dunkeld · blair castle · edinburgh
In the Footsteps of
Niel Gow
A five-day fiddle & wellness tour of Highland Perthshire
Learn Gow's tunes by ear in the places he made them — under his oak on the River Tay, in the castle he served for sixty years, and in the Edinburgh ballroom his family's band once led. Sixteen places. One fiddle-shaped week.
Reserve my place — $500 depositlimited to 16 musicians
the man from inver
The fiddle was the wellness
Niel Gow (1727–1807) never read a note of music. From a thatched cottage in Inver he played his way into the great houses of Scotland — for four Dukes of Atholl at Blair Castle, for the grand balls of Georgian Edinburgh — and kept playing to the age of eighty. When grief came, as it did, he played through it: his lament for his second wife is still one of the most moving airs in the tradition.
This tour follows his life on the ground — and borrows his secret. No sheet music. Slow first. Let the landscape, the room, and the tune do the work.
the set
Five days, played as a set
Day the First — Edinburgh Prelude
The Assembly Rooms & the road north
A private session in the George Street Assembly Rooms — the house the Gow family band led from 1787 — then north to our riverside base in Dunkeld. Welcome dinner, first tunes, and the opening workshop: Slow Down to Speed Up.
Day the Second — Gow's Home Ground
Inver, the Hermitage & Niel Gow's Oak
A listening walk through the Hermitage woods, an air learned under Gow's own oak on the Tay, his village and his grave at Little Dunkeld. Evening workshop: Playing Through Grief, built around his great lament.
Day the Third — The Big House
Blair Castle, by candlelight
Morning workshop on resonance and the performing body, then to Blair Castle — where Gow's fiddle still hangs. The centrepiece of the week: a private dinner and recital in the castle, playing his music in the house he served.
Day the Fourth — Loch Tay
The long game
A lochside morning on playing for a lifetime — Gow played to eighty — then Kenmore and Aberfeldy, building a Gow set of your own, and a farewell ceilidh at the house.
Day the Fifth — Homeward
Perth & the closing circle
South by Perth (and Gow's portrait) to the airports, with one intention each for the year of playing ahead.
one workshop each day
The wellness thread
Each day carries one anchor workshop, woven from the Slow Down to Speed Up method and the story of Gow's own life:
- Slow Down to Speed Up — breath-led bowing, learning by ear, releasing the grip
- Music in the Landscape — the river as drone, the woods as teacher
- Playing Through Grief — Gow's lament, and music as the way through
- Resonance & the Ballroom Body — grounding, posture, and filling a great room
- The Long Game — sustainable practice for forty more years of playing
the particulars
What your place includes
- ✔ 4 nights in a historic country house near Dunkeld
- ✔ All daily workshops and tuition
- ✔ Private dinner & recital at Blair Castle
- ✔ Private session at the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms
- ✔ Minibus travel throughout, airport to airport
- ✔ Most meals, including welcome dinner & farewell ceilidh
- ✔ All entries and guided visits
- ✘ Flights to Edinburgh/Glasgow not included
Suits fiddlers of improving to advanced level who learn (or want to learn) by ear. Partners welcome by arrangement.
the particulars
What your place includes
- ✔ 4 nights in a historic country house near Dunkeld
- ✔ All daily workshops and tuition
- ✔ Private dinner & recital at Blair Castle
- ✔ Private session at the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms
- ✔ Minibus travel throughout, airport to airport
- ✔ Most meals, including welcome dinner & farewell ceilidh
- ✔ All entries and guided visits
- ✘ Flights to Edinburgh/Glasgow not included
Suits fiddlers of improving to advanced level who learn (or want to learn) by ear. Partners welcome by arrangement.
your host
Colin MacLeod, the Celtic Fiddle Guru
Born near Inveraray in Argyll and raised in the oral tradition, Colin has played Scottish fiddle for more than forty years — entirely by ear, the way Gow did. Founder of the School of Celtic Fiddle Mastery and creator of the Slow Down to Speed Up method, he leads retreats and workshops across Scotland, Cape Breton, and the United States that join fiddle music to wellbeing, landscape, and story. This tour brings all of it home to Perthshire.
questions
Before you ask
Do I need to read music?
No — nothing on this tour uses sheet music. Everything is taught by ear, slowly, exactly as Gow learned.
What level do I need to be?
If you can play a few tunes and hold a steady reel at your own pace, you'll thrive. The workshops meet each player where they are.
Can I bring a non-playing partner?
Yes, by arrangement — partners join all visits, walks, meals, and the castle evening. Contact us for partner pricing.
What if I can't travel after paying my deposit?
Deposits are fully refundable for 14 days, and transferable to a future tour after that. Full terms on the booking page.
Is the walking strenuous?
Gentle — riverside and woodland paths at an unhurried pace. Every walk has an opt-out.
"Whar'er ye be, come follow me…"
Sixteen chairs. One week. His country.
Reserve my place — $500 depositQuestions first? Write to [email protected]
Celtic Fiddle Guru · School of Celtic Fiddle Mastery · celticfiddleguru.com