Posts for January, 2025

Would you like to learn more about the night sky? Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust on Friday, February 7th at Inveravon Church & Pictish Stones at 7pm for a Moon at Inveravon telescope session to celebrate National Astronomy Week. On February 7th the Moon will be close to Beta Tauri in the constellation of Taurus in the evening sky. We’ll also be looking at the planet Jupiter as well as stars and constellations and will share resources for improving your celestial knowledge. Please meet at Inveravon for 7pm.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for cool February conditions and changeable weather. Sturdy footwear, lots of layers, along with gloves and a hat will make your stargazing experience more enjoyable.

Toilet facilties are limited at Inveravon but there is a public convenience at Cragganmore near the parking on the Speyside Way.

Access to Inveraven Church is off the A95 about half a mile north the entrance to Ballindalloch Castle, and can be found by following the brown tourist sign directing visitors down the single track road to the Inveraven Pictish Stones.

If weather conditions are unsuitable on the day of the event the organiser will email attendees.

A suggested donation of £5 on Eventbrite or on the night helps to support heritage and dark sky activities in Glenlivet & Inveravon. This event is generously funded by Foundation Scotland from the Dorenell Community Benfit Fund.

As the Modern Country Music craze continues to spread across the globe, ‘Nashville At Heart’ is a show that celebrates the music of some of modern country music’s giants including Luke Combs, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain & many others.

On the back of a sold out UK tour, the band are returning to the road, backed by one of the finest session bands that the UK has seen for a generation, the show’s male and female vocalists’ prowess is second to none with every nuance of the Nashville sound reproduced in this stunning live spectacle.

“This is exactly what a Country Music Show should be! Hit after hit from Artists that any country fan loves” – Ollie Harding, The Shires (Drummer)

“This is as close to that modern Nashville sound that you’ll get without jumping on a plane and heading across the Atlantic” – Ben Marshall – Award Winning Music Producer

Three unique musical voices unite to deliver a powerful yet intimate blend of old-time Appalachian songs, alongside a collection of beautifully crafted soulful originals.

Fiddler and singer-songwriter Hannah Read met banjo player Michael Starkey at an Appalachian old-time session in Edinburgh in late 2019. The moment they struck up a tune together marked an immediate meeting of musical minds. They have since become a dynamic fiddle and banjo duo, playing repertoire sourced from deep in the old-time tradition, as well as new self-composed tunes and songs. Their compelling sound can be heard on the critically acclaimed debut album Cross the Rolling, released on Hudson Records in June 2022.

Hannah is an award-winning Scottish musician based in Brooklyn, NY. She moved stateside to study American fiddle styles and to immerse herself in the thriving string music scene. She has toured extensively, performing solo and collaborating with musicians such as Tony Trischka, Sarah Jarosz and Jefferson Hamer, as well as being one part of the BBC Folk Award-winning Songs of Separation.

Michael is a multi-instrumentalist, music teacher and old-time banjo enthusiast living in Scotland. His mission as a musician is to keep things simple: clear melody lines underpinned by solid, infectious rhythm. Recent collaborations include work with Wayward Jane (an Edinburgh-based UK/US folk and roots music four-piece) and Faultlines, a collection of Lisa Fannen’s poetry set to music.

Originally hailing from the high desert of northern New Mexico, Cahalen has toured solo, as a duo with Eli West, and with his band Western Centuries over the past 15 years, and has performed on stage with the likes of Tim O’Brien, Kelly Joe Phelps, Hot Rize, David Grisman, Dirk Powell, Crooked Still, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Phil Cunningham, Aly Bain and Kris Drever.

Well known for his singular turn of phrase and curiously poignant songs, Cahalen dips deep into the well of tradition while the pushing boundaries of contemporary songwriting. He is equally at home on guitar, banjo, mandolin, singing three-part harmony or unaccompanied.
Cahalen has played all over the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Western Europe, and at festivals that include the Transatlantic Sessions, the Strawberry Music Festival, the Shetland Folk Festival, Celtic Connections, and many more.
Cahalen is based in Glasgow. Currently working on an exciting new project, he is also a regular at many sessions, eats as much black pudding as he can and is to be found most evenings in one of the city’s many parks or along the Clyde with his dog.

This is a BYOB event.
Doors open at 7.30pm.

Heritage Ranger talk: Inveraven Church & Pictish Stones

Join the Glenlivet & Inveravon Heritage and Dark Sky Ranger for an introduction to the Picts, their art and symbol stones. We will be examining the intricate carvings on the four stones discovered in the churchyard of Inveraven, which has been a site of spiritual practice and pilgrimage for centuries. This tour will provide an overview to Pictish art and culture and demonstrate how the Picts contributed to the founding of modern Scotland.

This event offers a unique opportunity to delve into Scotland’s past, allowing you to connect with its ancient roots. Join us for an afternoon of discovery and insight in stunning Speyside.

Access to Inveraven Church and burial ground is off the A95 about half a mile north of the entrance to Ballindalloch Castle, and can be found by following the brown tourist sign directing visitors down the single track road to the Inveraven Pictish Stones.

Parking is available at the bottom of the drive before you arrive at the church or in front of the church building.

Children are usually fascinated by the Picts and are encouraged to attend. As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for changeable weather.

This event is by donation. Donations can be made through Eventbrite or in person on the day. Children and youth under 16 are free. Like many churches across Scotland, Inveravon Church has unfortunately been earmarked for closure and sale by the Church of Scotland. The local community is currently in the process of exploring ways to keep it open by creating a heritage centre and community hub. Thousands of tourists visit the stones every year from every corner of the globe and it would be disappointing if they were no longer accessible. Funds raised from talks and events help to support community and heritage events run by the Friends of Inveravon Church.

Please note that toilet facilities are not available on site. Public toilets are available in Cragganmore at Ballindalloch Station on the Speyside Way or in Aberlour.

Well behaved dogs may attend but must be leashed.

This event is generously funded by Foundation Scotland from the Dorenell Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund.

The book launch of ‘Off-Piste Performance’ by Alison Thacker will be the first opportunity to see this exciting and insightful book in print, with signed copies available and the enjoyment of a social evening to chat with Alison and likeminded skiers to get excited about the season ahead!

TOMS (The Osprey Music Society) will host three singers from the Opera Bohemia ensemble: Douglas Nairn – Baritone and Piano, Catriona Clerk – Soprano and Connor Smith – Tenor. The evening’s entertainment will have a Burns theme.

Really thrilled to announce that we will be welcoming the fantastic @amy_accordion and @mrmacpherson on the evening of the 20th Dec for Music by the fire, with Accordian, Guitar and Song.

Tickets are £10 (advance tickets link in bio or come into Eleven41 Gallery) with complementary interval mulled wine and mince pie. This is going to be a stunning addition to our festive season and we can’t wait!

Come and support this super community cinema – Paddington In Peru, Lee, Wicked, Gladiator II and The Outrun are all on the line up. Go to the website for full listing.

Come along and enjoy a fun one hour class where kids will use existing pre cut stencils or cut their own (with help of accompanying adult) and screen print a wooden Christmas bauble.
This is a fun way for kids to try screen printing and take home a ‘me made’ product that you can keep for years to come that will add a personal touch to your Christmas decorations.

Cairngorm Community Cinema – Kneecap w/special guest.

We are back, for take two! Cairngorm Community Cinema is bringing the magic of independent and art-house films to the heart of the Highlands, making use of the screen at the Spey Valley Cinema.

For our second event, we are showing the conversation fire starter of a film “Kneecap”. The true story of the Belfast trip who become unlikely figureheads of a civil rights movement to save their mother tongue.

Doors at 6.40pm, film start 6.45pm Plus we will have a special guest joining us for an after film chat.
Community-owned but operated in partnership with Spey Valley Cinema and supported by the BFI and Film Hub Scotland, Cairngorm Community Cinema aims to create a space where the community can gather, discover new perspectives, and enjoy film.

At just £5 a ticket, we’re making it accessible to all. Tickets only available on the door, so just show up! 18+ only.