Scotland Packing List

[Doug]

I know that many of you have your own packing lists, but since many of you have never been on this trip before, I thought I would give a few hints.  Many are obvious, but take a look and maybe it will cover a few items you hadn't thought of.
 
1.  Uniform
     a.  Ghillies
     b.  Hose (I recommend 2 pair)
     c.  Flashes
     d.  Kilt
     e.  Sporran
     f.  Belt
     g.  Blue long sleeve shirt (I recommend 2)
     h.  Tie
     i.  Vest
     j.  Glengarry
     k.  Inverness cape (you WILL use it!)
 
2.  Instrument (duh)
     a.  For pipers, you will need to bring some pull through drone swabs.
     b.  Don't forget moisture control!
     c.  A spare set of drone reeds may be helpful
     d.  I'll let the drummers chime in with any helpful hints for them.
 
3.  Clothes
     a.  Figure out how many times you want to do laundry (it's kind of a pain) and pack clothing accordingly.
     b.  You may want to double the amount of socks for the sets of clothes you have.  Your feet/socks will get wet!
     c.  Definitely bring at least 2 pairs of shoes.  Wear one set while the other set is drying.
     d.  Temperatures are expected to top out in the low 60's with rain most days. Nights will be in the 40's or 50's.  Dress accordingly.
     e.  You will want a light rain jacket most days.  Because rain tends to be intermittent, it can be worn over temperature appropriate clothes and removed when the rain stops.
     f.  There are lots of hills in Scotland and you will do a TON of walking.  Factor this into dealing with temperatures and rain.  55 degrees feels a lot warmer than you think when you're slogging up the Royal Mile.
 
4.  Toiletries.  
     a.  You know what you need, but keep in mind that you can buy some of what you need when we get there.
 
5.  Electronics
     a.  You will need a transformer for any plug-ins. 
     b.  A portable battery/power supply is a great thing to have during long travel days (you won't have to fight for limited power supplies in airports).
     c.  Check with your cell phone supplier to see if you can use your phone in the UK.
 
General Tips and Notes:
1.  Try to keep your suitcase under 50 lbs.  There is a big surcharge for overweight luggage.
2.  Keep in mind that you may have souvenirs coming back.  Factor that into your initial packing.
3.  When you arrive in Scotland, don't go right to bed (you'll want to).  Stay up until your normal bedtime and get a good nights sleep.  That should put you right into local time mode.  
4.  We will have a short meeting in the lobby of Wolfson Hall at 7pm on 5 Aug (for those who are there or arriving that day).  We will then plan out the first rehearsal (location/, time, etc.)
5.  You may want to have some UK cash on hand for the trip over there (e.g. taxi or bus to Wolfson Hall, food at Heathrow, etc)
6. Rehearsals.
     a.  Until further notice, I would like our first rehearsal to be on Thursday, 6 Aug, at 0930.  We will go until noon.  Ideally, I would like to plan on 9-noon every day but we may adjust based on the Wolfson Hall breakfast schedule.   
     b.  If everything goes will during the daily morning rehearsal, you will have the rest of the day to yourself.  However, we may have the occasional afternoon rehearsal or sectional based on how things are going.  Bill may also wish to call some afternoon sectionals for drummers.
     c.  Keep in mind that, while I really want everyone to make the most of this trip and HAVE FUN, we are there to compete in the World Championships. I expect everyone to be on time to rehearsals and be ready to play with focus!