Crieff
Scottish Country Dancing at Crieff
Scottish Country Dance holidays organised by Furlongs Travel at Crieff have become a byword for enjoyment.
This year marks the 17th annual season and the recipe remains much the same as our first gathering back in 1997. We get together to dance for enjoyment and treat ourselves to a different top dance band each night. Just look at the band line-up for 2013 ... Marian Anderson, James Coutts, Jim Lindsay, George Meikle, Ian Muir and Sandy Nixon!
The itinerary includes some optional morning dance classes and also plenty of free time to explore the beautiful scenery and many nearby tourist attractions. We stay in the very centre of Scotland, at the award-winning Crieff Hydro. Our favourite hotel has changed dramatically since our first visit - in recent years the Hydro has spent over £40 million on additions and improvements. All bedrooms have been refurbished to a high standard and the hotel’s public rooms and facilities are now second to none. You’ll enjoy excellent accommodations and delicious food, and dance in the wood sprung floor ballroom - widely accepted as one of the best ballrooms in the country.
Crieff holiday organisers Richard and Dawn Furlong ensure everything is planned impeccably and following their great success last year, we're delighted to welcome back Graham and Caroline Hamilton as hosts for 2013.
You may choose your own holiday dates, perhaps combining a Crieff stay with other travel plans, or with visits to friends or relatives. If you enjoy dancing, Crieff 2013 is a must. To check availability, no obligation, please telephone 01580 240240 or submit an enquiry online. For further holiday details please follow the tour information links shown above.
Photo credits: Scottish dancers, Crieff Hydro, Bedroom, Meikle Restaurant, Carvery © Crieff Hydro Ltd
Our Inside Track
Over 25 years ago Richard and Dawn Furlong combined their occasional hobby of Scottish dancing with their day-to-day livelihood of holiday organising, and arranged an escorted dance holiday to Denmark. Since then they have organised dance holidays in 19 different countries. Unlike most dance tour organisers who often buy an existing holiday package and simply add a dance evening, Richard and Dawn have always designed a tailor-made tour by researching first-hand and contracting suppliers individually. This allows Furlongs Travel to provide a much better quality holiday and also excellent value for money.
Apart from the obvious essentials including comfortable accommodations and good organisation, two of the key elements of a Furlongs dance holiday have always been the venue and the music. Over the years Furlongs have arranged private dance events in some stunning places ... including Kilkenny Castle in Ireland, town halls in Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand, and the Banff Springs Hotel in Canada. Dance venues are always negotiated for private use and naturally we prefer a wooden floor. A dance band always accompanies a Furlongs dance holiday. Frank Reid and His Band have accompanied numerous Furlongs tours worldwide, and David Cunningham, Ian Macphail and Sandy Nixon have also enjoyed foreign tours with the Furlong Family.
In 1991 Richard and Dawn were invited by Jim MacLeod to run a dance holiday at the Stakis Dunblane Hydro in Perthshire. Following fifteen highly successful visits to Dunblane and with Jim on the verge of retiring, we subsequently moved our Scottish base half-an-hour up the road to the newly refurbished Crieff Hydro. Here, since 1997, we've enjoyed excellent hospitality and we've danced exclusively in the hotel's main ballroom to the top Scottish bands.
If you fancy a Scottish country dance holiday with a 27 year pedigree, do join us at the Crieff Hydro!
Holiday Dates
Friday 7th June 2013 for 7-nights.
Choose two or more consecutive nights or book one of our convenient holiday packages.
Holiday Packages
Convenient weekend, 5-night and 7-night packages are available or, subject to room availability, you may choose any 2 or more consecutive nights during the dance season.
Itinerary
Friday 7th June - Welcome to the Hydro. This evening you are invited to a carvery buffet dinner in the Meikle Restaurant, with after dinner tea and coffee served in the Winter Gardens. A full programme of dancing follows in the Main Ballroom with music provided by Ian Muir and His Band.
Saturday 8th June - Breakfast in the Meikle Restaurant followed by an optional morning dance class. Carvery buffet dinner followed by dancing to Sandy Nixon and His Band in the Ballroom.
Sunday 9th June - Breakfast in the Meikle Restaurant. Carvery buffet dinner followed by dancing in the Ballroom to George Meikle and His Band.
Monday 10th June - Breakfast in the Meikle Restaurant. Optional morning dance class. Carvery buffet dinner followed by dancing to the music of James Coutts and His Band in the Ballroom.
Tuesday 11th June - Breakfast in the Meikle Restaurant. Day excursion from the Hydro, with private coach transport included. Special 4-course served dinner in the Hydro's magnificent Drawing Room, with entertainment to follow.
Wednesday 12th June - Breakfast in the Meikle Restaurant. Optional morning dance class. Carvery buffet dinner followed by dancing in the Main Ballroom to Marian Anderson and Her Band.
Thursday 13th June - Breakfast in the Meikle Restaurant. Carvery buffet dinner followed by dancing in the Ballroom to Jim Lindsay and His Band.
Friday 14th June - Breakfast in the Meikle Restaurant before a leisurely departure and fond farewells.
Extra nights?
It's easy to extend your stay and add extra nights at Crieff before and/or after the dance dates. The extra night rate is £85 per person per night inclusive of dinner, bed and breakfast.
Photo credits: New entrance at the Hydro © Crieff Hydro, Queens View and Drummund Castle Gardens near Crieff © Visit Scotland / Scottish Viewpoint.
Award-winning accommodation at the Crieff Hydro
If you haven’t stayed at the Crieff Hydro you’re in for a big treat. If you have visited before, but not for a couple of years, you probably won’t believe the changes. With over £40 million invested, all bedrooms have been refurbished to a high standard, and public rooms and facilities have been expanded and improved. There’s a grand new entrance and reception foyer, and the restaurants, Winter Gardens and other public rooms have been beautifully remodelled. Outside, there’s now ample car parks and the garden landscaping looks even more attractive than before. Facilities include a swimming pool, bowls, golf, tennis, woodland walks, nature trails and a lot more besides. The estate comprises over 900 acres.
All hotel bedrooms have private facilities, hair dryer, a tea and coffee maker, TV and direct dial telephone. Our dance holiday offers a choice of standard twin, double or single bedded rooms, and executive twins or doubles. Single rooms have the same facilities as standard twins and doubles although many feature a shower unit rather than a bath tub. Singles have one bed and some rooms are not overly spacious but there is no single supplement. Executive twin and double rooms have the additional facilities of a trouser press, room safe and decor of the highest standard. They normally offer the best views and are situated in the Ferntower Wing and in other areas of the hotel. Executive rooms are subject to a supplement of £15 per person per night. Crieff Hydro also offers four-star and five-star self-catering chalets and lodges. We don't normally offer a self-catering option because our evenings feature dinner-dance events but if you'd prefer a self-catering package please let us know and we'll see what we can do.
For more details about the Crieff Hydro, including online virtual tours of accommodations, please visit www.crieffhydro.com
Holiday Prices
2-nights from Friday 7th June 2013: £218 per person.
5-nights from Sunday 9th June 2013: £545 per person.
7-nights from Friday 7th June 2013: Save £25 = £738 per person.
Any 2 consecutive nights during the dance season: £109 per person per night.
Extra nights outside the dance dates: £85 per person per night.
Prices are per person sharing a double or twin, or in a single room. All dates subject to availability.
What's Included?
- Accommodation at the 4-star Crieff Hydro.
- Sharing a double or twin, or sole occupancy of a single room.
- Full Scottish buffet breakfasts.
- 3-course pre-dance carvery buffet dinners.
- Dancing to live music nightly except Tuesday.
- Optional dance classes.
- Tuesday excursion to Glasgow Botanic Gardens and the Burrell.
- Tuesday special 4-course served menu in the Drawing Room.
- Tuesday dinner party with professional entertainment.
- Hosted throughout by Furlongs Travel staff.
How to book?
You may book online, by telephone to 01580 240240 or by post to Furlongs Travel, PO Box 44, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 4TQ.
The deposit payable on booking is £75 per person with the balance payable by 7th March 2013. For bookings made after 7th March 2013, the full amount is due on booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is some useful holiday information about the Crieff dance holiday. If you have any questions not covered here, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Clothing
There’s no special dress code but smart casual perhaps best describes previous trips. Gentlemen generally wear the kilt and the ladies their normal dance dresses for dancing. We schedule a short break between dinner and dancing, but it is best to come to dinner dressed ready to dance.
Coach excursion
If your stay includes the Monday and Tuesday nights why not join our complimentary daytime excursion on the Tuesday? This will feature a visit to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens and the Burrell Collection, and includes a lunch snack at the Burrell Cáfe. Situated in an award-winning building in the heart of Pollok Country Park, the Burrell is an amazing collection of beautiful objects from around the world. The collection includes works by Rodin, Degas and Cézanne, plus late medieval art, Chinese and Islamic art, and more. And covering more than 40 acres, Glasgow Botanic Gardens includes a well established arboretum, riverside walkways, a herb garden and herbaceous borders. Of particular note are three National Plant Collections featuring the tree ferns in the newly refurbished Kibble Palace, the Begonias, and the Dendrobium orchids.
Contacts
The Crieff Hydro address is Ferntower Road, Crieff, Perthshire, PH7 3LQ and the hotel telephone number is 01764 655555. The Hydro website address is www.crieffhydro.com
Credit cards
The Hydro accepts Access/Mastercard, Visa/Barclaycard, American Express & Diners.
Dance classes with Margie Stevenson
Optional dance classes will be held in the Hydro Ballroom between 10am and 12 noon on Saturday 8th, Monday 10th and Wednesday 12th June. We're delighted to welcome Margie Stevenson as our dance teacher for the Crieff 2013 season. Margie first went country dancing in Stirling as a child but didn’t take it up more seriously until at Teacher Training College in Edinburgh where she sat her Preliminary Certificate and was examined by none other than Miss Milligan herself. After a spell teaching in London, Margie returned to Scotland, joined the Edinburgh Demonstration team and took her Final Teaching Certificate under the expert tutelage of Alastair MacFadyen. Since then she has taught at the RSCDS Summer and Winter Schools and at various weekend schools in Holland, Luxembourg, Germany and throughout the UK. Margie is currently Chairman of the RSCDS Falkirk Branch and continues to teach regular classes in the Falkirk Area.
Dance programmes
For the 2013 Crieff season there are six dance evenings and up to 89 different dances to enjoy! Listening to feedback from last year, we’ve dropped a few “least popular” dances and added a few “most requested” ones. We’ve resisted adding many complex, technical dances because these tend descend into chaos! However we are including one or two more challenging dances per evening – perhaps one slightly more complex than usual and one new or lesser known (but simple) dance. But these new features come with a support package .... each day, excluding the first Friday, your hosts Graham and Caroline Hamilton will offer a late-afternoon 30-minute walk through of the two featured dances. The selected dances are shown with an asterisk in the programme listings below. We hope these new afternoon walk-throughs, along with the already announced mini-recaps during the dance evenings, will enrich the experience of both the experienced and less experienced dancer.
Dance Cribs are available to view and download - click here. If you would prefer to receive a printed copy with your final holiday tickets, please let us know. Telephone 01580 240240 or email.
FRIDAY 7th June with Ian Muir and His Band
HOOPER’S JIG (MMM 2)
BRATACH BANA (J Drewry Bon Accord Bk)
THE SILVER TASSIE (J Drewry Bon Accord Bk)
MACLEOD’S FANCY (J Drewry RSCDS Bk 33)
SWISS LASSIE (R Betsche RSCDS Bk 39)
JEAN MARTIN OF ABERDEEN (M Johnstone)
JENNIFER'S JIG (J Drewry Silver City Bk)
THE BLACK MOUNTAIN REEL (D Haynes Carnforth Coll 3)
Interval
THE STARRY EYED LASSIE (M Sprague RSCDS Bk 23)
MAIRI’S WEDDING (Cosh 22 SCDs+2)
THE BELLE OF BON ACCORD (J Drewry Deeside Bk 2)
THE WILD GEESE (RSCDS Bk 24)
LADY SOPHIA LINDSAY (J Attwood Alexander Leaflet 6)
THE ROBERTSON RANT (D Winchester RSCDS Bk 39)
THE DIAMOND JUBILEE (R M Campbell RSCDS Bk 31)
MRS MACPHERSON OF INVERAN (J Drewry Bon Accord Bk)
SATURDAY 8th June with Sandy Nixon and His Band
EH3 7AF (R Goldring RSCDS Bk 40)
REEL OF THE 51ST DIVISION (Atkinson RSCDS Bk 13)
THE BLUE MESS JACKET (D Henderson Kinclaven Bk)
*FATHER CONNELLY'S JIG (J Drewry Donside Bk)
THE REVEREND JOHN MACFARLANE (G Morris RSCDS Bk 37)
SUGAR CANDIE (RSCDS Bk 26)
MRS STEWART’S JIG (F Ligtmans RSCDS Bk 35)
MILTON'S WELCOME (J Bayly RSCDS Bk 33)
Interval
NAPIER'S INDEX (B Charlton RSCDS Bk 45)
J B MILNE (H Foss Angus Fitchett Album)
*GARDENERS' FANTASIA (P Cook RSCDS Bk 46)
THE LUCKENBOOTH BROOCH (J Dickson Glendarroch Sh 28)
MISS JOHNSTONE OF ARDROSSAN (R Goldring 14 Social Dances)
THE MORAY RANT (J Drewry Silver City Bk)
JAMES GRAY (R Burrows RSCDS Bk 42)
THE IRISH ROVER (J Cosh 22 SCDs+1)
SUNDAY 9th June with George Meikle and His Band
THE MACHINE WITHOUT HORSES (Rutherford RSCDS Bk 12)
MAXWELL’S RANT (Rutherford RSCDS Bk 18)
S-LOCOMOTION (K Jones RSCDS Bk 41)
THE JUBILEE JIG (SCD Leaflet 19)
*RECUMBENT STONE (J Drewry Greenburn Bk 3)
MARGARET PARKER’S STRATHSPEY (J Drewry RSCDS Bk 31)
IAN POWRIE’S FAREWELL TO AUCHTERARDER (B Hamilton)
Interval
CRAMOND BRIDGE (V Farr London Jubilee)
THE MINISTER ON THE LOCH (R Goldring 24 G & S Dances)
*A CAPITAL JIG (T Mackay 5 dances 2009)
THE ANNIVERSARY REEL (S Muir RSCDS Bk 36)
CULLA BAY (A Dix RSCDS Bk 41)
QUARRIES’ JIG (K W Smith RSCDS Bk 36)
MONTGOMERIES’ RANT (Castle Menzies RSCDS Bk 10)
Monday 10th June with James Coutts and His Band
THE FRISKY (R Bremner RSCDS Bk 26)
THE SAILOR (RSCDS Bk 24)
JOHN MCALPIN (H Foss Galloway Album)
*BEST SET IN THE HALL (H Greenwood)
GENERAL STUART'S REEL (C Menzies RSCDS Bk 10)
MACDONALD OF THE ISLES (D Haynes Carnforth Coll 2)
THE WEATHERCOCK (V Hughes Leeds Silver Jubilee)
THE FISHERMAN’S REEL (S Petyt Dunblane Holiday)
Interval
THE DUKE OF ATHOLL’S REEL (Skillern RSCDS Bk 16)
*LOCHALSH REEL (P Burnett Skye Coll 2)
ST COLUMBA’S STRATHSPEY (V Sproule & S Gillan)
THE NURSERYMAN (S Brown RSCDS Bk 37)
SCOTT MEIKLE (A McLean Laurieston Coll 1)
THE WIND ON LOCH FYNE (J Dickson Dunedin 1)
SPIFFIN’ (D&A Quarrie+Friends)
THE DUKE OF PERTH (RSCDS Bk 1)
Tuesday 11th June
Dinner Party in the Crieff Hydro Drawing Room
Wednesday 12th June with Marian Anderson and Her Band
FOLLOW ME HOME (E Briscoe RSCDS Bk 38)
SHIFTIN’ BOBBINS (R Clowes Ormskirk 6)
KILKENNY CASTLE (B Forbes Craigievar Bk 2)
THE BEES OF MAGGIEKNOCKATER (J Drewry Canadian Bk)
*MRS STUART LINNELL (John Bayley)
ALISON ROSE (D Ivory Imperial 2)
THE DANCING MASTER (J Drewry Donside Bk)
POLHARROW BURN (H Foss Glendarroch SD Sheets)
Interval
THE WILD GEESE (RSCDS Bk 24)
THE IRISH ROVER (J Cosh 22 SCDs+1)
*DAGMAR'S FANCY (A Lingnau Mainhatton Bk)
SETON’S CEILIDH BAND (B Fordyce Morison's Bush Coll)
WEST’S HORNPIPE (5 Traditional SCDs 1965)
BUTTERSCOTCH & HONEY (J Attwood Alexander Leaflet 24)
MAJOR IAN STEWART (J Drewry RSCDS Bk 35)
REEL OF THE ROYAL SCOTS (R Goldring SCD Leaflet 7)
Thursday 13th June with Jim Lindsay and His Band
JOIE DE VIVRE (I van Maarseveen RSCDS Bk 39)
JOHN OF BON ACCORD (R Goldring RSCDS Bk 33)
THE BALMORAL STRATHSPEY (J Charles RSCDS Bk 22)
TORRIDON LASSIES (J Brenchley Kangaroo Paw)
THE PLANTATION REEL (T Moretti Pinewoods Coll 2)
THE GENTLEMAN (R S Huxley RSCDS Bk 35)
JAMES GRAY (R Burrows RSCDS Bk 42)
FALLS OF ROGIE
Interval
PELORUS JACK (B Skelton RSCDS Bk 41)
*MR IAIN STUART ROBERTSON (B deWinton RSCDS Bk 42)
THE DREAM CATCHER (E Orr RSCDS Bk 45)
KELLOHOLM JIG (P Hyssett SCD Leaflet 32)
THE BLOOMS OF BON ACCORD (J Drewry Deeside Bk 2)
THE BYRON STRATHSPEY (J Drewry Deeside Bk 2)
IAN POWRIE’S FAREWELL TO AUCHTERARDER (B Hamilton)
MONTGOMERIES’ RANT (Castle Menzies RSCDS Bk 10)
Deposit and Payment Terms
To book this holiday a deposit of £75 per person is payable. The balance is due by 7th March 2013. If you book on or after 7th March 2013, the full cost of the holiday is payable.
Financial Protection
This holiday is financially protected by ABTA, under our bonded membership number V0086. When you make a booking and pay your first deposit or the full amount, you will be supplied with a Booking Confirmation. Please check to ensure that everything you booked is listed on this document. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, ABTA will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information visit the ABTA website at www.abta.com.
Holiday hosts - Graham and Caroline Hamilton
We are delighted to welcome Graham and Caroline Hamilton as our holiday hosts for Crieff 2013.
Holiday insurance
It is not a requirement of our terms and conditions that you have insurance for this holiday in the UK but we strongly recommend it. If you book and then have to cancel, you will be liable for cancellation charges so we recommend you protect yourself accordingly.
How to Book?
You may book online, by telephone to 01580 240240 or by post to Furlongs Travel, PO Box 44, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 4TQ. The deposit payable on booking is £75 per person with the balance due by 7th March 2013. For bookings made after 7th March 2013, the full amount is due on booking.
Meals
Evening meals on our dance nights are buffet-carvery style in the Meikle Restaurant. A typical dinner menu includes a daily soup, salads, cold meats and seafood; a choice of entree and a selection of fresh vegetables served by the Hydro chefs from the carvery; plus a choice of desserts:- for example, fruit crumble and custard, fresh fruit salad, gateaux, or cheese and biscuits. After-dinner tea and coffee is served in the Winter Gardens. On the Tuesday evening you'll enjoy a special Dinner Party in the Hydro's magnificent Drawing Room. Our Tuesday dinner is a 4-course, served menu. For each dinner there is a vegetarian option and most special diets can be catered for, assuming you tell us in advance please.
Tipping
Standard hotel service charges are included in your holiday cost. Additional gratuities are at your own discretion.
