Schools - Travelling Tales

Travelling Tales linked primary school children with a group of travelling storytellers through journeys and stories. There were two main parts to Travelling Tales, in Badenoch and Lochaber, involving four primary schools.

Travelling Tales 

Badenoch

Working in partnership with the Highland Folk Museum, pupils and members of communities in Badenoch were invited to accompany storytellers on short local journeys as part of ‘Travelling Tales’ which ran from 11^th – 15^th June.

The five day adventure started from the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore and the storytellers travelled with a horse-drawn cart provided by Ruaridh Ormiston of Newtonmore Riding centre. 

During the week they visited Newtonmore, Kingussie, Kincraig and Insh, returning to the Folk Museum for a final public event.  Pupils worked with storytellers during the day, taking journeys, listening to stories and creating their own wonderstories.

In the evenings, parents and the community joined the Stories in the Land team for storywalks in their area.  The storytellers (Essie Stewart, Claire Hewitt, Alastair Davidson and Alasdair Taylor) told stories of the droving period and children were encouraged to share the stories they crafted at their storytelling workshops.

The Journey

11th June - Newtonmore - Newtonmore Primary School
12th June - Kingussie - Kingussie Primary School
13th June - Kincraig - Alvie Primary School

Lochaber

On Friday 21st June, Pupils set up a drovers cap at Corriechoille which was the home of the most famous drover of them all - John Cameron of Corriechoille. Walking on the old drove route, they encountered an 18th Century drover and met local crofter Ronnie Campbell who took part in the last drove in that area in 1949.

Travelling Tales Badenoch Celebration Day, Highland Folk Museum

A day of storytelling was held at the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore on the 15th June 2013.

Visitors listened to droving and Jacobite tales, found out more about basket making, spinning and weaving, made bannocks and butter, and took rides on a horse-drawn cart to the Highland Township.

They also listened to local school children perform their own stories inspired by the Badenoch landscape, met Jacobites and a Highland Drover, and found out about the Stories in the Land project and how to get involved.

Storytellers Claire Hewitt and Essie Stewart, Gaelic singer Kate Langhorne, historical re-enactor Alastair Strachan, and basket maker Jane Wilkinson.

The Highland Folk Museum

The Highland Folk Museum brings to life the domestic and working conditions of earlier Highland peoples. Visitors to this living history Museum can learn how our Scottish Highland ancestors lived, how they built their homes, how they tilled the soil and how they dressed, in a friendly and welcoming environment.

The Stories in the Land project is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Stories in the Land 2013.