Drovers'Tryst
History
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'Hairy Coo' -
Mountain Bike Challenge
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Press
Drovers Tryst 'Press releases'
Much of the writing & press releases for the Drovers’ Tryst have been written by Fiona Murchie, a freelance copywriter based in Crieff.
Further details of her work, and contact information can be found at www.fionamurchie.com
Other support from Milestone Media has been appreciated.
PRESS RELEASE - 04 September 2007
Please click here to view 04 September 2007 press release
PRESS RELEASE - Sunday 19th August
The Hairy Coo Mountain Bike Challenge
Summary
The 'Hairy Coo' is a brand new event for mountain bikers on a newly created trail which will take place on Sunday 7th October, being organised as part of the Crieff and Strathearn Drovers’ Tryst (6th – 13th October).
The Hairy Coo will offer mountain bike enthusiasts and spectators a fun, race-based event celebrating the unique heritage of drovers and drove roads. The multi-lap event will be for both juniors and adults with spectacular scenic highland routes utilising sections of ancient drove road. The route will start and finish at Comrie Croft, a former farm, now a 4* hostel and mountain biking centre between Crieff and Comrie. The trail is being built in an environmentally friendly manner, with minimum impact on wildlife and habitats.
The Drovers’ Tryst is an 8-day festival, with a variety of walks, other outdoor activities and social events running throughout the week.
Further information and booking, visit www.droverstryst.co.uk or contact 01764 652578
In detail
The 'Hairy Coo' is a brand new event for mountain bikers on a newly created trail which will take place on Sunday 7th October, being organised as part of the Crieff and Strathearn Drovers’ Tryst (6th – 13th October).
The Hairy Coo will offer mountain bike enthusiasts and spectators a fun, race-based event celebrating the unique heritage of drovers and drove roads. The multi-lap event will be for both juniors and adults with spectacular scenic highland routes utilising sections of ancient drove road. The route will start and finish at Comrie Croft, a former farm, now a 4* hostel and mountain biking centre between Crieff and Comrie. The trail is being built in an environmentally friendly manner, with minimum impact on wildlife and habitats.
On a testing 3.5km course which incorporates forest track climbs, exciting single track cross country loops and some gnarly descending, as well as a quarry section with jumps and drop offs.
Duration 8.30am-5pm, race times will be announced on the day, but the first race will commence at 10am.
This is an open event for all abilities. No club membership or license is needed. Entries are not transferable.
Categories Juvenile (12-16) – one lap, Junior (17-18) – four laps, Fun-(16+ with no previous race experience) – two laps, Senior (19-29) – eight laps, Masters (30-39) – six laps, Veteran (40+) – four laps. PLEASE NOTE THAT LAP NUMBERS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Price Juvenile £10, other categories £15
Registration Closing date for advance entries is Friday 28 September. Race numbers will be sent out to competitors. Riders can enter on the day if spaces still available. Race registration opens at 8.30am for entries on the day.
Prizes Each category will have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize. Spot prizes will be awarded throughout the day.
Facilities Hot and cold snacks and bike spares service available. 'Give it a go' bike section for those who have never ridden before. Safety Qualified First Aiders on site all day. Riders must wear a hard shell cycle helmet at all times.
Sponsors Felt, EventScotland, Perth & Kinross Countryside Trust, Perth & Kinross Council, VisitScotland
Spectators will be kept entertained during the day too! Giant Slide, live music, tree planting, spit roast, demo bikes…
The Drovers’ Tryst is an 8-day festival, with a variety of walks, other outdoor activities and social events running throughout the week.
Further information and booking, visit www.droverstryst.co.uk or contact 01764 652578
PRESS RELEASE - 14 June 2007
Online Booking Takes Off
Thanks to the new online booking system, it is now even easier to take part in the
Crieff and Strathearn Drovers’ Tryst. But don’t take too long deciding what you want to do. Places are filling up fast.
There are more walks than ever through the stunning Strathearn countryside. Choose to spot some native wildlife, hear tales of fairy legend or develop your photography skills with our expert local walk leaders.
The inaugural ‘Hairy Coo’ mountain bike challenge will take place on Saturday 7 October over Comrie Croft’s new dedicated trail. Other adventurous activities include Nordic walking, deer stalking and Crieff Hydro Hotel’s new rope course.
If action isn’t your thing, you can find a myriad of gentler pursuits: arts and crafts, a writing workshop, historical exhibitions and talks. There is even a spooky tour of Crieff’s murky past.
The evenings are packed with social events from the opening night Pre-blister party to live music, quizzes, a comedy night and the ever popular Comrie Croft Barn Dance.
The week starts in Crieff’s James Square with the massed pipe bands of the Strathearn Stramash and ceilidh band Tarneybackle keep the carnival atmosphere going at Crieff Country Market on the final Saturday.
Make sure you don’t miss out - book online today!
Crieff and Strathearn Drovers’ Tryst Saturday 6 October - Saturday 13 October 2007.
PRESS RELEASE – 26th March 2007
The Crieff and Strathearn Drovers’ Tryst is growing.
This year’s big new event, the ‘Hairy Coo’ Mountain Bike Challenge, will take place on Sunday 7th October and promises to be great fun. Bikers will compete over a brand new custom built track through forest and over rocky crags.
Kayaking, orienteering, climbing, abseiling and horse riding all feature on the 2007 programme. It is the perfect opportunity to try a new sport.
With around 40 walks to choose from this year, there is something for everyone. The annual charity Toddle Waddle is back on. Alternatively, you could bag five munros on one of the Extra Hard walks.
There are several new walks led by local experts this year.
Wildlife enthusiasts will enjoy spotting deer at dusk with gamekeeper, Ali Gowan. If you’re keen to hone your camera skills, you won’t want to miss the chance to join renowned photographic artist Jo Cound on her photography walk.
Author and storyteller Jess Smith will bring fairy lore to life on her storytelling walk through local woodlands. And participants will have the rare privilege to stroll through the beautiful private gardens of Monzie Castle and learn something of its eventful history.
Some old favourites are also back: Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Countryside Ranger, Linda Winskill will share her knowledge on a variety of walks and Perth & Kinross Council Ranger Daniele Muir will once again lead the popular WWF Walk for Wildlife.
There will also be a full programme of evening events including ceilidhs and a barn dance, a quiz and a comedy night. The farmers’ market is a great way to finish off the week and pick up some souvenirs of your great stay at the Drovers’ Tryst.
Crieff and Strathearn Drovers’ Tryst Saturday 6th October - Saturday 13th October 2007. www.droverstryst.co.uk
Strathearn
Herald 9th June edition 2005.
The Drovers' Tryst team have been successful in securing funding from
the new VisitScotland Challenge Fund to the tune of £4420 and a further
£5000 from Perth & Kinross Countryside Trust. This will enable them to
produce a 24 page brochure which will detail the walks and the events
running during the week, as last year, but also will give ideas of where
to eat, where to stay, where to shop and what else to do in the area -
businesses have supported the Tryst financially.
The extension of the brochure in this way is to attract 'tourists' to
the Strathearn area, not just for the one week of the Tryst, but
throughout the season, illustrating that the area is a beautiful one for
walking and outdoor pursuits - and has a wealth of other attractions,
accommodation and dining, and retail. Copies will also be available
locally.
The website has been designed and maintained voluntarily by Ronnie
Murray-Poore, of 5th Gear Ltd, and is currently getting over 500 hits a
day, and generating enquiries from afar a field as Singapore and South
Africa. It is an important part of the Drovers' Tryst marketing
package.
The Walks programme, compiled by Martin Forsyth of Wandern Schottland,
is complete and ready to go on-line. It continues to offer at least 3
walks a day at 3 different abilities. The 'other' activities have been
further extended and include two 'horse walks' and more cycling events.
All of the leaders of the walks and other activities are doing so
voluntarily.
The Events programme includes a Drovers' Day at the Crieff Hydro, with a
treasure hunt, Spit Roast Lunch and ceilidh I the evening, a unique
opportunity to enjoy a BBQ at Loch Turret, courtesy of the Famous Grouse
Experience, highland re-enactments at the Crieff Visitor Centre and a
Barn Dance at Comrie Croft. The Drovers' Tryst organisers are delighted
to see such a positive commitment by the business community for the
Festival.
The Drovers' Tryst team also comprises of Katy Galbraith at Galvelmore
House B&B, Mark and Tina Philp of Galvelbeg House B&B and Jan Welch of
Dolleriemuir Farm (& self-catering).
There are still spaces available for advertising within the brochure,
and the team are always on the look out for assistance in the
distribution of the postcards and brochures, and in the marketing of the
event over the coming months. Contact Katy on 01764 655721 for further
information.
Invitation to stride out at Drovers’ Tryst festival
Hill walkers in Perthshire are being encouraged to put their best foot forward at a walking festival in Crieff and Strathearn.
The Drovers’ Tryst festival offers a series of events for walkers of all ages and abilities from a family treasure hunt to all-day hikes in the Munros.
Other activities include a ceilidh, street theatre and a farmers’ market.
The Tryst organisers are encouraging people to book early for the week-long programme of events, many of which are free.
Spokeswoman Katy Galbraith said the event, which is in its fourth year, had attracted people from throughout Scotland. “The Tryst keeps getting bigger and more diverse every years, “ she said. “ We hold it in the same week in mid-October each year because it has historical significance for Crieff, as it was traditionally the week of the guild market.
“Last year, about 40% of people who attended were from outside of the Perth and Kinross area, and we even get people coming grom North America who like the historical connotations of the events.”
For more information on the Tryst, contact the booking office on 01764 652578.
The Wild Drovers
Jonathan Trew, The Scotsman Magazine, October 2 2004
Walk until the cows come home at Crieffs cleaned up homage to history
Next weekend, hundreds of walkers will descend on Crieff for a week-ling
festival that celebrates the tradition of cattle droving in the area.
According to co-ordinator Katy Galbraith, the third annual Drovers'
Tryst Walking Festival 'hopes to recreate the drovers' experience - but
in a modern-day environment'. Presumably, this means the marauding and
pillaging which sometimes accompanied the drovers will not be part of
the events diary.
They did things differently in the 18th century. In the Statistical
Account of 1793, the schoolmaster of Monzie noted that the people of
Crieff 'went in fear of their lives from the drovers, who broke into
their houses and often carried off household goods'.
The authorities take a dim view of such amusements these days,
preferring to make the most of the fact that the town's long-established
cattle market coincides with the October school holidays to turn this
into a family affair.
Each day, there are three walks of varying difficulty, from gentle
strolls the kids can manage to a more challenging route involving the
ascent of both Ben Vorlich and Stuc a'Chroin.
More seasoned trekkers might be interested in the seven-day guided walk
from Spean Bridge to Crieff. The path follows old drover routes from
Corriechoille via the Road to the Isles and Rannoch Moor into Glen Lyon.
Glen Lochay and Killin are next on the itinerary before a descent to the
waterfalls and woods of Glen Lednock. After that, it's a gentle stroll
along country roads from Comrie to Crieff.
For less ambitious droving fans, the highlight of the week's festivities
will be the Best Painted Cow competition. It should be pointed out that
this is limited strictly to ceramic bovines and has noting to do with
recreating the mischievous rustling activities of yore.
The Courier
The Courier 4th March 2004
A WALKING festival which started to celebrate the cattle drovers who
made
Crieff one of the cross-roads of Scotland for hundreds of years promises
to
be bigger and better than ever this year.
The Crieff Drovers' Tryst Walking Festival will take place in and around
the
Perthshire burgh from October 9 to 17.
It celebrates the generations of Highlanders who each autumn drove their
black cattle down through the glens of Perthshire to the markets in the
lowlands.
"Whether you enjoy a brisk hike up a hill or a ramble in the valley,
the
tryst offers a week of autumnal beauty,"
co-ordinator Katy Galbraith
said.
Each day three walks will be available to cater to everyone from the
casual
stroller to the experienced hill walker.
"We're even hoping to arrange some longer one-way walks-for example,
from
Ardtalnaig on the shores of Loch Tay across to Newton Bridge in the Sma'
Glen," she said.
For such walks transport will be laid on to take the walkers to their
starting point, and pick them up at their destination.
The tryst was started three years ago by the Crieff and Strathearn
Partnership made up of the Crieff area tourism committee, Crieff
community
council, Crieff and Strathearn marketing department and the business
association.
Well supported by local businesses, its aim is to take advantage of the
autumn school holidays to extend the tourist season.
The events will start with a pipe band procession through the town to a
local park from where the first of the three daily walks will set off.
And for those who might not want to walk too far, entertainment will
also be
available in Crieff, with live street theatre, music, a ceilidh, and
farmers' market.
Strathearn Ramblers, Crieff Parish Church Group, Perth and Kinross
Countryside Rangers, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, Ordnance
Survey, and Perth and Kinross Leisure are among the many bodies which
will
be taking part and organising events during the week.
It is hoped that some German walkers will be among those attracted this
year, as local man Martin Forsyth runs a company Wandern Schottland
which
brings parties over to walk in Scotland.
Strathearn Herald
Caroline Boxer, Strathearn Herald
PLANS for the third Crieff and Strathearn Drovers' Tryst Walking Festival are well underway.
And organisers are keen to keep encourage anyone who wishes to be involved to let them know as soon as possible.
The Drovers' Tryst was launched in 2002, and now operates under the Crieff and Strathearn Partnership which is made up of the Crieff Area Tourism Committee, the Community Council, The Crieff & Strathearn Marketing Group and the Business Association.
The week long event will run from Saturday, October 9 to Sunday, October 17. "This year we hope to have a broader mix of walks," explained Katy Galbraith, secretary of Crieff & Strathearn Marketing Group. "From climbing the local Munros to a creepy crawly walk for children we hope to include everyone in the programme."
One of the main aims behind this year's Festival is to try and encourage visitors to come to the town during the week. "We hope to turn the fact the Festival is in the school holidays into a positive and provide an overall package that both day trippers and holiday makers can take part in and enjoy, alongside the locals who we hope will also continue their support."
Katy explained that they are hoping to open the event with a pipe band procession from the British Legion, through the twon to the Taylor Park - with walkers following the procession, and then, once the event has been officially opened at the Park, heading off on the first walks.
"We hope that local businesses will then come to us with different events throughout the week - with perhaps a different venue hosting a celilidh or band every night - for visitors and locals to enjoy." Katy added. "Culminating at the end of the week with the Farmers Market, and a family ceilidh."
This year the Tryst will also be advertised in its own website - which should be up and running in the near future.
If you would like to get involved with the 2004 Crieff and Strathearn Drovers' Tryst Festival contact Katy Galbraith at Galvelmore House, Crieff, (01764) 655721 or email katy@galvelmore.co.uk as soon as possible.
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