On the 28th of July the Ems Highlander Pipes and
Drums started their first tour to Scotland.Thirteen members of
the band (9 Pipers, 1 Tenor Drummer, 2 Snare Drummers and 1
Bass Drummer) and a number of friends and family members – 30
people in all – assembled at a rehearsal room at Emsdetten in
Germany. We were setting off on our Tour of Scotland. Our
first destination was to be the port of Ijmuiden near
Amsterdam.
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From there, the DFDS-Seaways-Ferry took us to
Newcastle; during the overnight sea journey there were quite
remarkable wind and waves...
After arriving on 'solid ground', we headed
north. By mid afternoon, we arrived on the shores of Loch
Lomond, and could not wait to get our pipes out of the bus and
start playing! It was a very moving experience indeed – for
many of the bandsfolk, it was their first time in Scotland –
and for all of us the first time playing their pipes and drums
in this country! Our first performance in Scotland was very
enjoyable – and we soon attracted a crowd of visitors and
tourists, as well lots of midges!!
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We continued on to Glencoe, enjoying the
astonishing landscape and learning a good dealabout the history of
this valley. Luckily some of members of our party had done
their homework well and were able to share stories of Scottish
history.A number
of amazing, touching and exceptional legends and stories were
recounted! In the evening, our party eventually reached
Ballachulish on the banks of Loch Leven.
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The next morning we departed for the Glenfinnan
monument, passing Loch Linnhe and Fort William. A very
impressive part of the Scottish history – again! There we
played a few tunes (including 'With a Hundred Pipers') in
honour of Bonnie Prince Charlie's raising of the standard at
this spot. Afterwards we visited the Glenfinnan Viaduct and
were lucky enough - thanks to precise time management! :) - to
get a glimpse ofthe “Hogwarts Express“ - The Jacobite Steam Train on
its way from Fort William to Mallaig.
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The coach followed the train to Mallaig
(enjoying the 'Road to the Isles'), and the afternoon was
spent admiring the perfect views of Skye, Eigg and Muck – with
a good serving of Fish & Chips.
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We really regretted not being able to visit Skye
(and not playing the 'Skye Boat Song' there!) - but perhaps
next time!
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On the way back to Ballachulish we passed and
visited the 'Neptune's staircase' – which we were told is
Britain's longest flight of locks – and we watched some boats
passing through the locks. A shopping tour through Fort
William followed and marked the end of the day. Full of
recollections we returned to the hotel at
Ballachulish.
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On the morning of the 31st of August, our coach
left Ballachulish, heading for our 2nd hotel in
Grantown-on-Spey. En route we made a stop at Urquhart Castle,
and although we all cast an alert eye over Loch Ness, we could
spot no sign of Nessie...
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After that, we visited the 'Culloden Battlefield
Visitor Centre' – a moving experience. We were fortunate - a
very enthusiastic and eloquent member of the museum staff,
dressed in the highland dress of the mid 18th century, gave us
an engaging overview of the history and tragic of the Battle
of Culloden. He explained and demonstrated how to load a
musquet (trying to fire 3 shots a minute); how to get properly
dressed in a plaid; and much more. It was so fascinating that
we spontaneously decided to discard our schedule and spend an
extra hour there!
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Passing Cawdor Castle, we headed for our hotel,
the Craiglynne in Granton-on-Spey, where we spent a sociable
and folksy evening.
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The next day was spent in the Speyside area –
our first destination being Elgin Cathedral. Later we made our
way towards the coast, heading for Cullen Bay. Following an
enjoyable serving of 'Cullen Skink' at the Three Kings Inn, we
performed right there in front of the Inn (including 'Cullen
Bay', a lovely 5/4 March). We were joined by Michelle from the
Three Kings Inn Staff (a former Tenor and Bass Drummer
herself!) who was pleased to play the Bass Drum during
'Scotland the Brave'. Great fun indeed!
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We had to make a hard decision whilst planning
our tour – which distillery should we visit where we could do
an extensive Whisky tasting? Alas, we had to chose ONE only...
and finally decided to visit Strathisla Distillery. We had a
very informative tour followed by a cheerful tasting
session!
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On Sunday, the 2nd of August, we had to pack our
bags and started our journey to Edinburgh. For our Pipe Major,
Sebastian Thomas, in particular a very touching and emotional
part of our tour was about to begin. We were going to visit
Glenshee and Clach na Coileach (the Cockstane) - the ancient
gathering place of the Clan MacThomas.A number of years ago
Sebastian had attended two Clan Gathering in Glenshee and -
along with all the other band members – was really looking
forward to playing there again.
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But our route first took us to Balmoral Castle
where Her Majesty the Queen spends her summer holidays.
Because she was in residence we could only view from a
distance. We then drove on to the lovely village of Braemar
where the band spent half an hour performing in the village
centre.
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Shortly after noon it was time to drive onto
Glenshee. Arriving at the Cockstane, we were given a really
warm welcome by Robin Thoms, Vice President of the Clan
MacThomas Society. The Pipes and Drums then to the Stane
playing 'The Green Hills of Tyrol' and 'When the Battle is
Over'. Sebastian then played a solo piece, Lady Finegand,
whilst standing on the ledge on the Cockstane. Subsequently
Robin Thoms addressed those present telling the story of how
the Cockstane got its unique name. It was an overwhelming
experience standing at the Clan's gathering place whilst
wearing the beautiful colours of the MacThomas tartan! Many
photographs were taken and, when we finally left, we felt
proud and honoured to have played at this marvellous
place.
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Finally, we arrived at Edinburgh, the last
destination of our tour. After this very eventful day, we
spend the evening with some glasses of beer and a dram of
Whisky... Slainte mhar!*****The next morning, our coach took us right into
the City Centre. We having our kilts and instruments with us
so another dream came true - playing right in front of St.
Giles Cathedral! Soon a crowd gathered and listened to our
music. Taking photographs with (other J) tourists took just as
many time as the playing itself! Everyone had a lot of
fun!
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The afternoon was spent sightseeing, shopping
and just exploring this magnificent and fascinating city... and we were all
getting a little bit melancholy as the end of our trip drew
near.
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On the 4th of August we had to drive back to
Newcastle, passing Melrose Abbey en route. The band’s final
performance of the trip was on the 'Mermaid Deck' of the
DFDS-Seaways-Ferry to Amsterdam -just before putting
out to sea. Storing our baggage AND the instruments
(especially the Bass Drum) in our rather small cabins was
quite a task – but playing onboard made it
worthwhile!
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After nine days of travelling, we finally
arrived back in Emsdetten – and there was no one who did not
wish that we could have spent some more days in this beautiful
and bewitching part of the world!
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We will be back – for sure!
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Translated & precised from the original German report
by Society member Sebastian Thomas from
Germany with a little help from the Webmaster.
