Doon the Watter
Well, folks seemed to like Kenneth McKellar the other day - so here is a real "blast from the past". A trip "Doon the Watter" was a fundamental part of the summers of my youth - including a number of "musical cruises" organised by the Salvation Army.
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If you think it is hard to keep the music on the stand in a bandstand then you need to try being on the deck of the Waverley when you are playing!
The only slight disappointment with this video is that the pictures are clearly from a much more recent time than I remember. There used to be far more little ships around than there are now. Of course, it wasn't just the boats - the various towns were all so much a part of my growing up years - in the days when Rothesay, Millport and Brodick were considered to be overseas destinations 😂😂
Two places that don't get mentioned in the song are Campbeltown and Ailsa Craig - both "full day" trips on the Duchess of Hamilton or the Queen Mary that were reserved for very special occasions.
Some comments received :
Maureen Mercer : Oh this takes me back to when I was a little girl and the times we stayed with Mum's Auntie & Uncle in Dunoon. It was beautiful and we took lots of trips on the Duchess of Hamilton, the Duchess of Montrose and probably the Waverley. There was nearly always Scottish music being played live or over the speakers on Dunoon Pier. We've certainly been on the Waverley here. The scenery and places in the area - mentioned in the song - were wonderful. We saw so many Pipe Bands marching through Dunoon and onto the 'Games' - we went too. I used the watch 'The White Heather Club' years ago with Andy Stewart as well.
