Jul 23 2008
Bonnie Scotland
I made my first trip to Scotland nine years ago; back then I fell in love with the country of mist-shrouded glens and lochs that unfolded through the windows of the Haggis tour bus. This time ’round, I have a fiddle slung over my shoulder and am riding local buses to find traditional musicians who will teach me tunes and, hopefully, a bit of history.
The past month has been, at times, sunny and sopping wet and I have, at times, been in states of bliss, quiet, doubt, and inspiration. Such is the life while traveling but all is positive and making for an incredible experience.
The pursuit of music lead me first to lovely Perthshire. I hadn’t known about this area before and it left me wondering how on earth I could have missed it the first time around. The landscape enchanted me. If I were to paint it, I’d use every shade of green on the palette for the trees, hills, and fields, and add to it silvery rivers, wildflowers in pastel shades, and wee villages of weathered stone. Each day, after making some effort to practice fiddle, on went the rain gear and off I went to tramp along the riverside and through the Hermitage wood in Birnam in search of waterfalls and swimming holes.
Birnam and the town across the water, Dunkeld, boast some of the most crackin’ sessions (informal jam sessions) in the area nearly every night of the week. It was my ritual to go on Thursday nights to the Taybank Pub & Restaurant where the group of musicians greeted me with smiles and a chair at the table. All guests are welcome to play and if you didn’t pack your mandolin, banjo, or fiddle, feel free to take one off the wall and join in!
Up next: hiking in the Cairngorm Mountains and finding tunes on Shetland Island.
Read more: British Isles, Music, Scotland, TravelJulie
