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Scottish Fiddle Hike 2008

Specialty Hike

The Trip

Nothing tells a story of a country like its landscapes and its music. This year Distant Journeys in collaboration with C-N-DO Scotlandand fiddler Ed Pearlman (music columnist since 1996 for Scottish Life magazine, and renowned performer/teacher) will be hosting a new kind of walking tour, a Scottish Fiddle Hike. During this 8-day trip, we will spend our days walking through Scotland’s wild and romantic countryside and our evenings participating in sessions, attending ceilidhs and meeting some of Scotland’s finest fiddlers and other musicians.

A trip for fiddlers and non-fiddlers alike, our walks begin in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park with its deep lochs, rugged hills and dark forests. Home to the legendary 17th century outlaw, Rob Roy, the unspoiled beauty of this area has been inspiring imaginations for centuries. Next we journey to Loch Ossianin the southern Highlands for a taste of Scottish wilderness. This dark lake surrounded by endless hills and open moorlands should provide a uniquely remote setting for walking and playing music. From here we continue on to Perthshire and the village of Dunkeld. Know as "Big Tree Country", this area of soft landscapes and stately old tree was home to renowned 18th century fiddler Niel Gow. Finally heading toward Inverness, we will stop for one last walk in the mountains Cairngorms National Park. Encompassing the area of Strathspey, this is Britain’s largest national park.

To this trip of scenic variety, Ed and our Scottish guide will bring their knowledge of the Scotland’s colorful history and vibrant music tradition. What better way to connect with a country than to travel its contours slowly on foot and interacting with its music traditions?

Our October Scottish Fiddle Hike will begin in Beauly near Inverness, and is timed to begin on the same day the Blazin'in Beauly fiddle school ends, for those who are interested in coming early to participate. The itinerary for this hike will be run in reverse to the one outlined below.

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Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Scotland, pick up at Glasgow Airport. Bit of sightseeing in the Stirling area and a bit of a walk to stretch the legs and get some fresh air into the lungs. Then we head for our accommodation for the next 2 nights at the Trossachs Tryst near Callander. This is high quality hiker’s hostel on the edge of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, with space for fiddle playing and a ceilidh in the evening. Janet, one of the owners, is a singer and musician and is usually happy to help things go with a swing.

Day 2: Walk in the Trossachs area, part of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, this is a landscape of rugged hills, autumnal woods, lochs and tumbling burns. There are a great variety of walks available in this area allowing some flexibility given the weather.

Day 3: Today we head north. From Tyndrum we walk part of the West Highland Way to the Bridge of Orchy, where we then board an evening train to Corrour. Carrying everything we will need for the next two days, a “torchlight” stroll of about one mile will bring us to the isolated Eco-hostel of Loch Ossian. (The American translation for torch is flashlight.)

Day 4: Moorlands, the dark waters of Loch Ossian and hills leading into the distance blend together to create the wide open, wild landscapes that surround us. Today we walk in the Loch Ossian area looking and listening for the roaring stags, then its fiddle time after dinner. This will be a rare opportunity to immerse ourselves in the natural beauty and traditional music of Scotland.

Day 5: Heading back to the rail station, we now travel east to the greener and more colorful cods of Perthshire. We will stop for a walk enroute to Dunkeld, our base for the next two nights. Fiddle evening at Taymouth Hotel, the local music hostelry in Dunkeld.

Day 6: We will take time to walk and explore this area known as Scotland’s Big Tree country and also as the home of renowned 18th century fiddler Neil Gow.

Day 7: Today we head north to the Inverness area, where we will spend the night. Enroute we will walk in the Loch Morlich area of Strathspey, now part of the Cairngorms National Park. There is the possibility of an evening session with renowned fiddler Bruce MacGregor, after which we head into Inverness for a ceilidh at Hootananny’s, one Scotland’s foremost music venues.

Day 8: After a leisurely breakfast, there will be a transfer to Stirling. Trains depart Stirling frequently for Glasgow and beyond.

Please Note: All our itineraries are subject to change. Walks will be weather dependent and fiddle sessions and events may be altered or added.

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Additional Information:

Included:

Scottish walking guide/driver, Scottish fiddler, teacher and music columnist, Ed Pearlman , Minibus transport from arrival at airport on 7th to departure in Beauly on the 14th, Train journeys to and from Corrour, All accommodation, all breakfasts, 6 packed lunches, 5 evening meals, Any group safety equipment required.

Not Included:

Air fare, 2 dinners in Dunkeld, optional/individual or individual excursions, items not on set dinner menus, beverages, insurance, tips to guides, items of personal nature (phone calls, laundry, excess baggage charge, passport fees, etc.).

Luggage:

During this hike trip members luggage will be transported between accommodations, with the exception of Days 3 & 4 when we will be staying at the remote hostel of Loch Ossain. Most days it will be necessary to carry only a daypack containing the things needed for the day (i.e. water lunch, warm sweater, rain gear). For our walk into Loch Ossian in addition to the usual items, trip members will need to carry the clothing and accessories you will need for these two nights, plus your fiddle if you wish to bring it.

Accommodations:

In an effort to keep the costs for our Fiddle Hike as moderate as possible and thereby making it accessible to a wider range of fiddlers and hikers, we will be staying in simple but comfortable hiker’s hostels and B&B’s.

Hiker's Hostels: We will spend 2 night at Trossachs Tryst near Callander. Located near Lomond and Trossachs National Park this hostel provides 2 to 4 person bunkrooms with private bathrooms. There is a common dining room as well as meeting room and laundry and drying facilities are also available. 2 nights will be spent at Loch Ossian , a “rustic style Eco Hostel set high on Rannach Moor.” Again there is a common dining area and shared bunkrooms. While there are washing facilities, like the White Mountain Huts of New Hampshire, alas there are no showers.

Bed and Breakfast: We will spend 3 nights at comfortable B&B’s, 2 nights in Dunkeld and one night near Inverness. Both offer 2 to 3 person rooms with private bathroom facilities.

Travel:

It is easiest to fly to Glasgow, Scotland. However, there are frequent trains from Edinburgh and Manchester as well, just be sure to allow for extra travel time.

Meeting point:

Glasgow airport at 11:00 am on Day 1 for a group transfer to Trossachs Tryst.

Ending point:

The trip will end the morning of the last day with a transfer to Beauly and then Stirling.

Who would enjoy this hike:

This will be our first year offering the Scottish Fiddle Hike and our first time collaborating with C-N-DO Scotland, a leader in walking and hiking tours in Scotland. Ed Pearlman , renowned fiddler and columnist for Scottish Life Magazine, with his knowledge of and insight into the Scottish Fiddle tradition, as well as his personal connections to some of Scotland’s finest musicians, will add a unique dimension to the trip.

First of all this is a hike for those who are excited about the opportunity to be part of an inaugural trip, who are flexible, and have a highly developed sense of humor and spirit of adventure. This is also a trip for fiddlers of all abilities who like to hike and who would like to experience some of the landscapes that have influenced the Scottish fiddle tradition. And this is a trip for hikers who are interested in learning about Scottish culture through its fiddle tradition. Walks on any give day will be determined by the weather and the ability and interests of the group. Trip members should anticipate fall-like weather and, as always in Scotland, rain.

For More information or to register please call.