather let you see it yourself!

From there we went on to Culloden Battlefield. There is a new and fantastic visitors’ center there which really presents the entire event in an understandable way, even for those who know nothing about it. It is multimedia and prepares you to see the field as a battlefield – even as you walk on it now. Before we went there, I thought I knew the history, but I learned so much more and it made so many other bits of history make more sense!

But as moving as Culloden is, we still had more to see – perhaps much more! We drove along the shore of Loch Ness – mysterious, moody, enchanting…enchanted? We all looked but no glimpse of Nessie on this trip! We arrived at Urquhart Castle on the western shore of the Loch. We followed David’s excellent directions on arrival and had a marvelous time (and some really good soup!).Urquhart is another place with a very interesting history and we got to see the remnants of that – as well as the setting for a tune we would share later. But this view gives you an idea of the scale.

After Urquhart, we meandered back to the Dowans via a quaint and scenic area where we had a little photographic fun before heading back to learn a lovely tune before enjoying another incredible meal. Then on to rest before the next adventure filled day!

On this day we headed east and toward the Royal Deeside.  It is called the Royal Deeside because Balmoral is in the area (hence the Royal) and it is alongside the River Dee (hence the Deeside).  The scenery is breathtaking and David took us some incredible, unspoilt places – whimsical bridges, charming castles, and stunning landscapes!  But rather than prattle on about them, let me show you some of the sites of our day:



Another lovely bridge along the way





Crathie Kirk where the Queen attends church when at Balmoral.  The inside is impressive, but no photographs – it IS a church after all.

 

Corgarff Castle, very far away, but still delightful!



In Ballater, Alice shows Queen V how to do haughty

  

Joan welcomed us to Delgatie Castle and allowed us the privilege of playing in the Chapel – a fantastic experience



We weren’t this relaxed in the Castle Chapel, but we did learn a lovely tune!  Don’t you wish you were there?

At the end of the day we enjoyed a drive through the Moray Coast which is so beautiful people should write tunes about it.  Oh, Wait!  They do!!

We had the typical tourist fascination with sheep… just couldn’t get enough of them

After another full day of sites, history, stories, meeting real people where they live, and learning another tune, we headed back to the Dowans for another delicious dinner, a sampling of their impressive collection of single malt scotches and then to bed – tomorrow promised another delight!

As captivating as Skye is, sadly, we had to leave and continue on our trip.  But we weren’t sad for long because from Skye we went to that most recognizable castle – Eilan Donan.  It is recognizable because it has become iconic but it is also incredibly beautiful.  Of course, it has incredible history.  And the fantastic views help build the atmosphere.  And the castle has featured in so many movies – you could love it as a movie star too. But the best bit is that it has a space especially for harpers in the great hall.  Clearly they were expecting us!  And THAT is what made me fall in love with ths castle.    Unfortunately, no photography inside.  So if you want to see this little harp spot, you’ll have to come with us!

The beautiful harpers at Eilan Donan

However, no photos inside doesn’t mean no photos outside!  We had a great time taking this photo.  And apparently a lot of other people did too.  Don’t be surprised if you see this photo in other places – people from all over the world stopped and took this photo too – tourists from Japan, Korea, Germany and Canada all seemed to be captivated by the harpers – who were clearly having a great time!  And we weren’t even playing!

From Eilan Donan we traveled on past some delightful sites on to Strathpeffer, the old Victorian Spa town where we had a lovely lunch.  And what did we find above the bar?  A reel written for the restaurant.  We will have to go back, just to learn that tune! 

Zan shares the harps, the lore, and more with us in the “showroom” at Ardival Harps



Graham shows us the steps to making a wire harp.  He made it look so easy we might have, for a moment, thought we could do it as well as he – but we’d be wrong!

And then, while we were all still in the fantasy land of “… maybe I should have one of these too, just to improve my harp playing and to be more fully involved in the history of majesty of the harp – and owning just one more harp wouldn’t be bad…but they’re all so wonderful, why stop at one…” (the stupor one finds oneself in when there are so many harps at hand!) we moved on to the workshop to meet Graham and see how a master craftsman brings a harp out of a chunk of wood.   We learned about the process (and the pitfalls) of making harps from natural materials as well as the secret of the bray pin!  I’ll never look at a harp the same way again.  Nor will I ever forget the aroma of the workshop – the tantalizing smell of wood – can you smell the wood of your harp when you sit to play?

We were sad to leave Zan and Graham and all those captivating harps, but we eventually did go on to our accommodation for the rest of the trip, the Dowan’s Hotel in Aberlour.  Who knew what adventures would await us in the Spey Valley…

Skye is beautiful.  Any time of year it is breathtaking and wonderful.  David organized our day to take best advantage of the day and the weather and we moved from one amazing site to another – sites of geologic beauty, historic significance, and just cool stuff.  We went to Dunvegan Castle and after lunch we toured its lovely gardens and really, I should stop writing and just show the photos:
 

We got on immediately and we clearly enjoyed the
close contact of the trip!

David stopped on request for photos or just to gaze on the scenery.  Here we stopped to have some of that tea (and a biscuit or 2!).  We were only part of the way around Skye and we had already seen so much – we were constantly exclaiming about the sites.

We had a wonderful day on Skye and returned to the McKinnon Country Lodge.  We learned a new tune that was tied directly to what we had done that day (you’ll have to come along if you want find out what it was!).  We then went in for a delightful dinner – all three courses of it!  After dinner a little more playing, talking and coffee, then off to bed – the next day was going to take us on to our next adventure!

After our excellent first day, we awoke to a little more harp time and a huge breakfast!  We had grains and fruits, cheese and yogurt, eggs, bacon, toast, tomatoes, kippers, mushrooms – the whole gamut!

Then we gathered up and started out, away from Perth, north and west across the breadth of Scotland seeing breathtaking scenery and incredible historic sites.

We saw Wade’s Bridge and the Falls of Dochart (see our photo).  Then we continued on to Glen Coe where we had an enjoyable pub lunch and got to explore a little – even finding a new tune to give a try.  Then on along the Caledonian Canal and through the captivating Glen Shiel.  And finally – Over the sea to Skye where we settled in and learned another tune!

On our first day together on the Harp in the Highlands and Islands Tour David collected us all at Edinburgh Waverley train station.  The weather was not looking too promising, but we set off with light hearts and immediate laughter.  Although we did not all know one another, we quickly developed a bond of shared jokes and stories.  We headed to Scone Palace in the rain and got to know each other a bit better.

Our travelers included two harp players, one fledgling (a person who was going to learn the harp as we went along and an audience member (the lucky devil who was going to listen to us play!).  We arrived at Scone and the weather cooperated, letting up a bit so we could get inside to see the incredible displays (as well as doing a little shopping and having some lunch).  We then went to Pitlochry to see the Dam and the Fish Ladder – again the weather held!  We finished the day by heading to our accommodation, getting quickly settled in our rooms and rejoining to play the harp.  We worked through Brig of Perth and got it down, despite a little remaining jet lag! 

We then went on through to a delightful dinner in the Parklands, laughing and chatting throughout and made plans for our meeting and outings the next day!  We were tired from travel, playing and laughing but we had a bang-up first day!

Well, it’s finally here! It’s finally time to leave – to go on the Harp in the Highlands and Islands tour. My excitement has reached that fever pitch which borders on annoying (at least to those around me). I’m winging away to Scotland, looking forward to meeting up with our incredible guide David and the wonderful harpers who are joining us. I can’t decide which day of our trip I am most excited about – they all will be spectacular. And at the end I am certain I won’t have determined the best day still.

I wish, as I have often stated before, that you could all go with us. Some of you have contacted me about going next year – we are planning on it (and more details on next year when I get back!). But for now, just be ever so slightly envious! And start planning for the next trip.

We will be having a grand time and I will post as we get the opportunity. I anticipate that we won’t get all our posts out during the week, so expect them to be strung out over time a bit. We’ll upload photos and let you know what music we’ve been playing. I can’t wait to share with you!

Until then, keep playing – pick up a new tune! We will be.