Our final post…we arrived home and back to city life yesterday after travelling by ferry, car, plane and train, and we’re already missing the landscape that’s surrounded us for the last ten days.

Our last concert of the tour was on Sunday afternoon for Cowal Music Club. We played Mozart, Haydn and Bartok at the newly refurbished Dunoon Burgh Hall – a really enjoyable acoustic to play in and a very well attended concert!

On the way to Dunoon we stopped at the magnificent Loch Eck, to take in the views and for an unplanned photo shoot. Following several unsuccessful attempts negotiating the self-timer function on the camera, we came out with a few good ones! We also had a delicious lunch and fascinating studio tour at the home of artists Don McNeil and Jean Bell. For some incredible paintings of the rugged Scottish landscape have a look at their website: fyne-studios.com.

So all that remains to say is a huge ‘thank you’ to all the people who have housed us, fed us and entertained us along the way! We’re constantly impressed by the dedication of music societies and the people who are passionate about bringing classical music to their part of the world – we are very grateful for your commitment. And, of course, to the Tunnell Trust for supporting this tour which has provided us so many memories.

To stay in touch with us, find us on twitter @SolemQuartet, or sign up to our newsletter via our website: www.solemquartet.co.uk Thanks for reading!

We arrived in snowy Fort William ready for our second concert and spent the afternoon hypnotised by the beautiful mountains. Our second performance was at Lochaber High school and included Barbers Summer music which warmed us up nicely. We also performed a UK premier Quintet a Vent by Silvestrini before ending with an old favourite Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles. After a good night’s sleep in a swaying bunk bed we drove to Helensburgh. We had been warned of treacherous pot holes and ice so we stocked up with a good breakfast in preparation and crossed our fingers. The journey went smoothy in the hands Alice the stig Quayle and the stunning mountain views kept us quiet.

After fueling up with tea we gave our third concert in The Tower Digital Arts Centre with more Nielsen, Danzi and stocking fillers inbetween. Off to Dunblane tomorrow.

We’ve arrived at our final destination for the week! While rehearsing Ravel, we’re struck by the incredible views of the Firth of Clyde and enjoying watching the ferries go past. In fact, throughout this tour the views have been immense! Since our last update we’ve taken in Islay, Bute and today have arrived in Dunoon.

On Islay, we visited the Bruichladdich Distillery. As beginner-level whisky drinkers we all enjoyed learning about the distilling process, the history of the distillery, and (of course) tasting the finished product. The sampling included the most heavily peated whisky in the world, the Octomore. Verdict: delicious. A trip to any of the island’s famous distilleries is highly recommended! And if any anyone from Bruichladdich is reading this, we’d love a souvenir bottle…

We really enjoyed playing to a wonderfully warm audience at the Gaelic Centre on Islay, and loved our Valentine’s Day at the Lochside Pub with Stuart and Celia Todd! We stayed with Mrs McNeil at the Lambeth Guest House, where we enjoyed delicious food, extremely comfortable beds and watching the Winter Olympics Skeleton into the early hours of the morning.

From Islay to Bute was not the easiest of trips: on top of the driving we took three ferries, and encountered a flock of sheep and a pair of deer in the road. Just a normal journey in this part of the world! On Bute we played at the Rothesay Academy, and performed Bartok for the first time this week, to a very appreciative audience. Playing in a school can sometimes feel slightly alien as a concert environment, so we made some acoustic adjustments using school dining tables (see picture below)! Another entertaining trip to the pub followed, this time with Russell Philips and some delicious Bute beer.

We’re looking forward to what will be (sadly) our final concert of the tour tomorrow. We’ll be sorry to be leaving this incredible landscape and warm-hearted people behind!