For the past couple of years, Dad and I have enjoyed having our main holiday in the UK - airport hassle has just got intolerable!

This year, our main hotel was the award-winning Best Western Lochardil House Hotel, owned by Eileen Fraser and Graeme MacBean. It’s a lovely family-run hotel just outside Inverness, so we were able to drive right up to John O’Groats and the Isle of Skye with ease!

The night we arrived, after we’d had a meal in their excellent dining room, there was a traditional wedding party going on next door - with a typical band and everyone kitted out in their kilts - the men, that is! It was really exhilarating, just to stand and listen for a few minutes!

I vowed that, on our return, I would celebrate our lovely stay there with my own musical tribute to the hotel, and, more importantly, the people of Scotland and their lovely country itself.

I have linked a traditional Strathspey with a faster Reel, both from my own original material. There’s just a little real Scottish snippet during the last four bars!

While I haven’t tried to be exact, the use of pentatonic scales, the occasional drone, and some ornaments - to suggest the ’gracing’ of the pipes - hopefully recreates what we felt and heard on our first night there. God willing, we hope to get back there soon!

I initially started with a Piano-Duet version, but plan to bring out some other instrumental combinations, as I’ve done in the past!

As usual with my wind /concert band arrangements, I have included parts from trombones, both in the treble clef (TC) and bass clef (BC), and which I’ve also done for the euphonium.

For ensembles that don’t have both a bass clarinet and baritone sax, either part contains cues for the other, so one or other instrument can be dispensed with.

If there are any other transpositions you’d like, just let me know!

STOP PRESS: I have now added a part for Bagpipes! Well, not for the real variety, as tuning would be an issue, as well as restricted notes available. The part is, of course, optional, but is intended to be played on a keyboard/synth - something which most wind bands have readily available. I have tried to use 'gracing' to add to the effect!