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Post by Jackalynn on Oct 18, 2010 13:42:08 GMT -5
I have been to Skye twice now. The 1st time, we did a trip up through Scotland to meet some Tull friends of mine in Ayrshire. From there we went up through the Highlands and over to Skye. I was not impressed by Broadford, by any means, but we followed the pretty 1 track road out the Strathaird Peninsula and stayed at a great B&B/ Restaurant in Elgol (Coruisk House). I ask the owner where Dun Ringill was and the next day, in the rain, we drove to Kilamarie, saw Ians old house, wandered through the spooky Cemetary (Old Kilmarie Graveyard), then made our way across the bridge and out the coast trail to Dun Ringill. It was about 2 miles out, I'd say. It was a beautiful walk, with all the Heather blooming, and the Puffins playing. It was really great to be there where some of my favorite music came from. The owners of the B&B asked my daughter if she wanted to come back the following summer and work for them. So, the next June, she was off to Glasgow, where my friends picked her up and drove her up to Skye. She thought it was beautiful and got to see so much, but she said it was a bit lonely. I'm sure it would be for an 18 yearold. We picked her up at the end of her work there, and stayed a couple of nights. We met a man who used to work for Ian on one of the fish farms. People seem to highly respect Ian for selling his estate to the John Muir Foundation. It will be kept as it was....very beautiful! Lou Bane (aka Jack-a-lynn)
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Post by TM on Oct 18, 2010 20:24:50 GMT -5
I have been to Skye twice now. The 1st time, we did a trip up through Scotland to meet some Tull friends of mine in Ayrshire. From there we went up through the Highlands and over to Skye. I was not impressed by Broadford, by any means, but we followed the pretty 1 track road out the Strathaird Peninsula and stayed at a great B&B/ Restaurant in Elgol (Coruisk House). I ask the owner where Dun Ringill was and the next day, in the rain, we drove to Kilamarie, saw Ians old house, wandered through the spooky Cemetary (Old Kilmarie Graveyard), then made our way across the bridge and out the coast trail to Dun Ringill. It was about 2 miles out, I'd say. It was a beautiful walk, with all the Heather blooming, and the Puffins playing. It was really great to be there where some of my favorite music came from. The owners of the B&B asked my daughter if she wanted to come back the following summer and work for them. So, the next June, she was off to Glasgow, where my friends picked her up and drove her up to Skye. She thought it was beautiful and got to see so much, but she said it was a bit lonely. I'm sure it would be for an 18 yearold. We picked her up at the end of her work there, and stayed a couple of nights. We met a man who used to work for Ian on one of the fish farms. People seem to highly respect Ian for selling his estate to the John Muir Foundation. It will be kept as it was....very beautiful! Lou Bane (aka Jack-a-lynn) Thanks for sharing. Never been there but I'd like to go someday.
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Post by sedakroxiv on Dec 16, 2010 11:23:17 GMT -5
I've never actually been on the Isle of Skye, but I have sailed past there on several occasions...
Looks really beautiful from a boat when covered in a fresh coating of snow...
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Rrrrrrrray
One of the Youngest of the Family
Posts: 91
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Post by Rrrrrrrray on Dec 16, 2010 15:00:27 GMT -5
A little surprised that I did not give a long boring discourse on this the first time round, but roughly comprised into a thought, if there is a place on the planet that is more dear to me for reasons outside of its one time resident, I have not been there yet. For me the three visits, 82, 3, and 5, were all during his Lairdships residency. My man Bernie referenced it much earlier in the thread, though my take on Letterman's interview is quite some bit different. The actual reason for using Skye as ground zero for my then long delayed first visit to the UK was seeing an article in US magazine, a US tabloid nearly the mirror image of People magazine, which had an article about Ian's then relatively nascent doings on the Isle of Skye re the salmon empire, left me with the dead certain impression of aha! I've got u now mf! Shortly thereafter I heard and audio taped the interview on the then new Letterman show. Pretty much love all interviews with IA, just a matter of degree. Letterman's was the first one I had heard that adopted a decidedly gently disrespectful approach, I thought it was very good and remain a fan of the man, the only major talk show host in my history I can say that of, not sure if Bill Maher counts, and I've only really seen the American ones. Anyway one thing that stuck very clearly in my brain is Ian's comment on that show of "Walk about the hills, do what ever you like, but DON'T take me up on it" re don't come looking for him. On that train ride from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, which I have heard referred to as the hardest won miles of British Rail, many laborers killed building it, not hard to see why, just ruggedly jaw dropping beautiful, thru towns with names like Drumnadrochit, and fully expecting to see Trolls and wee beasties, I certainly was struck by the knowledge that in most of those years when Tull was hugely popular, Ian really had lived nowhere, primarily in hotels. And this beautiful country with its mysterious mists literally screamed Jethro Tull. Remarkable to be listening to their music and that of the likes of Steeleye Span while travelling thru it, touching really. This is back in the days when u had to go "over the sea to Skye" from Kyle, and truly I don't have enough time to recount my many experiences there in those 3 years, nor the willingness to bore a signifigant amount of the audience here. I think many of you here or elsewhere have heard my recount of my couple of meetings with Ian, the nice pictures my brothers steady hand was able to get in 83, and people there who knew him as the Laird or the boss or his mailman. I think on my Facebook page there are several pictures, as well as a involved recount of the events, Skye being a scenically and historically spectacular place, (amongst many other things the hideout for Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie, the seat of Clan Macdonald and Clan Mackinnon)So if anyone is a Facebook member who cares to see this, just send me a pm, I lack the time or expertise to bore the class here. Closing, particularly if one is yet ambulatory, (I just don't think its something to be seen from a tour bus) I can not more highly recommend the Highlands of Scotland in general, but the central west Highlands and islands in particular. And I got to touch William Wallace's broadsword in 82 down at Stirling Castle, I notice since Braveheart they now have it in a glass case.
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Post by Nonfatman on Feb 24, 2011 20:11:04 GMT -5
As we were discussing awhile ago in this thread, I and about 11 or 12 other Tull fans went on a Tull Tour of Scotland and England in October 1993, to follow Tull around on their 25th Anniversary UK tour, visit famous Tull sites and take in some sightseeing while we were at it. We left New York on October 9th, returning on October 17th. The tour was planned and arranged by Jerry Adessa, one of the earliest organizers of USA fan parties and conventions. This was our itinerary: This was the second Tull trip that Jerry -- whose mother was a travel agent -- had organized. The all-inclusive price, including airfare, seven nights in nice hotels, concert tix to the five shows we saw, and breakfast each day, was only $1,250! One thing, though, it was not, by any means, an "air-conditioned tour bus with facilities", it was a mini-van, and there not 18 or more people, the total was 11 or 12, and we had a difficult time squeezing into the van with all of our luggage, most of which we had to secure on top of the van. Still, $1,250 was a great price, and it was a fantastic trip! I had missed the first Adessa trip, so on the reverse of this itineray, Jerry urged me as follows, in a handwritten note, which if you look closely you can see on the back of page 2, since the blue ink bleeds through: Jeff, Don't be sick with yourself this time!Thoroughly convinced, I scrawled this note to myself, in all caps, right below Jerry's note: GET PASSPORT - SUP/NY (The Sup/NY refers to the New York State Supreme Court Building, where the U.S. Passport office was.) Coming soon: Photos of our trip!Jeff
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Post by Nonfatman on Mar 31, 2011 20:58:58 GMT -5
Okay, as promised, I am now going to post, bit by bit, the photos from our Tull trip, hosted by Jerry Adessa, in October 1993, when 11 or 12 of us traveled around the U.K. in a cramped mini-bus, following Tull around for their 25th Anniversary and visiting various Tull-related sites, including Skye, along the way. These photos are from the entire trip, not just Skye, but I will post all of them here in this thread for the sake of continuity, since I've already posted the tour itinerary above. This will be an ongoing and gradually developing thread, which I will do in....hmm, let's see how shall I put this....umm, I know, installments! But since I have a lot of photos from the trip, it will take awhile to post them all, so there will be many, many installments, with a running commentary throughout. The photos have been stuck in an album for many years, and cannot be removed without damaging them, so I will have to scan them the way they are in my album. The other thing I should mention is that they are not all chronologically arranged so there may be some jumping back and forth. First up: We arrive in Glasgow! Jeff Next: The mini-van!
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Post by Nonfatman on Mar 31, 2011 21:15:07 GMT -5
I had forgotten this, but when we arrived in Glasgow, we didn't stay there overnight. Instead, we immediately loaded up the van and started heading for Skye. Tull were in Birmingham that night, so Jerry knew that Ian wouldn't be around, making it a perfect time to head over to the Kilmarie House and the nearby Dun Ringill, as well as Straithaird and other attractions on Skye. Here's a look at the mini-van, which we are in the process of loading up with our luggage on the top rack. Not exactly the luxury bus that had been promised us, but nobody complained because we knew we were getting a fantastic package price for the entire trip. In the second photo, we are already on the ferry to Skye, that's me there with Mrs. Icecreamman shortly after she married Mr. Icecreaman, and the rest of our group packed, sardine-like, into the minivan. What I can't figure out is what happened to all of our luggage that we had fastened to the top of the van? But, oops, this is just what I meant about the photos being out of order, as you can see by the title of next segment! Next: The road to Skye Jeff
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Post by Nonfatman on Apr 5, 2011 22:16:21 GMT -5
For some reason, throughout our entire trip, we encountered road construction seemingly everywhere we went. We were constantly seeing these construction signs, and so "uh-oh, men shoveling shit ahead" became a running joke. Here's another shot of us outside our "luxury bus", which I believe is in Glasgow, or if not, then somewhere along the way to Skye. Although I took a lot of photos, I really didn't take notes or keep any kind of log. Jeff
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Post by Nonfatman on Apr 5, 2011 22:25:33 GMT -5
This photo, and the two that follow, were taken from the side of Route A87 as we were approaching Skye. There were areas alongside of the road for vehicles to pull over in particularly scenic spots, and this was one of them. These photos are of the Glen Shiel region, and the mountains on the right side in the background may well be the Five Sisters of Kintail, but I'm not 100 % sure. They don't look imposing enough, but that could be because the photos were taken from a distance and also because the cloud cover is obscuring the mountaintops. We did see them, so this is probably them, but I wish we would have gotten a closer look. Mike and Vicky were married just a few months before this trip, and took this second honeymoon to follow Tull around and to see Tull-related sites! Jeff Next up: The Eilean Donan Castle at the threshold of Skye.
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Post by Nonfatman on Apr 7, 2011 23:41:39 GMT -5
The foothills of the Glen Shiel mountains, and Loch Alsh, which separates the mainland from Skye: Jeff
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Post by Nonfatman on Apr 7, 2011 23:45:13 GMT -5
On the ferry to Skye. In looking at the road map, I see that there is also a bridge that you can take if you follow A87 all the way to Skye, but for some reason we took the ferry from a different location. I'm not sure why, but it may have to do with the part of Skye we were going to. [Update: I just found the answer to my own question. The Skye Bridge did not yet exist in 1993. It wasn't build until 1995, so the ferry was the only way to get to Skye when we were there.] Jeff
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Post by Nonfatman on Apr 8, 2011 0:03:48 GMT -5
In the photos below we are standing in front of the Eilean Donan Castle, which has been called the most beautiful castle in Scotland. It lies in between Kintail and Glen Shiel at the threshold to Skye, which can be seen in the backround of these photos. As I mentioned in my previous post, the bridge which is shown traversing the Kyle of Lochalsh on this map did not yet exist in 1993, so we took the ferry across, probably from Stormeferry just north, as shown here: Here is the Eilean Donan Castle's website, with some great photos, history and visitor information:www.eileandonancastle.com/links/external-links.htmThe interesting thing is that, from the photographs below, it doesn't even look like the castle is open to tourists, so it may well be that it opened later on, otherwise I would imagine that we would have toured the castle itself. Next up: The Viewfield House at Portree, Skye!Jeff
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Post by TM on Apr 8, 2011 10:21:22 GMT -5
This photo, and the two that follow, were taken from the side of Route A87 as we were approaching Skye. There were areas alongside of the road for vehicles to pull over in particularly scenic spots, and this was one of them. These photos are of the Glen Shiel region, and the mountains on the right side in the background may well be the Five Sisters of Kintail, but I'm not 100 % sure. They don't look imposing enough, but that could be because the photos were taken from a distance and also because the cloud cover is obscuring the mountaintops. We did see them, so this is probably them, but I wish we would have gotten a closer look. Mike and Vicky were married just a few months before this trip, and took this second honeymoon to follow Tull around and to see Tull-related sites! Jeff Next up: The Eilean Donan Castle at the threshold of Skye. Nice pics Jeff! I have some catching up to do on this thread.
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Rrrrrrrray
One of the Youngest of the Family
Posts: 91
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Post by Rrrrrrrray on Apr 8, 2011 10:30:33 GMT -5
Being able to visit Skye and the Western Highlands in 82, 3 and 5 and always using my thumb for transport when not using a train, I was picked up hitch hiking by the summer caretaker for Eileen Donann Castle, a Scottish guy about my age who was one of my most entertaining rides, including giving me a word by word interpretation of the Gaelic laced Steeleye Span song, an old favorite from 73, Cam Ye Oer Frae France, had no idea just how ribald the story was. (And o man does Tull and Steeleye sound just that shade better under that Scottish mist and Skye clouds) Certainly at the time, and for a place of such notoriety I suspect always, tours were given. I do know from time to time these ancient spots may be shut down for repairs of various sorts, and these days for all I know it may be shut down for lack of funding, I do know historical spots are facing lack of funding here in the States and face a similar possibility. And as regards that Skye bridge, definitely fairly recent and I think pretty controversial, (along with being known as the Winged Isle or Gaelic Eilean a' CheĆ², the hideout of Bonnie Prince Charlie, Mary Queen of Scots, various pirates, the place is positively drunk with history and very great beauty)one of the more well known references was "Over the sea to Skye." "A fat ferry floats on muted deisel roar" (Part of my attraction to the Rock Island record, other than considering it maybe the most undervalued one in the Tull catalogue, are the several Skye references) In fact the remains of that castle you see on a small island as you approach Skye, if memory serves and so I was told, in the times of pirates holding sway on Skye, a rope or something was connected between it and the isle and one had to pay a toll to get passage.
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Cousin Jack
One of the Youngest of the Family
Posts: 55
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Post by Cousin Jack on Apr 17, 2011 8:44:03 GMT -5
great pictures keep em coming
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Post by Nonfatman on Apr 17, 2011 9:10:21 GMT -5
great pictures keep em coming Well, I believe your hometown is coming up, plus a lot more! Portree, is (or was) your hometown, if I'm not mistaken. Jeff
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Post by Nonfatman on Apr 20, 2011 23:35:08 GMT -5
The castle shown in the top photograph is, I would imagine, of some significance, and that's probably why I photographed it. I just don't remember the name of the castle or its importance, but perhaps Cousin Jack can help us out? The bottom photo is of The Viewfield House, the Inn which is some kind of old manor or estate, where we stayed the first night of our trip. It is located in Portree on the Isle of Skye. In the photo you can see the partially open door of our mini-bus, on the right side, so we must have just arrived when this photo was taken. The front had ivy growing up the building while the rear yard had an expansive sod lawn: Check out The Viewfield House website, below. The Inn is described as "an ideal base for touring Skye." It doesn't look like it's changed much since we stayed there. www.viewfieldhouse.com/Jeff
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Post by Nonfatman on Apr 21, 2011 0:01:16 GMT -5
The Viewfield House on the inside was old and a little spooky, lots of taxidermy, antiques, candelabras and portraits of people whose eyes seem to follow you across the room, like out of some hokey horror films of yore, and some spoofs of the genre starring The Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello Sorry for the crookedness of these. I can't be "arsed" to re-scan them. (I love that expression!) One thing I do distinctly recall is that the accomodations, though old, were very clean and well-kept. The staff were very hospitable and friendly, snapping these photos of our group for us. Stay tuned for the next installment featuring Straithaird, Kilmarie, Dun Ringill and Ian chasing after us with a shotgun! Jeff (Just joking about that last part!
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Post by Nonfatman on May 3, 2011 23:46:09 GMT -5
Here's a map of the Isle of Skye which shows the location of Portree, where we stayed at The Viewfield House, in relation to our areas of interest (Kilmarie, Straithaird, Dun Ringill, Broadford) which are part of the Cuillin region, where some of the steepest mountains in the United Kingdom are located. The road to the Kilmarie House and Dun Ringill is narrow and very difficult to find but it is a public road, and Jerry knew the way, since he had made a previous pilgrimmage there, with another group of fans a year or two earlier. If you can find it, you can take the road right to the Kilmarie House, and pass immediately adjacent to the stone perimeter walls of the Kilmarie House. Just beyond Kilmarie is an old graveyard -- most certainly the inspiration for the song Old Ghosts -- and adajecnt to the graveyard is a small, public parking lot where we parked our minivan, as shown on this walking tour map: From the Walkhighlands website, here are the directions: Park at the small car park just beyond the Kilmarie house next to Kilmarie burial ground. Walk back up the road past the house until you reach a metal gate on the right leading to a woodland path. Follow this path and cross the ornate bridge over the Abhainn Cille Mahaire. Kilmarie House was until 1994 owned and lived in by Ian Anderson, the singer and flautist who fronted Jethro Tull, since 1968. He sold the estate at a very reasonable price to the John Muir Trust who now manage the land with conservation as the first priority. The house - and most of the ground on this route - remain privately owned and the current owners request that walkers observe the access code and in particular keep dogs under tight control to protect the wildlife along the route.www.walkhighlands.co.uk/skye/dunringill.shtmlJerry had planned our trip to Skye to coincide with a time when he knew the family would not be home, as Tull were playing in Manchester that evening, a show which we did not attend. (Our first show was the next night, at Glasgow). Here are the first few photos of the road, as one approaches and passes the Kilmarie House: Much more to follow.... Jeff
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Post by TM on May 5, 2011 12:01:15 GMT -5
Great pics Jeff. Thanks for sharing this story with us.
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Post by tullian on May 5, 2011 13:21:42 GMT -5
I was there in 1994. Beautiful and rugged. Was at Ians house, Dun Ringall, Elgol. Stayed in Portree for 2 nights. Craig
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2011 16:40:20 GMT -5
I was on Skye in August 1990 for 3-4 days and stayed at Viewfield House also. (In the front room 2nd floor, the windows are just over the front entrance). I rented a car and toured around (dangerously, as I'm from California and had never driven on the other side of the road or on a single track road) Walked through the Kilmarie Graveyard down to the water and up the coastline, stepped over a rock wall that died into the water, oddly enough the beach was cleaner on this side of the wall, as though someone had removed broken seashells from the beach(!) kept going until I found myself at Dun Ringell. After snapping some pictures I walked up a little back toward the road but was fearing the specter of a one legged shotgun toting laird. Not knowing just whose land I was on I scrammed. Did most of the island, Elgol fish and chips, Broadford chili and rice to Dunvegan Castle (?) Great time, spent some of it in the pub in Portree!
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2011 18:45:52 GMT -5
indeed great pics jeff, thanks
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Post by Nonfatman on May 6, 2011 10:15:28 GMT -5
indeed great pics jeff, thanks Thanks, Erin and Paul, I'll put some more photos up soon. The thing is we only had one day at Skye before we had to return to Glasgow for the Tull show, so we really didn't get to spend that much time there. I think we arrived during the afternoon on our first day, saw some stuff, stayed overnight in Portree, and then saw some more stuff the next day before driving back to Glasgow. I've been reading through the thread and it seems like quite a few people here, including Jack-a-Lynn, Cousin Jack, tullster, darincody, Max Quad, Pat and several others, may have spent some more time there, and may have photographs that they can share as well. It sounds like they took a more extensive trip or have more familiarity than I do, and if I'm not mistaken I think CJ actually lived or worked on Skye for some time. I'm also wondering what photos the Icecreamman may have from our trip, as I don't think I've seen them in quite awhile. I've got a photo that I will post soon of me heading towards Dun Ringill, with the stone circle in the background, but no photos of any of us right there and none of the other ruins which I believe are nearby. I must have more photos somewhere because I think we walked all the way out there, though I'm not entirely sure. Mike? I would love to see other people posting their Skye photos and stories in this thread! Jeff
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2011 14:37:04 GMT -5
Very nice pics of a great trip, nice to have someone that knows their way around. I was on my own, once in a while accompanied by someone I met there but none that knew anything about Ian or some of the locations that I was interested in. I recognize most of the locations in your pics. I ate at that table! I never got close to the Kilmarie House though, I didn't know you could and was fearing the wrong end of the gun! I'll post some of my shots when I get the chance. Co-ordinating with a Tull show was a great stroke! I just missed a show in London at the Odeon ( Sept. 1990 with Fleetwood Mac) when I'd returned to London I saw the poster around the corner from the Marquee Club. I had a ticket for Dublin though and the gig was a few days after I left....!! Most of my trip was very loosly planned to allow for wandering except for that trip over to Ireland were I was slated to meet some friends. Darin
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