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Holiday in Scotland
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Subject: Holiday in Scotland From: CET Date: 16 Feb 02 - 06:48 PM Charmion and I are in the process of planning our vacation (it takes our minds of February in Ottawa). We have pretty well decided that we want to go to Scotland and that we would like to plan the holiday around a folk festival or similar event. Can any U.K. Catters recommend any good festivals that are happening this summer or fall? Any Mudcat gatherings? So far we only agree on the broad concepts of the holiday. I would like to tramp around Stone Age remains like Skara Brae (sp?). Charmion seems to prefer sitting in a pub with a glass of single malt whiskey. I dunno. Some people are funny like that. Edmund |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Clinton Hammond Date: 16 Feb 02 - 06:53 PM How about tramping around Stone Age remains with single malt whiskey? .-) |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Jock Morris Date: 16 Feb 02 - 06:55 PM I've got the TMSA festival guide here, so if you can give me a better idea of when you're coming over then I'll let you know what's on. Too many festivals to list them all! Scott |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: GUEST,willie-o Date: 16 Feb 02 - 06:56 PM hey, this is the concept of the week. I'm working on the same notion. See the thread I started a couple of days back -- there's some good suggestions in there. For my money, the Hebridean Celtic Festival looks pretty impressive judging from last years lineup, and the location (Lewis). When you thinking to go? W-O |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Jock Morris Date: 16 Feb 02 - 07:03 PM Here's a link to the TMSA fetsival guide for last year; this year's doesn't seem to be online yet. Most of the festivals are near enough the same dates this year.
Scott (Who'll learn how to do the blue clicky thing one of these years) |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: CET Date: 16 Feb 02 - 07:16 PM Willie-O: We were thinking of August or September, but that Hebridean Celtic Festival looks great. (P.S. good luck at your gig in Merrickville, if we can't make it) Edmund |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Murray MacLeod Date: 16 Feb 02 - 07:30 PM TMSA Scottish Festival Guide Murray |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Mac Tattie Date: 17 Feb 02 - 06:35 AM Have fun at a summer school!!! Details are a bit sketchy to say the least but could be interesting. 9-11 aug. in Ayrshire (Robert Burns country) www.thenationalfolkfestival.co.uk cheers |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: weepiper Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:00 PM Orkney Folk Festival is the one for you if you can make it across earlier (or next year?). It's on the last weekend in May, and will allow you to combine all 3 of your interests (music, alcohol, archaeology). We went last year and had a really great time - didn't get around to seeing Skara Brae but did see Maes Howe and the Ring of Brodgar, and sessioned till well past dawn each of the 4 days we were there... you should find details on the TMSA listing I hope. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: GUEST,Zipster sans cookie Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:15 PM Haven't been through the above but it looks like there should be some good stuff there. Don't forget Edinburgh fest itself, worlds biggest arts festival. about a ton and a half of things going on, and a folk festival is one of them. Last 3 weeks in August approx. I'm trying to remember which of the Western Isle festivals Ian MacCalman described as 200 drunks hanging on to a rock....it'll come to me Z(R)
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: RichM Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:24 PM I envy your planned trip! Enjoy it well, and Charmion: do come back with another (new) instrument! There are excellent bouzouki and guitar makers there--or how about smallpipes? Rich McCarthy |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: C-flat Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:34 PM CET mentions a place called MERRICKVILLE in his posting can anyone tell me which part of the world this is?I'm only interested as my christian name is Merrick. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Willie-O Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:42 PM Merrickville is a town on the Rideau Canal in eastern Ontario, Canada between Ottawa and Kingston. It's an old settlement founded around 1790, by a Merrick (forget the first name) from the States who started a mill there (convenient rapids. Very scenic, old stone buildings, and Edmund mentioned it because he knows I'm playing there tonight. W-O |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Willie-O Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:44 PM Oh, and one thing you find out when you go looking for the current festival info is this sad note: the Edinburgh Folk Festival has ceased operation. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: CET Date: 17 Feb 02 - 01:03 PM Thanks for all the great information, everybody. Rich: coming back with another instrument sounds tempting, although for travelling overseas I think our immediate priority would be to find a really good guitar case for Charmion's Peter Cox guitar - something space age that you could throw off the back of a truck without hurting the guitar. That Orkney Festival sounds marvellous. I'll check it out on the Web. My only regret about going to Scotland would be that we most likely would not be able to go to the Goderich Celtic College this summer. Edmund |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: C-flat Date: 17 Feb 02 - 01:06 PM Thanks Willie-O,Merrickville sounds like a nice place to visit someday. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Mr Red Date: 17 Feb 02 - 09:01 PM I posted a while back for a friend and we pointed him to a few and he found others, search/filter for Scotland last year. Failing that Blackfriars Music in Edinburgh(they have a website) publish the best (IMHO) monthly mag and a Scottish festival guide. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: kendall Date: 17 Feb 02 - 09:11 PM One of the high spots for me was the Military Tattoo at Edinburg castle in August. Skara Brae was also very impressive. Fact is, I love every part of Scotland (except Glasgow) and the Isle of Skye is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. If you get there, be sure and visit Flora McDonalds grave. The last time I was there, 1990, they were just starting to restore her house. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Before I die, I want to stand on the top of Ben Nevis and sing, "Flower of Scotland", preferably with someone special. Sorry, I have to take my meds now. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: GUEST,BOAB Date: 17 Feb 02 - 11:20 PM Kendall---the last time I saw Flora MacDonald's grave, it was the only patch in a well -manicured cemetery which had been left completely unkempt! It seemed to me that the cemetery-keeper must have been an adherent of the main religious sect on Skye---Wee Free Presbyterian; not, by any means, admirers of Prince Charlie or his cohorts! Good luck with your ambition to sing "The Floo'er" on the summit of Ben Nevis. I stood there in triumph on my sixtieth birthday---but I don't recall singing! To CET---a good piece of advice; the FIRST thing to do is find out how you intend acting in the matter of accommodation. It can be pretty expensive, especially around August, when the Edinburgh Festival is in progress, and one or two other good folk festivals are on the go. Ideally, if you can aim for "digs" with relatives---or pals---- |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: CET Date: 18 Feb 02 - 04:18 AM The Edinburgh Tattoo was high on my list. Trouble is there's just too much to do. We seem to be concentrating on the Orkney Festival, which won't coincide with the Tattoo, alas. Accommodation will have to be B&B's. We don't have any family in Scotland, although some of Charmion's ancestors were Scots. I expect that Stromness could get crowded during the Festival, so we'll have to get started soon on making the arrangements. We hope to get to at least one other festival, and a folk club or two. It would be great to meet some Mudcatters. Edmund |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: GUEST,Lyndi-Loo Date: 18 Feb 02 - 06:24 AM Kendall! What's wrong with Glasgow? It may not be the prettiest city in the world but it's full of the friendliest folk and with a vibrant atmosphere all its own. It has a thriving arts scene and has been the European city of Culture and the City of Architecture. Please come again and see what really goes on in Glasgow |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Cairistiona Date: 18 Feb 02 - 09:03 AM There's a festival on the Isle of Skye 9 - 19th July. If the weather is reasonable it should be very good. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: kendall Date: 18 Feb 02 - 09:18 AM Sorry Lindi-Lou; I should have been more specific. The people were very nice, although I couldn't understand a word they spoke! I did a performance at the STAR Folk Club, and they were fine folks. The city itself, I found to be noisy, dirty and very busy. I had hired a car, and, after driving around in Edinburg, I found Glasgow to be somewhat of a challenge to say the least! Scotland has the friendliest people you will meet. They love a good joke; hell, they love a bad joke! They treated me like royalty every where I went. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Jock Morris Date: 18 Feb 02 - 05:11 PM Please Kendall, there's an 'h' on the end of Edinburgh!!! Glasgow is easy to drive round once you master the one-way system:-) The city centre is a relatively simple grid layout, so easier to navigate round than Edinburgh. Scott |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Mr Red Date: 18 Feb 02 - 05:37 PM Scotia Bar in Glasga is THE performance venue in the centre for folk, jazz, poetry and probably other arts. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: kendall Date: 18 Feb 02 - 08:02 PM So there is. Around here, we spell burgh, borough, or, boro. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: kendall Date: 18 Feb 02 - 08:05 PM they both rhyme with burro, am ass. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Jock Morris Date: 19 Feb 02 - 06:30 AM Phonetically it's edinburra not edinburro. Thus ends the Scots language lesson for the day:-) Scott |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Scabby Douglas Date: 19 Feb 02 - 06:48 AM Get back to work Scott, and stop pissing off the (potential) visitors.... hehehh.. Cheers Steven |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: GUEST,B. Mills Date: 19 Feb 02 - 07:40 AM CET...if you get to Scotland in Aug/Sept why not visit Ballycastle in Nrn.Ireland for 'THE OULD LAMMAS FAIR'. I'm sure you know the words of the song!...if not, you'll find the words in the Ballycastle website...the fair is in late August. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: kendall Date: 19 Feb 02 - 09:05 AM In any case, if you get a chance to see GABLERLUNZIE, do it. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Grab Date: 19 Feb 02 - 09:15 AM Just BTW, July and August are peak season for midges. May and early June is the best time to avoid getting bitten senseless by the little buggers. They're especially a problem in the valleys, since they hang out in the bracken and around the lochs, but higher in the hills and near the coast you should be reasonably safe from them. I've yet to find a foolproof method for stopping them biting during the day. At night, the best method is to fumigate the tent by burning an inch or so of mosquito coil - trouble is, then your sleeping bags, tent and clothes smell like dodgy joss sticks. And I doubt that the B&B owners would be too keen on you burning that stuff in the room! Graham. |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: Jock Morris Date: 19 Feb 02 - 12:08 PM Steven, If I had a job to get back to I would. Know anyone who needs a software engineer? Scott |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: CET Date: 19 Feb 02 - 08:28 PM The plane tickets have been bought - we're off to the Orkney Islands. The hotel has been booked too, courtesy of the folks at the Orkney Tourist Board, and not a moment too soon. It looks like Stromness will be jammed. We hope to get to some other folk music events before we leave, perhaps at some folk clubs. Any recommendations? What are some good places to do some singing? Kendall, I agree with you about Gaberlunzie. We have some of their tapes. They played in Ottawa a few years back. Edmund |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: GUEST,Nick Date: 19 Feb 02 - 10:25 PM Edinburgh Festival, and the city itself are not to be missed! Ski on a carpet of scrub brushes at Hillend outside of E-burgh. Learn to play golf, if you do not yet, no shortage of courses for that. Pubing! A drive through the highlands, Fort William etc. The country is littered with castles, most in cool places, with great view and or wild ( as in unusual) gardens. I dont know where you are from, but as an American I have rarley had a bad reception in my 10 or so trips to this part of the world, if you are English work on a Canadian accent! |
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Subject: RE: Holiday in Scotland From: GUEST,Billy Date: 20 Feb 02 - 01:11 AM A collector-friend of mine told me of meeting an old-timey fiddler in southern Illinois, who introduced a tune as, "this is called 'The Flowers of Edinburg!' - that's in Germany, y'know." |
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