An alt musical tour of Scotland

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This article titled "An alt musical tour of Scotland" was written by Olaf Furniss, for theguardian.com on Thursday 11th August 2016 05.30 UTC

It’s a popular Scottish myth that the country’s entire music scene can be found in Glasgow, with the wider central belt offering occasional diversions during the Edinburgh festivals. In reality, fantastic acts can be found in the remotest corners, with village venues often attracting crowds as large as the cities, helping to create harmonious communities in far flung places.

Scotland musical tour locations

I know this, because as a music journalist I have written about many of them and met many more at the music industry events I organise. Moreover, as a member of the Scottish Tourist Guides Association, I am used to plying visitors with recommendations for live music.

But in spite of this, I have long experienced niggling guilt over my failure to try being a music tourist in my own country, a feeling that grows each time I return from covering an exotic foreign festival.

Count the sheep … a familiar scene from a Scottish road trip

After consulting photographer Jannica Honey, we decide that the isle of Lewis should be the final destination of our road trip, that the route should bypass the cities and that we’ll be able to drive the route without resorting to satnav (we fail on that last one).

Along the way, we explore Johnny Cash’s Fife ancestry, stop at the statue to a multimillion-selling accordionist, visit the original home town of legendary AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, experience Dougie MacLean’s Dunkeld and meet the people who put Ullapool on the musical map.

Queensferry, Dunfermline, Falkland, Strathmiglo and Auchtermuchty

The author and a young cyclist at Queensferry

We begin our trip north of Edinburgh, looking out across the Firth of Forth from Queensferry, from where pilgrims used to cross to reach the holy sites of Dunfermline and St Andrew’s. Back in the 1980s when Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr and his then wife Chrissy Hynde lived here, they would have taken in the same view of the majestic rail bridge stretching over to the Kingdom of Fife.

We had originally planned to head towards St Andrews and the East Neuk of Fife area, which has become synonymous with King Creosote’s Fence Collective and provided a springboard for the likes of the Beta Band, KT Tunstall and James Yorkston. The Fence Collective, Will Hodgkinson wrote in the Guardian in 2005, was “an ever-expanding group of local musicians that, with not much more than a CD burner and the back room of a seafront pub called the Ship Tavern, turned Anstruther village into one of the most unlikely creative hubs in Europe”. However, this special scene and its locations are amply covered in Vic Galloway’s book Songs In The Key of Fife, so we take the 20-minute drive to Dunfermline instead.

The town is the final resting place of Robert the Bruce and spawned Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson, Big Country and one of Scotland’s most successful female artists, Barbara Dickson, who once topped the charts (I Know Him So Well, with Elaine Paige, 1985) for what seemed like half a year.

Wester Cash farm

We have a late breakfast at the Fire Station arts centre, which is hosting an exhibition by another local hero, former Skids frontman Richard Jobson. His band played 14 shows at the former Kinema ballroom (renamed Velocity, then closed down), across the road. The Clash’s film Rude Boy includes footage of them performing Tommy Gun in the venue.

Slightly deflated by the demise of such an iconic establishment, we lift our spirits by putting on a Johnny Cash compilation and drive for half an hour towards Strathmiglo, a quiet village whose churchyard he refers to in his autobiography, Cash, the Man In Black. Although there is no plaque, two amused women direct us to a street called Cash Feu, which leads on to Wester Cash Farm.

Fire Station arts centre, Dunfermline

After further investigation, we discover that the country legend traced his roots to the area after a chance meeting with the keeper of nearby Falkland Palace, home to the world’s oldest tennis court still in use. Cash visited three times and in 1981 even recorded a TV Christmas special at the historic building. Today, the family connection with Scotland is maintained by Johnny’s daughter, Rosanne, who has worked with Scottish accordionist Phil Cunningham.

In nearby Auchtermuchty, we stop at the statue of Jimmy Shand, an earlier master of the button box, who never moved away from Fife despite selling millions of records and composing over 300 songs. The laird of Auchtermuchty was the accordion equivalent to an axe virtuoso, and his playing was so fast the Hohner company built him an instrument specially to suit his technique.

Broughty Ferry, Kirriemuir and Clova

Glen Cova

After paying our respects to Shand, we cross the Firth of Tay. Our next destination is Assai Records, a new vinyl-only shop in Broughty Ferry, a seaside suburb of Dundee. I buy King Creosote’s soundtrack to From Scotland With Love, a moving assemblage of footage from the Scottish film archive, which includes scenes of families saying goodbye to loved ones departing for new lives overseas.

It is an appropriate theme for our next destination, Kirriemuir, a picturesque town of red sandstone, with a population of about 6,000.

The author shopping at Assai Records, Broughty Ferry

Future rock god Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott (who tragically died in south-east London in 1980 aged just 33), spent the first six years of his life in Kirriemuir, before his family emigrated to Australia, where 20 years later he met Glasgow-born brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Many AC/DC fans are unaware of the singer’s origins and as we approach the recently unveiled, life-size bronze statue, I am already making a mental list of friends I want to bring here.

We have arranged to meet John Crawford, chairman of the annual Bonfest, which raises funds for the local DD8 youth music group, run by Graham Galloway. The two men were behind a crowdsourcing campaign that raised the money to commission the statue.

In the 1990s, many locals were not keen on the town’s association with a hard-drinking rock’n’roller, but since the launch of the tribute event 10 years ago, attitudes appear to have softened. Bon is now honoured with a plaque along with other Kirriemuir notables: Peter Pan creator JM Barrie, geologist Charles Lyell, mountaineer Sir Hugh Munro (who created the famous list of mountains over 3,000ft) and the Cameron traditional music dynasty.

The Bon Scott statue, with one of the band’s younger fans

“It’s been a slow process,” says Galloway, who is cheered by the local minister’s favourable sermon – given to coincide with inauguration of the statue of the Highway To Hell composer.

Graham takes us on a tour of understated Bon locations, which are guaranteed to satisfy the AC/DC trainspotter.

The former Scott bakery is now occupied by an embroidery and garment printing shop, where a school photo of Bon shares window space with various articles of clothing including a packet of Sox Inna Box. Nearby, the Star Rock sweet shop, established in 1833, devotes a small section to a basket filled with AC/DC rock.

A window display at the former Scott bakery

Although the erstwhile family home is down a gated cul de sac, a modern housing development on the edge of town has been named Bon Scott Place. Anyone familiar with Scott’s lyrics cannot help being tickled by the thought of him living on this genteel estate.

Before we depart, Galloway reminds us that Kirriemuir also hosts a long-running folk festival, and is home to Joe Aitken, singer of bothy ballads (farm labourer songs).

Having completed our AC/DC pilgrimage, we drive on empty single-track roads to the Glen Clova hotel (doubles from £90 B&B) in the picturesque settlement of Clova, surrounded by the five Angus glens. It hosts an annual music and ale festival, fortnightly trad sessions and does amazing fish and chips.

There is no mobile reception, the call box outside is broken and for the first time since I can remember, I use a hotel payphone to arrange our first appointment for the following day. I have just enough time to feel nostalgic … before my change runs out.

Dunkeld and Aviemore

Dunkeld music mogul Dougie MacLean

Next morning, we meet folk superstar Dougie MacLean and his wife/manager, Jenny, who have created a veritable cottage industry in the Dunkeld area. In the early 1980s, they set up a record label and publishing company in the hamlet of Butterstone, which was followed by a recording studio. They now also stream gigs from the school attended by both the musician and his father.

In 2005 the MacLeans launched the Perthshire Amber Festival, which has seen Dougie perform in many of the area’s top attractions. These include the Hermitage, a beautiful woodland walk leading to the Black Linn waterfall, the Edradour Distillery, which sells a “Caledonia” malt, named after his most famous song, and Dunkeld Cathedral, which houses the gravestone of renowned 18th-century fiddler, Niel Gow.

“I wanted to bring musical friends I have played with here and share a connection with the place where my songs come from,” says Dougie, who plans to launch a second festival next spring.

The MacLeans previously owned Dunkeld’s Taybank hotel, establishing it as a music oasis where guests can take an instrument off the wall and join in a session. Later this year, its current owners, Lucy Davidson and Roddy Hand, are due to open an upstairs restaurant and second music room, and in summer the pub hosts occasional open air gigs in the beer garden next to the river.

Kim Plimley and Owen Caldwell

Seventy miles up the road in Aviemore, on the banks of the Spey, we find a similar musical outpost at the Old Bridge Inn, where Kim Plimley and Owen Caldwell cater for an extensive range of tastes. Recent times have seen Highlanders leaping around here to hip-hop band Stanley Odd and skiers dancing to Chicago house during a snowstorm. This month, revellers will be setting off from here for what a BBC documentary once described as “the world’s weirdest music festival” – the Strathspey Safari mystery bus tour (from £40, 20 August). In the daytime, the Old Bridge Inn manages to masquerade as a perfectly normal pub, though with good food and a quality playlist. It is no wonder Bob Dylan bought himself a house nearby.

Ullapool

Corrieshalloch Gorge, en route to Ullapool

What most of these hotspots have in common is that they have been developed by couples, and in the early 1970s Robert and Jean Urquhart blazed a trail, putting Ullapool on the musical map with the Ceildih Place. When it opened, most of the road from Inverness to the west coast was still single track and had grass growing in the middle. It is a breathtaking drive there – a stop to walk across the suspension bridge at Corrieshalloch Gorge is a true highlight – and in the time since the road was widened, the Ceildih Place (bunkhouse double rooms from £62 B&B, en suite doubles from £150 B&B) has evolved into a beautiful hotel, excellent restaurant, respected venue and well-stocked bookshop.

Young dancers strut their stuff in Ullapool

“We had a sign: ‘sing for your supper’,” recalls Jean, “And Robert would say, ‘if they’re crap, give them their tea early’.”

These days, musicians get a fee and Jean now leaves the running of the Ceilidh Place to her daughter and son-in-law. The town’s music scene is bolstered by the Macphail Centre and the nearby Arch Inn.

Robert Hicks

Co-owned by Robert Hicks, the Arch Inn is a great music and dining prospect, which also offers accommodation (doubles from £75 B&B). A veteran of promoting tours in the Highlands and Islands, he launched the Loopallu Festival in 2005, attracting the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Paolo Nutini and Mumford & Sons to the village (this year it features Feeder and The Wonder Stuff, £85 adult weekend camping, 30 September-1 October).

“In the summer there will almost always be music on somewhere in the village,” says Robert, who also hosts sessions for the Ullapool Guitar Festival, adding that the ferry port ensures a steady stream of visitors year round.

Isle of Lewis – Stornoway and Uig

Crossing to Stornoway

The following morning, we are among the only passengers not carrying instruments as we embark on the 2½-hour crossing to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, where the Heb Celt festival is in full swing.

As with any big event in a small place, the limited accommodation gets snapped up fast, so locals rent out rooms to fill the gaps (Visit Scotland office provides a list, as well as information on regular hotels and B&Bs). The relatively modern Cabarfeidh offers four-star accommodation (doubles from £115 B&B).

Heb Celt festival

After checking into our digs, we head to the festival site, which is sandwiched between the harbour and the imposing Lews Castle, built by a 19th-century opium trader who used his ill-gotten gains to buy the whole island in 1844. The four-day event offers the perfect opportunity to get a snapshot of Scotland’s trad talent, and after the outdoor area closes, there are gigs late into the night at numerous locations. These include stunning An Lanntair arts centre, which has an impressive programme throughout the year, including DJs, touring acts and a local artist night hosted by 18-year-old Stornoway songwriter Eleanor Nicolson, along with Keith Morrison, whose Wee Studio has been instrumental in developing island musicians.

Keith Morrison and Eleanor Nicolson

Music can be found in a wide variety of places in Stornoway, with Eleanor and her friends regularly playing in McNeill’s pub, while the renowned Willie Campbell is a fixture at the Star Inn. Less likely locations include the Woodland Centre, the Stornoway Sea Angling Club (where Biffy Clyro once performed) and even the Stornoway Free Church.

When we explain our interest in Gaelic psalm singing, precentor Alasdair Macleod – whose job it is to sing the first line in the call and response – enlists fellow parishioners Elizabeth and Alistair, and treats us to an impromptu recital of this hauntingly beautiful genre. The congregation recently voted to maintain the practice of not using musical instruments during worship, which allows us to enjoy the music as it has been sung for centuries.

It is a far cry from our final gig on the island, at the Stornoway Golf Club, a rather incongruous but strangely conducive setting to see local rock heroes Broken Ravens. They perform below a plaque listing past presidents of this sporting institution, to an audience which includes most of An Lanntair’s bar staff and a really hard-looking bloke wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with pandas.

Broken Ravens perform at Stornoway Golf Club

The following day we arrange to meet Malky Maclean, who is best-described as cultural oracle and a font of knowledge relating to all things Gaelic and Hebridean. In the 1980s, he set up Fèisean nan Gàidheal to support traditional music tuition across the region, enlisting the best players to pass on their knowledge. Nearly everyone we speak to mentions the role it has played in developing a new generations of artists, including Heb Celt highlight Julie Fowlis. And the numerous Fèisean concerts hosted throughout the Highlands and islands during the year are well worth looking out for.

We follow Malky across a narrow road and after about 45 minutes arrive at the Callanish standing stones on the west coast of Lewis. Our guide points out that they form a Celtic cross, despite dating back to 3000BC, and cites the work undertaken by local archaeo-astronomer Margaret Curtis. He then interrupts his talk to point out one of 24 other stone circles on the island.

The author (right) with Malky Maclean at the Callanish stones

“Back in the 1980s, I was up here on a really cold day and suddenly I could hear music. It turned out to be Ultravox, making a video on the next hill.”

In the evening we head over to restaurant-with-rooms bolthole Auberge Carnish (two courses £30.50, doubles £130 B&B), which overlooks the white sands of Uig, a truly glorious location when the sun is shining. The owner and chef, Richard Leparoux, cooks up the best food we have eaten on Lewis (highlights were the monkfish with scallops, and the venison).

The Sea Trek trip takes in caves around the Outer Hebrides

Back at Malky’s house, we learn that in 2007 he produced and directed St Kilda – A European Opera, but due to the bad weather there is no prospect of sailing to the island whose community asked to be evacuated in 1930. Instead, the next morning we board a two-hour Sea Trek excursion (wildlife boat trips from £38pp) closer to shore. It proves to be the perfect finale to our island visit, as well as a reminder that we have merely scratched the surface of this wonderful place.

• For places to stay in Scotland go to VisitScotland.com/accommodation

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