I am a Canadian fiddler with a great love of Cape Breton fiddling. When I was invited to go to Scotland with my fiddle friend Meagan and her Mom Mary, I jumped at the opportunity. Scotland is the ancestral home of Cape Breton fiddle . There has been a resurgence of the traditional music in the country for some decades now, and Scotland has a thriving trad music scene. I plan my vacations to combine music events , history and culture. This was one of my favorite all time trips. We flew to Glasgow; our first hotel was the Merchant City Inn, formerly the mansion of a wealthy tobacco lord.
Close to our hotel, in a building that was also once a tobacco lord's mansion was the Babbity Bowster. Every Wednesday the charming pub fills with musicians for an afternoon session.
The Bowster hosts an open session, and everyone is welcome to participate. We had a great afternoon of tunes and met some interesting and fun people. If you are a fiddler and in Glasgow this is a session you don't want to miss.
Our next day, after a big Scottish breakfast (eggs, rashers, beans, toast and..black pudding) we travelled to Stirling Castle. Our guide was hilarious and explained a lot of the military history. He was quite comical. The castle is awe inspiring. The Stirling Castle strathspey is one of my favorite fiddle tunes.
We continued our journey that day to Scotland's eastern shore. Our accommodations were at the Fisherman's Tavern hotel. Our rooms on the top floor gave a wonderful view of Broughty's Landing, a pretty seaside town. This was my favorite place to stay of all our accommodations we had in Scotland. The charming inn was clean and comfortable. If you are budget conscious, as I am, you will be pleased to know the inn is very affordable. It was the best value of all our Scotland accommodations. Every week the inn hosts a session on Thursdays. If you are a trad musician, this place is a must-do for an unforgettable Scottish vacation.
We were welcomed and participated in the open session. Good tunes and a good time.
My fiddle friend Meagan at the Fisherman's Tavern session.
The next day, after another delicious and huge Scottish breakfast at the tavern we visited the town's impressive fortification, Broughty Castle. Admission to this castle is free.
Brody Castle, to the east of Inverness is a National Trust of Scotland estate and worth a visit if you are in the Inverness area.
The ancient Pictish monument is on the Brody Castle grounds.
Culloden, the site of the great pivotal battle lost by the Highlanders is very compelling. The visitor centre has interactive displays and films where you feel as if you are actually observing the battle first hand. Alas, the Highlanders lost and the clan system would never regain the political strength it once had. At the visitors centre, on the last Saturday of the month, there is a tutor lead fiddle session..In nearby Inverness, Hootananny is the place to go for celtic music enthusiasts. They have sessions three times a week and feature great traditional music group performances other nights.
After our stay at Inverness we travelled south and visited the island of Iona and saw the Iona Abbey , once the centre of Scotland's Christian monastic system.
A celtic cross in Iona (above) and the Abbey (below). First we went to the island of Mull by ferry and joined a bus tour of Mull. The engaging and informative driver had great commentary of the history and sights of the island. The first part of the tour took us to the ferry to Iona. My friend Mary was especially interested in Iona. She and her first husband restored a grand home owned by a Scottish setter in Bruce County. He was known as "Peter the Gold" and was born in Iona. Like many hard working Scottish immigrants, he made his fortune in Canada. His home, a testament to the success of Scottish immigrants, still stands today in Bruce County, thanks to the careful restoration of Mary and her first husband. Mary, like myself, is a descendant of the Scottish settlers of Bruce County. Thus this vacation for Mary, Meagan and me, was a return to our ancestral homeland. Mary's mother (a teacher of mine in grade school) was an avid historian. She would have be so pleased that her former student, and her daughter and granddaughter followed her footsteps and made the pilgrimage to our Scottish ancestors' country, as she did more than once in her lifetime.
We took the two ferries back to the mainland, and were able to go to The Barn, a pub outside of Oban that has a traditional open session every Sunday evening. The tunes were great and the local musicians very friendly. We played a few tunes and have a lovely supper.
From Oban we travelled to Edinburgh. Sandy Bells is a well known music pub and there are sessions many times throughout the week. We visited on a Monday night for the "Itchy and Scratchy" session, an open session that welcomes all players regardless of their skill level.
If you are a tourist with a fiddle, this is a warm and welcoming session and you are guaranteed a great time.
The "loo" at Sandy Bells...love it!
Of course a visit to Edinburgh would be incomplete without going to Edinburgh Castle and walking the famous Royal Mile. We also visited Greyfriars Kirk graveyard. A fascinating place (and free). A statue of Greyfriar's Bobby is beside the graveyard...and the cemetery is said to be haunted. A nice place to visit during the day..but I would not want to be there after dark!
After Edinburgh we returned to Glasgow for our flight . The last session we attended was at the Lismore pub.
The session at the Lismore is fast paced and thrilling. The musicians are mostly Glasgow university students. This is one of the sessions that was a pleasure to observe, and we enjoyed great music to remember before our flight home. Scotland. I love you. And I will return!
