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Scotland 2012

Discussion in 'Travel Photography' started by yuna, Oct 24, 2013.

  1. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Absolutely! Pembrokeshire Coastal Path ... nice pubs ... and witches!
  2. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Walker Street, god not been down there for decades, they used to have the American comics shop on that street 'Yankee Mags' :), that was where I would get my Marvel comics and DC comics in the 1960's, I remember the name now but I was never in Pattersons.

    There is a really nice pub just up from there that i used to frequent, the Bar Point, the owners were really nice blokes
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2013
  3. Jonnyivy
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    Jonnyivy Member

    A 'wee bit' of my story after reading of the musicians playing in the corner of a pub ....
    Many years ago I used to work in 'The Scotsmans Lounge' at the top of Cockburn Street in Edinburgh. It was just down the road from the Edinburgh castle. Every Wednesday the lads in the castle's pipe band would come down for a pint. These guys could play the bagpipes !! My boss always kept a set of pipes in the cellar as he was determined to learn to play. When the lads came down he would nip down and bring them up to the bar. This night there were 4 elderly English tourists sitting in the corner (sound like a theme for a joke , but its not). When these pipers came in for their pint later in the evening the boss got the pipes out. It was never very busy, but he would skirl and screech away on them trying tune them up properly and to pick up tips from these talented pipers. As the night got on, the pipes were passed around,..first was a quick reel,..then passed to another who would play a slow lament, then on to a younger piper who would play something really fast. I think they were passed to at least 10 pipers. All these guys had the place jumping . You would never guess from their clothing that they were professional musicians as they just had casual clothes on. Old 'Tam' was sitting in the corner,..typical old Scotsman,...drinking his pint with his whiskey 'chaser'. He'd had a few but still managed to keep the beat with his hands and feet tapping.
    Well, over goes the band-leader who knew him, persuades old Tam to get up and 'geez a choon'?... I was amazed when he eventually gave in and got to his feet. He didn't have enough 'blaw' to get them skirling , so the band-leader took the mouth-piece and blew into it for him. What a brilliant rendition of 'Scotland the Brave ' he played ! He had the English tourists clapping and cheering all the way through it. I think he got his next pint 'on the house'.
    Closing time came,..all the lads poured out the pub, swaggering a wee bit,..then the English got up to leave.
    " did you have a good night then ?" they were asked,...brilliant, they said,...but we never realised that everyone in Scotland could play the bagpipes !!!
    Didn't have the heart to tell them who the lads actually were !!!
  4. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Great story Jonny :like:

    Some years ago I discovered these blokes The Red Hot Chilli Pipers fell in love with their music instantly used to play it in the car on those days we would be driving round the mountains :)

    I love the pipes there is just something that breaks my heart when I hear a great pipe tune, out of the last 9 years I spent 7, I think, New Year's in Manila, most of them I had the music on out on our terrace blasting out a whistle tune and always something on the pipes.

    My favourite traditional whistle tune was and is "A Whistle on the Wind" by Joanie Madden composed by Johnny Cunningham, there is a small snippet here http://www.allmusic.com/song/a-whistle-on-the-wind-jug-of-punch-dogs-among-the-bushes-mt0010556715

    It is worth visiting the Chilli Pipers page and listening to a track from their new album, really pleased that I looked them up again as I didn't know they had new stuff out :)
  5. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Ah Snaefell :)

    Went up there in 1970 and 1972 I think as well, not been back to the Isle since sadly but I really liked it as a child.
  6. aposhark
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    aposhark Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Whenever I drive through the Scottish countryside I always think how lovely it would be to live there.
    For me, Scotland is breath-taking in places and I drive around our island all the time.
  7. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    Stick this stuff on as you are driving through the hills....







    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 19, 2014
  8. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    My big sister is just up the road from you in Carnoustie :)
  9. yuna
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    yuna Cat Lover Staff Member

    I looove the bagpipes! Love the sound of it! But I never realized how LOUD it was till I took that photo with me with the bagpipe player. I wish I could've visited that music school specifically for bag pipes and tried the bagpipes as well. Maybe next time :) :like:
  10. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    Did you go here for holidays?
  11. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Yeah we went to Douglas three times over three years, I enjoyed the 6 hour boat trip because as a kid it was a big adventure and of course the Irish sea can be quite extreme :) Very strong swells :)

    My parents were always ready to explore when we were on holiday so we did see most of the island, been on round trips a couple of times and I am pretty sure we did the TT lap at least once by bus :)

    This was when we were getting a bit better off, before that the best we could manage was the Costa Clyde ;) Largs, Saltcoats, Ardrossan, and of course Rothsay and Millport (Millport on the Cumbrae).
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2013
  12. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    They were an instrument of war Majah or so the legend goes http://www.nefa.net/archive/songmusicdance/pipes/war.htm there are those that say this is not really the case.

    Supposedly meant to be played outdoors :) that is why they are so loud and yes by god they are loud :) When you hear a full military band it is just stunning, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo http://www.edinburghtattootickets.com/edinburgh-military-tattoo-tickets.html#.UmsIn_mkpgg is well worth seeing, that's in August every year.

    I wept when the pipers played us (the Brits) out of Hong Kong is 1997, one of the main pieces was 'Highland Cathedral' if I remember correctly, the Chilli's do a great version of that one.
  13. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    That's why I mentioned England as well :lol: ;) :D
  14. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Sadly that car is long gone John, right now I don't have a car that works at all, plus I'm stuck in England :)

    Runrig while I like them were never top of my personal favourites, however I do like Celtic Rock in all it's forms but I am more fond of traditional Gaelic folk music to be honest. Also fond of a lot of traditional English Folk.
  15. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    You might not remember but there is no maximum speed limit here so there are sections of road where you can drive as fast as you wish, legally, the mountain road being one of them. I take it you went up Snaefell in the tram? The ferry is quicker now. The fast craft is about 2 1/2 - 2 3/4 hours.
  16. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Yes I had forgotten that but I remember now that you mention it, that would have been fun in the S.

    Regards Snaefell, yeah it was the tram and a Funicular railway towards the summit if I remember correctly?

    The old Ardrossan - Douglas route was by a badly stabilised ferry used to roll all over the place can't remember the shipping line but would not be surprised if it was Caledonian MacBrayne, good to know it is a lot quicker now, saying that I guess it is even quicker from Liverpool where I am now.
  17. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    Well, that figure I quoted of 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours is indeed from Liverpool. There are only two destinations (not including Belfast) to the UK mainland now and that's Heysham and Liverpool. That one to Ardrossan has obviously ceased at some point.

    Victorian electric tram all the way from Douglas now, via Laxey. I haven't seen a funicular.
  18. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Ah I see, didn't know the Ardrossan ferry had stopped, that was literally 6 hours in the old days.

    Maybe I am just thinking of a third geared rail on the tram then, it was a long long time ago 40 years :) I do remember going all the way from the north end of Douglas even back then via Laxey.

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